Chevy has announced their plans to release the 2012 Transformers Special Edition Camaro. This would be the second time the company has done this as they also release a Transformers inspired version of the car in 2009. Ordering begins in July for September delivery that adds a $3000 to the cost of the car. Below is the press release.

DETROIT – The Chevrolet Camaro returns as the Autobot “Bumblebee” in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which opens exclusively in 3D Tuesday and worldwide Wednesday. To celebrate, Chevrolet will offer a 2012 Transformers Special Edition Camaro Coupe to Bumblebee fans in the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Europe, South America, and the Middle East.

“The Transformers franchise has helped introduce Camaro – and Chevrolet – to a whole new generation of fans,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “Its role in the films helped make the Camaro the best-selling sports car in America, and one of the best-known cars of any kind around the world.”

The fifth-generation Camaro previously played Bumblebee in the 2007 film Transformers and in the 2009 film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The films generated $1.5 billion in global box-office sales, and helped reintroduce the Camaro to consumers after a seven-year hiatus from dealerships.

In 2009, the Camaro was the most-searched-for car on the web, according to Yahoo!Autos, even though the first models didn’t arrive at dealers until late that year. In 2010, the Camaro assumed leadership of the U.S. sports car market from the Ford Mustang for the first time in 24 years. This year, the Camaro continues to lead the segment, fueled by the introduction of the Camaro Convertible. Chevrolet has sold 40,275 Camaros this year, compared to the Mustang sales of 30,206.

That momentum is expected to accelerate early next year with the introduction of the 550-hp (405 kW) 2012 Camaro ZL1, as well as limited-edition models such as the Transformers Special Edition.

The 2012 Transformers Special Edition will be offered as a $3,000 package on 2LT and 2SS Camaro Coupes with Rally Yellow paint. In addition to the content offered in the popular RS appearance package, the Transformers edition will feature black rally stripes that stretch over the hood, roof, decklid and unique high-wing rear spoiler; 20-inch, black-painted wheels wrapped in high-performance summer tires; and Autobot Shield logos on the center caps and front quarter panels.

Inside, the Transformers Camaro has a black leather interior accented with yellow stitching on the instrument panel, center console, armrests and seats. Autobot Shield logos are embroidered on the front headrests, as well as the center console lid.

Two dealer-installed options are also available: exclusive, 21-inch, black-painted wheels and a black ground-effects package.

Customers may begin ordering the 2012 Transformers Special Edition Camaro in July, with vehicles arriving at dealers in the U.S. and Canada in September.

Remember that rumor from last month that was supposedly a picture of Blitzwing as if he was in Transformers: Dark of the Moon? The consensus that formed very quickly was it was a fake but a pretty good one. Thanks to Adam and Oni we now know the video (mirror) was from cinema4dtutorial.net, which breaks down how the video (below( was created at the link. Just because it is fake and not related to the movie doesn't it make it any less cool. Kind of wild that creating sophisticated Transformers has jumped so quickly into something you can learn to do at home in such a short amount of time.

The registration for Botcon 2011 in Pasadena, California is now open. I believe it is the only Hasbro sanctioned Transformers convention in the US. It will run from June 2nd to June 5th, close to Transformers: Dark of the Moon release in hopes they might be able to enjoy Paramount and Hasbro's efforts to market the movie and toy line. Exactly what that means for attendees remains unknown but I would be really surprised if Paramount didn't plan something for Transfans. One year I need to go but money remains an obstacle (you will see what I mean when check out the registration forms).

At 2:46PM Japan time (5:46AM UTC/GMC time or 12:46am EST), a 9.0 magnitude (upgraded from 8.9) earthquake struck 231 miles off the coast of north Japan. The resulting tsunami was reported to be as high as 33 feet high when they struck the coast of Japan causing extensive damage and unknown casualties. Aftershocks continue to be felt in the country as rescue efforts begin. The earthquake is the fifth largest recorded magnitude since 1900 and the largest recorded for Japan. (EDIS details on quake)Read More »

Two Transformers related programs will be hitting the airwaves soon. The first is a rumored report about Transformers: The Dark of the Moon for Canada's Entertainment Tonight for Thursday October 28th at 7PM EST. I assume that means the US may have the same report around the same time but not really sure. No details on what the report could be about so could be anything from a set report to maybe a preview of a teaser trailer. Assuming rumor is true, will find out then.

The second related program comes from Encore Movie Channel which will air a documentary about Industrial Light & Magic on November 14th, 2010. ILM is responsible for most of the special effects used in the Transformers trilogy. Based on the press release, I think the behind the scenes stuff will be from Transformers 1 so mostly good for seeing how the robots were first created considering how that initial work has been used for the rest of the trilogy. It might be worth checking out, if you have the channel, if only to see how ILM continually pioneers much of the visual effects we enjoy in movies and television. Thanks to Winton for the link.

Update: ET Online has made it official with their own teaser trailer here. The footage is from the filming in Chicago so while I doubt it will provide any new information, it will probably show off some cool footage since they were invited onto the sets and close to the action. Thanks to Katie for the link.

Update 2: Found the YouTube version of the teaser clip.