Two more toys are joining the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Human Alliance sub class. One is Barricade with Frenzy and another is Mudflap with Simmons & Chromia which essentially mirrors the Skids with Mikaela & Arcee set. I will wait on Peaugh's reviews before making any final decisions but the Human Alliance toys have turned out to be pretty good (if a touch overpriced).

Galleries: Barricade | Mudflap

EarthCam.net has posted a video of a time lapse of the construction of the Final Battle set for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico which I think occurred around June 2008. It gets some of the early filming but not of any of the big explosions and resulting destruction of the set. A set constuction like this helps give you an idea of the sheer volume of hard work that can go into a movie. Thanks to David for the links especially the flash file so could upload to YouTube.

Here is a video of sorts that has an unused track from Transformers called "A Call To Arms" by Steve Jablonsky. I am not entirely clear if this is from the first or second but the use of Prime's theme and the sound suggests the first film. I wonder what spot it was originally intended for? Thanks to Benizzle for the link.

Peaugh has posted new Transformers video reviews, this time for Alternity Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. Alternity is Japan exclusive Transformers line that is a successor to the Binal-Tech/Alternators toy line. The result is a detailed, complex transformation that gives your classic characters a real world alt mode from real car companies. The toys are now available for $50-$60 (my store recommendations: BigBadToystore.com, TFSource.com and Digital-Toys). Overall the toys are looking sweet. I plan on ordering them to add to my Alternity and Binal-Tech collection.

The next issue of Transformers (Ongoing) is hitting stores shelves soon (next week I think) and Newsarama as a sneak peak at its covers and first five pages that starts were the last left off (Spoilers!) with Ironhide dead and Optimus Prime turning himself in to the humans after resigning as leader of the Autobots.

Click here to view.

The Toys R Evil blog has posted images of a custom chrome-finish leader class Megatron that looks pretty sweet. Below are sample images, click here for the full gallery. Over at the link is also a repaint of Iron Man Mark 3 toy in Iron Patriot colors who is Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin, part of Marvel's Dark Reign storyline. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

From HK-TF, click here for a gallery of Fast Action Battler Arcee images that isn't nearly as ugly as has been the norm for the motorcycle gang. The little pink cycle is Launchin' Arcee from Burger King Kid's Meal. Thanks to RY for the links.

United Kingdom retailer HMV has indicated it will have a Bumblebee transforming case for the DVD two-disc and Blu-ray release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The case is essentially the same as the Optimus Prime and Megatron transforming cases that were released for the first movie. Prime at the time was a Target exclusive and Megatron was used to promote a re-release of the DVD. It wouldn't surprise me if Bumblebee makes a stateside appearance as a store chain exclusive when the movie is released on October 20th. As for the UK, the movie isn't coming out until November 31st. (via TFormers)



Update: Click here for a short video that shows off the packaging and the transformation sequence for the Bumblebee case. Thanks to Wildstar for the link.

For those that love ranking and debating them, IO9.com has created a whopper of a list with the top 100 science fiction / fantasy shows of all time. Our favorite show, Transformers, was ranked number 89 by the website. I would have ranked it much lower, at least in the top 30 or so. The full list can be found starting here.

The Top 10 are: 10) Lost, 9) Battlestar Galactica (remake), 8) Babylon 5, 7) The X-Files, 6) Buffy The Vampire Slayer, 5) Max Headroom, 4) Star Trek: The Next Generation, 3) Firefly, 2) Doctor Who, 1) Star Trek

Transformers

The original Transformers animated series is where we learned where we stood. Did you side with the Decepticons of the Autobots? Transformers was the ultimate imagination generator €” anything is possible when you have a robotic alien species that can transform into a truck or plane, or even a boombox. Plus Optimus Prime could very well be one of the best leaders on television. He was noble, caring, big-hearted, driven and had a velvety voice, all without being as treacly as Adam Prince of Eternia.

The Transformers movies have been caught up in a content filtering inquiry by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that is being done for Congress. Apparently the goal is to come up with a compendium of all the various blocking, filtering and rating devices used by the various entertainment industries. As a result the many lobbyists are coming out of the woodwork to add their two cents. From Ars Technica:

Earlier this month the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood filed a response to a key question in the FCC's NOI€”"the extent to which inappropriate commercials [are] aired in programming viewed by children and on possible solutions to this problem." CCFC was happy to oblige, updating the agency on one of its key campaigns. The group, a coalition of 30 media reform organizations, wants the Federal Trade Commission to "ensure that PG-13 movies are not marketed to young children." Bottom line: CCFC has asked the Motion Picture Association of America to limit television advertising of PG-13 movies to shows where over half of the viewers are thirteen or over, or just set 9:00pm as the "watershed" for the promotion of these films. That would put the ceiling an hour earlier than when TV stations can broadcast fare that the FCC defines as indecent.

CCFC complains of a phenomenon that it calls "ratings creep." Your typical PG-13 movie these days is more violent and sexual than it used to be, the group says. "In other words, many of the PG-13 films that are routinely marketed today to children as young as seven€”and often marketed to preschoolers€”are films that would have been rated R fifteen years ago." On top of that, parents have no tools that filter commercials for these movies, and "are left without any options by the current regime."

