ACToys has posted more images of the Transformers: Dark of the Moon version of Voyager class Megatron. Unlike before, these show of the toy as it will likely appear when it comes out to retail in May. (via TFW2005)

While news remains slow on Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the Disciples of Boltax has posted PDFs of Hasbro's Briefing Binder for the Transformers cartoon series. They broke it down into about 6 parts and made the scans available for download. The binder was part of the writer Ron Friedman's auction that had included the Transformers: The Movie draft script.

The briefing binder shows of the first designs of many of the Transformers, early pics of the toys, background art, ship design and more. It’s a fun walk down the origin of the cartoon series that laid the groundwork for all that has followed including the movies and shows the kind of prep work that went into the cartoon series. Below are the links to Boltax's posts about each binder section which also contain the download links if interested in looking at the PDF scans.

As a bonus, click here to look at the "Pre-Toy Fair 1985" images that first introduced the more or less the second wave of Transformers including Shockwave and Jetfire. I still remember when Transformers use to take up an entire long aisle of these old style boxes at Toys R Us and Lionel Toy Stores, always fun to visit especially when flush with cash after Christmas. If only I had done a better job of saving all the packaging and accessories.

Boltax: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Today is new comics Wednesday and with it brings a next issue of Transformers: Sector 7 and Transformers: Best of Starscream trade paperback. Sector 7 #4 continues to fill in the history of the Simmons family as they work with the organization, this time during WWII. No idea really what the Starscream TPB is about as IDW failed to provide what issues they were reprinting (which tends to send of a red flag to not buy) but the 144 count suggests around 6 issues were chosen. For a preview of the covers and first five pages of Sector 7 #4, click here.Read More »

Over the last day or so a few new images of Transformers: Dark of the Moon toys have popped up online. The leak from German Transformers site NTF-Archive shows off toys images and packaging of Bumblebee and Optimus Prime at various classes. The packaging is mock-up that gives you idea of how the final packaging will likely look but is clearly not final because it is missing the "Dark of the Moon" logo instead of the "3". The main thing is several of the images finally verify the "Cyberverse" line which seems to be the successor to the Legends line.

The site also revealed the potential pricing of the upcoming line with Legends/Cyberverse around 8 euros (around $10 US), Deluxe as 20 euros (~$26 US), Voyager as 35 euros (~$46 US) and Leader at 70 euros (~$92 US). These prices seem excessively high (as least going by the conversion rate) so take it with a grain of salt as suspect Hasbro will stick with the pricing scheme currently in place possibly plus a dollar or two.

Below are a few images but the full gallery can be found at NTF Archive or mirrored here and here. If interested, more Ironhide pictures have popped up here showing off his large weapon accessory. Thanks to Foxtail for the link.

In time for a little Christmas Eve fun is more leaks of potential Transformers: Dark of the Moon toys with images of the packaging and instructions for Voyager Megatron along with a look at a DOTM Optimus Prime and more Ironhide. The images are thanks to DOTMToys.com and mirrored below and other various websites.

Probably the coolest of the set is full verification that the Mad Max tanker truck is Megatron. While the previous pictures were close in how to transform, it seems the cape/tarp is designed to cover Megatron's scarred face. In addition it gives you a first look at the packaging design for Dark of the Moon and reveals the "MechTech" gimmick.Read More »

Writer extraordinaire Peter David reports on his blog that he has completed the work on the novelization of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Even better, he seemed to enjoy the experience and working with the characters. Hopefully IDW is paying attention and look into possibilities of him maybe writing some Transformer comics. If I remember right, the previous novelizations came about about a week before the movie was released so probably the same thing will occur here.Read More »

Custimized Masterforce Overlord Transformer
One of the things I love about Transformers is how some fans can take a base figure (or two) and really just go to town creating wonderful new Transformers. At the link are a few images of such an effort. Using Armada Tidal Wave, ROTF Jetfire, and ROTF Bludgeon, procustimizer Sabrina created Masterforce Overlord (from Japan TF series) that is the combination of Giga and Mega.

Transformers: Prime Heads to Europe
Hasbro has reached an agreement with Turner Broadcasting to air Transformers: Prime in the UK, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Middle East. The show will start airing in summer 2011 on a combination of their "kid" network depending on what is available in each country.

Sumalee Montano (TF: Prime's Arcee) Interview
TFW2005's Black Oracle posted this interview with the lovely Sumalee Montano who voices Arcee in Transformers: Prime. It provides a little bit of background on the actress, becoming familiar with Transformers, Arcee, and meeting Susan Blu (original voice of Arcee).Read More »

Warning, this post is a plot point spoiler warning for Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

...Megatron! Yesterday a few prototype images of Transformers: Dark of the Moon toys were leaked online. One of them was of a tanker truck looking thing that wasn't painted so lacked the detail needed to completely verify its identity but most people assumed it was what I have been calling the "Mad Max" truck seen periodically during filming in Chicago and DC.

Later, more images were posted of the truck's robot mode that proved it is Megatron complete with cape, confirming the rumor from September. The pictures on Facebook (account required) show that half the face remains scarred (like Two-Face) as a result of the battle with Optimus from the end of Revenge of the Fallen. Where is the robot image you ask? Hasbro demanded all the various websites pull the images, more or less officially verifying this conclusion. Thanks to rumah for the link.

