More DOTM Concept Art

Another concept artist, Wesley Burt, has posted his work from Transformers: Dark of the Moon, joining the other four artists who posted their efforts. His art includes early designs for Igor, Wheeljack, and Laserbeak along with potential concepts for the various craft and Prime's trailer. Click here for the full gallery. (via Seibertron)

Names of Ferrari and Mercedes Is...

Nelson, admin for MichaelBay.com, has officially revealed the actual Transformers names of the red Ferrari 458 Italia and Mercedes-Benz E550.

Post 1:

Let's welcome the Ferrari 458 Italia to the Transformers family
His name is "Dino."
It's pronounced Dee-No.

Post 2:

And the Mercedes E550 is...
Que. Pronounced "Q."

The second post also had a link to the wikipedia article on the famous "Q" of the James Bond movies. The name of the Ferrari is out of left field and has no correspondence to Transformers that I am aware of. As for the "famous Italian”, Nelson said it is after Enzo Ferrari's son, Alfredo Ferrari for which the 458 was named in the design stage. There was also the Ferrari Dino from 1968-1976.

Ironically, the name of the Mercedes was leaked last July but none of us gave it serious thought that would be the final name mostly due to copyright/trademark problems with the 007 franchise. I guess the change in spelling to "Que" gets around that obstacle. The loud groan you here from California is probably everyone at Botcon as this news spreads. Thanks to NHLfan for the links.

Wheeljack Revealed?

An unofficial Transformers Dark of the Moon Facebook page has posted the below picture that could prove that the alt mode of Wheeljack is the blue Mercedes-Benz E550. The pic on the left is a panel from the comic book adaptation. From the comments, the image on the right is about 45 seconds into the trailer when Optimus enters warehouse talking about the "grave mistake" being made. There isn't enough detail to verify if the head matches "Einstein." Thanks to DJ.Bigtyme Beats for the link.

Hasbro Reveals Soundwave's Alt Mode

Remember almost a month ago when Michael Bay debunked a rumor that the new alt mode of Soundwave was not a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, saying "Mercedes would never let us make their car into a bad Decepticon. Car company's really frown on that - I can't say what the game company and comics do that's their own thing. They don't have the same constraints movies do. It's Carly's car." It is a very reasonable explanation that is backed up by Hasbro and Takara's recent history not only with the movies but with their non-movie toy lines. Well, the new update Hasbro has performed for Transformers.com to promote their Dark of the Moon toy line throws a bit of a monkey wrench into that explanation.

As the image shows, the bio section of the "Vector Sigma Database" for Soundwave specifically lists his vehicle mode as...a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. So Bay says he isn't an SLS, Hasbro does. Set reports indicate that Carly does drive a silver one but it seems that Soundwave will be keeping his trademark blue look. So does this mean there is another unseen SLS that was used for his scenes? Is Hasbro's information wrong (find that hard to believe)?

The website update also revealed a few additional character details. For a while the two Decepticon SUV's have been nicknamed "The Dreads" because of Chicago set references but never confirmed official. We since learned one of them is called Crankcase. Based on the Vector Sigma bios, we know may name what that nickname was referencing. One "Dread" is named Hatchet with a jet alt mode while another is called Crowbar with police car alt mode. The site shows their toy modes but not a look at their movie version so this could turn out to be a toy specific thing and not movie related. Also the bios give us a look at a robot dog called Steeljaw that is based on the G1 cassette character. Could this be Wheelie's new friend?

The bio for Megatron explains that he has an earth based alt mode to avoid detection from NEST (Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers unit). The database also includes a clue about Shockwave and where he has been.

Cruelly efficient and unfeelingly logical, Shockwave came to Earth in search of the AllSpark shortly after Megatron. His cold devotion to logic and his peerless intellect, combined with his raw physical strength, make him one of the few Decepticons that can truly be called Megatron's rival. After decades of imprisonment underneath Chernobyl, Shockwave has begun to stir, awaiting his chance to escape his prison and avenge himself on his captors, his rivals and his enemies alike.

As usual we will find out in a few months. In the meantime, be sure to check out Transformers.com as Hasbro has added more than just a database. They are working on a movie-verse timeline, glossary, lots of toy images and it seems plans for games, video and much more.

Name of the Transformers 3 Ferrari is...

