ROTF Wave Delayed, Another Cancelled in UK?

If you’re in the United Kingdom, some potential bad news for Transformer collectors regarding the Revenge of the Fallen toy line. According to Kapow Toys, via TFW2005, wave 4 Deluxe toys (Ice Cream Truck Twins, Dead End, Jolt, and Blaze Master) may be delayed and Wave 5 Voyagers (Long Haul and Grindor) maybe cancelled. The reason for the delay is meet increased demand in the United States for toys and no reason given for the cancellation. I have seen Dead End, Jolt and Voyager Long Haul at retail here in the United States. There are reports that wave 4 has shown up at some UK retail stores so likely it just means finding a toy you are after will be a little harder and possibly the entire wave 5 Voyagers are going to be allocated to the US. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

Custom Chrome ROTF Megatron

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.

Fast Action Battler Arcee Gallery

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.

Top 100 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Shows

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.

TF2 Bumblebee Transforming Case (Updated)

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.

Transformers and FCC Content Filtering Inquiry

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."

Transformers 2 DLC Interview

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.

Play Transformers: ROTF with Megan Fox

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.

ROTF's Paul Ozzimo's Concept Art Preview

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)

Robot Chicken's New Transformer Skit

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.

Bumblebee, Scorponok Concept Art (Updated)

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

Transforming Movie Bumblebee Costume

A few months ago we got a look at a highly detailed movie Bumblebee costume that didn't transform. Now a car dealership in Mexico took it to that next level with a costume that turns into a Camaro. A little detail is lost but that it works so well is pretty amazing. (via TFW2005)

Megan Fox To Host SNL Season Premiere

According to Life & Style Magazine, Megan Fox will host the season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 26th, the shows 35th season.

Megan is psyched to have gotten this opportunity," the insider tells Life & Style. "She has a lot of surprises in store for the audience. This is the perfect opportunity for her to show off her comedic skills, as she's launching her new movie Jennifer's Body [on Sept. 18]."

This should be interesting to watch. She could have a great unknown sense of humor to display but I am guessing this episode will be highly scripted and controlled to minimize any problems. I also expect there to be plenty of Transformer jokes, most probably making fun of Transfans.

ROTF The Game DLC Trailer

Activision has released a new trailer for the DLC pack for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Game that is coming out August 27th for the XBox 360 and PS3. It shows off many of the new characters joining the game especially G1 Optimus Prime, G1 Megatron and G1 Starscream. Of note to many fans is sounds like movie Soundwave gets his G1 vocoder voice for the game. The one question not answered is what is Megatron's alt mode? A flying gun? The full details of the DLC can be found here.

Video Games | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Exclusive DLC Launch Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Alternity Bumblebee, Cliffjumper Images

New images of Alternity Bumblebee and Cliffjumper have surfaced. Previously the toys were seen only in the non painted prototype stage. Of note is while Cliffjumper is a repaint of Bumblebee, he is getting a different head design that is based on his Generation One look.

The Alternity line uses a license from car companies to create a Transformer that is highly detailed and complex and based on real world vehicles. In this case the Suzuki Swift. The line is a Japan only release, about deluxe class size with die-cast part, and sold online for around $50. The stores I have used without a problem is BigBadToyStore, TFSource and Digital-Toys for those interested. The estimated release date is November 2009. (via TFW2005)

Transformers Comics for November

IDW has released their solicitations for Transformers comics that they are releasing in November which will also be in the Previews catalog that comes out next week. If interested see your local comic book store to get them to order copies for you.

The new comics include Transformers #1, the first ongoing Transformers series in years (before it was really a series of mini-series) that stars the Generation One incarnation. It takes place three years after the All Hail Megatron mini-series with Earth recovered from his rule and the Autobots in hiding. The cover to the left is from Transformers Continuum one-shot that essentially summarizes the last 5 or so years of IDW Transformers stories to bring people up to date. Considering the massive (almost criminal really) level of story decompression, I am surprised the summary will take 32 pages. In addition, Takes of the Fallen #4, focusing on The Fallen will be released will reveal why he turned on his brothers.

