Why the Live-Action Movies are the best thing to have ever happened to Transformers
by Sol Fury

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April 2007. I was preparing for my first Botcon, sorting out flights and arranging the time off from work. A work colleague asks me what I'm taking the time out for and I explain that I was heading to the USA for a Transformers convention, which was also celebrating the launch of the new movie. Their response was "oh I think I saw something about that. That's cool, not sure if I'll go and see it though."

Before July 2007 brought us Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg's take on Transformers, that was how most people remembered our favorite robots. Something from their childhood, that had been cool but had gone away. Most were not aware of the series from the years in between. Those who did know Transformers had stuck about saw it as a kid's show – either one of a slew of Japanese import cartoons, or an early CGI show where the animals talked. But at best, it was a kid's show. I'd usually have to go to a convention to see someone else walking about rocking a Decepticon T-shirt.

What happened in 2007 was incredible, a transformation as it were. Suddenly, Transformers was brought back into the public mindset, fueled by a combination of explosive action, mind blowing special effects, and at its heart, the simple, winning story of a boy and his car. It was a simple concept, but one that finally re-established the concept of "robots in disguise" after so many years of dubbed Japanese animation that often missed the whole point. You've got Steven Spielberg to thank for that one.

The 2007 Movie can claim that as its success. Before the 2007 Movie, few non-fans could remember who Optimus Prime was. Nobody had heard of Bumblebee in a long time. 2007 made them both household names. The movies took Transformers, a franchise that was becoming stagnant with anime tropes and buried in poor timeslots, and made it mainstream. Suddenly, people knew what Transformers were again. Store shelves burgeoned with toys in a way that had not been seen since the 1980s – and generally sold out faster than ever before. Unless you were Legends Megatron in Woolworths.

That is why the live action Transformers movies are the best thing to happen to the brand in a long time, and why Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg deserve their places in the Transformers Hall of Fame for making it happen. Beast Wars might have saved Transformers from oblivion, but the live-action movies made Transformers relevant again. They turned the brand from a toyline into a multi-media phenomenon, and opened the series up to whole new audiences. They made Transformers cool again. We've now got fans of the movies as movies rather than the toy franchise; people who'll probably never set foot on an online forum but who enjoy the films as much as you or me. We've got huge numbers of people who probably never even dreamed they'd be Transformers fans again after loving the series in their childhood.

Tens of thousands of people have been introduced – or re-introduced – to Transformers through the live action movie series. Without the movies and this extra support and interest for the brand, where would we be? We probably would not have more than one line running per year for one – the success of the movies has funded a lot of growth within the Transformers brand. In fact, here is a scary thought to consider – without the live action movie series, how much longer could Transformers have endured? Fortunately, we will never need to find out the answer – Transformers is a thriving brand now, with three hit movies to its name, and I am sure down the road, we will be talking about "Trans4mers". Though I hope that it gets a better title than that. I really do.

On a closing note, the afternoon before I went to see Transformers Dark of the Moon, I bumped into the same colleague that I mentioned at the start of this article. When I mentioned what I was getting up to that evening their reaction was, "holy crap, it's out already?! I need to see if I can get tickets for tonight!"

 

Reign Of Starscream
by Shin Densetsu





Introduction​

In 2006, the fandom was buzzing with a mix of joy and utter fan rage. I was participating in the latter. We had a lot to be happy about that year. The 20th Anniversary Transformers Movie release on DVD. How can I forget, Transformers Classics?

Yet we had more, the increasingly rampant leaks of live action Transformers character designs. Let's face it, at that point, most of the designs bore little resemblance to the designs we know of as kids, and our favorite characters no longer looked the same(aside from the heads of Jazz and Optimus, Optimus having red and blue and Bumblebee being colored yellow).

While the Autobots definitely looked different, the Decepticons went even further in their departure. One notorious Decepticon also had the most notorious aesthetic change; Starscream! Gone was the robot with human-like proportions with wings, and in was a monster....

