Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 10:31PM CST
Categories: Cartoon News,
Toy News,
Sponsor News
Posted by: El Duque |
Credit(s): Robotkingdom
Topic Options: View Discussion ·
Views: 65,357
Site sponsor
Robotkingdom has updated their
facebook page with some comparison shots of Takara's "First Edition" Transformers Prime figures compared to their Hasbro counterparts. Take a look below.
Robotkingdom pre-orders for these figures can be found
here, they expect to start shipping on December 28th.
Here you can see the colour of the material is darker for all the yellow part of bumblebee.
The grey colour on the body and his wings changed to black and it gives him a cooler look.
Darker colour on his head, Front panel become grey rather than white.
The Red colour of the arms also become darker and more metallic, but it is hard to tell from the picture.
The blue colour on the leg turns into a more purple tone.
The grey colour on his shoulder is now closer to white.
The grey colour on his chest is darker.
The material becomes more shiny by metallic and darker, but it is hard to tell from the picture.
I guess I don't need to say anything about him right?
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 10:51AM CST
Categories: Comic Book News,
Reviews
Posted by: Tigertrack |
Credit(s): tigertracks 24
Topic Options: View Discussion ·
Views: 119,525
A moment of silence please, a hero has fallen...
....Out today in stores, IDW’s One-Shot story wraps up the events of CHAOS, and sets up readers for the next step in IDW’s Transformers comic fiction, the introduction of two new separate titles, ‘Robots in Disguise’, and “More Than Meets the Eye’.
*SPOILERS AHEAD (you can see the preview, which in itself has many spoilers in our recent news).*
Not Eulogy-
After the last mostly-useless Transformers issue (in my opinion) from IDW, this one with its ominous title, and with Optimus Prime’s history of dying in other fictional iterations, seemed like it would be another obvious, and simple issue that I could read and then throw aside, and not really care to read again. I was pleasantly surprised by the content in this issue, the ramifications of the storyline, and the fantastic way the title misleads, and yet, is true.
Transformers D.O.O.P. (not the Marvel X-Force version), is creatively done by the team that brought you the ‘Last Stand of the Wreckers’ mini, a popular recent story under the IDW banner, with John Barber co-writing with James Roberts, and Nick Roche on art.
First off, there are NO HUMANS in the story nor do they seem like they will play a role any time soon. To me this is refreshing, especially with the overly human centric writing of the previous Transformers Ongoing series, and the overall seeming generalization by many Transformers genre creators that there must be human characters for the Transformers to interact with before any of us common folk will truly understand their motivations. Bulls--- I say!
Even though it is number #125, and described as a one-shot, this issue is essential to new and old readers alike! It’s not a story of its own. It involves the recent past events and leads into the future two series.
Again, series and issue spoilers...
Taking place a few weeks after the final events of CHAOS, this issue focuses on what has happened on Cybertron since Optimus Prime rushed the matrix into vector sigma to stop ‘DVoid’s (eye roll) attempt to sack the galaxy using Cybertron’s dead husk as his jumping point.
How did this stop ‘DVoid’? Cybertron was reborn, and there was no dead husk for DVoid to use. Perceptor and Wheeljack can’t explain it we are told in a Hot Rod exposition, so I won’t try to go any further than that.
Spoiler. Optimus Prime is not dead! His previous action with the matrix caused vector sigma to send out a signal to all Cybertronians that Cybertron was ‘reset’, safe to return to... reborn, but a ‘primordial’ form as Hot Rod puts it, like the very beginning of Cybertron.
Did you know there were other groups of Cybertronians in the galaxies besides the Autobots and Decepticons? Probably. If you read DRIFT’s mini we ran into one of them. We find out there are many, many, many more than those. A mass exodus from Cybertron due to the ramifications of the civil war happened, and now the opposite is happening...during the three weeks many members of the race are returning to repopulate and take back the planet they once called home.
