Transformers: The Ride - Local News Coverage, Ride Facts

Transformers: the Ride will premiere in just a few days at Universal Studios Singapore. As a result regional news stations are airing reports (below, in English for some reason) from The Ride that shows off more of the footage from the attraction, including various areas and a nice long look at the Evac vehicle that people will be sitting in for the five minute simulation. What is amusing is how you have three different stations (but maybe owned by the same corporation) airing the same reports with the same reporter but edited in slightly different ways to make it seem different. Speaking of Evac, it turns out that the attraction has a life size statue of the character sitting outside, perfect for quick mementos of the visit. I assume the Hollywood version of The Ride will have the same thing. Thanks to Feris for finding the video.

The second video comes from Resorts World Sentosa that provides a few details about the attraction. They verified that Michael Bay did consult on the attraction and footage verified that Optimus, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Wheelie, Megatron, Ravage, Sideways, Grindor, Devastator, Bonecrusher, and Starscream all make appearances along with various voice actors reprising some of their roles.

Scott Farrar's BBC Interview

BBC has posted an interview with Transformers: Dark of the Moon Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar as he answered a few questions about the effects in the movie as part of promoting the home video release of the movie in the UK on Monday. He gave an overview of how complext executing some scenes in the movie were, his role in the movie planning and seeing the final outcome many months after all the initial work. The video can be found here.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Teaser

High Moon Studios has released a teaser trailer for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron that is a sequel to their War for Cybertron game. This teaser is just a glimpse at the full trailer that will debut on December 10th at the Spike TV Video Game Awards.

Transformers: The Ride - Before, During, and After Footage

Transformers: The Ride is now less than a week away from its official opening on December 3rd at Universal Studios Singapore. The ride there will be the same version that is currently being assembled at Universal Studios Hollywood for its Spring 2012 debut. The exact date remains unknown. The first video (below) shows off The Ride before and after for what visitors will see as they go through the line and what the cafe and store looks like after. The second video appears to be a television report/advertisement that includes a little behind the scenes footage mixed with a tease of the experience during the ride.

Release Date Set Transformers Trilogy Signature Edition

Nelson has provided a few more details on the Transformers Movie Trilogy Ultimate Collection Signature Edition set with a release date of January 31, 2012. Still no news on price. He makes sure to note that this is the usual stamp signatures but actually hand signed by Michael Bay. In the two posts he wrote:

More info:

The Signature series box set will available January 31, 2012.
It will include the DOTM 3D Blu-ray as an added bonus.

Price has still TBD.

Actually, they're being personally hand-signed by him as we speak. All 5,000. No two will be exactly the same.

(via TFW2005, thanks to Sahara for link)

Transformers: The Ride - Audio Recording

The leaks, both official and not, continue as the start of Transformers: The Ride at Universal Studios Singapore is just around the corner with its official December 3rd date. In the meantime, it seems the attraction is running now in some capacity since to the left is an audio only recording of the almost five minute long ride. I guess someone might eventually get a video but I assume the studio will be watching for such attempts. With all the jerking around it probably would be difficult to get a decent video recording. (via Seibertron)

Transformers: The Ride Video Preview

The Resorts World Sentosa has posted a brief video preview that shows off a little bit of Transformers: The Ride along with a glimpse at Megatron. The Ride officially premieres at Universal Studios Singapore on December 3rd.

Transformers Trilogy Signature Edition Set Details

Nelson, admin of Michael Bay's Shoot for the Edit forums, has posted a few details on a 5,000 run Transformers Trilogy Signature Edition set that will be released stateside from two online retailers. No price or release date yet. Click here for a few images of the trilogy set that comes it its own special triangle shaped case with a film cel depicting scenes from the movie.

A little update on the Signature Edition Transformers set:

• There will only be 5,000 made.
• They will be autographed by Bay.
• Will be sold on Amazon.com and another US retailer.
• They will contain the 3 TF Blu-ray movies + behind the scenes stuff.
• It will be out in December.
********
For those who reside outside the US who want in (since Amazon US doesn't ship internationally), I will buy a batch and ship them to you. Retail price + shipping & handling to be determined. You must have a Paypal account.

I will keep you posted.

IDW February Transformers Comics

IDW Publishing has released their publishing plans for February that continues the post civil war era for Transformers. In addition, the Infestation storyline invades the Transformers: Heart of Steel universe set during the Industrial Revolution. A total of four comics and two trades 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.

