Awesome Toy Blog

CAMBRIDGE, UK – JUNE 2, 2011 – Jagex Games Studio, one of the largest independent games developers and publishers in the world, today announced the much anticipated name; TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE for the upcoming MMO based on the iconic TRANSFORMERS brand from Hasbro, Inc. as well as plans to attend TRANSFORMERS BotCon 2011, the official TRANSFORMERS fan convention, to unveil their vision for the browser based MMO for the Western World markets.

Visitors to BotCon will be the first to see the graphical style and direction for the game and be able to see firsthand how the Jagex development team is working with Hasbro to create the look and feel of it through live concept art and animation demonstrations at the Jagex booth.

The Jagex booth will offer fans a chance to meet and engage with members of the development team, and watch exclusive video footage of how a TRANSFORMERS character is developed in-game.

Those visiting the booth will also have the unique opportunity to design their own TRANSFORMERS character from in-game assets and take away a printed copy of their AUTOBOT or DECEPTICON creation. The ability to design and customise your own TRANSFORMERS character will be a key feature in the game and fans will be getting a first taste of what they can look forward to from this new MMO.

Jagex will also be welcoming the TRANSFORMERS community to contribute their thoughts and opinions about AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS in the video area of the booth, where the first battle for supremacy will begin. Who will come out on top?

Mark Gerhard, CEO at Jagex Games Studio, commented: “BotCon is the world’s premier destination for TRANSFORMERS enthusiasts and, with so many loyal fans gathered together in one place, it’s the natural event to unveil the very first details of TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE. It will be great to meet the TRANSFORMERS fans in person and we are especially excited about offering them the chance to design their own TRANSFORMERS character, which will be a key feature of the game when it launches next year.”

Mark Blecher, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Digital Gaming and Media at Hasbro, commented: “The unveiling of some of the first details of TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE from Jagex at BotCon, where Hasbro celebrates all elements of our hugely popular TRANSFORMERS brand, is an extremely exciting prospect for both Hasbro and the dedicated fanbase attending. We are delighted to welcome Jagex to the show and are sure that what the fans will able to see, participate in and take away from their experience at the Jagex booth will make them as excited about the upcoming MMO as we at Hasbro are.”

TRANSFORMERS BotCon runs from the 3^rd – 5^th June at the Pasadena Convention Centre, California. The Jagex booth can be found in the Main Conference Hall.

To register interest in TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE, fans can now visit: www.transformersuniverse.com

Long rumored to be coming as a Hasbro release, it seems that a trailer-less Rodimus Prime / Hot Rod is on the horizon. He appeared on the Australian Toys R Us website; with a due date of July.  Also of note, while having lost his trailer – he gained a little friend!  Rodimus Primer / Hot Rod is again a Targetmaster as ‘Offshoot’ is now included.  Details on US availability are not yet known, but with Botcon kicking off tomorrow, expect that to change this weekend.

HASBRO CELEBRATES ITS TRANSFORMERS BRAND AS “ROBOTS IN DISGUISE” INVADE PASADENA FOR 17th ANNUAL TRANSFORMERS CONVENTION

TRANSFORMERS Fans From Around the World to Experience “MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE” Brand Exhibition Of The Epic Global Entertainment Franchise

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (May 31, 2011) – Thousands of fans from around the world will celebrate the enduring popularity of the iconic TRANSFORMERS brand from Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), as the 2011 TRANSFORMERS fan convention known as “BOTCON” returns to Pasadena on June 4-5.  Less than a month before the highly anticipated debut of the new Paramount Pictures film TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, Hasbro, in partnership with The TRANSFORMERS Collectors’ Club, will be offering opportunities to engage in and learn about the TRANSFORMERS brand that can only be experienced at BOTCON.

Attendees will be able to preview upcoming and yet-to-be seen TRANSFORMERS toys from Hasbro’s 2011 product line, including movie toys and figures based on the TRANSFORMERS PRIME animated series as well as interact with TRANSFORMERS toy designers.  BOTCON will also be fans’ first time to see, in person, Hasbro’s new KRE-O line of construction sets based on classic TRANSFORMERS characters and attendees will have the opportunity for a chance to win a limited amount of KRE-O TRANSFORMERS toys before they go on sale.  Convention goers can also attend panel discussions and interactive workshops led by TRANSFORMERS experts, purchase exclusive TRANSFORMERS products sold only at this year’s convention and buy, sell or trade TRANSFORMERS toys from hundreds of dealers.