Click here to read the solicitations and view all the covers.

Transformers: ROTF Official DVD/Blu-ray Details

Paramount Home Video has finally released the full details for the DVD and Blu-ray release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to home video. As suspected, the official release date is October 20th, 2009. I am assuming that is the worldwide release date but check your local stores to verify. The movie will be released in three editions - two-disc Blu-ray, two-disc DVD, and one-disc DVD. The Blu-ray edition will have additional features that the two-disc DVD edition will not have.

Over all the list of special features seems pretty impressive but there is not "extended cut" like most wanted. The Blu-ray features don't seem that impressive to me nor is there a mention of how IMAX scenes will be handled in any of the editions but maybe that is what "extended scenes" is referring to. From the press release, here is the details on the home video release of the movie. Thanks to Fox Prime for the link. To pre-order from Amazon: 2-Disc Blu-ray | 2-Disc DVD | 1-Disc DVD

Two-Disc Special Edition DVD & Blu-ray:

The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen two-disc Special Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The Blu-ray will be presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles.

The Blu-ray and two-disc DVD packages also will feature augmented reality technology that will allow owners to interact with a holographic image of OPTIMUS PRIME utilizing their webcams and a special website. Fans will be asked to piece together the Matrix of Leadership to bring OPTIMUS PRIME back to life, help repair his armor and calibrate his weapons by actually controlling his aim during target practice.

The disc breakdown is as follows:

Disc 1:

• Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman

Disc 2:

• The Human Factor: Revenge of the Fallen - This multi-chapter documentary chronicles the entire creation of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew


• Seeds of Vengeance - Development and Design - After the overwhelming success of 2007's Transformers, how do the filmmakers top themselves for the sequel?


• Domestic Destruction - Production: United States - Michael Bay believes in going big: Big action and big explosions. Cast and crew are pushed to the limit as they traverse the U.S. from New Mexico to Pennsylvania.


• Joint Operations - Production: Military - No other filmmaker in the world enjoys the kind of military access and cooperation Michael Bay has. Here we see just how efficient our armed forces are and the awe and respect shown by the cast.


• Wonders of the World - Production: Middle East - You can't really reproduce Egypt anywhere but Egypt so off we go to Giza and Luxor.


• Start Making Sense - Editing - In order to turn over the massive amount of film as quickly as possible to VFX, four editors work tirelessly in a unique tag-team approach to shape the film.


• Under the Gun - Visual Effects - Revenge of the Fallen features the most complicated VFX in film history. So complicated in fact that the filmmakers were unsure they would make the deadline. The DEVASTATOR VFX alone required 83% of ILM's total render farm capacity.


• Running the Gauntlet - Post-Production and Release - Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timing and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres. - Post-Production and Release - Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timing and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres.


• A Day with Bay: Tokyo - An intimate and fun all-access journey with Michael Bay as he travels to Tokyo, Japan for the world premiere of the biggest film of the year.


• 25 Years of TRANSFORMERS - Access an all-new featurette celebrating a monumental milestone for one of Hasbro's most successful and popular franchises.


• NEST: Transformer Data-Hub - Explore conceptual artwork created by the production for 12 of the most popular AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS from the film.


• Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto - A series of multi-angle pre-visualization sequences allowing viewers to learn how some of the film's most spectacular scenes were created with an introduction by Michael Bay.


• Extended Scenes


• Music Video: Linkin Park's "New Divide"

Blu-Ray Exclusives:

• The ALLSPARK Experiment - Begin by selecting and customizing a vehicle with a selection of parts and accessories. Applying the ALLSPARK to certain custom combinations enables four new robot characters with special powers. If viewers discover all four, they unlock a fifth vehicle, which reveals a top secret message about the future of the TRANSFORMERS movie franchise.


