Art From The Bad Flip Blog - Prima, Of The 13 Primes

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.

According to the movie continuity the Original 13 Primes can't transform (forget about the Fallen toy, the vehicle mode was only to give the toy a value). The Aligned Continuity may have taken a leaf out of that book.

Such a fantastic design. Really hope we get more 13 stuff in TFP soon.

Same.

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.

Doesn't look like anything the Quintessons would have made.

All I say is I pray to almighty god that Hasbro has plans to make this figure,and also the other 12 Primes one day,I would literally freak out if Hasbro announced they were and they'd be out early 2013.This thing is a work of art.Also as someone said I could care less if it transforms or not,just make a statue or figurine of him,I would spend $100 for this.

Agreed. These original 13 need to be......different.....and I like where they are going with them. I also like the fact of the way Hasbro is going about these Primes and leeking images over the past few years. It makes me feel like they have something grand in the plans. I imagine they have this on the backburner for when movie hype and TF Prime hype dies down, but who knows. I will look forward to learning more about them

Yup, I can totally see that as an ancient ancestor to TFs. I doesn't matter if it doesn't obviously turn into anything. Why would they transform? And if they did why would they do so in any way similar to how TFs do today? That Matrix hilt is epic.

And you just lost all credibility. You've obviously never seen Bionicle, because their "faces" (actually masks) are usually rather clean and simple designs. Thier actual faces are also very plain, and all the same few designs. (hence why they wear masks)

Also this isn't "diluting the brand" (as nonsense as that statement is) it's expanding it, adding flavour and colour where none existed before. It's thanks to this expansion that we no longer have those stupid box-men designs with their one face sharded across half the show's cast.

Meh. Not much intriguing about that design other than the sword.

I was going to say The Dark Crystal.

We need their story told in a comic series soon. I want to meet the rest.

Well, I've said it before. Transformers are becoming mind numbingly uncreative. The movies, this thing, no offense to the artist at all. It's just like so many people say. It's like every movie creature we've seen before all rolled into transformers. I still don't know why the "predators" were in DOTM... And the decepticon ships in DOTM, where in Skyline and at least one other alien film.

They do kinda look like the phantoms from Halo.

That is OK, but it doesnt look like what we saw in TFP. but this one was probably made earlier than that so I can understand, still prefer this though

"This franchise founded on the reuse of other people's designs is starting to get uncreative, design-wise!"

Ah, fandom.

I like this one better

wait... he did ELEVEN of the Thirteen!?

Didn't see that.

primus created prima and crew in my tf expica book

Looooooove love love this. Looks like a suitably ancient Transformer, from even before they ever could transform. Very cool. I'd buy a voyager of this even if it didn't transform.

Just about to post something like that.

I think Cracked.com made an article some time ago that explained how Transformers was essentially just several random concepts combined into one in order to make a television show about it.

EDIT: Ah, here we go.

6 Classic Kids Shows Slapped Together From Recycled Material | Cracked.com

Mastermind Collectables version is superior.

It's not as disjointed as you might think since much of what it's derived from is part of the same Family of Taka Micron Man derived products, and I don't mind the likes Omega Supreme, The Deluxe Insecticons, Shockwave, Jetfire & Sky Lynx each one of those has a unique selling point and the both stand out as unique yet not so much that they look alien to the line- and it's often the more eclectic looking things that promote long term interest as the likes of Omega Spreem, or Spinister show.

That said I can't say I'm really buying that design especially - perhaps it's a bit to Prime TV show like for a supposed G1 related design.

Uhhhh...what?

Actually on reflection it's an insult to Prime to call that Prime like, The Prime one is a much more attractive less generic and less clunky.

I don't see any reason for the 13 to not Transform both Vector Prime and The Fallen can. [We won't get into Alpha Trion at the moment]

Perhaps in older continuities, but it hasn't been established in the current one.

I'm not saying the 13 do and/or should transform, not in the least. I'm just saying that once you take away all of the various trappings that make aTransformer unique LOOKING - interesting color decos, unique bot/vehicle designs, and ultimately the ability to transform- they become generic as all hell, which this bot is IMHO. I respect others opinions and anyone can disagree with my assessment. I just don't see anything to really like in this design other than it satisfies the requirement of looking in step with what the 13 are described as being.

It's a nice looking design, but it doesn't look like a Transformer to me. Just a genaric robot with a sword. Looks like it should be fighting robeasts or something.

lol yeah.

Looks nice, though.

Not just the movie 13 but in a way G1 primes should not have been able to transform either. I know there was not a real concept of the 13 in G1 origin cartoons but they had to learn to transform and did not do that until the kicked out the quintessons right.

It's a cool design, but says absolutely NOTHING "Transformers" to me. It just looks like a generic fantasy creature/warrior. In that sense, I consider it a fail even though it's quite excellent in every other respect.

And yes, I know they're ALIEN ROBOT GODS, so for some reason we might expect them to look weirdly organic (and medieval I guess??)... but I think something both majestic AND closer to the guiding aesthetics of Transformers could have been achieved. Meh.

zmog

Looks like a Guyver character in a way. I still want a series on the 13.

Pretty cool looking.

I'd buy that and a side of chili fries.

That's a Transformer?

The armor is very similar to LOTR's Sauron in its armor suit during the initial battle of the first movie.

Never noticed the face in the torso before.