Transformers: Prime 2.13 Triangulation Promo, Clips

Tomorrow the second season of Transformers: Prime hits the half way point with episode 13 called Triangulation where "Optimus Prime hunts for relics in Antarctica and finds himself caught between shifting alliances." Below is promo and clip from the episode. In addition the voice of Megatron, Frank Welker, answered four questions from fans on The Hub's Facebook page. That Q&A can be found after the videos. The previous two episodes, Tunnel Vision and Flying Mind, can be watched at Hub World.

Upcoming episodes:
05/19 Triage - During the third relic hunt Ratchet and Wheeljack get a one of a kind opportunity when Soundwave's deployer is disabled.
05/26 Toxicity - Bulkhead encounters life-threatening danger during the last relic hunt.

Cliffjumper in Fall of Cybertron Footage

A few months ago GameTrailers TV revealed some of the first footage Fall of Cybertron. Last night they revealed more from this game, focusing on Cliffjumper. They also revealed that Metroplex will be revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) when it is held in June. Previous reports indicated that the "walking Sears Tower", will be on the Optimus Prime centric level as Prime's ability is to direct his actions.

As for Cliffjumper, while his graphical design is a red repaint of the Bumblebee design, his characteristics are different. The character has a cloaking ability to his level emphasis the use of stealth to get through the level, with enemy AI designed to punish the player that tries to engage in non-stealthy tactics. Below is the episode that revealed some of the Cliffjumper footage.

Transformers: Prime Nominated for Five Emmys

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 39th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy. Transformers: Prime season 1 received five nominations in the animation categories for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Special Class Animated Program (no clue what this means), Directing and Individual Achievement. The Hub network received a total of 14 nominations for Family Game Night, The Haunting Hour, and My Little Pony. The "Daytime" slot is considering any programs broadcast between 2AM to 6PM during 2011. The winners will be announced on Saturday, June 23rd at a gala. Plans are to possibly televise the event but chances are these categories will not be. The full list of nominees is here, the TF: Prime specific ones are below. Congrats to the cast and crew of Transformers: Prime!

Transformers: Prime The Game Trailer

IGN has posted the trailer (below) for Transformers: Prime The Game that is coming out for Nintendo Wii, 3DS and DS. It was shown at Botcon but this is the first time it was made available to everyone else. No release date but at Botcon they indicated around the holidays. The official website for the game is also up but right now all it has is the teaser trailer.

Transformers: Autocracy #9 Preview

While no new Transformers comics is coming out to comic books stores, the online apps are getting Autocracy #9. The story continues telling the events that led up to the Great War as Megatron makes his move to take over the planet. The first few pages of the issue can be found here.

Transformers: Autocracy #9
Chris Metzen & Flint Dille (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a)
12 CHAPTER DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE SERIES! Betrayed by MEGATRON, ORION PAX faces his future head-on! Will he rise to stop the onslaught of the DECEPTICONS...? And what will that mean for his fellow Autobots?

Tyrese Gibson Game for Tranformers 4

While at CinemaCon in Las Vegas last week, Transformers' Tyrese Gibson told MovieHole he is up for Transformers 4 (video below). So far Shia LaBeouf is out but past that it seems to be up in the air on who could return. The producers have indicated a desire to do a reboot of sorts but since Michael Bay and Ehren Kruger are back, it is possible they could just continue the story, do a prequel, tell a story set in between one of the movies or any other combination. Ultimately its Bay's call and I doubt he is worrying about those details until next year after Pain and Gain is out.

Transformers: Prime 2.12 Tunnel Vision Promo, Clips

Transformers: Prime continues its streak of new episodes for the season two with Tunnel Vision airing on The Hub on Saturday at 8:30pm EST. The episode is described as "Arcee and Bumblebee go deep into New York's "underground" in an attempt to beat Megatron to the next four Iacon relics." Below is promo and clip for the new episode. The previous two episodes of Prime, Flying Mind and Armada, can be watched on HubWorld.

Transformers: The Ride Decepticons Attack, Prime Costime

The season ticket holder preview weekend of Transformers: The Ride is this weekend with the official opening date set for May 24th. As part of that Universal Studios has released a video (below) promoting the attraction making use of their creative use of LA's Staples Center. The second video is a look at the awesome Optimus Prime costume that some poor souls will have to wear during the hot summer months.

Botcon 2012 Linkfest

Botcon 2012 was held this weekend at Dallas, Texas. On hand was Hasbro who displayed and talked about many of their upcoming products including next wave of Transformers: Prime toys, SDCC exclusives including Bruticus, IDW's plans and more. Below are the highlights in new information each panel provided with links to a bunch of galleries showing off upcoming toys. The best look to be Fall of Cybertron Bruticus, stateside release of Masterpiece Prime 2.0, and Fall of Cybertron Soundwave with transformable data discs replacing the classic cassettes. Seibertron's massive gallery of images are here.

Hasbro Panel
The Hasbro panel discussed the next years’ worth of releases including Transformers: Prime, Fall of Cybertron and Generations toys. Details below.
- Transformers: The Ride Evac is based on Movie character design and has legion and deluxe sizes which will be sold at the parks for now.
- TF Prime wave four figures will be Dead-End, Shadow Strike Bumblebee, Airachnid.
- Deluxe Wave 5 will be Deluxe Kup and Runamuck
- Thundertron (from Exiles book) will be a wave 3 Voyager figure with a pirate look.
- Masterpiece Optimus Prime 2.0 is coming stateside as a Toys R Us exclusive. No release date or price (but estimate is $100). Will include his trailer, Spike figure and Roller.
- Generations will start coming out in Spring 2013. Figures will include Fall of Cybertron based Kickback, Starscream, Sideswipe, and Soundwave.
- Soundwave will be Voyager sized with Laserbeak data disc. He can hold up to three data discs that are spring released.
- Other data discs to be released will be Legends classed Rumble, Ravage, Frenzy and Ratbat

Transformers: Prime 2.11 Flying Mind Promo, Clips

Saturday night brings another new episode of Transformers: Prime with Flying Mind. Below is the promo and a clip from the episode described as "The Decepticon Warship threatens humanity, and Raf, Jack and Miko are the only ones who can stop it." Another pic from ep is here.

Frank Welker Talks Transformers Prime

In an interview with TV Web, the legendary voice actor Frank Welker talks about Transformers: Prime and voicing iconic villain Megatron. He talked about how things have changed over the last 25 years (more feedback and fan interaction), how he voices Megatron now vs then (get to explore wider vocal range), and basically he has not yet heard anything about Transformers 4 (usually doesn't here until end of production). The full interview is here.