Update: The cat is out of the bag for Hasbro as JoBlo.com has posted the images of the robot mode. While they claim "dandy anonymous scoopers" but the same root source as above. If the three images no longer appear, probably means JoBlo either blocked my linking to them or Hasbro successfully got them to pull the pics.

IDW Publishing has released their publishing plans for March. The month will have three Transformers books and one trade. 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, Angel and more click here.

Transformers #17
Mike Costa (w) Alex Milne (a) Matere, Nick Roche (c)
Megatron's plan enters its second stage as the Autobots continue to fall under attack from heavily armed humans. Elsewhere, Starscream attempts to initiate a plan of his own with an old ally. Costa and Milne aren't bringing everyone out of this issue in one piece as the REVENGE OF THE DECEPTICONS continues!
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio | FC 32 pages $3.99Read More »

The movie may be months away from release but the toy leaks have already begun. Pictures of the prototype version of deluxe Bumblebee and leader Ironhide have hit Seibertron.com. Bumblebee appears to mostly remain the same but now has a spoiler, driver side netting and a large something or other as an accessory. As for Ironhide, there is no frame of reference so hard to know for sure he is leader class but the incomplete figure shows the character will continue to undergo transformation modifications much like his previous iterations. The idea of a leader class version this character is very appealing idea so hopefully the info is accurate. TFormers.com had posted another potential leak in the form of a transforming truck but pulled it. However, Collecticon.org has now posted it here. It doesn't look like any truck seen on the various sets so may not even be TF related.

Update: Thanks to the comments here are two more pictures from Facebook. One is another angle on the truck pic from collecticon and the other is a look at a motorcycle that a robot picture shows is Wreck-Gar. At this point I think the motorcycle is for the "Reveal the Shield" line, not Transformers 3.

In a Q&A session on his forums, Corey Burton shot down suggestions he would reprise his role as the voice of Shockwave for the voice of Shockwave for Transformers: Dark of the Moon while offering up an alternative. Burton was the voice of Shockwave (also Spike and more) in the original Generation One Transformers cartoons and movie. His extensive career includes voice work in many loved cartoon series over the years.

...with regards to the live action Michael Bay movies, were you ever contacted about reprising? I can't imagine anyone else being shockwave except you; sadly he doesn't appear (and they even got frank welker back but not as megatron and they forgot to make his soundwave voice awesome).
I was given the opportunity to audition for Jazz (a totally incomprehensible request for me to even attempt), and "Brawl" (you might recall I was Brawn in the early series), but it was just a one line "cameo" bit that didn't seem worth jumping through all the audition hoops, just for a 2-second bit of scale rate "incidental" VO work.

It is rumored that David Warner himself has been under consideration for the next live-action/CGI movie production, as Shockwave - which I feel is entirely appropriate, given Mr. Bay's propensity for casting Screen Personalities over multi-voiced off-camera "cartoon" character voice actors - and Mr. Warner's outstanding history of consistently vivid and "savory" character performances (a much under-appreciated and impressively versatile master craftsman in the fine art of Acting, across the entire spectrum of audio/visual performance media). I wish them nothing but the very best for the wildly successful franchise; and have practically no interest in that kind of mega-budget movie enterprise involvement. I'm much too busy as it is, and thoroughly rewarded already many times over for the work I've done under the Transformers brand.

Read More »

Call it a result of the trickle of Transformers: Dark of the Moon news, but guess can't hurt to know that someone close to the production has identified the ship in the teaser trailer as "The Ark". Probably not a surprise to anyone. The more or less official confirmation comes from two posts by Nelson, the admin of MB.com that has access to info about the movie.

The first post was a comment from an article by CollectSpace.com that is an interesting, if overzealous comparison with the real Apollo 11 mission. Spoiler, the trailer isn't historically accurate.

Not that I missed, I simply didn't care.

A 1956 Continental Mark II convertible could've been parked next to the Ark on the moon and I would've not cared.

I guess someone needed some web hits!

The second post was to correct the assumption that Michael Bay did not direct the footage used in the trailer.

Wrong. He said initially he didn't have anything to do with it and then later became totally involved. Who do you think shot those NASA, astronauts walking on the moon, and Ark scenes?

The "news" is mostly trivia fun for the Transfans. Much like the Nemesis in Revenge of the Fallen I doubt it will be identified by name in the movie. From a story perspective the ship itself is the important part, the name not so much. It could be called “The Bayhem” for all impact the name will have on the overall story arc. Hopefully if the identified by name in the story, they stick with The Ark.

One a related note, the image to the right theorizes that the ship that Shia and Rosie filmed on in Detroit could be an escape pod or something from the Ark. Thanks to John for the pic. Speculate away in the comments (but keep it civil or will just delete your comment).

The first teaser trailer is out and while there isn't much in the movie news department, I do have to tidbits. Also hit the links for reviews, news of upcoming toys and more.

Optimus Prime Signed by Peter Cullen
If you are in the Maryland area, Beyond Comics is holding a raffle ($1 each) for Optimus Prime Hybrid Style THS-02 signed by the voice himself, Peter Cullen. All the proceeds will be going to Toys for Tots. The raffle is through December 18th and while it requires a visit by the store to participate it doesn't mean you can't do your part for Toys for Tots by clicking here.

Frank Welker Interview
The voice of Megatron talks Transformers: Prime and different between doing Megs now and for Generation One.