Hasbro released a bunch of official images from the Transformers: Dark of the Moon toys. One of them accidently revealed one of the bigger secrets Transfans has been trying to work out. As the images below show, the red Ferrari 458 Italia is named Mirage. It is too early to tell if he sports any homage to the G1 character but the change from blue to red color scheme is clearly not one of them. Now all that is left is the names of the rest of the Decepticons and the Einstein character (my guess is Wheeljack).

There is also an image of "Big Hoss" with Monster Truck alt mode. No idea if this is based on a movie character. If interested in more official Hasbro images of DOTM toys, hit the links - Speed Stars & Stealth Force, Cyberverse & Sets, Wal Mart & TRU Exclusives, and Ultimate Prime. Thanks to Sahara for the links.

Rosie Talks Bay, Getting Cast in DOTM

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley recently spoke to MTV and Access Hollywood about Transformers: Dark of the Moon while at CinemaCon. In the two videos (below) she discusses working with Michael Bay ("I've never seen anybody work so hard in my whole life") and how she landed the part of Carly (Bay recommended she audition for the part), and working with Shia ("He looked after me").

The Wreckers at Daytona 500

Saturday the NASCAR's Daytona 500 was held with Michael Bay and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as Grand Marshalls. On hand for the race was The Wreckers. Thanks to Kaminarimon Nos and his Facebook page, we have a fantastic gallery of images of the vehicles on display at the Daytona International Speedway and more information about the vehicles that he learned while there. As his gallery (below) shows, the cars seem to be officially called "The Wreckers" (before that was unconfirmed fan designation), are Autobots (previous set pictures didn't show faction symbols) and verification of the names of all three cars. From Kaminarimon Nos:

I enjoy your site very much and would like to provide you with High Res pictures I took of The Wreckers today in Daytona Florida I made a album on my Facebook page. If you look close I made notes about their weapons systems that I gathered from Chevy staff. Here is more information I also gathered.

The names are 99% certain with Roadbuster (green), Top Spin (blue), and LeadFoot (red). The cars were built in a Hollywood Ca shop at a cost of 1.5 million dollars apiece. After building and before filming in Chicago the 3 wreckers were secretly shipped to the Daytona speedway track and members of the Daytona police department followed them on the track at high speeds to make sure no parts feel off the production cars. No one in the public caught on to this and it was done on a weekday before the track was replaced.

Blitzwing in Transformers: Dark of the Moon?

Thanks to "oni" here is a possible new screenshot from Transformers: Dark of the Moon that shows of a yet unseen character named Blitzwing. The character is from Generation One, one of the first triple changers with alt modes of a jet and tank. He was also in Transformers: Animated, with the same triple changer alt modes. Judging by the wing span and the treads on his arms, this movie version shows a strong possibility of continuing the triple changing tradition for the character (but then again it does look nearly identical to the G1 incarnation which is a little strange). With a motto of "Destroy first, think later" hopefully this character, if in the movie, will be part of lot of the action. This new "cast member" has not been officially confirmed in any way so tag this a rumor.

Bay Confirms Sentinel Prime

In an interview with MTV, Michael Bay has finally confirmed that Sentinel Prime is in the movie but still has not confirmed if it is the red Rosenbaurer Panther airline fire truck as rumored. Bay revealed this information during an interview with MTV at the premiere of "I Am Number Four" that he executive producer of. He continued to re-iterate his promise that this film will be much better then Revenge of the Fallen and that this was his final Transformers film. Thanks to Mcat for the link. Update: Hasbro's released official images that verify that the fire truck is the alt mode of Sentinel Prime.

"The second one, we had a tough go," Bay told us. "It was a very, very tough thing to make a movie under those circumstances. It affected a lot of Hollywood at that time."

This time around, Bay said, "We worked extra hard" and struck upon "a better story." "It's epic and it happens in a city," he added. "It's more accessible because you recognize stuff — it's not in a desert. It's kind of like 'Black Hawk Down' with our small group of heroes in a city."

On the carpet, Bay also briefly touched on two new alien bots set to debut in "Dark of the Moon." "Sentinel Prime is great. He's great," he said. "I can't tell you anything else, other than he's great."

And about the villain Shockwave, Bay say, "He's bad," adding that compared to Megatron, "He's got a much bigger gun [and is] a little bit more vicious."