A monster with a top heavy torso and wings. Initially, a sketch surfaced online. This sketch came from a fan who had allegedly seen a render of Starscream. The drawing looked like a gorilla with chicken legs. Right when damn near everyone was convinced that this guy was lying, the prototype of the movie voyager Starscream surfaced, and I just about lost it.

I'm a big fan of fighter planes. My favorite G1 Transformer is Jetfire, favorite modern Transformer is MP-07 Thundercracker and my favorite anime series is Macross. So seeing the voyager movie Starscream toy was a huge shock for me.

"How can this happen? The Classics Starscream mold, based on G1 aside, is way sleeker than that atrocity in fighter mode! THAT THING IS CHUNKY! Oh god look at that robot mode...it really DOES look like how that one guy described it!"

For months I joined in many fans in downplaying the figure, openly detesting it, and all the while questioning why on Earth would Haskaromy ever release, let alone design, such a thing?

Then something unexpected happened. As I saw more trailers for the movie, I got excited. Seeing Starscream in action during the spring trailers, where he transformed before perching atop a bridge, started to affect my opinion. Out were the feelings of shock at such a radical design, and in were feelings of reluctant, yet slow, acceptance. By that time more and more images and even video reviews were popping up online.

Then I saw the toy being transformed for the first time on film. I saw the auto-morph in action. I was impressed. I couldn't believe how fun the toy looked.

So by early June 2007, I made it a point to get out on launch day and buy Starscream. I have had this figure little over 4 years now. Surprisingly enough, it still does a better job in some areas than later figures.

2007 Voyager Starscream​

While most of us are used to seeing Transformer jets by Haskaromy, not disguised as well as cars, movie Starscream was a departure. Classics Jetfire, while having arms stuck out in jet mode, did not have a huge underside like movie Starscream. This was made even more apparent if you look at an F-22 Raptor(the alt mode movie Starscream had) from the side. Not only was the underside absolutely huge, but the vertical stabilizers were completely wrong too. Haskaromy had made more accurate F-22 Transformers before, like in Machine Wars with Megatron(and another repaint). even Energon Starscream wasn't as bad as movie Starscream when it came to huge parts(though I had issues with Energon Starscream too in other areas).

The fatness of the toy ruined the look for me. It was certainly obvious that emphasis was not on accuracy but on playability. Yet still, not only did we know Haskaromy could do a better job, we had seen them do a better job years prior(with the aforementioned figures). So my initial thought to sight of this toy was "what the hell?".

Nonetheless, the toy made its way to my hands and surprisingly enough, I enjoyed it a great detail. Now it will never win points in the looks department for alt mode. This is quite possibly the fattest F-22 Transformer out there aside from the Activators toys or that Gravity bots thing. The F-22 is sleek, not fat, so as you can see, the 2007 toy failed to capture that.

With the arms in alt mode, they are positioned like underwing weapons. HUGE weapons at that. You can either have the missiles plugged into the launchers themselves, or into a fold out clip. From the top, with the clip out and missiles in it, the silhouette looks like an F-22 with a full external weapons load and TER (Triple Ejection Rack). Whether or not this was an intent by the designers or a coincidence is beyond me. I like the look of the missiles in the launchers however the triggers are easy to accidentally set off. You could flick a switch that instead fires the missiles by rolling a wheel on each arm, however, that's also easy to accidentally trigger. I can see why it was made, so kids could roll Starscream on the floor and watch his missile launchers rotate while launching missiles.

Transformation is where this toy shines. The automorph is awesome. Pull the canopy up and the fuselage splits apart to form a layered torso. This impressed the hell out of me. Transformation from there is easy without feeling stupefied. Most folks could transform this easily after reading the instructions just once.

What we end up with is a very bulky Starscream figure. This is actually the 2nd biggest movie Starscream figure. Most of the joints were ratcheted/detented which definitely aided in posing as he is top heavy. Luckily a of the aforementioned joints are on the legs. The eyes had neat intricate details scribed in and the head sculpt looked menacing. This toy had great shelf presence and looked the part of an evil robotic monster. The robot mode was definitely better than the fighter mode by a longshot.