• NEST: Transformer Data Hub - A database of some of the TRANSFORMERS characters that appear in the new film, offering users access to each robot's confidential file including:


• Innovative 3D spin galleries of each robot


• A timeline for each TRANSFORMERS character charting its origins, back story and design evolution from toys to animated series to comics and finally feature films


• Giant Effing Movie - A very personal look at the making of the movie.


• The Matrix of Marketing - An archive of the film's promotional media including trailers, posters and television spots.

One-Disc DVD:

The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen one-disc Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.

• Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman

Transformers: ROTF The Game DLC Details

Activision has finally released the specific details of the upcoming downloadable content (DLC) pack for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Game. The DLC will be released on August 27th, 2009 for a price of 800 Microsoft Points (about $10) for the XBox 360 and $9.99 for the Playstation 3. The pack will include eight new playable characters, three new character skins, three new multiplayer maps, new "Expert" difficulty level for single-player campaign and new 360 achievements and PS3 trophies. The full details of the DLC additions along with screenshots of the new characters is below.

New Characters

Generation One Optimus Prime

• Primary Weapon: Laser Rifle with increased damaged and ROF comparied to movie's dual laser rifle to compensate for one cannon


• Secondary Weapon: Shell Cannon, same as movie Prime but increased damaged and ROF to compensate for one cannon


• Melee Weapon: Energy Axe, from cartoon series


• Special Ability: Valiant Leader, turns Prime Gold from G1 episode "The Golden Lagoon" with reduced damage, retain sliver of health and increased melee damage

Generation One Megatron

• Primary Weapon: Lightning Gun, same as movie version


• Secondary Weapon: Dark Matter Beam, same as movie version


• Melee Weapon: Energy Ball and Chain, from G1 series


• Special Ability: Fusion Arm Cannon, same as movie version

Transformers 2 Steelcase, October 20th Release Date

Thanks to Mike here is a picture of an advertisement for an October 20th release date and exclusive Steelcase packaging for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I believe the exclusive is through Trans World Entertainment Corp stores (FYE, Sam Goody, etc). The chain also had released the Steelcase packaging for the first movie that was comprised of the Autobot and Decepticon logos.

Nothing official has been announced by Paramount but this is the first release date on DVD & Blu-ray that can be considered credible. October 20th is the first leaked date that actually matches the traditional Tuesday release for new movies in the States and also the first time a date was seen outside of a website placeholder date. The first movie was also released in October and was considered the top selling movie of the year. On a more practical level retail chains generally avoid releasing incorrect information to customers as signs cost money and bad information provided customers can too. Hopefully Paramount will issue something soon to verify a definitive date for the release of the movie on home video.

Blu-Ray Cover Art, November Release?

German website AreaDVD has a new advertisement for the DVD/Blu-ray release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that lists a November release date and different cover art then that found on Play.com.

The picture isn't very big but it appears to be a variation of the Bethlehem Steel poster with the factory moved to the left side and the pyramids replaced with an action frame. In addition, despite just coming out last week GI Joe is apparently getting a December release date to take advantage of the holiday season. The red and blue squares refer to the movie's rating for Germany. Thanks to Freddi for the link.

Real "Sideswipe" Stingray Concept Preview

Jalopnik has posted a preview report with images and video of the Stingray Corvette Concept car that was the alt mode for Sideswipe in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Overall the look of the car is a gorgeous car both ouside and inside that is sadly probably priced way outside my ability to afford. Click here to read the article and view the gallery. Below are videos of the interior and exterior of the car.