Peter Cullen Interview
Another interview, this time with the voice of Optimus Prime as he also talks about the cartoon and desire to maintain a consistency with the character through the years and various incarnations along with joy of working with Welker again. Of note is it turns out he has been working on Dark of the Moon for about a year. Thanks to rumah for the links.

I’ve been recording now for about a year with Michael Bay, and I’ve had some wonderful experiences. I went down to an airport hangar in Long Beach and worked with some of the on-camera actors and that was a wonderful experience to be a part of the movie on the technical side, because normally I’m just pinned into a small room in front of a microphone by myself.

Read More »

The Disciples of Boltax have made available a scan of a draft of Transformers: The Movie script from 4/27/1985. The draft is a result of Transfans pooling their money to try and get hold as many pieces of history from a recent auction from writer Ron Friedman including the draft. The Disciples have a copy of the script available at their site here

It turns out there was some remarkable differences in the early draft and the final movie that include core Transformer concepts that was not originally part of the movie. What is interesting is you can see how the seeds were laid for what would become the final film as some ideas were tweaked, others tossed, and in many cases redone from scratch.

For example there was no "Unicron", instead the main villain was "Ingestor", who merges with a planet and transforms it. The Matrix was also not in the film instead replaced with the concept of "Life Sparks", something that was abandoned until Beast Wars and now a core TF concept. The Life Spark moments in the script were removed or replaced such as Prime's Life Spark moment being repurposed for the transfer of the Matrix in the final film. Also, Devastator had to do battle "Dragon Beast", a new Autobot combiner derived from animals that merges into a dragon. Another change is the draft is when Hot Rod is used as a shield by Megatron against Optimus, he says "Prime...forget about me...Terminate him!" along with other lines to clarify that moment. Missing is the classic "One shall stand, one shall fall" line.

Anguirus at the TFW2005 boards posted a summary many differences between the draft and the final film here. The script is interesting read and worth the time for any fan of the Generation cartoons and movie.

The first teaser trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon is now live. Links below to MB.com, Apple Trailers and YouTube.

Also, as you can see to the left, the actual official teaser poster for Transformers 3. Not really sure what is going on in that regard as the Prime poster is official in some capacity (someone with access to the Prime model to create it) and Hasbro is using it. For my purposes I consider one the Hasbro Teaser Poster and the other the Paramount teaser poster.

Apple Trailers | MichaelBay.com | YouTube HD

The leaked description is accurate, here is my summary.
Begins with words of July 20th, 1969 (date of the moon landing)
Apollo 11 traveling to and orbiting the moon.
Cut to words: "A Generation's Greatest Achievement"
Archival footage of landing and saying "The Eagle has landed"
Cut to words: "Our Nation's Proudest Moment"
Re-creating walking on moon with "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Cut to words: "A Secret Hidden for 40 Years."
While Walter Cronkite reports that Apollo 11 is out of communications range on the far side of the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are really investigating a crashed starship full of Transformers. Armstrong reports "the hull has been breached. Extensive damage. No signs of life or movement... You cannot believe what we are seeing. ...We are not alone after all...
Cut to camera traveling across the moon surface, to and through the ship, into a Transformers face (with "mustache"), and continuing into his eye and insides that change to the Dark of the Moon logo followed by the release date of July 1st, 2011.

Based on the brief images of dead Transformers, I suspect this is the Ark as the faces showed an Autobot structure. We saw the Nemesis marooned elsewhere (Mars I think) in Revenge of the Fallen and it had to have been fighting something. Based on the face and the mustache, I suspect the Transformers at the end of the sequence is Alpha Trion, one of the original 13 Transformers and protector of Cybertron. Thanks to Michael, V1p3rs and Rak33n for the YouTube links.

Update: Added link to HD version on YouTube (great for looking at full screen). I have the embed version above in HD also. If interested in screen captures, TFW2005 has posted many here.

As a run-up to tonight's debut of the teaser trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Collider has posted an interview with director Michael Bay. The site previewed the trailer and a "huge chunk of footage" but sadly they did not reveal any major story points in the articles. The overall impression of the chunk was very positive and that is without the visual effects (anima tics used as placeholders). Empire also was there but Collider's article is much more detailed.

Below is a video from Collider as "Frosty" and AICN "Mr. Beaks" kind of expresses everything they saw during the three hour visit with Bay while the experience was still fresh on their minds. The article is so click here with a few highlights below. Thanks to Ray and Kris for the links.Read More »

A statement from Hasbro US has provided new insight on Transformers: Prime and War for Cybertron as it turns out these two stories are actually part of the same continuity. From AllSpark:

A question was recently posed to Hasbro’s UK office asking if the Transformers Prime television series and the Transformers War for Cybertron video game were in a connected continuity. Unfortunately the wrong answer was delivered and that answer has made its way to the fan community. The TRANSFORMERS brand team would like to confirm that Transformers War for Cybertron video game, Transformers Exodus novel, and the Transformers Prime television show are in the same aligned continuity. Hasbro is creating a single continuity to tell the bulk of our TRANSFORMERS stories going forward.

Please look for further details about the continuity plan and new projects over the next year.

I am not sure how the movies tie into this but I suspect they don't, instead providing inspiration for this new Hasbro driven continuity. Transfans will have their own interpretation but below is my summary of the main official Transformers universes created over the last 25 years.