High on CCFC's list of disliked films are the Dreamworks productions Transformers and its recent sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The advocate launched a veritable crusade against the marketing of the first film in the summer of 2007. CCFC's protest against the campaign pointed out that despite its MPAA PG-13 tag€”"intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language"€”the public has been treated to a tsunami of Transformer toys, games, themed Lunchables, lollypops, and gummy candy. Ads for these items and more have been shown on children's shows like Fairly Odd Parents and Jimmy Neutron, that are rated TV-Y ("appropriate for all children ... including children from ages 2-6"). And indeed, to get a sense of the intensity of these selling sprees, check out toymaker Hasbro's current Revenge of the Fallen webpage.

This is just a political move, with Transformers being used as an example of why a change in policy might be needed. Considering the huge amount of advertising revenue involved, the networks, movies studios, and more will happily throw some lobbyist dollars into making sure no changes are made that could affect their revenue and the selling their movies.

The Character and Map Pack Plus pack for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Game is official out and Superherohype has an interview with Luxoflux producer Ray Cobo about the the DLC. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

Superhero Hype!: How many new maps will this downloadable "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" content include? How did you decide on these levels and what makes them unique?
Ray Cobo: The DLC pack will include three new multiplayer maps. The Courtyard is a Fast paced East Coast map that focuses on a heavily contested center action point. This key strategic area allows for views of the entire map as well as control of the high ground surrounding the middle courtyard and its perimeter. Flying characters are able to utilize the open skies and tall skyscrapers to quickly get to advantageous positions, but ground based characters can make use of numerous back alleys to flank around the sides of the map and attack from unprotected angles.

Another new map is called Hillside. It's a tiered map in a dense urban area of Cairo. There are varied height sections on the map that make for multiple small arenas of combat, while allowing sneaky players to move throughout the level virtually un-noticed under the cover of surrounding buildings. A central marketplace provides a high point to get views of almost the entire level, but the maze-like street layout and numerous buildings mean that you will have to hunt your enemies down in the alleys.

Lastly, we have Sandstorm. It's a very fast paced map that takes place in a smaller section of Cairo. It's mostly populated with low level buildings and an open central area, so combat on this map will be fast and frenetic, as there is almost no place to hide. Flying characters can hover above the buildings for clear views of almost the entire map, but this will also leave them wide-open to ground fire from almost any angle.

SHH!: How many new characters will appear in this DLC? How did you decide which characters would debut in the DLC? What specific skills or powers do they add to the game?
Cobo: The pack contains eight brand-new playable characters and three new character skins, most of which are usable in both the single-player campaign and multiplayer. Many of us at Luxoflux are huge fans of the original Transformers series, so we wanted to share that passion with the fans.

SHH!: Will there be new storylines introduced in single player DLC campaigns?
Cobo: We don't have any new storylines for the single-player campaign, but we have made it possible to play many of the single-player missions with the new characters.

SHH!: What other features does the DLC contain? What types of Achievements?
Cobo: It's never enough for you guys, is it? Just kidding€¦ We have also added a new "expert difficulty" mode to the single player campaigns that will require even quicker thinking and reflexes to earn a medal. We also created some new leaderboards to track/compare your stats on expert mode with your friends and the rest of the community.

As for the new Achievements/Trophies, they all relate to the new content in the DLC. We have achievements for completing a percentage of the Autobot or Decepticon campaigns on "expert", defeating certain DLC characters using other DLC characters, and winning multiplayer matches using the DLC characters.

SHH!: How many hours do you think it will take gamers to master the new expert single player modes?
Cobo: This one is a bit tough to quantify. We have made the platinum medal times on expert slightly more forgiving to compensate for the increased difficulty, but given the increased challenge of expert mode, we predict that it will take players about double-triple their overall playtime from normal mode to clear all expert missions with a platinum medal.

SHH!: Will there be additional TF:RoTF DLCs in the future?
Cobo: Anything's possible.

As part of XBox Live's "Play with Fame" program, XBox Live Gold subscribers only have the chance to play Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with Megan Fox. To play you have to send a friend request to the Gamertag Megan Fox 2009 by 5:30pm EST on Saturday, August 29th. The Megan Fox session kicks off at 6:00PM. Consider it a lottery, many will enter, few will "win" and play with the lovely Transformers actress.

Speaking of Fox, the rumor that she has been cast as Catwoman in Batman 3 has been proven false. The response from her publicist: "Megan is a huge fan of the Batman movies and of director Christopher Nolan but these discussions have not taken place. Thank you for checking." A script is probably months away from even existing which makes it a bit hard to do any casting for characters that may not be in the movie by the time the various drafts are completed.

Paul Ozzimo, conceptual illustrator for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, had posted a preview of some of his concept art from the movie on his website. Ozzimo is a concept artist and model maker who designed the facial designs for Optimus Prime and worked on Avatar, Watchmen, Transformers I, Mission Impossible III, X2: X-Men United, Superman Returns and more. Sadly the images have seemed to since been pulled and replaced with "Coming Soon" for ROTF but below are the available images for your enjoyment. (via TFW2005)

Update: As pointed out in the comments, the designs are from TF designer Ben Proctor's website. Something I posted about two years ago here. To view more of his Transformers work click here.

New concept art from the first Transformers movie has appeared online from TFG2. The art focuses on Bumblebee and Scorponok and give a hint in some of the early designs that were created for the two characters. Below are a few images but click the links below to view all of the pictures. (via TFormers)

Bumblebee | Scorponok

For a little amusement, here is Robot Chicken's explanation for what really happened to Jazz at the end of the first Transformers movie (via TFormers).

In addition, click here for a cute gallery of Optimus Prime playing the guitar.