Transformers Vehicle Auction

Premiere Props is currently running an auction that gives you a chance to bid on vehicles used in Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. This includes Barricade (2005 Saleen Mustang) that pretty much puts a kibosh in any chances of the return of that character. In addition a NEST Assault vehicle, custom "Supercharged Green motorcycle" and 2004 Big Bear Pro-Street Venom Chopper are also being auctioned. The two cycles were part of the scene filmed at the shop owned by Mikaela's Dad. Click the above links for current bid price and a gallery for each.(via TFormers)

Peaugh's Human Alliance Skids Video Review

Peaugh has posted his review for Human Alliance Skids joining his previous reviews of HA Bumblebee and Sideswipe. He does cover Arcee, something that the other review didn't since apparently Arcee from the pictures is not Deluxe Arcee but one that comes with Skids. Considering the line retails for $29.99 (based on price saw for HA Bumblebee at Target) I guess that is to make up for Skids smaller size compared to BB and Sideswipe. Overall I am please with this Alternator inspired line but think will wait for sale prices before buying them.

Transformers: Tales of the Fallen #1 Preview

Tomorrow the first issue of Transformers: Tales of the Fallen hits comic books stores and IO9.com has a preview of the first five pages and the three covers here. One thing I am not clear on is if this takes place before or after Revenge of the Fallen. The miniseries description:

An all-new miniseries set in the Movie universe launches here! Nearly two years after saving the planet, Sam Witwicky has grown up. It's too bad his friend Bumblebee hasn't. With their friendship strained, Sam sets out for an evening devoid of alien interference. Little does he know that he's being watched. Without his robotic protector, can he beat the Decepticons?

ROTF DVD Artwork?

UK Retailer Play.com has posted potential artwork for the one and two disc release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It also possible this is just a good mock-up to help drive pre-order sales. Sadly, the exact release date to home video remains unknown. (source)

Another DVD Release Date, M&Ms Gift Set, and More

Nothing specific, just a few odds and ends relating to Transformers.

Transformers Blu-ray Set
Amazon UK has added another potential date to the guess on when the DVD/Blu-ray edition of Revenge of the Fallen is coming out with their Transformers set. The set includes both the first and second movie and listed as coming out on November 30th. So far the rumors have included September and October 24th. Wal-Mart also has the date as December 31st but that is unlikely as Paramount will want to take advantage of Christmas buying season. Thanks to NHLFan for the link.

Transformers M&Ms Gift Set
Turns out that the M&M Transformers may get the toy treatment in the form of Christmas ornaments that come with leader class Optimus Prime and Megatron. Not sure if it’s an exclusive for the Asian market or just a gimmick put together as part of the promotional campaign. Click the link above for more images including the unique packaging design. (source)

Transformers 2 Loses Movie Mistakes Crown
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince have taken another title from Revenge of the Fallen, this time the title of most movie mistakes of 2009. As reported a week weeks, TF2 had the title with 40 mistakes (now 57) while Harry Potter 6 currently sits at 65. Thanks to Joseph for the heads-up.

IDW Upcoming Comics Covers
From the SDCC IDW panel, all the covers and art that was previewed for the upcoming plans for their various Transformers and G.I. Joe comic book lines. Thanks to Chris for the link.

More Alternity Bumblebee and Disney Pics

While the toys are still a few months away from being released in Japan, new images of the prototype for Disney Label Donald Duck and Alternity Bumblebee have been released. Disney Label is Disney characters that transform, and Alternity line uses real car models (with die-cast parts) for the alt mode of Generation 1 characters. Below is the one for Donald and a few images for BB, the rest can be found here.

Human Alliance Skids Video Review

Below is a video review of Human Alliance Skids in three parts. While the language is in Mandarin Chinese, transforming has no language barrier. The video gives you an idea of the toy itself and whether might be worth adding the purchase list. Part one shows the actual transformation, part 2 shows off the robot mode and articulation, part three is a five second video that shows off that pushing a button on top of the head makes the bottom of the mouth move. (via TFW2005)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Swerve, Soundwave, Skywarp and Perceptor

Yep more galleries of toys to come. They include Swerve (that I have seen at Target), a black repaint of Soundwave (sheesh how many repaints does he need?), Masterpiece Skywarp in packaging, and Perceptor.

