Gigantor Under Construction

Japan continues its love of anime robots. This summer the country unveiled a giant Gundam robot and now they have made a great deal of progress on Tetsujin (Gigantor) according to Gizmodo. As before, I just want to know when Optimus Prime gets his turn.

Dirge, Lockdown, and More

Deluxe Dirge Gallery
Bunch of pictures of the new deluxe class toy that is an actual new mold rather than another repaint for the Revenge of the Fallen line. Noted features include removable missile launchers, and cockpit opens with detailed interior.

ROTF Lockdown Art
Click the link for a look at artwork for the upcoming Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Lockdown figure that is based on the Transformers: Animated character but designed in the movie style.

Stingray Concept Art
Click above for a look at concept art created by the General Motors Design Team for the Chevy Corvette Concept Stingray that was the alt mode of Sideswipe in the movie. While a prototype was created, there have still not been any announcements on whether the vehicle will be mass produced for public purchase.

Deluxe Electrostatic Soundwave
From Transformers: Animated line, new gallery shows off a repaint of the Soundwave figure that includes Keytar Ratbat. I am not sure if this is a figure to be released stateside or Japan only.

Thanks to Scorpio and Ben1227 for the links.

Dirge, Mudflap, Armorhide in Packaging

New images in packaging of the next wave of Deluxe class Revenge of the Fallen toys as part of the NEST Global Alliance moniker. Dirge is a new mold (for once). Tuner Mudflap is a repaint of the Mudflap toy and Armorhide is a repaint of the first movie's Landmine. No clue on when these will hit store shelves but I assume in time for Christmas. Thanks to Scorpio for the news item from TFW2005.

Deluxe Dirge bio

Dirge thought the heart of enemy territory - N.E.S.T. Headquarters - was the perfect place from which to launch a secret campaign of terror. A single slip-up revealed his presence, and brought his plans crumbling down. Now he's running scared with Bumblebee and Armorhide on his tail. He's to firghtened to land, but so terrified of running out of fuel that he finds himself breathing a sigh of relief every time he touches down.

Deluxe Tuner Mudflap bio

There was a time when Mudflap would have been intimidated by a warrior as accomplished as Sideswipe. But now, with the final battles of the war in his past, and a hot new engine and paint job, he's ready to give the Autobot sword-master a run for his money. Mudflap can't outfight Sideswipe, but there's no doubt in his mind he can out-drive the older Autobot.

Deluxe Armorhide bio

Things have been slow lately, so the discovery of a Decepticon hiding right under his nose was like a dream come true for Armorhide. He's enjoying working alongside Bumblebee, since his damaged vocal processor means the other Autobot can't complain about his methods. Armorhide doesn't care about stealth or safety. All he cares about is bringing Dirge crashing down.

Custom TFs: Optimus Prime

Here is a new custom movie Transformers to drool over. Created by crefigz.com, this is a modded version of Revenge of the Fallen Leader class Optimus Prime with a new paint job with more details, additional parts, weapons and more. The result is a sweet looking toy and any Transfan would love to own (but only one will). The full gallery and description can be found at the eBay auction here.

Megan Fox on SNL

Last night Megan Fox was the host for season premiere episode of Saturday Night Live with U2 as the musical guests. The result, as is the norm for SNL, was uneven at best. Megan Fox looked outstanding regardless of wig or costume she was thrown in and seemed game for whatever was thrown at her. The material, however, was blah at best with the writers going to the dumb blonde well frequently and had more pre-recorded skits then I am used to seeing with guest hosts. Of course they had their expected Transformers skit (below) that was just strange. Fox tried hard but you can only do so much with the crappy material she was provided and she doesn't have the comedic chops to rise above the material (but then few do).

To view the available clips from the show click here for SNL's website or here for Hulu.

"CubeDude" Transformers

Pixar animator and director Angus MacLane has decided to let his geek flag fly in something more creative then computer generated animated by creating Lego "CubeDudes" based on various characters from comics, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Star Wars and more. All are pretty sweet but obvious the Transformer ones are those I like best.
Click here for his entire collection and here for just the Transformer CubeDudes.

Autographed Revenge of the Fallen Blu-Ray, DVD (Updated)

MichaelBay.com is now pre-selling Blu-ray and Special Edition DVD copies of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that will be autographed by Director Michael Bay. The autographed copies are being sold at a premium but the proceeds are going to the Make A Wish Foundation.