Though Bay is certain he's got a winner on his hands, the director maintained that "Dark of the Moon" will be his final "Transformers" film. "It does have an end, yes," he said. "Because I am finished doing this."

The Ark is Omega Supreme? (Updated)

A render of The Ark posted anonymously in the comments of this website has led to speculation that the ancient Autobot ship could be the alt mode of Omega Supreme by an Italian Transformers website (translation). The validity of the render is unverified but it is missing the logos and copyright info that often accompany these types of leaks. While the image is pretty neat looking, it has to be taken with a grain of salt as it almost seems like a merge of two different images. I doubt the Ark has an alt mode and its part in the movie will mostly be the extent it is used in the moon landing sequences. Still it is an intriguing idea.

Update: To no surprise, the art is not Transformers related. As pointed out in the comments, it seems the design is from this website which has more images of similar design that are not Transformers related. Worth checking out just because the person's art is pretty radical but neat looking.

Fire Truck Is Ultra Magnus? (Updated)

An image posted on the Michael Bay Forums has added more confusion to the issue of what Transformer the Rosenbauer Panther airline fire truck seen in Chicago is. Set rumors and a toy listing indicated the character is Sentinel Prime but the image of a redacted call sheet now adds Ultra Magnus as a convincing candidate. It could even be one or both of these characters are pure CGI creations much like most of the Decepticons. As always, only time will tell. Thanks to Sam for the link.

Update: From Max in the comments, another call sheet image that once again references Ultra Magnus where it says "VFX:" near the bottom.

Two Fan Made Trailers

The news about Transformers: Dark of the Moon has clearly slowed down to a crawl so here are a few odds and ends for your entertainment. Below is a fan made trailer by Colin Hinkle who used his videos of TF3 filming in the Windy City. Another fan made trailer (despite its title) was found by Mauricio that takes a much different slant on the movie using the first movie's trailer as a template. Embedding on it was disabled so click here to view.

In a slightly related note, here are two pictures from Sam where he froze two images from the ET report from Chicago and zoomed in on the uniforms. As the pics show, two uniforms show reversed US flags. Does it mean anything plot wise? Update: No, as pointed out in the comments. From that, to Google and USFlag.org, "..when authorized for application to the proper uniform the American flag patch is to be worn, right or left shoulder, so that “the star field faces forward, or to the flag’s own right. When worn in this manner, the flag is facing to the observer’s right, and gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward. The appropriate replica for the right shoulder sleeve is identified as the ‘reverse side flag’.” Always cool to learn something new. Makes me wonder now how many other movies/TV shows with military gets that detail right.

A last note, Shia was recently spotted on the Transformers 3 set in LA on October 28th. The gallery shows nothing of value, but if a fan of Shia, click it for pics of him shirtless. Thanks to Michel K. for the link.

More Images, Video from TF3 in DC

The pictures and video continue to hit various websites and YouTube as Transformers 3 continues production around Washington, DC. Yesterday a big crowd showed up to the Lincoln Memorial as Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel and NEST members filmed.

The set of images below come thanks to Shane W. who took them while visiting the city on Tuesday. The pics where taken at the 9th Street base camp. Also below are links to additional galleries with the 1st gallery from Bryan showing the fans ringing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool while filming occurred with a break taken as Shia and Josh met fans including one fan that was able to get his ROTF 1st movie DVD signed. Bryan also reports that Tyrese was not on set but his stunt double. From comments, turns out the INOVA thingie on his uniform is a powerful flashlight.

As for videos, the first one comes from MyFox DC as they interview fans as they wait for the big Pennsylvania Avenue explosions from Monday. This is also the report that started the rumor that the Bumblebee accident would be incorporated into the scene, something that MB.com's Nelson says is untrue. Speaking of those explosions, Shane also posted five of his videos. The first three show a close look at the action from PA Ave. between 3rd and 4th Streets, the Mad Max car driving by on H Street, and the arrival of the replacement Bumblebee(s) to continue filming. Links to others show the unloading of 'Bee and Shia driving the Datsun along Pennsylvania Ave.