Kruger Returns for Transformers 4

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Film Group President Adam Goodman confirmed that Ehren Kruger is returning to write Transformers 4. The writer co-wrote Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and soloed on Transformers: Dark of the Moon. He also mentioned something about if could have a do-over would have released Transformers through the Nickelodeon label. Not exactly sure what difference that would have made on marketing or production of the film.

THR: Is making Transformers 4 without Shia LaBeouf risky? Is he out?
Goodman: The story is going in a different direction now. Ehren Kruger [who wrote the past two Transformers movies] is writing it for us, and we're starting to engage, but I can't say anything more.

THR: Michael Bay is re-envisioning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Nickelodeon movies. What are your plans for Nick?
Goodman: We want it to be family adventures and really hard-core family comedies. If I was starting again, I would have put Transformers through Nick. Upcoming movies that could be released through the label are Christopher Columbus' The Secret Lives of Road Crews or Etan Cohen's Boy Scouts vs. Zombies.

How High Moon Saved the Dinobots

The Verge has posted an interesting article that gets into the story of how High Moon Studios talked Hasbro into reviving the Dinobots for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. Hasbro had reached the decision that the Dinobots no longer fit in their Cybertron based continuity since Earth alt modes did not make much sense on a planet that had yet to make contact with Earth. As a result they would not be available for the movies or video games. Game Director Matt Teiger disagreed, wanting one of his favorite Transformers to be in the next video game. It became an issue of figuring out a story based reason that Hasbro could support for the Dinobots existence. A solution High Moon eventually found as the article explains in detail. It is an interesting article to read. Click here for the whole thing with a few highlights below.

Transformers: The Ride POV Video and Queue Tour

For those (like me) that will likely not get a chance to check out Universal Studios Hollywood's Transformers: The Ride any time soon, you at least get a chance to experience some of the ride thanks to the videos below. Of course the attraction is in 3D so some of the effects don't come through but at least gives you some idea of what occurs. As expected, it doesn't seem to be any different than the Singapore attraction. Also below is a video of the queue path with all the various props and details they added while waiting in line. Seems to be worth checking out if you are visiting one of the parks. Transformers: The Ride officially opens on May 25th.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #4, Autocracy #8 Previews

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #4 and Autocracy #8 hits comic books stores and online this Wednesday. The RID issue continues to first arc as Bumblebee and his team continue to naviate the dangers of peace time, especially when most of the populace think you are just as bad as the Decepticons. Autocracy continues exploring the foundations of the Great War as Prime and Megatron stand together against the corrupt Autobot government. The first seven page preview of RID #4 is here and Autocracy #8's four page preview is here.

Transformers: The Ride Preview

Behind The Thrills have written up their preview of Transformers: The Ride that is opening at Universal Studios Hollywood on May 25th. It is based on a "Technical Rehearsal" from April 22nd but since the attraction is identical to Universal Studios Singapore that opened last December, I doubt there are meaningful changes being made. Season holders will get a chance to check things out during the May 5th weekend. The full positive preview with pics can be found here.

On a related note, Seibertron discovered that USA Network is holding a contest for US citizens (18+ years of age) for a chance to win a round trip to Los Angeles for a two night stay for the VIP Grand Opening event for Transformers: The Ride. Click here to enter. Contest ends on April 30th at midnight.

Linkfest - Botcon Regeneration

Another week, another linkfest. This week's edition is a mixed bag with pics on Maketoys Green Giant, a look back at the origins of Transformers, gallery of TF Prime Starscream, comic stuff, Botcon news, WST Sixshot, DVD releases, and more.

MakeToys not Devastator in Green
Hit the link for Set "B" of Giant which is their 3rd party version of Devastator. Up to now the company has been releasing yellow homages to Generation 2 repaints but later this year they plan on releasing a gift set of all six figures in the more classic green paint scheme. The price is around $350 and expected to be released in June.

History of Transformers Translation
Hit the link for TFW2005's translation with two of the architects of Transformers. Hideaki Yoke and Koujin Oono talk about the origins of Transformers from more than 25 years ago as they discuss the various design and story aspects that helped create the Transformers franchise we all love today.

Transformers: Prime 2.10 Armada Promo

The streak of new Transformers: Prime season two episodes continue with Armada premiering tomorrow on The Hub at 8:30pm EST. Below is the promo and clip for the episode. The last two episodes of TF Prime, Grill and Nemesis Prime, is up on Hub World. Excellent way to stay caught up if, like me, you don't have access to The Hub. I could get it but not worth paying around $50 for the cable boxes and the digital tiers that my local cable provider would require. The clips are below.

Speaking of cartoons now is an excellent time to be watching as there are some excellent shows to watch. I highly recommend Thundercats, Green Lantern, and Young Justice on Cartoon Network (new episodes Saturday mornings from 9:30am to 11am EST). The Legend of Korra (sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender) on Nickelodeon at 11am EST makes for a great end to the morning. On Sunday, Disney XD has Ultimate Spider-Man and The Avengers on from 11am to 12:15pm EST. Basically lots of excellent new all ages entertainment and not just the kiddy stuff you normally expect from these channels. Also keep an eye out for Kung Fu Panda - Legend of Awesomeness that Nick airs periodically as it has proven to be a very entertaining first season as well as Voltron Force on Nicktoons. Now if only The Hub would bring back G.I. Joe Renegades.

Behind the Scenes of Transformers: The Ride

Universal Studios Hollywood has posted a new video that shows some of the work, design and planning that went into creating Transformers: The Ride that will officially open on May 25th at the park.

Fall of Cybertron Grimlock Footage

From High Moon Studios and Kotaku is Transformers: Fall of Cybertron game play footage featuring Grimlock (below). The footage and gallery, along with comments from creative director Matt Tieger, speaks for itself.

Transformers: MTMTE #4 Preview

Tomorrow brings Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #4 to comic and online stores. Hot Rod's mission to find the Knights of Cybertron continues to be really a fight for survival as new dangers keep popping up. A preview of the first 8 issues can be found here.

Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #4
Written by James Roberts, art by Alex Milne, covers by Alex Milne, Nick Roche.
Danger in space! Investigating the abandoned Autobot facility on Delphi -- one-time home of fan-favorites The Wreckers -- Ratchet uncovers a danger greater than he's ever faced... and the return of a character long thought lost! Will this bring them closer to their goal of finding the Knights of Cyberton -- or kill them?!
32 pages, $3.99

IDW July Transformers Comics

IDW Publishing has released their publishing plans for July. A total of three trades and three comics are being released that month. The Hasbro Transformers story continues for the first time in nearly 20 years iwth Transformers #81, the online only Transformers: Autocracy is being released and more. If you are interested in the books, just let your local comic book store know. For the full details of IDW's other books including GI Joe, Star Trek, Locke & Key, and more click here.