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Yesterday I posted the preview picture of the Transformers: Prime Optimus Prime figure.  Today more details are shared on the 2nd Transformers SDCC exclusive; a movie-verse Ultimate Optimus Prime.

The SDCC Ultimate Optimus Prime is packed out in premium packaging which displays the truck mode with trailer. A decal sheet has been added in this version which will allows fans to add decals and customize trailer. This will be the only release of the Ultimate Optimus Prime where he will be packed in vehicle mode.

Via their twitter feed the Transformers Collectors Club revealed a SDCC exclusive Optimus Prime.  This Prime is rumored to be part of a 2-piece Prime set which will include a Transformers: Prime, uh, Prime and a movie-verse Prime.  I’d expect full pics of the set to hit anytime now; Botcon would be the latest.  In the mean time, check out the image below.

Pawtucket, R.I. (MAY 18, 2011) — Earlier today on its official TRANSFORMERS Facebook page, Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) announced the induction of film industry legends Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg—the director and executive producer of the blockbuster TRANSFORMERS film franchise—into its TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. The second annual TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame ceremony, which celebrates more than 25 years of “MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE” action, will take place during the 2011 TRANSFORMERS “BOTCON” fan convention in Pasadena, California, and will feature TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON director Michael Bay in person to accept his honor and share some special surprises with the audience.

Founded in 2010 to honor those influential in creating and building the iconic TRANSFORMERS franchise, as well as actual “ROBOTS IN DISGUISE,” the 2011 TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame will induct the two legendary filmmakers who were instrumental in launching the live-action film franchise that brought the TRANSFORMERS brand to more fans than ever before. Bay and Spielberg will join previous honorees Bob Budiansky, Peter Cullen, Yoke Hideaki and Kojin Ohno in the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame.

Michael Bay: For the last sixteen years, Michael Bay has been one of the world’s boldest filmmakers as both director and producer. His films have grossed over $4 billion worldwide. Since his 1995 breakout Bad Boys, Bay has directed a succession of international hits that have redefined the action genre, including The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys 2, The Island, and three Transformers films.  The third movie in the franchise, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, will hit theaters July 1; it is Bay’s first live-action film shot in 3D. A graduate of Wesleyan University and Art Center College of Design, Bay began his career as a distinguished commercial and music video director. He has won virtually every major award in the commercial industry, including Cannes’ Golden Lion, the Grand Prix Clio, and the Directors Guild of America’s Commercial Director of the Year award. His “Got Milk?” campaign resides in the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Bay is also co-owner of production company Platinum Dunes and owner of Digital Domain, one of the entertainment industry’s premier special effects companies.

Steven Spielberg: One of the industry’s most successful and influential filmmakers, Steven Spielberg has directed some of the top-grossing films of all time, including Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, and four Indiana Jones films, including the most recent, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Among his myriad honors, he is a three-time Academy Award® winner, earning two Oscars® for Best Director and Best Picture for Schindler’s List, and a third Oscar® for Best Director for Saving Private Ryan. He has been awarded the Academy’s prestigious Thalberg Award. He earned his first Directors Guild Award for The Color Purple and has been nominated by the DGA a record ten times. He has received the Kennedy Center Honor for his body of work. Last year he served as an executive producer on the Academy Award nominated film True Grit, which was directed by the Coen brothers. A principal partner of DreamWorks Studios, he is also the producer of Super 8, directed by J.J. Abrams, an executive producer on TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, directed by Michael Bay and Cowboys & Aliens, directed by Jon Favreau, all of which will be released this summer.

Hasbro will also induct four more iconic robot characters into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. Heroic AUTOBOTS RATCHET and IRONHIDE, as well as evil DECEPTICON SOUNDWAVE will join 2010’s class of five robots, as chosen by Hasbro’s TRANSFORMERSHall of Fame internal panel of judges. In addition, TRANSFORMERS fans around the world voted on Transformers.com for a fourth robot to receive the 2011 “Fans’ Choice” honor. The winner, from among the nominees GRIMLOCK, SHOCKWAVE, ERECTOR, WASPINATOR and JAZZ, will be revealed for the first time at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at “BOTCON” on June 4, 2011.