The fifth video is a nearly eleven minute look at some of the filming that occurred near the reflecting pool. At about that time, Bryan recorded 15 short videos from around that time that seems to include scenes with Shia, Josh and NEST. I chose a sample one, be sure to hit link below for the rest. The 7th video is from Sunday as at Constitution Hall. Not entirely sure but think Kevin Dunn (blue shirt) and Julie White (pink dress) were there. To finish things up, the last video returns us to explosion. This time from Constitution Avenue as it goes off and two cars smash into each other. Thanks to Shane, Bryan, Sideswipe, digifruitella, Katie, and Mauricio for the links, vides and images.

TF3 DC: More Set Pics, Mad Max Truck, New Accident Video

The news yesterday was mostly about the car accident between Bumblebee and a Washington DC cop, but that was not all that occurred yesterday. Transformers 3 was filming in several locations around the National Mall. Part of the reason Michael Bay was not spotted at the accident is because he was in front of the American Red Cross Headquarters, filming a retro scene that may tie into a rumored 1960s flashback that is related to space race. Meanwhile Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Kevin Dunn and Julia White drove around in the Datsun PL510 (from Chicago and Indiana) and other vehicles near the Lincoln Memorial. My understanding is today is when filming shifts into a night shoot starting around 6:30pm but not sure at what locations.

One other piece of information is the Mad Max truck from Chicago was spotted, not sure though if part of filming or just attached to the traveling filming caravan. The vehicle is rumored to be Megatron, something that "Astrotrain" reported to me as true:

Megatron is for a fact the Mad Max semi in TF3. I can send you more behind the scenes pictures from a storage facility where all the vehicles were kept while in Chicago. My father in law who works for a special effects company in Chicago was one of a group whose job it was as he said Michael Bay states "make this truck look more demented." Also not sure if it is known or not but Patrick Dempsey’s Character is a super Billionaire computer expert, who helps the transformers buy building additional ones to help. Those NASCAR transformers are not partially transformed those are ones he created, along with he "power glove" we have seen Sam wearing.

TF3 Detroit: Fire and Transformers (Updated)

Transformers 3 production continues in Detroit and here are pictures and two videos to go with it. The Transformers spotted on set include Ironhide, Ratchet, Prime with Trailer, Decepticon truck, the Wreckers, Sideswipe and more. That doesn't necessarily mean they are all being used as part of the whatever is being filmed at the Packard Plant as this is roving filming caravan that brings everything they need for the duration of the entire schedule, not necessarily what they need at one particular location.

Below are pictures from J1000 (thanks) and a few images and pictures that Unicron.com posted. The rest of their huge gallery can be found here. The two short videos from the site show the crew working at the nearby Packard Hotel including a friendly wave from Tyrese Gibson.

Update: Added five more pictures from J1000 with his son of Decepticon armored car and a Chicago police car, corrected a typo on his name (sorry), and added his video of some of the sizable smoke cloud being generated by the set.

Another Indiana Stunt Video

A new video has been posted on YouTube that shows the CGI-blue truck as it goes barreling down Cline Avenue in Hammond, Indiana were Transformers 3 was filming. It is a new angle on a previous video that gives you a clearer (relative to cell footage anyway) that makes it very clear that the truck is crashing through multiple vehicles. At this point, it is pretty safe to draw the conclusion that this is a new unidentified Decepticon with a similar shape as Optimus Prime. Could this be Motormaster? Maybe Nemesis Prime? As usual time will tell. It should be noted this scene is unlikely to be related to the accident that injured an extra. Video from Arlington Cardinal via Collecticon.org.

Rollbar Out, Wheelie In for Transformers 3

Nelson, the MB.com admin, returns with more hints of information. This time it is news that the jeep Rollbar is not part of the Transformers 3 cast. The other is Wheelie will return.

In regards to Rollbar, Nelson posted on the MB.com forums, "It's actually not Rollbar or a TF to being with. This Jeep has nothing to do with the TF3 production as of this moment. A dedicated fan decided to try his luck at having his Jeep featured in TF3." He also reiterated the message with "It was a publicity stunt on behalf of the owner in which "reportedly" some set people fell for. It never made it into the set. Have you seen images of it being take off the flatbed and getting prepped? No. Have you notice that most of not all the videos have been mysteriously removed by the studio?" and then again just in case wasn't clear enough, "I've just received official re-confirmation that the Jeep is not in the movie." So just to be clear, Rollbar is not, nor ever was, in Transformers 3. As far as publicity stunts go, it was pretty darn successful but I not sure what was gained from it. At least it explains those odd model pics that were released around the same time.