TF G1 - 1984 cartoon series, Transformers: The Movie, comics (Marvel, Dreamwave, IDW), Beast Wars, and Beast Machines
TF G2 - Short lived Generation 2 toys
TF UK - TF G1 plus UK comic books (most by Simon Furman)
TF Japan - TF G1 1984 plus the many Japan cartoons that continued after US production stopped like The Headmasters, Super-God Masterforce, Beast Wars Neo, etc
TF RID - Robots in Disguise series
TF Unicron - Transformers: Armada, Energon and Cybertron series
TF MB - Michael Bay films of Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon.
TF G3 - Hasbro supported continuity currently derived of War for Cybertron, W4C Prequel Exodus book, and Transformers: Prime. Inspired by TF G1 and TF MB concepts.

Normally I would save something like this for a linkfest but it’s too cool to wait and might kill some time until the teaser trailer debut. Thanks to Amazon Japan we finally have a really good look at the next new entry in Takara-Tomy's Masterpiece line. MP-9 Rodimus Convoy is Rodimus Prime/Hot Rod from Transformers: The Movie that can support both robot and vehicles modes of this character. In the movie, Hot Rod is the "younger", impulsive character (that indirectly caused Optimus Prime's death) who was transformed by the Matrix of Leadership into a wiser but still inexperienced leader of the Autobots. This figure is a bit of a wallet buster with an average import price of around $200 US. (via AllSpark)Read More »

Just a quick reminder that the first teaser trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon is debuting online tonight at 4:00PM PST (7:00PM EST) on MichaelBay.com and Apple Trailers. As soon as it hits I will post the direct links on the blog.

Update: Turns out this is not the official poster from Paramount but since Hasbro has been using it and someone had to have access to the digital Prime model, I am just arbitrarily calling this the Hasbro teaser poster just because it’s a pretty cool image of Optimus. The official poster is here.

The official teaser poster for Transformers: Dark of the Moon has hit the internet as multiple sites, including ShockYa, just in time for the teaser trailer release tomorrow. The image is probably familiar to Transfans if been keeping up with Transformers 3 news. The image shows Optimus Prime in an action hero post usually reserved for the lead actor. This same image was first spotted back in June for the Licensing International Expo that was held in Las Vegas. The image was tweeted again months from what may have been another convention. Finally the image hit official status when it was used as part of a Hasbro insert in latest wave of toy announcing the official release date of the TF3 toys as May 16th, 2011. Prime will probably be popping up in theatres very soon.

This Friday, the teaser trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon will debut with the next Chronicles of Narnia movie in both 2D and 3D (or next week with Tron). If you don't want to wait that long, then Apple Trailers has you covered with the official launch occurring at 4PM PST (7PM EST) on Wednesday, December 8th. Entertainment Tonight was rumored to be airing a sneak peak earlier today but apparently that didn't happen. Assuming the teaser trailer description is accurate, expect an emphasis on "tease".

This news comes from a new set report from Aint It Cool News' Capone from when Dark of the Moon was filming in Chicago in August. This set report begins by going into the recent rumor that the film was having real 3D problems by describing what he actually saw on set and how much nonsense the report is (for the same reasons I dismissed the idea). From the report:Read More »

The next issue of Transformers (Ongoing) is hitting comic stores this Wednesday. Issue 13 showed the return of Megatron (to Hot Rod's misfortune) and this one kicks off the full blown return of the Decepticons. Comic Book Resources has the covers and five pages here.

Mike Costa (w) • Nick Roche (a) • Don Figueroa, Nick Roche (c)
Two Autobots felled in the past two issues and the punishment is only beginning! A shocking revelation and an unexpected attack begins the “REVENGE OF THE DECEPTICONS,” the storyline that leaves a lot more Autobots on the operating table, and their entire future on Earth in question—and also features the return of superstar artist DON FIGUEROA!
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio • FC • 32 pages • $3.99

The final episode of Transformers: Prime's Darkness Rising story is up on YouTube. The episodes brings two Transformers: The Movie references (probably two of the most famous) and an Optimus Prime vs. Megatron fight. If not interested in the internet solution, The Hub is airing a mini-marathon with all five episodes starting at 1:30pm EST today. Transformers: Prime will return in February at unknown date and time.

Transformers: Prime Episode 1 - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime Episode 2 - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime Episode 3 - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime Episode 4 - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime Episode 5 - Part 1 | Part 2
Hubworld Special - Part 1 | Part 2 | Behind Scenes

Italian site Bad Taste has posted what may be a description of the Transformers: Dark of the Moon teaser trailer that will debut next week with The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The focus of the trailer is on the 1969 moon landing when more was found then revealed to the public. Of note is the trailer will be in 3D for those going to the Narnia 3D screenings (and likely 2D for those that don't). Just be aware that studios wanting a trailer attached to a movie doesn't mean the theaters will do it. Thanks to Andrea for the translation and link.

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon, from the teaser, plays it on conspiracy theories related to the moon landing. The first part of the movie alternates images of the control room at NASA and of the astronauts on the moon. The landing is what we know well, as are the famous words about the "giant leap for mankind." But we did not know what is the journey of the astronauts on the dark side of the moon, until the control room do not tell them that "... then we are not alone." Then we see some Transformers: the camera comes close to the eye of one of them, which starts to flash. But the camera does not stop, and takes us inside the robot and its mechanisms, making us understand that it's coming back into action. Difficult to understand the effectiveness of 3D in this movie, no real action. The idea is still pretty well harnessed, we hope that the film is maintained at..."