On a related note, Andrew Wildman has reported that Transformers #81 has been completed after 20 years of waiting. TF #81 is a continuation of the Marvel Transformers comics that he was one of the artists for. On his blog he wrote "Just finished all the pencil art for Transformers #81. So strange to be doing this stuff again and to pick up from the old Marvel stuff. So it’s 20 years since issue 80 but actually it was just like old times and I got these 22 pages done in 15 days. Not bad eh? couldn’t have done that 20 years ago. And they say you slow down when you get older. PAH!!!" I assume it will be solicited soon.

Dark of the Moon Up for Two People's Choice Awards

Transformers: Dark of the Moon has been nominated for the 2012 People's Choice Awards that will January 11, 2012 on CBS. The categories are "Favorite Movie" and "Favorite Action Movie". The compeitition if fierce so make sure to take a second and click here to vote.

Favorite Movie - TF: DOTM, Bridesmaids, Harry Potter 7.2, The Help, Pirates 4
Favorite Action Movie - TF: DOTM, Fast Five, Harry Potter 7.2, Thor, X-Men: First Class

Transformers: The Ride First Impressions

While Transformers: The Ride has not officially opened at Universal Studios Singapore, it seems that some have had a turn on it. Yesterday some images and a commercial have been posted but thanks to 0JazzMeister0 from the TFW2005 forums, we know have first-hand description of his experience. He confirmed that The Ride is a simulator that has you sitting in Evac's car mode. It holds 12 passengers that are closed in with no roof. The vehicle moves in multiple directions to simulate the action on the 12 screens that surround the vehicle. I am not clear if it moves along a track but I suspect the careful layout of the screens help sell the feeling of movement. There are additional "4D" aspects like wind, heat, etc. to enhance the immersive experience.

The action starts with Bumblebee jumping on roof with Evac trying to shake him. Bumblebee stops Ravage, when he is attacked by Barricade. Evac leaves, crashing through walls and dodging traffic until attacked by Megatron. Optimus Prime runs interference but Megatron ends up chasing Evac who does a lot of moves to get a way. The chase continues with Evac dodging Blackout and going through the maw of Devastator before being grappled by Starscream and flung into buildings. Sideswipe rescues Evac and co. and runs interference on another chase through the streets while avoiding Bonecrusher. It ends with a fight between Megatron and Optimus with a timely assist from Evac and one last midair rescue from Bumblebee. Over all it sounds like a fun, but probably 3-5 minute right that will probably be quite popular when it eventually opens at Universal Studios Hollywood sometime in early spring. To read 0JazzMeister0's detailed description, click here.

Transformers: The Ride - Pictures, Commercial and VFX

Transformers: The Ride is just a few weeks away from officially opening at Universal Studios Singapore. Some spies there were able to score a bunch of pics from The Ride including a few details about its setup. Below is the first ad for the attraction that shows some of the CGI footage that has been created. The full gallery and details can be found here.

Speaking of special effects, The Ride blog has posted a brief Q&A with visual effects supervisor Jeff White who spoke about the work ILM put into creating the effects for the ride. It turns out a total of 30 seconds of "ride media" was created using designs from same team that worked on Dark of the Moon. The effects where rendered at 8k, 4x the resolution normally rendered at due to the needs of The Ride.

Linkfest - Combiners and Transformers Prime

More toy news for your entertainment. Below are links to galleries for upcoming 3rd party toys including two combiners, GameInformer covers, WST Astrotrain and Transformers: The Ride tease. For videos there is a look at Sideswipe at recent Hub event, latest Kre-O commercial, and video reviews of Heavy Labor & five Transformers: Prime toys.

Not Dinobots CombinerHit the link to view a small gallery that shows off a closer to production design of the not Dinobot combiner that 3rd party TFC Toys is working on. The sucker has a whole lot of grey going on so hoping further tweaks are coming. Over all though it’s a pretty authentic creation of the 5 Dinobots but with the added combiner mode.

GameInformer Covers
Hit the link for two of special covers created for GameInformer's special Transformers: Fall of Cybertron issue that should be hitting newsstands pretty soon.

Transformers: The Ride - Introducing Evac

Next month brings the debut of Transformers: The Ride to Universal Studios Singapore. As part of that, below is a brief video that introduces a new character to the cast with Evac. The character was created specifically for the new attraction. The character's alt mode is a vehicle that audiences will sit in for the 3D ride. As some of the footage below teases, it is pretty clear that Michael Bay filmed some of the Ride's footage while in Chicago.

EVAC is a new recruit to the AUTOBOT team stationed on Earth and has never been in combat with DECEPTICONS before -- a bond he shares with the latest human recruits of NEST, right here at Universal Studios Singapore.