The offer is only available through October 16th, the charge does include shipping and handling and will take about two to three weeks for delivery from October 20th. For the United States the two-disc DVD its $40 and the Blu-ray is $50. $5 more for international orders, be sure to read the details to make sure your country is included. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

To place an order, click here.

Update: The Make A Wish signature edition of Transformers 2 home video release is getting an upgrade with the participation of Tyrese Gibson. In addition to the above offer, now there is a Blu-ray combo edition of Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that will be signed by both Michael Bay and Tyrese Gibson. The cost is $105 in the US, $110 elsewhere. I am not 100% sure but I think this means that Tyrese is signing TF1 and Bay is signing TF2. To place an order, click here.

Jingle Attack Ironhide, FAB Arcee, and More

More images have popped up online for the next wave of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toys. This time the focus is Jungle Attack Ironhide, Fast Action Battler Arcee, Wideload, and FAB Night Blades Sideswipe.

Of the group, probably Ironhide is the best because for once Hasbro offers more than just a new paint job. The new toy comes with new gear in the form of a rifle, knife, crossbow, and more. Below is a video review of the toy and click here to view a gallery.


In addition, click here for a gallery of Fast Action Battler Arcee that looks only marginally better then the Deluxe toy. Last, clear here for images of Scout class Wideload and FAB Night Blades Sideswipe in their packages. Thanks to Scorpio for the links.

Bludgeon in Package, Bio

Below are images of Voyager class Bludgeon in package with bio from the next wave of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toys. While he has been released in various TF toy lines before, this is the first time the character has so closely mimicked his comic book look. To learn more about the characters Transformer history, click here. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

Voyager Bludgeon Bio

Decepticon Bludgeon was nearly destroyed by a fight with the Metallikato Master Autobot Whirl. Forced to retreat and hide, he scanned a new vehicle mode and disappeared into the Southeast Asian jungle. He is desperate to prove himself against an Autobot, however, so he has caused just enough chaos locally to attract the attention of Ironhide. Now he lies in wait for the Autobot, ready to spring his trap and destroy his victim in an instant.

Flare-Up Bike, Props, Concept Art and More

Sean Haworth, Visual Effects Art Director for Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, has released some of his art on his website. He helped design some vehicles, props and sets used in the movie. His other work includes Tron Legacy, Eagle Eye, The Island and more. Probably the most interesting new bits is a good look at Flare-Up (or Elita-1), the last of the three motorcycles created for ROTF yet rarely seen (see below).

Rather then displayed it by movie, he has it separated by categories. Set Design shows of a detailed view of the Ice Cream Truck Twins, Ratchet and NEST Hummer. The Conceptional section shows off the improvements to Bumblebee's vehicle and three CGI views of the NEST Hummer. Art Direction shows a lot of set design work he helped create for the first movie. The Transportation section is photos of the various Transformers he helped design. The Props is all Transformers with look at the Bumblebee robot prop, the zapper cage from the first film, Autobot logos and Frenzy's prop head. The final section, Study Models, does not include Transformers work, but shows some model sets put together to help plan shots and the like.

To view his entire available work click here for the Portfolio section of his website. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

New Transformer Galleries

Lot of new Transformer galleries have popped up online including official images of the next wave of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toys that include mostly repaints of existing toys.

New Revenge of the Fallen Toys
Click above for a look at Hasbro's official images of new toys from the various classes that should be coming out in the next few months.
Legends - Wheelie, Soundwave, Sideswipe, Power Armor Optimus Prime
Scouts - Knockout, Brakedown, Wideload, Ejector, Nightbeat, Sonar
Deluxe - Gears, Tuner Mudflap, NEST Bumblebee, Black Soundwave, Dirge, Cannon Bumblebee repaint, Armorhide
Voyager - Bludgeon, Jungle Attack Ironhide

Fury of Fearswoop
Walmart.com now has a product page for the set of repaints that includes Legends Battle-damaged Sideswipe, Battle-damaged Mudflap, and Fearswoop (repaint of 2007 Deluxe Dreadwing). (via TFW2005)

Scorponok Prototype Auction
A new eBay auction is showing off a prototype version of Deluxe Scorponok, which is apparently an early design since it shows six eyes while the final design had four.