The next two parts of Transformers: Prime opening story arc, Darkness Rising, is now up on YouTube thanks to FanOfTransformers. Also of note it appears I might have been wrong about The Hub not posting the episodes has they now have Darkness Rising Episodes 1 and 2 available here. I assume the final three parts will be posted soon. The current episodes have a nice mention of Unicron for G1 fans, zombies, Bulkhead gets a moment to shine and more. One of the things that continue to pay off is taking a page from Beast Machines with the Vehicon cannon fodder for the Autobots to beat up resulting in more entertaining action sequences.

Transformers: Prime Episode 1 - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime Episode 2 - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime Episode 3 - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime Episode 4 - Part 1 | Part 2
Hubworld Special - Part 1 | Part 2 | Behind Scenes

Optimus Prime on Ice
Click the link for a gallery of images of the movie version Optimus Prime ice sculpture. Created by Antti Pedrozo and Michel de Kok, the structure stands around 26 feet tall.

Masterpiece Rodimus Prime Transformation
As the image shows, a look at how the transformation from robot to Hot Rod vehicle to Rodimus Prime truck works. The MP toy is currently scheduled to come out in January 2011 and currently the import cost is around $200.

Custom Transformers Guzzle Gallery
Hit the link for a gallery of images of master Transformer customizer frenzy_rumble. Guzzle is based on the G1 toy from 1988. Not entirely sure what the base Transformer toy is for his custom job, keep thinking it is Titanium series Grimlock but not 100% sure about that.Read More »

Unicron.com has found a YouTube posting of the first two episodes of Transformers: Prime along with the Hubworld TRansformers Special and behind the scenes video (below). They probably will not last long so watch them while can. Sadly Discovery Communications has never developed a meaningful online strategy for their various networks (unlike nearly every other major network) so it seems "alternative" means will be the only way to watch the series if don't have The Hub. Thanks to Bruno for the heads-up.

Transformers: Prime Episode 1 - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime Episode 2 - Part 1 | Part 2
Hubworld Special - Part 1 | Part 2 | Behind Scenes

A new Transformers: Prime commercial that aired with a repeat of episode 1 finally explains why The Hub has not provided the regular time slot for the cartoon series. It turns out it simply doesn't have one. Once the initial five episodes of the opening "Darkness Rising" story arc airs this week, the series is going on hiatus until February 2011. Very odd scheduling decision to air five episodes in one week then wait two months to air more as it negates any momentum the mini-series might have generated. At this point I give up on trying to figure out what the Hub scheduling brain trust is up to. (via TFW2005's Soundwave9)

Michael Bay has once again popped up on his forums denying the recent report that his 3D footage for Transformers: Dark of the Moon was unusable. On top of that, he reports that "the Transformers announcement piece", aka the teaser trailer will premiere with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (December 10th) and Tron: Legacy (December 17th).

Wow, I read these morons on the internet who think they are in the know. "We have problems with our 3D????” Really? Come into my edit room and I will show you beautiful 3D. There has never been a live action show that has pushed the boundaries of 3D like Transformers 3. We shot the entire movie with 3D cameras. I actually loved shooting in 3D.

I will give full details of my process and why I liked 3D in the next week right before the Transformers announcement piece comes out on Tron and Narnia.

And don't watch this movie in 2D, we made it for 3D.

Michael

The forum specific links are here and here. While some may claim he is lying, in this case I don't see any reason to. As said before, they had a 3D viewing rig on location at all times that easily allowed them to catch any problems with the footage. Also don't forget that Bay had a 10 minute or so edit of the footage put together for the cast and crew early in filming; another chance to find any problems and make corrections. It doesn't make much sense that Bay and his 3D consultants (many from the Avatar crew) would not have discovered any problems until now. Mini-controversy over with the most important piece of this whole thing being we are about two weeks away of getting our first look at Transformers 3. Thanks to everyone for the heads-up.

A report from IESB.net suggests that Transformers: Dark of the Moon is starting to have a problem with 3D footage for the film which has entered the editing and CGI phase of the post production process. Ironically, they are not talking about the critically panned conversion process but the actual real 3D footage that Michael Bay filmed, calling it nearly useless as it "looks like shit." The information comes from "insider" sources which general prove to be unreliable so usual grain of salt caveats apply.

Our post production insiders are telling the IESB that Michael Bay is doing some scrambling trying to salvage the footage that was shot. "The 3-D looks like shit and we don't know if we will be able to use all of it the way it is," our insider tells IESB.

"Avatar set the standard very high for 3-D films and even though some of the best people in the 3-D business were brought aboard for TF3 but with Michael's quick, aggressive style of shooting without any real past experience has caused hiccups," our insider added.

To end on a positive note one of our sources up at ILM have told us that the FX work looks insane and that the story and plot is far superior to the two previous films. Which is great since I love the first Transformers film...really didn't care for Revenge of the Fallen.

While I could see some footage having problems just as a result of the film making process, I find it hard to believe all it is rubbish mostly because Bay did have a 3D video set up on set that allowed him and his team to review the 3D footage as they filmed it. I find it difficult to believe they would not have noticed problems early on and made corrections accordingly. Thanks to rumah for the link.