Transformers: The Ride Staples Center Promo

As the image shows, Universal Studios Hollywood chose an interesting way to promote the upcoming launch of Transformers: The Ride. The ad on the side of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA gives the appearance that Megatron crashed through the side of the building. The LA Times says "A giant laminate stuck to the side of the sports venue makes it look as if an 80-foot tall, 20-ton metal alien creature from the movie "Transformers" busted a hole through the building. The laminate will remain on Staples Center until Tuesday." The Ride has a sneak preview the first week of May for season ticket holders and officially opens at the end of May.

Fall of Cybertron Dinobots Concept Art

High Moon Studios has posted their concept art depicting all five Dinobots in robot and dinosaur mode on their Facebook page. We have been given a look at Grimlock but now we get a solid look at Swoop, Sludge, Slag and Snarl. The photos show they are very much based on the classic Generation One design. Hopefully Hasbro will be releasing toys on all five of them. Click here to view the entire gallery. Fall of Cybertron will be released on the XBox 360 and PS3 on August 28th, 2012.

Transformers Prime 2.09 Grill Promo, Clip

Tomorrow brings in the 9th straight new episode of season 2 of Transformers: Prime with "Grill", described as "Agent Fowler has some explaining to do under the threat of military tribunal and Team Prime's termination." Below is the promo and clip from the episode that premieres at 8:30pm Saturday on the Hub. The previous two episodes Crossfire and Nemesis Prime are available on The Hub website.

Upcoming episodes:
04/21 Armada - Bulkhead is trapped on the Decepticon Warship and amid dual tries on Megatron's life.
04/28 Flying Mind - The Decepticon Warship threatens humanity, and Raf, Jack and Miko are the only ones who can stop it.
05/05 Tunnel Vision - Arcee and Bumblebee go deep into New York's "underground" in an attempt to beat Megatron to the next four Iacon relics.

Transformers: The Ride Opens May 25th

In a new commercial posted by Universal Studios Hollywood, the official release date has been announced as May 25th, 2012. This fits the expected Memorial Day weekend release date. For those with season passes, the attraction will have a preview weekend from May 4th to 6th.

Transformers: Prime 2.08 Nemesis Prime Promo

Saturday night brings in the 7th new episode in a row for Transformers: Prime with the premiere of Nemesis Prime, described as "Optimus Prime seems to go on a destructive rampage, while MECH unveils their ultimate plan." In the comics Nemesis Prime is generally an evil version of Prime from an alternate universe that tends to have black and dark blue paint schemes. Based on the promo (below) and images, I assume the alternate universe angle will not be part of the story.

On a side note, Transformers: Prime is finally premiering in Japan to go along with the toys they have had a few months. I think its season 1 for them but not 100% sure. Details here.

Hasbro Studios Reaches Deal with Netflix

Good news for those that do not have access (or able to afford the required cable tier) to The Hub. Deadline is reporting that Hasbro Studios has signed a deal with Netflix to bring at least 10 television franchises to Netflix. Starting today, you can now stream previous seasons of Transformers: Prime, My Little Pony, GI Joe: Renegades and more. Later in the year older shows like Transformers: Generation One, GI Joe: A Real American Hero, Transformers: Beast Wars and Transformers: Rescue Bots will also be added to the streaming service.

Weird Al Yankovic "Interviews" Megan Fox

On Monday Chris Hardwick's The Nerdist channel (along with Felicity Day's Geek and Sundry) officially launched. Face to Face with Weird Al Yankovic is part of the programming. His show is a creative re-edit of promotional interviews with celebrities. In a weird way it also shows how most interviews are done as rarely do the on air "talent" do interviews. Usually producers, researchers, and the like are sent out to do them. If don't see the interviewer and interviewee in the same shot at some point, assume someone else conducted the interview and creative edits were used to make it seem as if the on-air talent did it. In the first episode he has hilarious "interviews" with Denzel Washington and Transformers' Megan Fox. If into podcasts, also recommend the TWiT network. The Megan Fox portion starts at about the 4:40 mark.

Linkfest - Unicron

More links of Transformers things to enjoy. This set includes two custom figures, a look at upcoming waves of Transformers: Prime toys, Masterpiece toys & interview, more 3rd party toys, Hasbro art ban, and new toy reviews.

Custom Generation One Unicron
Hit the link for a gallery of images for a custom re-creation of the Unicron prototype that Hasbro created as a potential release for Transformers: The Movie toy line. As the images show, Hasbro probably made a wise decision to not go past the prototype phase but I am sure there are many collectors who still wouldn't mind having a G1 Unicron of their own.

Upcoming Transformers Prime - Deluxe | Legion | Wave 3 | Play sets
A new gallery shows off of upcoming wave of Transformers: Prime deluxe toys. They will include Airachnid, Deadend (repaint of Wheeljack), and Ultra Magnus in the deluxe class. For Legion there will be a repaint of Bumblebee, Mirage, Flamewar (repaint of Arcee), and others. Evac is thrown in with the lot but he is really release for Transformers: The Ride. The wave 3 toys are Knock Out, Hot Shot and Vehicon. No info on release dates.

Peter Cullen T-Shirt for Charity

For the next 24 hours, RIPT Apparel is selling a tribute to Peter Cullen T-Shirt called "Voice of a Generation" with $2 from each shirt going to Hasbro Children's Hospital. The charity sale will run today until midnight central time (1am 4/4 EST). As the image indicates the shirt depicts cullen ripping open his shirt Superman style revealing the Optimus Prime cab. Hopefully if this is successful they will do one for Frank Welker (Megatron), whose storied voice career is truly the voice generations have grown up to even if they don't know it. The shirt looks good, inexpensive and for a good cause. Click here to orders yours.

Dark of the Moon Avoids The Razzies

Thanks to Jack & Jill, Transformers: Dark of the Moon "won" zero Razzies when the winners were announced on April Fools Day. The movie recieved seven nominations in the 10 "Worst of" categories which Michael Bay responded to with his own math for hte movie. In the end Adam Sandler and his movie Jack & Jill made a little Razzie history by being the first movie to sweep all the categories in the awards' 32 year history. The full details are here.

Transformers Prime 2.07 Crossfire Promo, Clips

Crossfire, the next episode of Transformers: Prime will air tomorrow night on the Hub. In it "Arachnid and Starscream struggle to control an Insecticon warrior", I assume one that was on Cybertron from the Orion Pax season opener. Considering Starscream lost his Transformation Cog (T-Cog) and more or less exiled from the Decepticons, I assume he may have other plans for the Insecticon. Below is promo and clip for the episode. Images can be found here and here.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Behind Scenes of New Trailer

Yesterday High Moon Studios released a new trailer for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron that reveals its August 28th release date. Today they have provided a behind scenes video as the developers of the game talk about their goals for the game. Most of the info we have heard or read before over the last few months but its full of game footage so worth a look.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Trailer, Release Date

High Moon Studios has released the official first trailer for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron via GameSpot. The last trailer we saw for the game was the teaser last year. The trailer reveals the game will be out With the release is news that the official release date of the game is August 28th, 2012 for XBox 360 and Playstation 3.