With the removal of one potential Transformer comes the verification of another as Wheelie will make his return. Nelson posted, the "...silver Benz is a car that Carly drives, and no Jeep Rollbar. Wheelie (or Wheels like Bay likes to call him) is in." I wonder if they will bother explain why he abandoned his crush Mikeala.

Van Buren St. Footage, More from Nelson

Transformers 3 has moved to the Old Post Office Building in Chicago and already getting great footage. Yesterday introduced a new Autobot in the form of Rosenbaurer Panther airline fire truck. That is likely Ultra Magnus, who had a similar look for Transformers: Animated. Here is more footage from the Post Office set, this time at Van Buren Street as an explosion sends passing cars tumbling while NEST troops close in shooting up in the air suggesting the target is a Decepticon. The image and video is thanks to Adam and Tatjana.

In Nelson news, it turns out the "Einstein" that became "Q" is once again "Einstein" as the news of his "official" name was incorrect. Nelson took to his forums with message of "BTW, I don't know where they got that confirmation. I mean, my Bumblebee poster has "G" on the title, are they going to assume Bumblebee is now "G?"" I knew I should have kept the "?" in the post title. The confirmation refers to unattributed quote to Nelson along with me and others reading too much into the photo titles. Probably good news overall as it seemed most Transfans did not like the name . This means that Wheeljack once again becomes the prime suspect for that character. Thanks to FFN for the link.

The other piece of news is confirmation "No Jolt" for Transformers 3. Thanks to Chris for the link.

New Autobot Arrives and More Boom

A new Autobot has been spotted as Transformers 3 production moves to Chicago's Old Post Office Building. Collecticon.org has posted the left image of a sporty and stylish red Rosenbaurer Panther airline fire truck (and more here) that I am sure many fire departments would love to drive. Other then the sleek look, the Autobot logo on the passenger door is what identifies this as a Transformer alt mode. As the first two videos (below) found by Seibertron show the new Autobot joining Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Ironhide as they respond to something. The third video, via TFW2005, is yet another angle of the truck during the scene.

Now you are thinking this character is Inferno, the fire truck from G1 cartoon but Nelson has already rejected that theory, "And it's not Inferno, Hot Spot, or Pyro. You'll see." He further teased, "I think fandom will faint when they find out who this fire truck is. It's going to be like when people saw Optimus Prime for the first time--with flames. I really hope they don't reveal the name until the movie premieres." The current fan favorite theory seems to be Ultra Magnus.

Also below is a video with some time lapse, behind the scenes footage, NEST troops in action, and explosions including a new angle on the bus explosion as TF3 production worked at State and Wacker this weekend. If that isn't enough boom, the last video is more footage from filming at Hotel 71 from last week. Thanks to Ray and Greg for the links.

Mercedes' Transformer Name Revealed

Update: This is officially debunked by Nelson as the quote mentioned below did not come from him.

Yesterday the admin for MB.com, Nelson, verified the group name of the Nascar vehicles (The Wreckers) and revealed that the alt mode of "Einstein" is the blue Mercedes seen in Chicago with the other Transformers vehicles. At the time, he also corrected everyone that the Mercedes Benz is an E550, not E350 and linked to his picture of the car. Same pic I used for the post yesterday (and now today). However, I do not recall seeing the photo title of "Mercedes E550 "Q" on the set Transformers 3 in Chicago, Il" Not saying it was added later, just that didn't pay enough attention to remember if one was there or not. Main point is the title tells us the name of the character is simply "Q".

Could this be a reference to the omniscient god-like character from Star Trek: The Next Generation? Or the legendary Q (for Quartermaster) from the James Bond films that supplied him with all his gadgets along with sage advice as most memorably played by the late great Desmond Llewelyn? According to TFW2005, it is the latter as they posted "His name is "Q." Like in James Bond. -Nelson-” I wasn't able to find where the quote came from (guess via an email) but the flickr account is Nelson's so that verifies the Q name and I don't see Michael Bay (who ultimately approves the names assuming they clear legal) being much of a Star Trek fan so a James Bond homage is likely. I guess Wheeljack didn't get Bay's approval or legal's (Hasbro sadly allowed a lot of their G1 trademarks to lapse and couldn't retrieve all of them) as he was essentially the quartermaster of the Autobots in the G1 cartoons. Thanks to Chris and Jeff for the link.