Another reason do not believe the report is because of Alberta Film Classification website (via TFW2005) has posted a running time of the first trailer (but sadly no premiere date) that indicates a running time of 2:24 and a PG rating, which guess means someone has at least watched it. I think if there was footage problems, getting a trailer prepped would not be high on the to do list as one is not really necessary at this time (but sure wouldn't mind it). Thanks to Teddy for the link.

The team of Transformers: Prime has posted a tongue in cheek behind the scenes of Transformers: Prime with the team of Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman as they help put the show together and "create" the animation for the cartoon. The first two episodes aired today, the rest next week with a mini-marathon of the first five episodes on next Saturday. I don't get the Hub and so far have not discovered any online distribution that the network is using for their programming so I guess most of us will just have to wait until the DVD release. (via AllSpark)

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

If like many, right after turkey and football you might be prepping for the biggest shopping day of the year, aka Black Friday. What is a shopping spree without a few Transformers? If looking to buy, below are highlights sorted by product but didn't bother to list things like Speed Stars or items that were tagged as a "sale" but it’s really just the regular price. A comprehensive list can be found at BFads.net. If you are looking for great electronic deals, Engadget has a roundup of deals here. If are aware of any others, please drop a note in the comments.

Battle Ops Bumblebee
KMart - $39.99
Meijer TG - $34.00
Target - $49.99
Toys R Us - $49.99
Walmart - $49.00

Transformers Deluxe Class
Target - $9.00
Walmart - $9

Powercore Combiner 5-packs
KMart - $14.99
Walmart - $15.00

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen figures
Toys R Us - 50% off or Buy 1 Get 1 Free (depends on class)

War for Cybertron DS Autobot & Decepticon
KMart - $10.00 each
Toys R US - $9.99

Wii War for Cybertron
Walmart - $29.99

Seibertron received advance copies of the first two episodes of Transformers: Prime and decided to write up spoiler rich summaries of each with lots of screenshots. "Darkness Rising" is the name of the first five episodes of the series as it lays out the characters and circumstance of this new cartoon series. These first two parts premiere on Friday at 4pm EST (repeat at 6PM EST) on The Hub with the remaining three airing the next week. The confusing schedule can be found here. Still not entirely clear what day and time the show will start airing on a regular basis after that as The Hub PR department is doing an awful job on making schedule info available.

Update: Variety posted a review of the cartoon. In short, they liked it, saying the cartoon "proves unexpectedly sharp -- better than the movies (admittedly damnation with faint praise), thanks to the arresting CGI animation, which proves especially well-suited to rendering shiny robots and their vehicular alter egos." Full review here.

Based on the description, the series starts off with a bang with a death, call to arms, and Decepticons on the move. If you don't mind the spoilers the summary of Darkness Rising part 1 is here and part 2 is here. Thanks to Christopher for the link.

Over at the MB.com forums, admin Nelson reminded everyone that while Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be in real 3D, it will not be in real IMAX, "There will be a 3D reel but it's not in IMAX format (70mm). IIRC, they did not use Imax cameras this time around."

Now this doesn't mean the movie will not be released to IMAX theatres, it just means that there are no scenes specifically shot for IMAX's 70mm format (I believe standard movies are 35mm) like was done with Revenge of the Fallen were scenes such as the forest fight and Devastator had been filmed in 70mm for IMAX release. The experience was somewhat duplicated for Wal-Mart's "Big Screen Edition" Blu-ray edition of the film. So news, but not really news as I think Revenge was the last film to do anything IMAX specific as it pre-dated the current 3D craze.

Thanksgiving Eve brings new comic books to shelves and one of them is Transformers: Sector 7 #3. The mini-series gives the history of the organization by following the many generations of Simmons that have worked for it. The current issue brings events up to the Prohibition era. Click here for the covers and first five pages of the issue.

John Barber (w) • Joe Suitor (a) • Brian Rood (c)
Let us tell you a story of two bank robbers named Bonnie and Clyde--and their transforming death car! When young Margo Simmons helps her estranged father investigate mysterious rumors in Texas, she finds herself caught up in jailbreaks, Tommy-guns, and nonstop action as she tracks down the legendary outlaws and comes face to face with the most vicious Transformer ever made!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

More toy reviews, galleries and news.

Transformers Happy Meal Toys
Once again McDonalds will be issuing Transformers related toys as part of a Happy Meal promotion. The six figure set will be Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Starscream, Megatron, and Blackout. Not exactly sure when they will be released nor even if they can actually transform. More images of Prime and Megatron can be found here.

Generations Kup Gallery
Hit the link as the Kup finally returns to the Transformers line with G1 appropriate Truck alt mode. Very cool looking figure and now at the top of my to get list.

Official Hasbro Galleries - Powercore Combiners | Reveal the Shield Legends I | Reveal the Shield Legends II | Reveal the Shield Deluxe, Voyager |
Hit the links for Hasbro official images of their various upcoming wave of toys. Of the stuff coming up, probably the Reveal the Shield Legends toys interest me the most since they are essentially the tiny re-release of Generation One toys.Read More »

IDW Publishing has released their publishing plans for February. The month continues their "Infestation" storyline that has their version of zombies invading the worlds of their various properties including the TF universe. Overall 4 Transformers books are being offered. 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, Angel and more click here.