Transformers Autocracy #6, Regeneration Previews

Today will brings Transformers: Autocracy #6 for online download. The issue continues to tell the events that lead to the rise of Optimus Prime, the end of Zeta Prime's corrupt leadership and the true launch of the civil war that devastates Cybertron. A preview can be found here.

In addition, May 5th brings Free Comic Book Day to your local retailer with most of the comic book publishers offering samples of the wares on that day. That includes IDW and Transformers with Transformers #80.5 that summaries the previous 80 issues of Marvel's classic Generation One run that help lay a lot of the foundation for the continuity, characters and story ideas that have fueled the many different iterations of Transformers over the years. Click here for a couple page preview of 80.5.

Transformers: Autocracy #6
Chris Metzen, Flint Dille (w) Livio Ramondelli (a)
12 CHAPTER DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE SERIES! ZETA PRIME MAKES HIS MOVE! When the Autobot leader strikes out, ORION PAX--the future Optimus Prime--witnesses scenes of devastation beyond his wildest imagination! Will Pax be changed? Or will he fall?

Transformers #80.5
Simon Furman (w); Andrew Wildman (p), Stephen Baskerville (i); Wildman (c)
The wait is over--after a 20-year hiatus, IDW proudly returns to the original TRANSFORMERS comic book universe, picking up right where 1991's TRANSFORMERS #80 left off! Optimus Prime, Grimlock, Kup, Hot Rod and all your favorite Generation One TRANSFORMERS characters charge into the future as fan-favorite writer Simon Furman and legendary Transformers artist Andrew Wildman present TRANSFORMERS #80.5! Reflecting back on the dizzying highs and the terrifying lows of the original run of Transformers comics, Optimus Prime watches over a Cybertron that hasn't faced Megatron for decades. But that peace shudders to an end, as we dive headlong into July's TRANSFORMERS #81!
Because the Fans demanded it! Thousands of TRANSFORMERS fans signed petitions urging us to make this book--and IDW listened!

Transformers Linkfest - Masterpieces

In this addition of the linkfest, we have more 3rd party toys and finally some new official Transformers news from Takara with two additions to the Masterpiece line. There is also a look at more Generation One inspired unlicensed (which are banned from Botcon), creative use of Lego, a new Kre-O commercial, a "real" Transformer, GTA 4 mod, and two reviews.

Lego Transforming GameBoy
Hit the link for this cool creation. Built by Julius von Brunk, this is a GameBoy that transforms but made out of Lego. It is based on the first GameBoy released back in the late 1980s. (via Gizmodo)

Singapore Cybertron Con 2012 Recap
Hit the link for panel images that showcased some of the toys that Takara is working on for their 2013 Transformers Generations line that is expected to have 40+ figures. They also teased Transformers Prime Rumble and Kup, Masterpiece Sunstorm (repaint of MP 2.0 Starscream), and revealed that their next Masterpiece toy will MP-12 Lambor (Sideswipe). Most of the Generations teases were repaints of previous Generations/Classic molds. Click here for images of Starscream's collectible coin.

Transformers Prime 2.06 Promo and Clip

Tomorrow brings another new episode of Transformers: Prime to the Hub with Episode five Loose Cannons with the return of sword wielding Wheeljack. The description says "a legendary Autobot returns to Earth to look for a new Decepticon, but Optimus finds that something is not right with the rogue Bot." Images from the episode are here, promo and clip are below.

As for the next few new episodes:
3/31 Crossfire - Arachnid and Starscream struggle to control an Insecticon warrior
4/07 Nemesis Prime - Optimus Prime becomes destructive, while MECH reveals the master plan.
4/14 Grill - Agent Fowler has some explaining to do under the threat of military tribunal and Team Prime's termination.

Transformers: The Ride Preview Weekend

TFW2005's firehawc_69 has learned that Universal Studios Hollywood is giving a sneak preview of Transformers: The Ride during the May 4th-6th weekend. The ride itself will open officially around Memorial Day weekend. The news comes via the March 2012 Annual Pass Member Newsletter that says "Save the Date for a Sneak Preview Event. On May 4-6, Annual Pass members will get an exclusive chance to be among the first to experience Transformers: The Ride 3D. Stay tuned for more details." I guess this means only season pass holders will get a chance to ride it but wonder how they will enforce that for non-season pass holders. I guess tourists are out of luck until the attraction officially opens.

Robots in Disguise #3 Preview

Today brings Transformers: Robots in Disguise #3 to comic and online stores. The current story arc continues to explore the post-Civil War status of Cybertron. The covers and the first 8 page preview of the issue can be found here.

John Barber (w) Andrew Griffith (a) Casey Coller, Griffith (c)
CYBERTRON IN CRISIS! An explosion in the middle of the capitol city strikes. Was it a DECEPTICON attack? Suspicions run high, and the uneasy peace unravels! Only Wheeljack can solve the puzzle-but will he do it before Starscream takes advantage of the AUTOBOTS weakness! The bold new direction in Transformers storytelling continues!
FC 32 pages $3.99

IDW June Transformers Comics

IDW Publishing has released their publishing plans for June. A total of three trades and two comics are being released that month. If you are interested in the books, just let your local comic book store know. For the full details of IDW's other books including GI Joe, Star Trek, Locke & Key, and more click here.

Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye Ongoing #6
James Roberts (w) • Nick Roche (a) • Alex Milne, Nick Roche (c)
MADNESS IN SPACE! A rescued Autobot loses his grip and it’s up to Hot Rod’s questing team to stop him—before the damage becomes irreparable! This is surely one of the most intense Transformers tales ever committed to paper!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Prime The Game Announced with Trailer

Today Hasbro and Activision has officially announced the development of Transformers: Prime The Game for release later this year. The Game was teased with the Season 1 sets of TF: Prime. They also released a teaser trailer (below) for the video game. No exact release date but it is coming out on Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo DS, all systems that will not be getting Transformers: Fall of Cybertron when it is released in the Fall. As a result I suspect both games will be released very close together to try and get a Transformers video game on all platforms much like Hasbro has been doing for the last few years. It is described as "brawler-style combat [with] diverse driving sequences" so I imagine it will be like most of the games released over the last few years.