Revenge of the Fallen Caltex Memorabilia
A look at various things created for Caltex (aka Chevron) as part of a promotion between the gas company and TF2. Items include umbrellas, collector cards and more.

Supreme Devastator Repaint in Package
A look at the repainted character to more closely match his final look in the movie. Currently it is available in Japan only but I wouldn't be surprised if they pop-up stateside in time for Christmas. So far the only obvious difference is the red face (rather than the initial gray) but there could be more.

G-Man's Winning TF Design
Scorpio, who provided most of the above links, has a look at the winner of his contest to create a new Transformer design. Also click here for a look at a few other designs.

Hasbro, Bumblebee Join Fundraising Walk

Hasbro has issued a press release for a fundraising effort the company will be participating in Providence, Rhode Island for "The Walk: Hasbro Children's Hospital." The walk will occur on October 4, 2009 and include the first official 2010 Transformers Special Edition Chevy Camaro that is based on Bumblebee.

Click here to read the full details and how to participate.

Japan Home Video Exclusives

While North America's exclusives for the home video release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen seem to consist of Steelcases and Bumblebee transforming case, Japan is going to get exclusive repaints depending on the chain.

Amazon Japan offers a black repaint of Leader class Optimus Prime.

Tsutaya offers Legends class Clear Bumblebee (with their exclusive Bumblebee transforming case) and Black Bumblebee (pre-order gift).

Lawson is offering Deluxe Desert Mudflap and Desert Skids which adds a sand covered look to the vehicles to give the appearance of the dirty look of driving through the desert sand.

As usual Japan seems to get the better Transformers stuff, but it comes at the price of having to wait three month later then North America to purchase the movie which will be released there on December 18th. The full gallery of images can be found here.

Revenge of the Fallen Props for Auction

If you have the money Profiles in History is auctioning props and collectibles related to Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Items for sale include the Hero Bumblebee robot (not sure if same as one used at the various premieres), the 1977 Camaro (Bumblebee) used in the first film, Jetfire's cane/landing gear, various NEST gear and weapons, Tomb of the Twelve pieces, stunt Matrix prop, actor costumes, Hero Wheelie RC truck, and more. The only caveat is the value of many of the props is measured in thousands of dollars. Even if you don't have the money, the images of the various props are interesting. Each piece includes an image, description and size and comes with a certificate of authenticity from Bay Films and Paramount Pictures.

Two ways to view the available pieces. Either click here, or go to the Profiles in History and type "Transformers" in the search field. Thanks to Scorpio for the link (via the Allspark).

Combined Arcee and More Concept Art

Steve Jung, Concept Designer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, has revealed some of his art he created for the movie. Of note is the image to the left of a possible combined Arcee mode that the toys themselves hint at but apparently was abandoned. Frankly the effect remains as ugly as the individual robots (but you have to work with what you’re given sometimes). Click here to view 20 more images from the artists including various Constructicon designs and set designs that were faithfully reproduced for the movie. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

Sideshow Officially to Produce ROTF Products

As hinted at over a month ago with a preview of the 20'' Revenge of the Fallen Optimus Prime Maquette, Sideshow Collectibles has officially announced they will make products based on the movie. Sideshow makes high end (and expensive) statues and other collectibles based on movies and comics such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars, Iron Man, X-Men and more. Sadly most are out of my price range but the stuff they produce is very nice.

The press release:

Sideshow Expands Its Premium Collectible Offerings To Include Licensed Product For TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

Thousand Oaks, California (September, 2009) - Global leader in the manufacturing of licensed and proprietary high-end product Sideshow Collectibles under license from Hasbro, has signed an agreement for the TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN license. Celebrating the summer blockbuster, the Sideshow Collectibles license will allow the production of Maquettes and Statues based on the popular brand.

The Sideshow Collectibles team looks forward to the release of its first products as a great addition to Hasbro’s TRANSFORMERS franchise. “Coming from a generation that grew up with these characters, we think the fan reaction to these collectibles will be very positive,” states Sideshow Creative Director Tom Gilliland, adding, “Creating these icons for collectors is a venture that we’re happy to undertake.”

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, in association with Hasbro, continues the story from the 2007 worldwide blockbuster film that finds two warring factions of robots colliding in a major battle on planet Earth.