TRANSFORMERS: INFESTATION #1 (of 2)
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (w) Nick Roche (a) John K. Snyder III, Nick Roche with Gabriel Rodriguez (c)
The biggest event in IDW Publishing's history infects the TRANSFORMERS universe with this two-part, bi-weekly series written by Infestation architects Abnett and Lanning! BOOM! BAM! SMASH! Buildings are falling, and the dead are rising! When Big-Bad GALVATRON crash lands on Earth, something ain't right. It's up to our 'Bots-in-blue to run to the rescue or... well... EVERYONE to fight off not just Galvatron, but the zombie horde spreading through Las Vegas!
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio | FC 32 pages $3.99

TRANSFORMERS: INFESTATION #2 (of 2)
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (w) Nick Roche (a) John K. Snyder III, Nick Roche with Gabriel Rodriguez (c)
It's 106 miles to Vegas, They've got full tanks of gas, half a pack of energon, it's dark, and they're wearing disguises. HIT IT. Zombies are the latest show on the Vegas Strip, and it's going to be an action-packed battle of machine and mayhem to get this town cleaned up! Don't miss the conclusion of TRANSFORMERS: INFESTATION! The concluding issue of the bi-weekly TRANSFORMERS Infestation tie-in! And wait'll you see where new writing mainstays DnA take the TRANSFORMERS next month!
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio | FC 32 pages $3.99

TRANSFORMERS #16
Mike Costa (w) Don Figueroa (a) Figueroa, Nick Roche (c)
MEGATRON's plan enters its second stage as the AUTOBOTS continue to fall under attack from heavily armed humans. Elsewhere, STARSCREAM attempts to initiate a plan of his own with an old ally. Costa and Figueroa aren't bringing everyone out of this issue in one piece as the "Revenge of the Decepticons" continues!
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio | FC 32 pages $3.99

TRANSFORMERS #1 Hundred Penny Press Edition
Mike Costa (w) Don Figueroa (a & c)
Re-visiting the launch of the ongoing series that kick-started a brand new era for the TRANSFORMERS saga! The Earth has been rebuilt, the Autobots are in hiding, and fans will want to see where it all started!
FC 32 pages $1.00

Hasbro toy inserts in the latest wave of toys that are now starting to hit toy shelves has revealed the intended release date of the first group of Transformers: Dark of the Moon toys. The inserts show a towering image of Optimus Prime, with message "Look for official licensed products starting the week of May 16, 2011!" This aligns with around the time the toys hits shelves for the previous two movies. Even if the toys do not interest you, it mostly means that we will learn the names and bios on the names of various new Autobots and Decepticons that have joined the latest outing. Thanks to Udana for the link.

An interesting article for Marina City Online, building complex on State Street in Chicago, suggests that Transformers 3 may have gone over budget during production leading to stunts being cut. A planned stunt for August 8th in Marina City's west tower parking deck that involved throwing four burning cars off the deck but was cut, apparently due to time and budget issues.

Rich Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office, says it was the film’s director, Michael Bay, who backed out of the stunt. “As far as I know, it was all set to go,” said Moskal Tuesday evening after giving a presentation at DePaul School of Digital Cinema.

“Michael Bay is always trying to do more and more,” he said, “but it was one of those things where they said, ‘do we really need to do this?’” Bay apparently had to get to a location in Detroit, a mansion that was a popular tourist destination and offered a limited opportunity for him to film there. “He had a shopping list and they were running out of time and they were way over budget to be honest with you.”

Bay, says Moskal, remembered Marina City from The Hunter. “The funny thing was, he said, ‘they did one car, I want to do four. And I want them to be on fire. I want there to be four burning cars.’ And it just kind of came down to, how much time do we have and how much more do we really need? And they did some pretty hairy stuff. It’s not like they were starved for yet another spectacle of explosions or flying cars or stuff like that.”

Other scenes for the movie, expected to be released next July, were planned but never filmed. “Their final scene was supposed to be in the reflection of the Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park where they wanted to see the city [on fire] and smoldering.”

The Millennium Park scene was probably cut because that was around the time production shut down for about a week due to the extra being injured in Indiana. It is also possible that the deck scene was repurposed for another location as the description seems to match some of what was filmed at another parking deck location a week later.

The idea of Transformers 3 scenes being cut or altered is not big deal as that is common for any movie. What would be surprising is if the movie is over budget as Michael Bay takes a great deal of pride in getting his movies completed on time and under budget. If Dark of the Moon is currently over budget, will steps be taken to get it back under control by possibly making cuts on post-production decisions with cuts for possible visual effects heavy scenes? Since every second of Transformers robot action is literally 10s of thousands of dollars being spent, there are many different cuts, both big and small, that could be done to get the film budget back on track. Thanks to rumah and Ray for the link.

Update: Michael Bay once again did one of his quick drive-by's on his forum and explained the situation:

Why did I cut the stunt, because the building wanted a $40,000 location fee. I told my producer we are not paying that - Why? Because I like to stay on budget, and I also don't like to get ripped off. So there's the truth. And yes, we are are still under budget today.

Michael

Sorry for the long delay, between linkfests so this one is extra long with more toy reviews and galleries. The highlight is probably a new auction of G1 Transformers scripts and cels. Also have video reviews for new Prime, 'Bee, Jazz, and more.