Transformers: The Ride Communique #4

Univeral Studios Hollywood has released another video to promote the May opening of Transformers: The Ride in the States. Like the previous three communiques, it is a re-edit of the footage used for the attraction. This one focuses on Megatron's attack of the NEST base to steal the AllSpark fragment. Video below.

Transformers: MTMTE #3, Autocracy #5 Previews

Today brings two new comics to your hot hands. At the retail level it is Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #3 as Rodimus Prime and company continue their deadly space adventures. For download only, Autocracy #5 is also out which continues the adventures of Orion Pax as he fights the rebel Decepticons while trying to deal with Zeta Prime's ruthless leadership. The preview of MTMTE is here and Autocracy is here.

Transformers: Hall of Fame Nominees

Hasbro has opened voting for the 2012 nominees for the annual Transformers Hall of Fame ceremony that will be held at Botcon on April 28th. On average about four Transformers are inducted each year, with one being a fans choice. The three Transformers will be G1 Jazz, G1 Grimlock, and G1 Shockwave. The fan choice vote is between Beast Wars Megatron, G1 Wheeljack, G1 Arcee, G1 Rodimus, and Beast Wars Sky-Byte. Click here to vote. Voting closes on March 21st.

Two People that strongly influenced the Transformers are also being inducted. This year it is Chris Latta (G1 voice of Starscream) and Simon Furman (long time writer of TF comics that influenced the movies). Previous human inductees include Peter Cullen, Michael Bay, and Bob Budiansky (created of G1 bios, history, and names).

Transformers: Prime 2.04 Preview, Happy Meal Images

Saturday brings a new episode of Transformers: Prime with Operation Bumblebee Part 1. The episode brings Tony Todd (voice of The Fallen in Revenge of the Fallen) as Dreadwing. Below are various promotion videos for it.

In related news, click here to view a gallery of images of the TF Prime Happy Meal toys at McDonalds that I think are available now. Based on the images and instructions, these are non-transformable but instead of gimmicks with lights and hidden weapons.

Here is the episode schedule for the month.
3/10/12 Operation Bumbleebee Part 1 - Bumblebee questions his worthiness to his team after he is compromised.
3/17/12 Operation Bumblebee Part 2 - Bumblebee discovers that MECH and Starscream are responsible for his troubles; Ratchet confronts demons from his Cybertronian past.
3/24/12 Loose Cannons - A legendary Autobot returns to Earth to look for a new Decepticon, but Optimus finds that something is not right with the rogue Bot.
3/31/12 Crossfire - Arachnid and Starscream struggle to control an Insecticon warrior.

Transformers: Prime Renewed for Season 3

Today The Hub issued a press release indicating that Transformers: Prime has been renewed for the 2012-2013 season. Sadly no GI Joe Renegades so my hope is dashed on a return of that series. The just started 26 episode season 2 of Prime is expected to run through this year.

THE HUB TELEVISION NETWORK UNVEILS 2012-'13 PROGRAM SLATE WITH FOUR NEW ORIGINAL SERIES JOINING EIGHT RETURNING ORIGINAL SERIES
Scott Wolf, Freddy Rodriguez, John DiMaggio and Phil LaMarr Featured In New Animated Series "Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters" Premiering This Summer

Other New Original Series Include Animated "Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot" and "Littlest Pet Shop," as well as Live-Action Series "Spooksville" Based on Popular Kids' Book Series from Christopher Pike

Transformers: Prime Season 1 DVD, Soundtrack Out Now

Just a quick reminder that Transformers: Prime Season 1 DVD and Blu-ray set is out at retail in the states. Amazon has the price at $21 for DVD, $40 for Blu-ray. I did not really notice any retail stores running sale prices on the set.

In addition, Transformers: Prime Season One Score by Brian Tyler has also been released on iTunes and at Amazon. The price is $9 for download, around $15 for the CD. The individual tracks are 99 cents to download.

Hasbro Auctions Role in Transformers 4

Saturday was held the Hasbro Children's Hospital's Battleship Bala Gala in Rhode Island to raise money for charity (and going by the title, promote the upcoming movie). Allspark.com was on hand for the event as the site and their Transformers fans raised $6000 for the charity. In addition, it seems the first official casting has occured for Transformers 4 thanks to a winning bid of $21,000 for a walk-on role. Details below, pictures from the event are here.

Last night, The Allspark.com's Galenraff, Powered Convoy, and ShinRa all had the chance to attend the Hasbro Children's Hospital's Battleship Ball Gala in the Rhode island Convention Center. Thanks to the generous support from our users and users from other fan boards, the trio were there to represent the $6,000 donation that the Allspark.com's Charity Drive was able to raise! They will have a summary and images from the event after they take a moment to collect their thoughts.

Transformers Linkfest - This and That

Another week, more TF toy stuff. Below are links to new 3rd party toys, comics trade, more from G1, Peter Cullen & NASA, reviews and more.

Not Brawn, Not Cosmos Announced
iGear has announced their next set of figures in their line of "mini-warriors" based on the classic Generation One characters will be Hench and UFO. The company has revealed their intentions of trying to create a more scale accurate toys that have the sizes and heights between the group match what they were in relation to each other in the classic cartoon series. More images of not Cosmos can be found here.

Transformers Prime Ep 3 Previews, Video Game Coming

Saturday brings a new episode of Transformers: Prime to the Hub and with it comes preview images and promos. The episode is the conclusion to the Orion Pax storyline that will likely end with the restoration of Optimus' memories. As the teaser image shows, it seems the series is taking a page from the IDW comics by introducing the Insecticons as a type of predator that has taken over Cybertron (but unlikely in the same volume as the comics due to simple lack of budget). Another image can be found here. Below is the promo video.

The final bit of news comes next week's release of Transformers: Prime Season 1 set which reveals that Transformers: Prime The Game is in the works for Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3D with link to a website that isn't live yet. My guess this is game is to fill the void left by Fall of Cybertron not being released on those systems.

Bay Provides Razzie "Math Equation"

Michael Bay commented today on his forums about the eight Razzie Award nominations that Transformers: Dark of the Moon for being worst of for 2011. As is typical of the director, he breaks it down the film’s success and the temporary jobs its production helped create.

A Math Equation

Math doesn't lie.

I looked into this Razzie thingy. Sounds like a fruit cocktail but it is an apparent award for they say “the worst in film” by respected judges.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Loses to Hugo for Oscars (Updated)

Tonight the Academy Awards were held, with Transformers: Dark of the Moon nominated in three categories for Best Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects. Sadly the film went 0 for three, losing in all three categories to Hugo. The decisions baffle me but its not really a surprise either. The Academy voters are mostly actors and non-technical people who only know if they liked the movie or not. They are unable to separate the technical (and artistic) achievements from the movie itself, for good or bad. Dark of the Moon and the other much superior nominees in these categories are a victims of that ignorance. Which is sadly often the norm for the Academy Awards.