Resettlement by these groups sets up the monumental ramifications that the Autobots must now deal with: how they are perceived by the returning masses of N.A.I.L.S (non-affiliated indigenous life-forms), how they will ‘re-create’ Cybertron, and what identity the Autobots will have now that they have won, so to speak. The Decepticons are imprisoned, and defeated. Megatron is nowhere to be found. And the returning masses of Cybertronians who left the planet, see the Autobots not as peace-loving heroes to be celebrated, but as the winning faction in a civil war, a civil war that had caused the planet to die, and forced many folks to abandon it.
This is what has me interested to continue with these new series. This is what for some reason, I feel like I have been waiting for for awhile. That the Transformers stories can be worthwhile and interesting without them having to be related to humans. That there is more to Transformers society than the battling Autobots and Decepticons and their historic conflict. That the Autobots are not ‘good‘ in every Cybertronian’s eyes. This is the direction that new writers James Roberts, and John Barber are taking our group.
Hot Rod and Drift want to go searching for the lost civilization of earliest Cybertron, and it seems like the empty matrix husk may be the key to this quest. Bumblebee wants to help create Cybertron again. Where does Optimus fit in?
This issue has some fantastic surprises. For those who like Dai Atlas making an appearance in the DRIFT mini, another leader, this one from Super God Masterforce is introduced as being a possible major player and leader for the NAIL Cybertronians in the new ROBOTS IN DISGUISE series.
The continuing addition to the lore of Optimus Prime’s character is what I love about this book, while it continues to enhance and develop the rest of the Autobots’ courses into the next series. I am quite happy with Prime’s finale. Ongoing attempted to give Prime more characterization, change him from what he is, but ultimately, his identity was what it was and he could not change that, nor could his writers. Optimus Prime’s final choice in the issue, and thus, the series, is logical but unexpected, and although it seems like a re-ran, it feels different, and it’s this difference that to me makes the character seem more Optimus Prime than he has ever seemed to me.
The art is Nick Roche art at his best. Same style as “Last Stand...”, it seems recognizable, and comfortable, but I also think based on the success of ‘Last Stand...” it lends credence to the new story and direction. Unlike when Don changed his style, and the looks of all the Transformers forever, Nick’s familiar style may help people to buy into ‘More Than Meets the Eye’. Yes, it’s still cartoon-y and over emotive, and in some cases overly lengthened and skinny appendages as Nick’s critics have said, but it is part of a creative team’s style that worked very well previously, and in that this reader finds interest and comfort.
After reading this issue, I am excited for the two new series to begin. It’s nice to know they are NOT a reboot, but a continuation using what happened before, and driving it in what ultimately seems like an uncharted, but desirable direction with a team of creators that I and many other readers have confidence in.
This issue is refreshing, and with its many choices of covers, it’s an excellent collector’s piece as well, even though the story itself is reason enough to want to have this. It’s a great starting piece for people coming on, it’s a nice wrap up and new compass direction for those of us who blindly read, follow, and consume any Transformer fiction thrown in front of us. It’s a direction that has really only been hinted at on the fringes of the recent minis and spotlights that readers like me have wanted them to explore more.
Sorry I've never written a eulogy before, and neither was this actually intended to be one (that is way too creative for me on my limited time budget), I see this issue as the eulogy for TF Ongoing, it's buried, and time to move on.
Enjoy Issue #125. I did. And no, Optimus Prime is not dead. Heroes never die.
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 12:04PM CST
Category: Cartoon News
Posted by: El Duque |
Credit(s): Transformers facebook page
Topic Options: View Discussion ·
Views: 43,094
The
Transformers facebook page has posted this week's Transformers Prime cast and crew fan Q&A session with Production Coordinator Meredith Rodgers. The session is mirrored below for those of you who may not have facebook access:
Yessie Nieves asks: What are the main tasks you are in charge with as Production Coordinator and how did you get to be part of this awesome project?