I get the impression the company is limited to to only producing images based off of Revenge of the Fallen but if things go well maybe the future will expand to other Transformer properties such as Generation 1, the comics and more.

Blu-Ray Steelcase Images

Future Shop (in Canada) or FYE (in the US) has now updated with images of the Blu-ray Steelcase for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that is exclusive to the store and what you will get if you pre-order the movie from them. To my knowledge the movie is also coming out in a DVD Steelcase that will likely be similar in design. Of note is the nice touch of Cybertronian symbols as part of the image on the back of the case. The movie hits stores on October 20th. (via TFormers)

Fox Feels Upstaged

Megan Fox, continuing her promotion of Jennifer's Body, talks about the pressure she feels to prove herself due to the Transformers franchise according to IOL Entertainment.

Actress Megan Fox launched another broadside at the 'Transformers' franchise, saying that it does not show off her acting skills enough.

The actress admits she feels “pressured” to prove herself because she feels upstaged by the special effects used in the franchise.

She said: "I have no idea about my future career. I just hope that I can still be working in 10 years. When you're in something as successful as 'Transformers', you can't use it as a sales piece for your ability as an actress because it's all about the special effects.

"So you do sort of feel pressure to try and prove yourself. I have no idea what I'm capable of. I'm sort of finding that out now and testing my boundaries. I'm blessed with the opportunities that people are giving me - ones that I don't maybe even deserve. But I'm not complaining."

I don't really disagree with her but it is something most actors know about going into blockbuster summer movies. The tradeoff for the increased profile (which leads to more work) and long term pay (with residuals and the like) is the possibility of being type-cast or insulted about acting ability. Most have enough sense to not vocalize their resentment over the reality of a situation that they knew about fully before even agreeing to participate in such films. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

Transminator T-Shirt

TeeFury.com is selling a new T-shirt called Transminator for $9. As the image shows it is the Autobot logo (why not a Decepticon one instead?) with portions ripped away to reveal the Terminator skull. I liked the image so figured other might be interested. Apparently this shirt is on sale for today only and the site says the artist will get a $1 for every tee sold. Click here to check it out.

Megan Fox Gets Lampooned

National Lampoon has some fun with a willing Megan Fox in an interview as part of the promotional tour for Jennifer's Body. I don't know if it was planned in advance but I wish more press junket interviews were as relaxed and fun. It does indicate that Megan Fox does have a good sense of humor about herself and that her hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live next week could be hilarious (assuming the show itself is on its A game which is never a given).

Ben Proctor ROTF Concept Art

Ben Proctor, lead robot illustrator for the Transformers films, has released his art for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He released his work from the first film on his website) but hasn't done that for the second so instead to to ConceptArtWorld's gallery for his work. Images include Demolisher, Wheelie, Power-Up Prime, Devastator, and more. The most interesting to me are the images below that show some of the unused possibilities for robot designs. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

Fox Responds to Crew Letter

The saga of Megan Fox's "like Hitler" comment will hopefully reach its conclusion with a very brief statement from Fox about the Transformers crewmembers letter that Michael Bay didn't support. Hopefully nothing bad happened to the authors of the letter but I have my doubts they will be seen on the set of the third film. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

"I have spoken with the parties involved privately," she said in a statement through her publicist. "I am very fortunate to be involved in this amazing franchise and look forward to Transformers 3."

Transformers This and That

In a lazy mood so lifted the below links wholesale from a comment by Scorpio (thanks!) that include galleries of various Transformer repaints (Bludgeon, Bumblebee, and Devastator), more images of the Device Labels toys, and pics of the Concept Corvette that Sideswipe was modeled after.

Bludgeon - Based on the G1 comic book character, alt mode a tank.

NEST Bumblebee - Link to small gallery and auction for the repaint.

Supreme Devastator repaint - Currently Japan only repaint of the Supreme class figure. As far as I can tell, the most significant change is the red colored head instead of gray to make it more movie accurate.

Device Label - I posted about these before, but these seem to be better images of the line that is based off of computer devices. Also very expensive as each is around $50.

Concept Corvette - Gallery of images of the car from the National Corvette Museum. Still a pretty car, still not sure if will ever be released for public purchase.