Update: While Michael Bay is unlikely to comment on the utter nonsense of Hugo being voted superior to Dark of the Moon in these Oscar categories, MichaelBay.com's Nelson has posted Film School Reject's rage over the Oscar snubbing here as an indirect way to reflect their likely thoughts on the subject. When my Mom, who barely knows computers much less how films are made found, Hugo's wins in these categories to be ridiculous (and she was upset Hugo didn't get Best Film), then you know there is a serious disconnect between the voters and their knowledge of the categories.

Transformers: DOTM Nominated for 8 Razzies

Yesterday, on the eve of the Academy Awards, the 32nd Annual Razzie Award nominees were announced. The Razzies are an anti-Oscar award that is given out for "Worst Achievements in Film" for 2011. Transformers: Dark of the Moon is up for eight nominations in 7 out of the 10 categories the Razzie's offer "awards" for. While 8 is excessive, on the bright side it seems that Adam Sandler's record breaking 11 nominations (with 12 for Jack & Jill) gives him a real chance of taking any awards away from DOTM. The winners will be announced on April 1st.

Worst Picture
Bucky Larson: Born to Be A Star
Jack & Jill
New Year's Eve
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

Transformers: Prime Promo, Cullen Q & A

Saturday brings a new episode of Transformers: Prime with Orion Pax Part 2. The story continues anemisic Optimus Prime's adventures with the Decepticons as the Autobots try to figure out a way to rescue him. Promo clip for the episode is below. In addition the voice of Prime, Peter Cullen, answers a few questions from fans about the his role in the cartoon series. Re-created below, the full Q & A is here on The Hub's Facebook page.

ILM's Visual Effects for Transformers: DOTM Part 2

ILM has posted another "music" video that explores the visual effects layers they created for the fantastic visuals in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. It is fascinating to see just how much of Chicago and many elements were nearly 100% computer generated. Part one can be found here, part 2 below.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #2 Preview

Tomorrow brings Transformers: Robots in Disguise #2 to comic book stores. This issue continues the exploring the rebuilding of Cybertron with a mostly civilian populace that view the Autobots as enemies. The covers and first 8 pages of the issue can be found here.

John Barber (w) • Andrew Griffith (a) • Casey Coller, Griffith (c)
The Decepticons make their move, as the TRANSFORMERS relaunch really amps up! As Bumblebee's provisional government struggles to maintain control, Ratbat stages a deadly attack that only Prowl can stop! Meanwhile, Starscream tries something he's never done before: telling the truth to an Autobot. Well, most of the truth, anyway.
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Fall of Cybertron Screenshots, Footage, and Previews

It seems GameTrailer's report for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (FoC) was just the beginning of another mini-blitz of press coverage. Very little of it is new, re-iterating what we were told from the last wave of coverage a few months ago. The main takeaway is all the writers are excited about the potentially awesome game that is currently scheduled to be released in September 2012. From what I have seen and read, if you enjoyed the first game, you will love the second. If you were on the fence because of some of the problems with the first game, High Moon has made efforts to overcome them. Below are the links for more, here are the highlights from GamesRadar.

Transformers Linkfest - TF Prime Reviews

Here are the last week's worth of Transformers related (mostly toy) links that have popped up. This time we have two custom pieces, confirmation that FoC will not be on the PC, new Shout! Factory release, Happy Meal TF Prime toys, Elita One prop for sale and reviews of four TF: Prime Robots in Disguise toys.

Custom DOTM Jetwing Optimus Prime
Hit the link for Frenzy_Rumble's latest piece with Jetwing Optimus Prime as the base figure but with a bunch of goodies and details added. The final figure includes posable jet pack, LED lights, new paint job, and more. More custom pieces can be found here. (via Full Metal Hero)

No PC Version of Fall for Cybertron
Full Moon Studios has confirmed that they are not making a port of Fall for Cybertron. Matt Tieger provided a few reasons, the main one being PC gaming is "outside of our area of expertise, to be honest. ...We were spread so thin that I feel like we barely served that audience. Then there were some issues with continued support that were frankly beyond our control, but at the same time did not create a great experience for PC gamers that got it." I am curious what the sales were but I bet the PC sales vs. the consoles makes it not cost effective to spend on the resources needed to avoid repeating their previous mistakes.

Metroplex in Fall of Cybertron & Gameplay Footage

Gametrailers recently aired a new episode GT.TV that features some footage from Transformers: Fall of Cybertron along with comments from Game Director Matt Tieger. The main piece of new information comes from Tieger who said "What's cool about Optimus and what makes his level so fun is his ability is to actually control Metroplex. Who is a city size Transformers who is moving through the battlefield." He also provided a few details on Jazz and the Combaticons. The footage shows them off combining into 80 foot tall Bruticus as he rampages through a level. The report is broken down into two segments. The first segment (Optimus) runs from 1:00 to 2:35, second segment (Jazz, Bruticus) starts at 6:00 to 8:10 time stamps. Click here for the full episode or watch below.

IDW May Transformers Comics

IDW Publishing has released their publishing plans for May. A total of two comics are being released that month. If you are interested in the books, just let your local comic book store know. For the full details of IDW's other books including GI Joe, Star Trek, Locke & Key, and more click here.

Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye Ongoing #5
James Roberts (w) • Alex Milne (a) • Milne, Nick Roche (c)
TERROR BEYOND THE STARS! The dark secret at the heart of Delphi is revealed as Ratchet’s world starts to fall apart. Time is running out for the Autobot’s Chief Medical Officer and his band of followers, who must confront an enemy that literally cannot be reckoned with. Warning: not everyone will make it out alive!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Prime Season 2 Premiere Commercial

Consider this a reminder to those that have access to The Hub that Saturday is the return of new episodes of Transformers Prime. The channel is dubbing the day "Mega Saturday with premiere of Transformers Rescue Bots at 11:30am, premiere episode of Transformers Prime at 8:30pm which will be followed by the network premiere of 1986's animated Transformers: The Movie that is the origin of most of the references (Unicron, Galvatron, the Matrix, etc.) that you might see on the various Transformers web sites. Below is the Hub's commercial for Prime.

Josh Duhamel Out of Transformers 4

Despite the fact that Transformers 4 just re-hired its director, no writer has been writer, no script exists and Michael Bay is off prepping Pain & Gain, it has not stopped Josh Duhamel from speculating on the casts' lack of future in the franchise to E! Online.

"I don't think anybody's doing it," Josh Duhamel told us last night at the launch party for Sony PlayStation's new PS Vita portable entertainment system. "I know Shia [LaBoeuf]'s not doing it. I don't think Tyrese or Rosie [Huntington-Whiteley] or anybody else is doing it."