G1 Transformers and G.I. Joe Cartoons Document Auction
A new auction that seems to have started might be of huge interest to those that have a deep love for the original 80's cartoons as it will contain original shooting scripts, art work, bios, and more from Transformers, Transformers: The Movie, and G.I. Joe. The auction comes from Ron Friedman who developed and wrote for the various properties. Hit link above for the press release details, and click here for the Heritage Auction Transformers results. I wasn't able to find a way to see all that Friedman was selling in one search but doing a simple search on terms like "Transformers" and "GI Joe" brought up interesting results like scripts, audition dialogue, the movie script, paints cells and more cool stuff.
Update:: All Spark is organizing a donation drive to try and buy up these historical Transformers items so that it be be available for the public online instead of lost in some private collection. Any money left over will be donated to charity. If interested, click here for details. Thanks to General Tekno for the heads-up.

Toy Galleries - Highbrow & Fallen | Grapple | Jazz | Wheeljack, Rumble, Frenzy, Scourge, Laser Prime
More galleries to upcoming releases for the Hunt of the Decepticons, Reveal the Shield, and Takara's Transformers United (aka Generations) lines, most of which are repaints. Reveal the Shield still has this odd tendency to re-release Classic 1.0 and 2.0 molds as repaints but not putting under the "Generations" moniker. Not really sure why they are choosing to go with this type of brand confusion as it seems up to this point they had spent years making a clear distinction between movie inspired toys and the rest. No idea if the Takara United molds will make a stateside visit but would be really surprised if they didn't. More Classic toys the merrier so bring on more Reveal the Shield, United, and GenerationsRead More »

Principle photography may have completed (aka lead cast completed their work) for Transformers 3, but that doesn't mean filming is finished. According to On Vacation Locations and Inner City Press, Transformers: Dark of the Moon filmed in the General Assembly auditorium on Saturday.

The middle section of the General Assembly hall was full of extras, in suits and native dress, while a camera on a mechanical arm panned the crowd and then the three faux speakers on the rostrum. From the photo booth on the GA's third floor, Inner City Press heard stage directions, saw the vote tally board lit up.

On Vacation Locations mentions that Dame Judi Dench was spotted but I highly doubt it. Based on the description it sounds like part of the "Autobots - Go Home" plot point that is rumored to include Congress making their presence illegal in the States and now seems to include the UN too. Does that mean Transformers get banned from the entire planet? Or maybe it is for the end of the film and the Autobots are given planetary wide amnesty?

Transformers: Prime debuts in a touch under two weeks from now and The Hub has begun ramping up the advertising push with four videos that highlight Arcee, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper and a human character. There are also two new commercials. The first five episodes star airing on November 26th with a rather creative and confusing schedule.All videos below. Over all while the CGI isn't much of an improvement over Beast Wars from a decade ago; it looks like a show with lots of entertainment potential. If you don't get The Hub (like me), hopefully they will do like a lot of networks nowadays and make them available online. (via Seibertron) Read More »

Hasbro held its "Investors Day" conference call that highlighted some of their upcoming Transformers related projects for the next year or so. TFormers provided the highlights of the call. Many of them we already could guess with a toy line for Dark of the Moon and the "Ultimate Transformers Experience" theme ride that is being built for Universal Parks with Singapore debut of 2011 and Hollywood in 2012. The conference call also verified that three video games are planned around Transformers.

One of them is Transformers Online, an MMORPG that is currently limited to China and other countries in that region for a 2011 release but may be ported for other countries (which ones not detailed). Activision is also working on Transformers: Dark of the Moon game for release around the time of the movie. For those that found the movie related games lacking will be pleased to know that War for Cybertron 2 is scheduled for 2012 release. Thanks to NHLfan for the link.

Gabriela Cedillo is on the verge of finally being released from the hospital according to Hollywood News. The set extra suffered a head injury on the Indiana set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon back in September that resulted in brain damage that required surgery. The update comes from the family attorney, Todd A Smith, who is currently suing Paramount for the accident.

In regards to her care he added, “Gabriela is still in the Rehab Institute of Chicago but she’s about to be released home so she can be taken in for outpatient physical and speech therapy. She’ll have to go in multiple times a week for extensive rehabilitation care. She continues to have paralysis issues on her left side.”

On the whole it sounds like somewhat good news as gives hope that she will eventually make a full recovery but still a long road to go as rehabilitation from these kinds of injuries can take a very long time. Best wishes to her family on a successful recovery.

Tyrese Gibson has tweeted that Transformers: Dark of the Moon has officially wrapped principle photography today in Los Angeles.

His first tweet (around 11am EST) on the subject said:

I'm up. On set with what we all hope to be on the last day of filming of Transformers 3. I will keep you updated!!

This was followed five hours later with:

Confirmed::: Today will be last day of shooting Transformers 3.. Yippy!! God is the greatest .. We made!! Fans we won't let you down!!

Finally at about 8:50pm EST, he made it official:

Ladies and Gents we have officially wrapped the filming of Transformers 3! Cheers to my cast and entire crew! We did it baby!! God bless u!

Congrats to the cast and crew of Transformers 3 for their long and eventful shoot. Now the post-production process begins with editing the film, sound, Industrial Light & Magic and Digital Domain doing their CGI magic and much more. The actors may be done but Bay and company still have a lot more work ahead of them. Thanks to Feris and Ann for the heads-up.

Just Jared and The Daily Mail have each posted galleries from the Culver City in Los Angeles set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon as Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley continued to film what looks like more blue screen work for the film. The stunts including something along a building wall, sliding down a facade (say a building as it falls) with other NEST troops, and Shia doing his screaming thing inside Bumblebee. Hit links above for the galleries. Thanks to rumah, Katie and Mauricio for the links.