The missiles look more like fingers or finger tips than claws. However you can only insert them straight, so they look too long. However, Haskaromy also made finger joints on the missile launchers, which kind of adds to the look,

In any case, even now, the 2007 voyager Starscream's robot mode is excellent. Imposing, menacing, and stable. All in all this figure did some things right and it ended up being one of my favorite voyager figures in the line. Yet we knew Haskaromy could do better, and it wouldn't take long for us to find out...

​

 

2009 Voyager Starscream​

By late 2008 we had seen the 1st images of the voyager Starscream from Revenge Of The Fallen (ROTF). Haskaromy had to work off of early artwork for the 1st movie line in preparation for launch on November 2006(which ended up getting delayed til Summer 2007). However, for ROTF, Hasbro had access to finished character models, and they sure as hell made a difference.

The Starscream we got in ROTF was a very different animal than the 2007 version. The most apparent difference was the alt mode; the F-22 was substantially thinner and sleeker. While it still didn't look completely accurate to an F-22, it certainly surpassed the 2007 version in accuracy. Not only that, it even had retractable landing gear.

The toy lost points for having the hands either stick out in alt mode or fold up against the engines, obscuring the nozzle details. Also the guns did not fold away in alt mode.

Like the 2007 voyager Starscream, the ROTF Starscream also had a clever and impressive transformation. It literally folds out and into itself. It reminds me of origami only not confusing. Transformation does not take long and even now I still remain impressed by it.

ROTF Starscream had 2 gimmicks:

• Missile launchers
• Mech alive

While auto-morph dominated the 1st movie line, mech-alive was the main gimmick for ROTF. It was a less apparent feature, basically parts moved in unison of one another in certain areas, or moving parts could be seen within other parts. Not a bad gimmick but nothing too exciting. Starscream's was neat as it involved gears in the chest moving in unison with his head. No matter where he looked, the gears would move. It was more impressive on this figure compared so most others because it was more visibly apparent.

Compared to the 2007 voyager, ROTF Starscream was more slender and in some ways more refined, especially when comparing head sculpts. The figure overall was definitely more accurate but lacked the bulk and shelf presence of its predecessor. Articulation was about the same except that it lacked as much ratchet and detent joints. Yet it was still able to pose well. A major difference is that this one actually had hands.

ROTF Starscream was a decent figure and certainly an improvement in many areas over its 2007 predecessor. Yet it turns out, this was just the beginning...

​

 

2010 Leader Starscream​

In 2009 there were rumors that Haskaromy would be releasing a leader class Starscream figure. The prototype ended up being shown in the bonus features of Revenge Of The Fallen on DVD / Blu Ray. Like Blackout and Ironhide, Starscream had been one of the popular characters from the 1st movie, whom many fans wanted to see a leader class figure of.

By summer 2010, we got our wish, as leader Starscream was released in the Hunt For The Decepticons line. While this figure was much of what fans had hoped for, it was still lacking in certain areas, surprisingly.

The fighter mode was big. From the top it looked decent but still inaccurate, but from the side, it was notably big. In this respect, the ROTF voyager did a better job. Yet this was still much better than the 2007 voyager.

The fighter mode has a nice heft to it. Like the ROTF voyager, 2 missiles can be placed underneath the wings. Starscream's arm missile launcher from the movies is removable, and placed within the fuselage in fighter mode. It can fold out and a missile can be fired (though not stored while folded).

Transformation is a more involved process compared to the previous 2 figures. It was impressive, with some use of auto-morph (wings), and the G1 transformation sound playing when transformed into robot mode.

What we end up with is the largest movie Starscream figure and one with the most intimidating look and shelf presence. The head sculpt is full of intricate details and though the mouth opens for "talking" action, the head can still move a great deal(nothing like ROTF leader Megatron and DOTM leader Ironhide). There are ratchet and detend joints all over the place, which is important because they aid in stability, and this large figure needs it.