Battleship The Movie - Hasbro is continuing its march in movie theatres with announcement that Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Hancock) will direct Battleship. It will be a live action adaption of the board game. Berg was calling the film "a contemporary story of an international five-ship fleet engaged in a very dynamic, violent and intense battle." If things go boom in entertaining fashion, I will be interested.

Frank Welker Profile

Newsarama has written a profile on legendary "voice acting god" Frank Welker as part of the release of the cartoons on home video. Welker will also soon be seen on the big screen in flesh and blood playing the father of Matt Damon's character in the Informant. The actor has more than 600 credits to his name, often providing voices to some of the most famous icons in cartoons besides Megatron and Soundwave. He is also less known as pretty much "voicing" a substantial number of animal noises used in films. His roles include Scooby Doo, Fred Jones, Barney Rubble, Garfield, Curious George, and so many more. Below is sections of the profile, with the full article here.

“There’s many a time you have to audition hundreds of actors,” the former director [Eric Radomski] of “Batman: The Animated Series", "Spawn", "Xioalin Showdown” and “Scooby Doo: Get A Clue!” once quipped, “only to prove the only actor for the role is Frank Welker.”

“That is incredibly flattering and I love hearing it,” Welker said. “In a way it is a bit scary too. I hate missing opportunities to work with different directors. One thing that seems to surprise the studios is finding out later my willingness to audition. Under the right circumstances I actually enjoy it very much. If I can audition to picture on a sound stage it works so well for everybody. I can see what is needed and audition under fire in real time, meet the director and see if we both connect, and the studio can see and hear what they need to make their decision. But [that quote] makes me feel great.”

“[Megatron] would have to be at the top,” Welker admits. “Number one, is he is different than any of the other voices I have had the privilege of providing. Also, the fact that he has remained a fan favorite and caused a bit of controversy along the way qualifies him for my personal hall of fame. I think he and Soundwave have set themselves apart from the other robots in terms of sound identification and that makes me a proud papa.”

Transformers: Continuum Interview

In a rare event, a Transformers comic related article appeared in USA Today online. The article is an interview with Andy Schmidt, editor and author of Transformers: Continuum, essentially a zero issue for the new ongoing Transformers comic book series that hits shelves in November. Continuum will provide a history of key events in the Transformers comics so that readers will be up to date for the new series.

I am not clear on is if this is limited to IDW stuff or if it will include the previous Dreamwave work that IDW didn't really build on but didn't retcon out either. Considering the massive amount of story decompression used by IDW in telling Transformer stories, I doubt they had enough material to fill a 32 page "clip-show" issue so I expect some DW events to be used such as The War Within and The Fallen story arcs. The full interview is here, snippets below. Thanks to Bob for the link.

Q. Can you briefly outline what Continuum will cover?
A. It comes from a timeline perspective, from a time before the Autobots-Decepticon war on (home planet) Cybertron, to the time that they came to Earth, to the time that Decepticons took over Earth. It's written in a way that really follows a story arc, though. We tried to put everything in context so it all lines up for readers. It also allows us to give a proper introduction to the uninitiated.

Q. What would you say fans of the two Transformers movies are missing if they choose not to read the comic books?
A. They're missing out on versions of these characters that have more personality — a much richer, deeper portrait of these robots as actual characters. I think in comparison to the movies, we're able to develop more of a theme in the comic books. They're still very much Transformers stories, it's just that you have more time to get to know the characters than you might get in a two-hour action movie. I think readers will be surprised at the depth of these characters.

Q. Now, speaking more to the hardcore Transformers fans out there, are there features in Continuum and the new series that are aimed at the diehards?
A. Yeah, definitely. There are lines of dialogue that hearken back to older Transformers appearances, like the animated movie, for example. We definitely plant some Easter eggs there for the hardcore fans. I mean, we don't want to make these new series so uncomplicated that they hold no interest from the diehard fans. In speaking directly to the diehards, this whole thing probably leads to a much larger question among them, which is why create a new series now? At the end of the last series (All Hail Megatron), the Decepticons had apparently won the war in a very definitive way. I didn't want to erase that. I wanted to continue from there and move forward with a new theme. That theme is change. You learn more about these characters when you put them in new situations.