Swerve - Red repaint of Sideswipe that remains one of the best designs from the ROTF line
Masterpiece Skywarp - Was a Japan only exclusive, now will be available in Wal-Mart stores in a few months. It’s simply a repaint of Masterpiece Starcream from a few years ago. If you don't already have that toy, this one should easily be at the top of your purchase list.
Black Soundwave - Not sure but this could be an E-Hobby exclusive so will not be cheap. A repaint of the deluxe toy. The image to the right is from here.
Perceptor in Packaging - Exclusive to Toys R Us, Commemorative Series G1 Perceptor is a re-release of the toy from nearly 25 years ago. This had been previously released in Japan only about three years ago as part of their "bookcase" series (#19 I believe).

Of note, this is the 2,000th post on the blog. Lot of writing over the last four years and probably more to go. (source)

Interview with Arcee's Creator

Seibertron.com has posted an interview with Will Kenefick of RetroSBK, the creator of the custom bikes used for Arcee in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. For the sake of the toys, the individual bikes are named Arcee (Ducati 848), Chromia (Suzuki B-King) and Flareup (MV Augusta F4). Below are segments, the full interview can be found here.

Skowl: How and when were you approached about working on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen?
RetroSBK: Early in 2008, with a phone call. I spent the first five minutes of the call trying to figure out who was pulling my leg. They had seen my work in a magazine.

Skowl: How much did you know about Transformers beforehand?
RetroSBK: I grew up playing with the Transformers toys and watching the cartoons. Loved them when I was a kid, but when I discovered girls and cars and motorbikes, I think all that went out the window. I hadn’t even seen the first movie, after having been so disappointed with some of the other adaptations from my youth. Needless to say, I watched it, and loved it, the day after my first meeting with Dreamworks.

Skowl: Does your company have any forthcoming marketing tie-ins that relate to the Transformers film?
RetroSBK: Dreamworks and Michael Bay are extremely protective about the characters in the movie, and rightfully so. We don’t have any direct tie ins with the movie, however they have been very accommodating with any requests we have had. All in all this is a VERY enthusiastic group of people, and they take the TF2 brand very seriously.

Skowl: What information, if any, were you given about the bike characters before you started working on them? Rumour is the bike characters were meant to combine but it was cut from the film, were you told about that?
RetroSBK: I was given pretty much the low down on the bikes and the big plan for them. I cant comment on any rumors about the bikes or what they may or may not do.

Skowl: We know you and your team worked long hours to get the bikes finished on time. How difficult was this project compared to your usual work?
RetroSBK: These bikes are more of a styling exercise, where the normal bikes we build are much more performance oriented. Our last bike was built in 4 weeks for my television series, taking more than 400 man hours to complete. The unique thing for me was these really were the first bikes with such unreal paint, and so much graphic detail. Our painter, Chris Wood, from AirTrix came up with new techniques just to do these bikes.

Skowl: What was your level of involvement in the process? Were you given creative liberties with the look of the motorcycles, or was it strictly a "build this for us" thing?
RetroSBK: We weren’t given any, but we still took some. Having our painter, who is the best in the world, we were able to do things that the guys who work in CGI full time couldn’t believe were possible. Usually the CG is far beyond the ability of the real world, but not in this case.

We did work on other scenes in the movie, supplying many of the bikes in the “Mikes Custom Cycles” scene with Meagan Fox painting the bike. That was another scene where we brought in our painter, Chris Wood, to consult, and he worked the entire day teaching her how to airbrush and setting up the shot. Funny part is that in the “goofs” sections on the IMDB website, it says that the airbrush is being held sideways and wouldn’t work, but it’s a very special airbrush that Chris actually uses, and works on its side, just as he showed her to use.

There were other things we had our hand in as well, and it was a great time, and a great way to express ourselves.