Both arms feature a spring open gimmick for a cannon (right arm), and missiles (left arm). The hands can fold against the forearms to attach the middle launcher. The missile launcher has small missiles molded onto it, like the CG model. The bad thing is, on mine, the wrist joint is somewhat loose with the launcher added on, so it sometimes dislodges from the forearm. The missile launcher is heavy for the hands.

Overall, leader Starscream was worth the wait. The US version even has a decent paint job (though if you prefer the "clean" Transformers 2007 style paint job, you could order the TakaraTomy Masterpiece Movie Starscream). Best robot mode of any movie Starscream figure no question. With that said, not many folks were thinking Haskaromy would top leader Starscream, yet there was one area in which it would be toppled...

​

 

2011 Deluxe Starscream​

Enter 2011 and Dark Of The Moon. Overall while most of the toys seemed smaller, so did the characters! DOTM marked the 1st time that we got movie Starscream as a deluxe figure. Like many, I had my doubts.

When the 1st samples leaked I could tell that the fighter mode had been improved, from the top. It looked more accurate to the F-22 than previous versions. Later we saw images from the side, and aside from the arms sticking out, and the hinges under the wings(and landing gear being too long), this is the most accurate transforming F-22 Starscream made to date. It lacks the chunkiness of both the 2007 and HFTD versions meanwhile having a more accurate silhouette when compared to the ROTF version. Impressive for what is the smallest F-22 movie Starscream(aside from Legends).

Transformation, like the previous 3 incarnations, is impressive. Each version of movie Starscream transforms in unique ways. The DOTM version has a fun transformation which still managed to surprise me. Not only was it easy but it wasn't dumbed down, nor complex. It was pleasant. It has a transformation that had me thinking "oh wow...that's actually pretty neat!", afterwards.

Robot mode has a silhouette second only to leader Starscream in accuracy(aside from the chest hinges). I did not expect that. The major difference between this and previous movie Starscreams, is that this one lacks integrated weaponry. Instead, it comes with 2 mechtech cannons which plug into the forearms. They can combine into a huge double bladed sword. I like the weapons individually as you can use them as gunpods or blades, but the combined mode is disappointing. Why? The spring on mine is too strong and the small grooves meant to secure it already wore down a bit. So the weapon when combined, isn't aligned well.

Also, I prefer integrated weapons. I would've preferred molded in guns underarm. Oh well. Also on the forearms are 2 c clip hardpoints. Alternatively, you could buy Top Spin and use his guns on Starscream, if you wanted guns that looked more like null rays and didn't look huge. There are also 2 mechtech ports on his back so you can store his guns there. His chest hinges also have mechtech ports.

Deluxe Starscream in robot mode is very poseable and can actually swivel his wrists sideways, since they are on ball joints. This is an improvement over the leader and ROTF voyager versions.

Overall DOTM deluxe Starscream was a huge surprise in the form of the smallest mainline F-22 movie Starscream available. Definitely not only one of the best wave 1 deluxe molds but also one of the best DOTM toys period.

​

 

Reign Of Starscream Conclusion​

From 2007-2011 I have collected various movie Starscream figures. If you haven't figured it out yet, Starscream is my favorite Decepticon, and one of my favorite movie characters. So to see Haskaromy go from the 2007 voyager to the DOTM deluxe now, has been quite an interesting journey.