The Autobot Schism in New Transformers Comics

The end is coming for the Transformers Chaos storyline and with it is the relaunch of the Transformers comics in a post-civil war universe. The war is over; being an Autobot or Decepticon is just a term to a returning civilian population. If you have been fighting for millions of years, the next question seems to be "what now?" for each warrior and how they will play a part in the future of Cybertron. The two news series coming in January, called Transformers: More than Meets the Eye and Transformers: Robots in Disguise will explore the future of the Transformer race. In an interview with Comic Book Resources, the writers John Barber (MTMTE) and James Roberts (RID) spoke about what each series will focus on and the dynamics that are name in play for a victorious but fractured Autobot army. Below are highlights, the full article is here.

Highlights:

No Transformers 4 News From Hasbro Investor Day

Despite hope and rumors, today's Hasbro Investor Day passed without any updates on Transformers 4. The day, essentially a cheerleading session (see video below), was led by CEO Brian Goldner and other company executives. Basically the company is strong; The Hub network is on track and growing. Toy sales are expected to go above $300 million in part due to The Hub related toy lines (Transformers: Prime, My Little Pony, etc).

Visual Effects Details for Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Scott Farrar, Visual Effects Supervisor on Transformers: Dark of the Moon, continues to make the rounds in the Europe market to promote the upcoming November 28th release of the movie there. In the latest from WhatCulture.com, he continues to talk about the challenges of creating visual effects for Transformers. Below are highlights with the full article here.

Highlights:

Transformers Linkfest - Art and Memory

Another week, more news related to Transformers. Oddly there have been an uptick in Transformers: Dark of the Moon stuff with a concept art gallery and a new USB product. In addition, Transformers: Prime toys images are popping up and more teases of upcoming 3rd party toys. Last are a few videos with a video review, Ironhide tribute and Transformers in 1-D.

Ryan Church Concept Art
Hit the link to look at the latest concept art from Ryan Church for Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The main focus of the artwork is Shockwave both in his design and how might look during Chicago battle.

Transformers: Prime Galleries - Megatron | Arcee & Starscream | Cliffjumper
Hit the links to view galleries that show off the robot and vehicle modes of four figures from the Transformers: Prime toy line that should start hitting stores in time for Christmas.

5 Answers About Transformers Effects from Scott Farrar

In three videos below, Transformers: Dark of the Moon Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar answers questions about creating the visual effects of the movie. The video is for Italian site Badtaste but Scott talks in English so pretty easy to infer what the 5 questions are. Most of the information isn't new but Scott did say that Paramount has approached him to do another movie and he is willing. He also reconfirmed the talks with Michael Bay.

Fall of Cybertron: Design, Q & A

GameInformer has posted what appears to be their final two pieces about Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. "Larger Than Life" looks into the approach that High Moon Studios took in designing the game with a brief commentary video that shows off one of the maps being built. The last article is a roundtable discussion of the game with game director Matt Tieger and lead programmer Andrew Zaferakis as they discuss the game and answered various questions including providing details on multi-player Transformer creation. The 35 minute long video most covers ground from the previous articles. It can be found here. Fall of Cybertron is rumored for Fall 2012 release but it seems far enough along that it could be sooner than that.

Highlights:

Transformers 4 Announcement on Hasbro's Investor Day?

Hasbro has announced via press release that they are holding their annual Investor Day on November 9th. The day has the top level executives provide presentations and answer questions from the press and investors about the status of the company and future plans. Plans that likely will include an announcement about the status of Transformers 4. Last we heard from Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner, they were in talks with Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay about the movie.

According to an anonymous source, and various web rumors, the event will be used to confirm that a second trilogy is planned with Transformers 4 and 5 being shot back to back. The extent of Bay's involvement was still not determined. This remains speculation but I have no doubts Hasbro wants to move forward on another movie. Will be interesting to see how much they reveal on the day as such an announcement will likely help Hasbro's stock prices.

Transformers #29 Preview

This Wednesday brings another issue of Transformers to comic book store. Still two months out before the the comics get relaunched with stories set on Cybertron but there is one last story set on Earth to finish. The covers and first 8 pages of Transformers #29 can be found here.

Mike Costa (w) • Brendan Cahill (a) • Marcelo Matere, Cahill (c)
“The Last Story On Earth” ends here! When Prowl makes a breakthrough in his investigation, he assumes that he has the answers to all his questions… until a shadowy adversary brings some shocking revelations to the Autobot's attention. Could this be the end of the human/Autobot truce? Mike Costa and Brendan Cahill bring this tale to its unexpected conclusion!