Okay, so the design is old news, but now we know who did it.

The good man BadFlipKC

Now if only we could get the design for Solus posted, since she's the one I'm looking forward to the most.

 

That looks more like it belongs to Diablo III then to Transformers. I mean, seriously, all it is missing are the angelic wings, and it looks just like one of the many armored angels in the game...

Also, no way this guy is able to transform into a vehicle. Maybe into a Celestial Spire...

 

It's one of the thirteen.

And an angelic spacecraft seems appropriate.

 

No discredit to the artist, because it is skillfully and beautifully illustrated... but I hate how much Transformers is pulling from other franchises and diluting the brand... this looks like the end scene from the Dark Crystal where the two beings merge into one glowing white creature. (also speaking of movie Ravage's design coming from Aliens, Bionicle faces, Shockwave's mech-tentacle stuff from the Matrix, etc.)

The design and lore is so strong and iconic by itself, I can't understand the urge to make it a hodgepodge of every cool thing anyone saw in a movie in the past 20 years all mashed together just to make a buck. When you try to please everyone, you end up with a mess like Star Wars Episode 1.

Okay, stepping off my soap box now....

 

Such a magnificent design.

 

Really do like this design. Hopefully the others won't disappoint.

 

Always liked to see call outs to my fav designer. Hey Eric, if you are reading this, great job as always dude. I love the matrix in the sword-hilt idea and I'm very pleasantly surprised to find out it came from you.

Keep it real, man.

 

escaflowne?

 

I'm not sure what you're saying, you're complaining this image from a book that came a year and a half ago...and was probably drawn earlier than that....looks like something from a game that came out this week?

Also no....not all the 13 could Transform initially......

 

TFP Megatron's vehicle mode isn't obvious at all from his show robot mode. So who knows.

 

It is Transformers though, they can assume traits from anything... kinda what the franchise is all about. It's also not necessarily about movies, but also what happens in life. I mean we have organisms out there that can shoot out pseudopods/tentacles, merge together into one organism, biomimicry, and such that it shouldn't be shocking, especially in a franchise about transforming lifeforms.

Also considering the characters are ancient, an older aesthetic isn't out of the question for many designers, it's just what they're used to, kinda like for many who think of the Greek/Roman gods when mythology is mentioned. Just cause the character looks like an armored angel or knight doesn't mean it can't be influenced by something other than "Diablo." (I was thinking more Forgotten Realms or Planescape first, personally).

 

I like the nods to optimus

 

I like it, looks good,
Matrix sword is a great idea (thundercats spring to mind) but the matrix itself looks way to small,
Also the head just reminds me too much of the cybermen from doctor who,

 

It's funny how, when you eschew the need to transform into a vehicle or some such, generic looking these bot bodies can begin to look. No offense meant to the designer, but this one is bland. Throw some paint apps on their and call outs to a possible vehicle mode and it starts to look like it belongs in the Transformer universe; however, remove those trappings and it looks like a generic video game character.

 

right! And to add to your comment, It has almost always been depicted that the first 13 are even more alien looking than that of the TFs we now know and love. So I can see the first 13 to have more of that regal slender look and with some like Prima and probably Vector Prime to look more knightly if you understand what im saying? You know the look of armor plates over other plates. And this Prima concept sure has that look to me as well as a great PRIME cartoon looking head and face.

 

but who says the first 13 will transform? They may not even have nor need the ability to do so.

 

primus created prima - prima born out of cybertron 's sunface

 

Man, I just love that design. I know it doesn't look like a 'typical' Transformer, but that's what I like; the fact that the original Transformers were almost a completely different "species", as it were. The movieverse Ancient Primes, the TFP flashbacks, this. They've got that organic/knightly/angelic feel to them. Really shows an evolution in their history.