So it wouldn't be right if we concluded this without comparisons of which ones came out on top. Without further ado, here are my rankings(from greatest to least):

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Movie Starscream Toys Best F-22 Raptor Alt Mode

• 2011 DOTM Deluxe
• 2009 ROTF Voyager
• 2010 HFTD Leader
• 2007 TF1 Voyager

​

Movie Starscream Toys Best Robot Mode

• 2010 HFTD Leader
• 2011 DOTM Deluxe
• 2007 TF1 Voyager
• 2009 ROTF Voyager

 

Why Laserbeak Is Awesome And You're Wrong For Thinking Otherwise
By Secretcode



​

The more I look back on the movie and the more I rewatch it, the more I realize that Dark of the Moon had a LOT of things that struck me as inexplicably amazing. Scottish Wreckers, Carly's somewhat spectacular ability to change outfits completely between scenes, the return of Barricade, John Malkovich.. the movie had a lot surprises that kept me entertained long after I saw the movie for the first time. But there's one character that stole the show completely for me in both the movie and the mediocre tie-in video game. And that character is none other than Laserbeak, who is totally not perched behind me with a gun to my head pressuring me to finish this article before a deadline. That's Sol Fury. But who cares about him, this isn't an article about the British Butcher. (You love it really - SF)

For some reason, there is a very vocal minority of people out there that really didn't like how the movie portrayed Laserbeak. "Waaaaaah, why can he talk? Laserbeak totally never talked before!" "Waaaaaah, he was killed by a human!" "Waaaaah, why wasn't he just a drone?" These complaints aren't just a bit much, and they aren't just annoying. They're wrong. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with people having different opinions. In fact I applaud it. There's just something that these movies attract that annoys me: Blind negativity and complete refusal to let things change (or in the case of Laserbeak talking, remembering that there was other fiction than the G1 Cartoon back in the day.)

A brief aside: He didn't just steal the show in the movie. That'd be a bit modest of Laserbeak, and he just can't have that. He needs to let people know what it's like to be great. To be efficient and perfect like he is. So Laserbeak went to Activision and roughed up Bobby Kotick until he not only finally canned the Guitar Hero franchise, but added him into the game. I don't want to spoil the game here, as I actually found it well worth playing (Moreso than War For Cybertron), but Laserbeak's level and play style was the biggest surprise for me, and the best part of the entire game.

Laserbeak doesn't care about naysayers. Laserbeak is better than that. Laserbeak is better than you, and he knows it. But he isn't one to wallow in how much better he is than everyone else. Laserbeak has work to do, and good lord does he enjoy it. Efficient. Stealthy. Cunning. Killing is his business and business is good, and his brief introduction in the movie should be proof enough of how awesome Laserbeak is. Overall, Laserbeak is the first Decepticon in the movie trilogy that I actually not only feel pulls off the whole "Robots In Disguise" aspect (As he well should. "Hey what exactly does Laserbeak turn into?" "Yes."), but is the first Decepticon that I feel that is completely efficient in what he does and not a complete waste of screen time.

And if you look into what exactly he's been DOING in the movieverse, you'll also realize he is a major player for the Decepticon side (For apparently 40 years, in the movie timeline.) He is the one who... well... "persuaded" Gould's father to make further moon missions "too expensive". He has been constantly manipulating nearly everyone who was involved with space programs, and efficiently killing off those who not only were beginning to rebel against the cause, but against those who were deemed unessential to the Decepticon's extremely convoluted plans. And then there's the means in which he eliminates those that are unnecessary. There's the guy in Chernobyl who was killed in two extremely precise shots. There's the vulture that he hunted down in Africa because he could. There's when he "suicided" Leslie Chow. And there's his little tea party strategy. He's the best thing from DOTM, period, and quite honestly anyone that argues otherwise better have a pretty good reason.

Otherwise, he may have to suicide ya.

 

by Shibamura Prime

​

While everyone else in the schoolyard had a thing for Cheetara, I had an adolescent crush on an MIT grad rocking a blue sweater vest. When I decided to give my fan art Optimus Prime chick a backstory, I put Carly in the metal brassiere. And after Arlene Banas, G1 Carly’s voice actress, was announced to attend BotCon 2011 I begged Pete Sinclair to let me draw her Autograph Card. So when it was announced that Victoria’s Secret model-turned-actress Rosie Huntington-Whitely was to play a character named Carly in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, I was apprehensive to say the least when I sat down in the theater on June 28.