"Whenever these movies make that much money they're going to make as many as they can," he said. "[But] I haven't heard anything about it. They haven't called me."

Of course they have not called him. Casting for the movie is probably more than a year away. I doubt filming of any kind will even start until mid-Summer 2013. I am not saying he is wrong but to me it’s just way too early to give any thought to casting or for previous cast members to have any expectations one way or the other. Until at least a rough draft script exists (so pre-production can begin), my advice to previous cast members hoping to return is to express nothing but interest in returning just in case.

Transformers 4: More Like End of Dark of the Moon

Badass Digest is reporting a few details from a source on what the various story goals are for Transformers 4 when Bay retakes the helm sometime next year. The story will not be a reboot but a true sequel, the story will not be told from Sam Witwicky's point of view, and the goal is more like the last hour of Dark of the Moon with more boom, military action and light on silly.

A source close to the production of Transformers 4 has cleared up some elements about the film. While the term 're-imagining' was thrown around, the fourth film will be a straight up sequel to the last movie. It just won't be told through Witwicky's point of view. As to whose point of view it will be told through, that's unclear right now, but it's also unclear which - if any - human characters will be back.

"Michael realized it needs to be more like the last hour [of Dark of the Moon]," this source told me. So expect lots of big action, lots of carnage, lots of military badasses, very few silly bits.

Greg Russell on Sound Mixing Dark of the Moon (Updated)

Fifteen time Academy Award nominee Greg P Russell is probably hoping that his nomination for Best Sound Mixing for Transformers: Dark of the Moon will finally give him that much deserved Oscar. In an interview with The Wrap, he discussed a little bit of the sound mixing process for DOTM. Below are a few segments with the full interview here.

Update: The Hollywood Reporter has posted their own interview with the 15 time nominee here.

So other than dialog, just about every sound in these modern action epics is created after shooting?
Every sound you hear other than the dialog is all prepared by the sound editing team -- none of that is recorded while shooting the movie. That means all the helicopters and jets, all the gunfire -- every bullet impact and every whiz-by. Plus, all the robot sounds -- and there are thousands of robot sounds to create the life of these beings and make them believable -- are designed and recorded by our sound team.

They prepare the entire palette of sound to be used in the film, then I take all of those sounds and there’s many food groups of them, to work with.

So Optimus Prime, for instance, is sonically much more complex than any human character could be?
The robots consist of, say, nine 'pre-dubs,’ where the feet are separate from the big thigh sounds and the big, metallic motor sounds, as well as the medium-range integral movement sounds, that are in turn separate from kind of servo-sourced zipping noises. It goes right down to the eye blinks. All that material is prepared, and then I mix them and pan them across the screen. So if that robot is walking from right to left, those sounds have to be right behind the image.

Transformers Prime S2 Preview, S1 Soundtrack and More

Transformers: Prime Season 2 is just days away from premiering on February 18th at 8:30pm EST on The Hub. Hasbro recently aired a 12 minute preview (below) that summarizes the finale of season 1 along with scenes from the opening episode. In additional over, March 1st marks the release of Transformers: Prime Season 1 set on DVD and Blu-ray and below is a commercial for that. Speaking of, The Transformers: Prime Season One Score by Brian Tyler is coming. The MP3 download release date is March 6th, 2012 for a price of $9.49 while the CD is set for a March 20th release and a price of $15.94. The last bit of information is titles and dates for the next four new episodes of Transformers: Prime.

Michael Bay Directing Transformers 4; Release Date: June 29th, 2014 (Updated)

That was quick. Michael Bay has confirmed he is returning to direct Transformers 4 for a release date of June 29th 2014. This occured just a few hours after it hit web that Transformers producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura revealed a potential release date. Later, Di Bonaventura unequivocally confirmed Bay's return to MTV (below), saying a reboot of sorts is occuring.

There has been a lot of speculation about what I'm going to do next and when or if I will do another Transformers. So let me set the record straight.

I have just concluded a deal with Paramount to do two movies, but it won't be two Transformers.

I will first do 'Pain & Gain' with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

Then I will do the next Transformers for release on June 29, 2014.

-Michael Bay

Transformers 4 Coming Summer 2014 (Updated)

In an interview with Coming Soon to promote G.I. Joe Retaliation, Transformers producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura confirmed that Transformers 4 is shooting for a summer 2014 release date. Michael Bay has not yet made the decision on whether he will return to direct the film. It seems that the G.I. Joe sequel (which jettisoned all but three actors) inspired the idea of going with a smaller cluster of characters that uses an existing story thread from the previous films to avoid a full reboot. However, this soon in the process means that all ideas are probably still on the table especially if Bay decides to sign up for another installment.

Update: Michael Bay has confirmed he is returning to direct Transformers 4 with a release date of June 29th, 2014.

"We’ll be there in the summer of 2014," he confirmed, as well as addressing (albeit vaguely) whether Michael Bay will be returning as director or not. "Michael had a debate because he sort of felt at first that he'd done three. Michael and I are both the same in that we always like to top ourselves. That doesn't necessarily mean bigger. It can be bigger in places, it just means different, but we're going to push really hard as fresh and new as we can be."

He compares doing a fourth "Transformers" movie to what they're doing with the "G.I. Joe" sequel by having a few characters return as well as telling a story that does follow-up from a plot set-up in its predecessor without necessarily fully "rebooting." "Again, we're going to try to do a hybrid there where there will be some characters that come forward--we think, we're still in the process of figuring it out--and some characters that don't, but it will definitely be a different story."

Transformers At Toy Fair 2012

This weekend Toy Fair 2012 was held in New York where toy makers presented many of their plans for the rest of the year. Hasbro presented their various lines including Transformers which to no surprise will be focused on the Transformers: Prime - Robots in Disguise line. They also revealed their Transformers: Generations - Fall of Cybertron (FoC) toys, Transformers: Kre-O wave 2, and Rescue Bots. Basically if you are a bit tired of the movie toys, this is the year for you. The main dates of note are March 1st is official release date of Transformers: Prime toys in the US and September 2012 is the planned release month for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron game. Below is just a smorgasbord of links to official Hasbro images and galleries from the Fair.

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, Infestation #2 Previews

IDW has released previews of the next two Transformers comics that will be hitting stores this Wednesday. Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #2 continues to follow Rodimus Prime and his crew on their (mis)adventures in space while Transformers: Infestation #2 is the last part to the IDW's storyline in the Hearts of Steel universe. The preview of MTMTE #2 can be found here and TF: Infestation #2 here. If interested, a preview of GI Joe Retaliation comic that bridges gap between two GI Joe movies can be seen here.