Q. For readers who have never gone to a comic book shop before in their lives, what are some graphic novels and comic books that you would recommend they purchase in order to make their visit a success?
A. Clearly, Transformers. I'd also recommend, for mature readers, V for Vendetta , Lock & Key, Wednesday Comics , the first Sandman trade paperback and The Killing Joke . For those a bit younger, I'd recommend Hellboy for its sense of humor and cool art. And for really young readers, I'd say pick up Marvel Adventures or Transformers Animated.
(I second the Locke and Key recommendation. First two trades are available, third volume is expected to start soon.)

ROTF Home Video Commercial - The Optimus Experience

A new commercial has been released for the DVD & Blu-ray release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to home video. The emphasis is on the Augmented Reality capabilities of the two-disc DVD and Blu-ray editions that will allow users to interact with a somewhat holographic image of Optimus Prime and the Matrix of Leadership with the assistance of their webcam, probably a special section on the discs, and images on the cases. ROTF is coming out on October 20th in the States; feel free to use the links above to pre-order. Thanks to Fox Prime for the link and video.

New Concept Art from Paul Ozzimo

PaulOzzimo.com has finally been updated with new concept drawing from the conceptual illustrator for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. A month ago a few preview drawings were release but now the full lot is available on the website. Images include Transformer designs for The Fallen, Wheelie, CappucinoBot, abunch of military hardware designs and more. It is a flash website so to reach the art click here, then click "Portfolio", and then click the Transformers 2 poster.

Bay's Future Plans

MichaelBay.com has updated with a post that maps possible projects for Michael Bay including Transformers 3. Of significance is apparently he is open to discussing a 2011 release and Ehren Kruger is apparently being tapped to potentially write the third movie (not so good news for those that didn't like the humor or the Twins in TF2). Keep in mind that there are a lot of variables in play so none of the below or any of the below could happen in the next year or two.

Nelson here...

I spoke to Michael today and he had a little update on his future projects:

* He will be meeting later this week with Steven Spielberg, and Ehren Kruger to discuss ideas for Transformers 3. By the end of the week he should have an idea if Transformers 3 will hit your local cineplex in the summer of 2011 or 2012.
* In the meantime "Pain & Gain" is looking very possible as is...
* ...Bad Boys 3. Either film coming to a theater near you before or after Transformers 3.

Bay Responds to Crewmember, Fox Comments

Transformers director Michael Bay has responded on MB.com to the recent letter from two crewmembers (which the site has removed) and Megan Fox's like Hitler statement. In short he doesn't approve of either and wants to continue to work with Fox on Transformers 3.

I don’t condone the crew letter to Megan. And I don’t condone Megan’s outlandish quotes. But her crazy quips are part of her crazy charm. The fact of the matter I still love working with her, and I know we still get along. I even expect more crazy quotes from her on Transformers 3.

Michael

I do find her crazy statements amusing but she is treading on dangerous ground. Getting a diva label sells magazines but rarely equates to a solid and long lasting acting career. Don't forget on September 26th she is supposed to host the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, a perfect way to make fun of herself, Bay, and the fans that love to lust after her and condemn her at the same time. No telling what new outrageous things will come from that. Thanks to John for the heads-up.

Tales of the Fallen Arcee Cover

IDW's Chris Ryall has released the final cover for the Tales of the Fallen mini-series featuring Arcee, Chromia and Flare-up. The artwork is by Alex Milne. The rest of the covers can be seen here. Thanks to Chris for the link. (via TFormers)

Crewmembers Respond to Fox's "Hitler" Comment

Two crewmembers from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen have had enough with Megan Fox's constant bashing of Michael Bay, the final straw being her recent "like Hitler" comment to Wonderland Magazine. As a result they wrote a letter to Nelson, the admin of MichaelBay.com expressing their disgust with her prima donna behavior both on and off the set. They chose to remain anonymous as the simple reality is that stars have a huge degree of power in Hollywood and could get them blacklisted from future work. I wish I could read their message and think "this is BS" but sadly their description of her seems consistent with reports from the web and in interviews.

My advice to her is to be mindful that stories of diva behavior leads to potentially long careers being cut dramatically short. The public finds it amusing only for a short while and then it’s over. Once that happens, your career is over. Cut the ego, cut the attention getting theatrics and simply do your job as well as you can without causing unnecessary grief for those you work with. It’s something billions do every day as part of their jobs and functioning in society. To put it more simply "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Nelson,

This is an open letter to all Michael Bay fans. We are three crew members that have worked with Michael for the past ten years. Last week we read the terrible article with inflammatory, truly trashing quotes by the Ms. Fox about Michael Bay. This letter is to set a few things straight.