Now I’m an unapologetic “Bayformers” fan, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to know that I left the movie satisfied. What did come as a surprise was the fact that I really REALLY liked Carly Spencer (and not just because of her introduction “shot,” thought that certainly didn’t hurt either).

Movie three’s leading lady might not have gotten to hack a caffeine-powered Decepticon to pieces, but she worked perfectly as a both a companion and foil for Sam and always had a quick retort to whatever smartass comment Shia would blurt out. Rosie made me believe that she bled smarts and sass just like her animated predecessor. Where Mikaela was the girl was the girl Sam wanted, Carly was the woman that he needed. And even though she played the inevitable damsel in distress, I had no problem believing she had guts when she stood up to a certain crazed tyrant and told him what's what.

I know the merits and demerits of DOTM Carly will be contested for years to come, arguments only to be surpassed by “Who’s hotter? Megan or Rosie?!” debates. But right now, I couldn’t care less. I went into the movie expecting supermodel eye candy and was treated to Carly. She might not have sported the black barrette, but trust me… it was Carly.

 

Dark of the Moon Fun Facts
by Sol Fury, Kickback, Secretcode, Deefuzz, and special guest Boardwise

​

Transformers Dark of the Moon is packed to the gills full of all kinds of fun references and hidden facets that you might miss on the first viewing, since there's so much going on. The TFWe staff sat down and started compiling a list of these items with a little help from the one and only Scottish Superman Boardwise!


- 532: Number of cars destroyed during filming, according to Director Michael Bay. To give you a flavor of how that stacks up against other movies, GI Joe holds the record for destroying 112 cars, and allegedly GM donated 300 cars to The Matrix Reloaded, all of which got wrecked.

- In an early scene Brains and Wheelie are sitting on the couch watching an episode of Star Trek when they comment that the episode they are watching is "the one where Spock goes crazy" which foreshadows the later betrayal of Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy who also played Spock in the episode that was being watched).

- Sentinel Prime proclaims in one scene that "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". Where have we heard that before? It's none other than a reference to Leonard Nimoy's other famous role as Mr Spock on Star Trek!

- Two major plot points from the movie actually hark back to classic G1 episodes! The classic 2 part G1 Episode, Megatron's Master Plan, has the Decepticons tricking the people of Earth into banishing the Autobots from the planet. The classic 3 part episode, The Ultimate Doom, finds Megatron bringing Cybertron into Earth's orbit with Space Bridge technology.

- Megatron takes over the Lincoln memorial and uses it as a throne at one point, but this is not the first time a Megatron has desecrated the Lincoln memorial - Generation 1 Megatron did the same in the classic Generation 1 episode Atlantis Arise!

- When Sentinel Prime turns on the Autobots and kills Ironhide he appears to become covered in rust before he begins to crumble apart. This is a nod to the classic G1 episode, Cosmic Rust

- The spaceship that Optimus Prime uses to travel to the moon, as well as the one used in the exile sequence, is named the Xantium. The Xantium has previously been referenced in Transformers comics as the personal spacecraft of The Wreckers, who perform the maintenance on the ship in this movie!

- Laserbeak takes many forms during Transformers Dark of the Moon, one of which is a photocopier that does not want to work. As well as the employee's comment that "it's definitely Japanese" echoing Shia's comment about Bumblebee in the original 2007 movie, the noise Laserbeak makes when he is out of order is the original 1984 Transformers scene change jingle!

- When Bumblebee transforms to his robot mode for the final time in the movie, the classic transforming sound can be heard.

- Sam’s Datsun has the mirror ball and Beeotch air freshener that was saw back in the first Transformers movie.

- Keep an eye on the innards of Megatron's head through the movie, as through the entire thing you’ll see various "Scalpels" constantly working on the insides (much to Megatron's dismay)

- Carly is the best-dressed kidnap victim ever. She changes outfits at least three times after being "kidnapped". How in the heck does that happen?