MEREDITH RODGERS: My main tasks are overseeing the work of the Production Assistants, implementing the scheduled deadlines per department as provided by my producer and being my Production Manager’s right hand. Some tasks involve design reviews and animation reviews. It's up to me to make sure that information is properly dispersed and executed. Animation is so much fun, but get the wrong color on an Autobot and that’s a big problem! Since Transformers is such a huge franchise we really have to be delicate in designing from the vast lore of the brand. I was very lucky to land this job and for a Transformers G1 fan, it’s awesome!
Michelle Stosez asks: What is the target time frame for each stage of production? Storyboard, VO recording, Editing, PR..etc...? What is the total time frame from pre-production to completion for an entire season?
MEREDITH RODGERS: I can tell you that not all productions have the same time frame. It depends on many different factors to determine the schedule. For Transformers Prime, storyboarding for one episode takes about six weeks. Designs from conception to final art take approximately eight weeks. Records can take up to five hours depending on how many people are recording. Each department also has to do some area of prep which is also figured in and usually several different episodes are overlapping in various stages. Our management team has been in the business for some time now, so I would say that we have a pretty smooth production process.
Cassidy Klassen asks: What were some cool ideas that, for whatever reason, just couldn't be used in the show?
MEREDITH RODGERS: Transformers Prime has a nice story arc that does not usually happen in an animated series. But we all love the action too! There has to be a balance of story and action. In some episodes we have to cut some of the action to help the story and some times we find it necessary to cut a line or two to keep the action moving. Both are hard decisions. For example in "One Shall Rise:Part 2," we had to cut quite a few action shots with Optimus Prime fighting Unicron. The action was so cool, but we needed to get to the following scenes with Ratchet and the team joining him in the fight. Maybe the edits will be included as extras on the upcoming DVD!
Cambria Castle asks: What sorts of skills/interests does it take to perform the job of a "Production Coordinator"? Is there something special added to the usual list when you work on a show like Transformers with a high quality standard and a serious fan base behind it?
MEREDITH RODGERS: A production coordinator should be someone who has good organizational skills, is able to juggle several different tasks and be a positive motivator. I have a Computer Animation degree which has served pretty useful since Transformers Prime is a CG show. There is definitely some serious thought that goes into each aspect of the production. Transformers Prime goes through many different approval processes. Since the show raises the bar on children's animated series, we have to constantly up the ante and push the show towards great storytelling, action packed storyboards, and animation that is out of this world! We need to make sure that Optimus Prime is pleased with our work!
Jocelyn Simmons asks: Are you a [Transformers] fan, and if so, for how long and what brought it on?
MEREDITH RODGERS: I have been a fan of Transformers since the eighties; I grew up watching Transformers G1! I have to admit that what brought it on was the converting sound. I remember sitting in the kitchen in my parents' old house and I peeked around the corner to see my brother watching it. I was hooked! I hope all of you enjoy the show as much as our crew. We truly enjoy hearing the feedback from the fans.
--Meredith Rodgers is the Production Coordinator on Transformers Prime. In animation, the Production Coordinator assists with the flow and details of the production process from pre-production (writing and design) through post production (editing and sound). As the Production Coordinator, Meredith helps manage the day-to-day running of departments (schedules, assignment lists, project review, etc). Meredith is the soccer mom of Transformers Prime, making sure every episode has what it needs before heading out the door. She loves working with so many different kinds of art (sketches, transformations, color scripts, CG models) to ensure that what Prime artists see in their heads is what fans see on the screen.
Before this, Meredith lived in New York, working as a Production Manager/Coordinator on several animated series for Animation Collective. She also worked as a Design Coordinator at Curious Pictures and painted backgrounds for Clifford's Puppy Day's at Scholastic Entertainment. Meredith has a degree in Computer Animation from Full Sail University.
If all goes as planned it should be in stock right before Botcon. We are also planning on a giveaway for our facebook fan at 
![[Valid RSS]](/images/rss/valid-rss.png "Validate Seibertron.com's RSS feed"){kind=small}
[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