Skowl: We've seen plenty of the other new Transformers vehicles (Trax, Beat, Volt, Stingray concept) in car shows and photo ops leading up the film's release - but we never saw the bikes anywhere, why is that?
RetroSBK: We worked VERY hard to keep it that way. The ONLY thing that wasn’t leaked in the movie, the ONLY real surprise was Arcee. It was great! In that part of it, reading the forums, and the speculation about the bikes and some of the plot lines about them was awesome, I loved it. The best part was the huge amount of mis-information that was out there about the bikes. Honestly, they generated such an enormous amount of press pre-release that it made it really hard to hide.

Skowl: Speaking of pushing the bikes to the limit, we heard about one of the motorcycles crashing while filming in Bethlehem, PA - what happened?
RetroSBK: It was just a simple low speed miscue. No one was hurt, but maybe a bit shaken up. Part of riding is falling down sometimes, and the rider wasn’t quite prepared. Quite a bit of damage was done to the bike, but it was quickly fixed, and we had a backup bike as well. We actually have the crash damaged pieces of the bike, and will be auctioning them off for charity and other fund raisers over the next few months. A good chance to own a bit of the REAL movie and help some great causes, like the Pediatric Brain Tumor foundation.

Another Human Alliance Skids Gallery

From TFormers.com is another gallery of Human Alliance Skids with Mikaela. It’s a good look at the figure that shows off the figure as it fits in the car and robot mode or rides Deluxe Arcee. While the packaging has been seen before, the instruction sheet is new. The full gallery can be found here.

Update: Helps if have the link to the gallery. Sorry about that.

Transformers 2 Almost Drops Out of Top 10

The weekend is over and it appears that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is going to drop out of the domestic box office top 10, probably bumped to 11 with this Friday's release of G.I. Joe. The movie earned another $4.7 million ($388.2M total) domestically, $3.8 million ($421.7M total) internationally bringing its worldwide total to $809.9 million. This leaves the movie at number 9 in the domestic all time top 10 and number 20 in the all time worldwide box office (behind Independence Day with $817.4M). None of those rankings take inflation into account.

My guess is the movie will top out at around $825 million worldwide. The net result is TF2 will likely remain the 2009 box office king domestically but Harry Potter 6 will easily take the worldwide box office crown as it’s already at $748.7 million and probably will surpass TF2 total in about two weeks.

Box Office Totals (in millions)

Date	US	Intl	Worldwide
6/19-6/23	$0.0	$24.1	$24.1
6/24-6/28	$200.2	$166.2	$366.4
6/29-7/02	$50.9	$52.7	$103.6
7/03-7/05	$42.3	$55.0	$97.3
7/06-7/09	$21.6	$35.1	$56.7
7/10-7/12	$24.2	$31.4	$55.6
7/13-7/16	$10.9	$18.6	$29.5
7/17-7/19	$13.7	$13.5	$27.2
7/20-7/23	$7.3	$7.7	$15.0
7/24-7/26	$8.1	$6.3	$14.4
7/27-7/30	$4.3	$5.6	$9.9
7/31-8/02	$4.7	$3.8	$8.5
8/03-8/06	$2.5	$1.5	$4.0
8/07-8/09	$3.0	$1.9	$4.9
8/10-8/13	$1.5	$1.3	$2.8
8/14-8/16	$1.5	$0.8	$2.3
8/17-8/20	$0.8	$0.5	$1.3
8/21-8/23	$0.9	$0.3	$1.2
8/24-8/27	$0.4	$0.3	$0.7
8/28-8/30	$0.6	$0.0	$0.6
8/31-9/03	$0.2	$0.2	$0.4
Totals	$399.6	$428.6	$828.2

*estimate of sales

ROTF Smithsonian Exhibit

The Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport in Washington, DC has a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen exhibit that shows off various toy prototypes, designs and props from the two movies. ROTF shot at the Center last year for their interior Jetfire scenes. Below are a few images but the full gallery can be found here.