ILM, Digital Domain Special Effects Behind the Scenes Musical Montages

ILMDigital and Digital Domain have each posted around 3 minute musical montages that show how some of the effects were created for Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Ever since this was done for Superman Returns way back when, I have been a huge fan of these edits that when done well (like these), can relay a lot of information in a very short video. Enjoy.

Bay Comments on 3D Color Quality

Michael Bay took to his forums today (first time in a while) to comment on the concerns of Transformers: Dark of the Moon's 3D color and brightness on the forums. I don't own a 3D TV so really have no idea but my limited experience with HDTV indicates that sadly the bygone days of buy a TV, stick it on and mostly good to go are gone as most now require calibration of some sort to account for different tech implementations and lighting conditions. I remember that the Wall-E set came with such a tool (turned out to be useful). Guess DOTM might have needed it too.

Transformers Wins Three VES Awards

Transformers: Dark of the Moon won two out of the five categories it was nominated in for the 10th annual Visual Effects Society Awards. Transformers: The Ride also won its category of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project. The awards are given out to honor achievement in visual effects across multiple areas besides movies. DOTM won for Outstanding Created Environment (155 Wacker Drive) and Outstanding Models (Driller) in a movie.

The categories Transformers 3 lost in where Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture to Hugo, and Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture to Captain America. In the last 9 years, 7 times the winner of the VES' Outstanding Visual Effects Award went on to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. This includes the first Transformers in 2008. This year the win indicates that DOTM’s competition is Apes. The full list of winners can be found here.

Transformers Linkfest - TF: Prime Toys

Transformers: Prime season 2 is coming and with it is the toys. With this linkfest edition we have links to galleries of upcoming Prime toys and video reviews. Also a look at the latest WST toy, toy fair news, Generation 2 prototypes, DOTM contest winner and return of Marvel Transformers continuity. Finally we have reviews of several third party toys including the final components of Hercules, a Devastator upgrade kit, and interview with the narrator from the G1 cartoons.

Transformers: Prime Galleries - Hasbro Pics | Voyager Megatron in box | Wheeljack, etc in package | Deluxe Bumblebee | Deluxe Bumblebee | Deluxe Ratchet | Deluxe Arcee
The next non movie wave of Transformers, based on the Transformers: Prime cartoon, is now about to get released. It has already been released in the UK and Japan. There are reports that Toys R Us stores in the US are starting to stock them. This means lots of galleries as the volume of links show. Over all have to say like the designs but at this point I am just glad to see something that isn't based on the movies. By the way, Hasbro once again decided to rename their classes, just to keep things confusing. There is Cyberverse (Legend), Revealers (Deluxe), and Powerizer (Voyager). I will stick with the old naming class scheme as just less confusing to me.

Transformers: The Ride Super Bowl Commercial

Below is the official Super Bowl commercial for Transformers: The Ride that opens in May at Universal Studios Hollywood. The rest of the recently released videos to promote the attraction can be found here.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Visual Effects Reel

MichaelBay.com has posted the 10 minute VFX reel that was used to score an Oscar nomination in the Achievement in Visual Effects category for Transformers: Dark of the Moon visual effects team. The reel was presented to members of the Academy's Visual Effects Branch for them to which movies will have a chance to win an Oscar. DOTM is also up for the sound effects and sound editing categories. Paramount is running a commercials in key areas to promote the film's nominations. The winner will be announced live on February 26th. The video isn't a behind the scenes video but highlights of the best visual effects from the entire film. Thanks to Feris Othman for the heads-up.

Transformers: The Ride Trailer, Optimus Message and Site Up

Universal Studios Hollywood has ramped up their campaign to promote the May opening of Transformers: The Ride in California with a new trailer, message from Optimus Prime, and updating the attraction website. The full trailer (1st video below) is expected to air today sometime during the NBC Pre-Game show before the Super Bowl. In addition, Optimus Prime (as voiced by Peter Cullen) warns the human race of the Megatron (2nd video). Finally, the website PrepareForBattle.com is live so that people can enlist as NEST volunteers. The site has online game that lets you rise up the NEST ranks by completing missions brought to you by videos, downloads and trivia questions. Those that play will have the opportunity to win The Ride specific Transformer collectibles with a grand prize of a trip to experience Transformers: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood (3rd video).

Paramount Gives Transformers 3 Some Oscar Love

Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures has "decided to finance a big TV buy in voter-centric Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco to promote its summer blockbuster Transformers: Dark of the Moon." The planned TV ad is below. Transformers 3 was nominated for three Oscars in the Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects categories. Winning an Oscar is sort of like running for office as often the studios support TV and print campaigns to support their movies in the various categories and make Academy voters aware of the movie's nomination. Like any popularity contest, familiarity often trumps excellence which can be a detriment to something like DOTM where most of the voters tend to be of the baby boom (or older) generation.

The choice to support DOTM is a bit interesting considering Paramount's Hugo (with 11 nominations total) is competing against TF3 in all three categories. Deadline theorizes the move is in part a show of support to Michael Bay, Steven Spielberg and the movie's other producers. From Deadline:

Although the individual peer groups made the nominations, everyone in the Academy gets to vote for the final award. ”As you know the Academy is comprised of many branches representing the various disciplines in the filmmaking arena. Because not everyone may be an expert in sound or visual effects, we hope that this spot will encourage voters to carefully consider their choices and take into consideration the craftsmanship of each category when voting,” the spokesman said. “This is the culmination of years of hard work creating cinematic sounds and images that are now iconic — we wanted a form of Academy outreach that did that work justice and we simply felt that to see and hear it was very important.”

Transformers: The Ride Super Bowl Commercial Sneak Peek

Universal Studios Hollywood has posted a very brief video (like the Avengers), to tease their Super Bowl pre-show commercial for Transformers: The Ride. The teaser (below) uses Opthttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifimus Prime footage from the attraction. Their description says "watch the commercial during The Big Game this Sunday, February 5th on NBC" but their newsletter says "Tune in Sunday for NBC's Super Bowl Pre-Game Coverage to see the national premiere of our commercial". I don't see Universal (part of Comcast along with NBC) using up one of their $3.5 million Super Bowl commercial slots so I tend to think the pre-game show is when it will most likely debut. If the this and the Communiques are any indicates, it will be an edit of the five minutes of footage used during The Ride itself.

Transformers: The Ride Communique #3

Universal Studios Hollywood has released another re-mix of their attraction footage to create Communique #3. The video below features General Morshower warning of the return of Megatron, needing the Transformers with ability to protect the All Spark and needing more recruits for NEST. Just like with Communiques #1 and #2 it ends with "Game Begins: February 4th, 2012. Enlist now. www.prepareforbattle.com".