Yes, Megan has great eyes, a tight stomach we spray with glycerin, and an awful silly Marilyn Monroe tattoo plastered on her arm that we cover up to keep the moms happy.

Michael found this shy, inexperienced girl, plucked her out of total obscurity thus giving her the biggest shot of any young actresses' life. He told everyone around to just trust him on his choice. He granted her the starring role in Transformers, a franchise that forever changed her life; she became one of the most googled and oogled women on earth. She was famous! She was the next Angelina Jolie, hooray! Wait a minute, two of us worked with Angelina – second thought – she’s no Angelina. You see, Angelia is a professional.

Editing Transformers ROTF

MichaelBay.com has posted a new behind the scenes video that shows some of the editing process for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I am not sure if this is related to the DVD/Blu-ray special features or separate from it. It shows how complicated it is to put together the film for editors (about nine of them)without the benefit of the CGI robots, reams of footage and a tight deadlines because ILM needs as much time as they can get to do their magic.

Transformers Gift Set Cover Art

For those that don't have the first Transformers movie or know someone that doesn't, you might be interested in getting the Transformers Gift set. The cover art is to the left (via TFormers). The set will include both Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The DVD set will be the regular edition with one disc for each movie while the Blu-ray edition will have four discs total (two for each movie).

I am assuming that the extras are the same as if you bought the movies separately (1-disc DVD or 2-disc Blu-ray), this is just packaged together to make a convenient gift to yourself or others. Going by Amazon's listing, the DVD and Blu-ray sets are expected to be released on October 20th along with Revenge of the Fallen’s release. If ordering from Amazon feel free to use the links above for a little credit to the site.

Custom ROTF Galvatron

For your enjoyment, here is a video of a custom paintjob of Leader class Megatron into ROTF Galvatron as part of an eBay auction (click the link for the full gallery). The paint job is pretty slick and since Hasbro is big on the repaints something they might want to consider. Thanks to Scorpio for the find.

Paramount Nearly Tops Summer Box Office

Paramount pictures nearly took the domestic box office top spot from Warner Brothers this summer thanks to the strength of its tent pole movies of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Star Trek according to Variety. Paramount earned $884 million in the US, much of that from Transformers 2 $400 million and Star Trek's $257.2 million domestic take. Warner Bros took the top spot with $1 billion due to Harry Potter 6 ($297.6M) and The Hangover ($272.2). 20th Century Fox is third ($610M), Disney ($620M) was fourth and Sony ($550M) was fifth.

Revenge of the Repaints Continue

It seems that Hasbro's love of repaints will continue with the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toy line, at least based on possible toy leaks to various websites (or they could just be custom jobs). Click the links below to view the galleries for each.

Voyager Optimus Prime
A possible repaint for Voyager class Optimus Prime with metallic blue paint, longer flames and gray front cab. Personally I don't see how it’s much of an improvement and worth a release of any kind.

Voyager Megatron
From an EBay auction it appears that Voyager Megatron got repainted in his Generation Two colors. This one strikes me as a likely custom job and not a potential Hasbro release but just in case posting about it.

NEST Deluxe Bumblebee
From TF08.net, below is a single image of Deluxe Bumblebee with NEST logo on the side door.

Robot Chicken - Wizard of Oz with Prime

A new episode of Robot Chicken once again brings another Transformers reference, this time with Optimus Prime as the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. The basic story is a nerd adds his version of "cool" to the characters and goes to kick some Wicked Witch butt. (via Tformers)

Optimus Prime as the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz @ Yahoo! Video

Tales of the Fallen Covers, #2 Preview

IDW Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall has released the various covers (minus usual cover tags) by Alex Milne for the Tales of the Fallen mini-series via his blog Ryall Time.

Each cover and issue focuses on a character from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The first issue was Bumblebee, second is Sideswipe, the third is Jetfire, four is The Fallen and I am guessing the last issue is Ravage and Arcee (that cover not posted).

In addition, click here for a five page preview of the second issue that will be released to comic stores this Thursday (day later due to Labor Day).