First introduced in 1984 by Hasbro and Takara as a toy line, the TRANSFORMERS brand has provided kids with hours of MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE fun with their action figures that convert from robot to vehicles and back again. Legions of boys around the world grew up creating fantastic adventures and battles set on both the planet CYBERTRON and Earth that featured the “good-guy” AUTOBOTS and the “bad-guy” DECEPTICONS. Since then, more than 7500 robots have been introduced in countless animated TV series, comic books and two live-action feature films. A third film, TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, will be released on July 1, 2011, as the first 3D film in the franchise.

For further information visit the official TRANSFORMERS Facebook page at Transformers.com/facebook.

If the Transformers movie aesthetic is your cup of tea, then you’re in for a treat.  May 16th is the ‘street’ date for the Transformers: Dark of the Moon merchandise.  Expect the toy aisles in your local stores to have some level of reset as all this new product is made available to the public.

And for those of you who aren’t terribly fond of the movie aesthetic, the Generations line seems to be continuing.

Details of the next Masterpiece Transformer were unveiled today as pictures revealed that another Optimus Prime would be appearing in this line.  This is a new, more in scale with recent Masterpiece figures, sculpt.  Bonus objects in this release include the trailer, an in-scale Spike mini-figures, and possibly a self-transforming gimmick.  Unfortunately the price tag is pretty hefty with preorders floating around $250.

A rumor has hit the web regarding the Transformers SDCC exclusive for this year.  While Hasbro has confirmed there will be a Transformers item at the show, they haven’t spilled any details yet.  However, Seiberton.com is passing along the rumor that the exclusive item will be a deluxe class Transformers: Prime Optimus with a matrix.  As soon as there’s some sort of official word, I’ll be sure to pass along the details.

In addition to the new Star Wars images shared by Hasbro and HunterPR, we have the latest batch of Transformer images; focusing on the upcoming toys from the Transformers: Dark of the Moon line.  Of particular interest are the images of the “scan series” figures; 1/2 of the Transformer is clear – and looking sharp.  These are TRU exclusives which I’ll be keeping an eye out for.  Enjoy the images below.

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To celebrate the pending launch of the Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Hasbro has an exciting new contest giving you the opportunity to win Transformers prizes.  The “16 Weeks of Cyber Sweeps” promotion runs through 7/2/2011 and awards a weekly grand prize  ranging from toy packages to a package of 4 passes to the U.S. premiere of the movie.  To enter (and maybe to win) just point your browser over to www.transformerscybersweeps.com and be sure to check out the other features of the site.

And remember, just 2 weeks until the May 16th launch of the Transformers: Dark of the Moon toy line including the new Cyberverse and Mechtech figures.

The long awaited official DVD release of the Transformers: Headmaster series was announced a few weeks back from Shout! factory.  If you’d had the pleasure of watching the Headmaster dubs, you’d know that its a bit unique, particularly with some of the character names.  The official word from Shout! factory is that no English language dub will be included on this DVD, so you will not have the pleasure of hearing Sparkle or Billy speak in digital quality.

These DVDs are now available for pre-order off Amazon.com and will be released July 5th.

Voting is now underway for the 2011 fan’s choice entrant to the Transformers Hall of Fame.  There are 5 competitors for the title; Shockwave, Grimlock, Autobot Jazz, Erector and Waspinator.  Voting will close April 22nd, with the winner of the title announced at this year’s Botcon.  You can vote daily over on Hasbro’s Transformers site.  Leave your thoughts below as to who you think should be crowned the victor.

Fresh from the GI Joe coverage is an update on the SDCC exclusive Skystriker with Starscream deco.  Check below for an updated image from TNI’s coverage.  The box was also shown and is an interpretation of what the 5th issue of a GI Joe / Transformers crossover would have looked like.  Hasbro has stated they’re aware this is likely to be a hot exclusive and is planning accordingly.  This is one exclusive that I’m awfully fond of…and its only April!

Just several days after registration has opened, all toy including Botcon ticket packages have sold out.  There are still non-exclusive toy packages available, but if you put off registering…you’re outta luck for the convention exclusive Animated-style Stunticons.

The convention will be held June 2nd through June 5th in Pasadena, CA.  You can see full details of the convention here.