- In an early scene Carly comments on how she'd found Brains in her underwear drawer, to which Brains replies "and you should see what she has in there!" This is a stealth reference to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's day job as a lingerie model.

- When talking about Sam's ex-girlfriend (Mikaela), Wheelie comments "she was mean". This is a veiled reference at the unkind remarks that caused Megan Fox to be dropped from Transformers.

- Que or Wheeljack? He might be Que on screen and Wheeljack in the comics, but did you know they he is actually credited as Que / Wheeljack? Sam also calls him Wheeljack when telling Lennox about the grappling gauntlets and bombs. Dino is still just Dino, though.

- Que is actually quite the appropriate name - his role as a British scientist type as well as being the guy with the gadgets is a reference to James Bond's own Q!

- The drone the air force uses towards the end of the film is referred to as "minicon"

- Shockwave only had one speaking part - "Optimus!" - and it should sound familiar! The voice of Shockwave is "Frank Welker", who played "Megatron" in the original cartoon, as well as in "Transformers Revenge of the Fallen" video game by Activision, and more recently, "Megatron" in "Transformers Prime". The voice Frank Welker utilizes is his original Megatron voice (as Hugo Weaving voices "Megatron" in the Transformers movies).

- You can tell where Michael Bay changed the script or added his own rendition of dialogue to make a scene feel more "bad-ass". Pay close attention to all of Optimus Prime's dialogue until the final scenes. He goes from well articulated to "WE WILL KILL THEM ALL".

- Did you know that Michael Bay likes to reuse shots? Yeah well, neither did we. A scene from a previous Michael Bay movie ("The Island") involving debris slamming into an SUV during a freeway chase was reused for when Mirage and Bumblebee take out one of the dreads, as well as when a humanoid dread flipping cars over.
There's a serious reason for this, though - the original shoot of this scene involved a tragic accident where an extra was badly injured. Out of respect the scene was not reshot and an appropriate one was reused from the archives instead.

- Pay up, Michael Bay! The infamous "twins" have been spotted in Dark of the Moon. First, as the Autobots are driving in the NEST hangar, you can clearly see their two vehicle modes (with their new mostly-black paint schemes) in the rear of the convoy. Also, in a very brief shot (the camera is following a character), they are both seen (although out of focus) in robot mode checking out their weapons. But that's not all! In the scene where they were supposed to die according to the Movie adaptation comic, some black and green wreckage can briefly be seen.

As a final bonus, here is a little table showing the death tolls of the major players across the three movies:

​

 

The Last Word - Next Issue, special thanks, and more!
written by Sol Fury
​

Here we are again at the end of another issue of TFWe! I'd like to thank all the staff for their hard work and support this month while I've been filling in for Kickback - Kicky, you make this look so easy when you're at the helm!  

We're already working on August's issue and it's something special that's going to blow your mind! We're going from one movie to another - 8 August 2011 is the 25th anniversary of Transformers the Movie so be sure to join us and celebrate 25 years of Unicron, Leonard Nimoy's first role in Transformers and childhoods scarred forever by the death of Optimus Prime!

Also it's time to announce that I'm leaving on a jet plane... for Canada, that is! Yes, Sol Fury is going to TFCon, so next time I'll be here with a review of Canada's number 1 Transformers convention!

And now I leave you with an encore edition of As the Fandom Turns

"As the Fandom Turns..."

written by Dan Sheehan and Silas Zee, artwork by Silas Zee​

See you in 30ish!

- Sol Fury
TFWe Editor
TFW2005 Administrator & British Butcher

 

About the DOTM fun facts, I read through, but may have missed reading it, did anyone catch Sentinel
Quoting "Highlander" "There Can Be Only One" when he was about to scalp Optimus at the end?

 

The Movie Starscream toy retrospective was excellent!

 

Awesome issue!  

Loved every bit of it. Can't wait for the PDF.  

 

Cool issue  

NEED PICS!

 

great work!

 

Pics or it didnt happen.

 

well, barricade wasn't shown as dead in DOTM.