From what it sounds like from people who saw the concept art at the ROTB panel ROTB Prime's robot mode is pretty much the same as his BB design in robot mode with modifications (mainly it sounds like new truck windows and more silver on his arm's/shoulders)

 

Eh, when I rewatch some of those transformations in the older movies, I can pick out the clear cheating moments (Notably Optimus collapses the grill into his chest, but it somewhat does some shrinking more often than not outside of his showcase transformation, Jazz's transformation partially cuts away to try and hide where he puts those doors without using mass shifting, some of Bumblebee's transformation sequences CLEARLY have no means to accommodate proper seating, some of Starscream's transformation showing clear signs of growing and shrinking parts, and I don't even want to start on Frenzy, but that's just the 07 Movie), but that's just me nitpicking whenever someone says the transformations in the 3 preceding movies to AoE were more realistic when all 6 movies cheat at one point or another. I do agree that I would love to see them really try their best to minimalize the fact, but no matter the movie, the transformations cheat, some more egregious to certain fans than others.

I just accept it as par for the course but will gladly poke at it when someone says they did it more realistically than Bumblebee.

 

Its basically the same BB design, just some small changes.

 

Wouldn't it be the opposite? They could reuse moulds and save on CGI budget if it was the same design. A new design is more money and effort spent.

Also the first movie trilogy showed that they can make plenty of money without drastically changing the way characters look.

 

The BB Movie Optimus was a model with absolutely no transformation planned in mind for a quick cameo. He would always be needing a new 3D model on "this time we need his body to actualy have truck parts that you can actualy recognize cuz he won't be only in a short darkly lit scene" basis alone, add to that the need for a more segmented and dynamic body so he can be animated doing more poses properly that the director mentioned and I feel like Optimus would be getting a new model no matter what regardless of Hasbro's toy-selling needs.

 

Totally, but I'm pretty sure they will start with the BB Optimus design and work from there.

 

You don't need to be only pretty sure of that, you can be 100% sure of that, because it is what people who sent to the event already said. All reports of the new design said it looks a do-over of that BB design.
Arcee apparently is another one that has a "similar to last movie but still new" design.

Movie News: "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" Character Descriptions | Ben's World of Transformers

We know that Hasbro likes to make toys and that they have a say in the new movies more than they had in the old movies, but things like that I think we can be sure are "legit production creative needs" instead of just toy-selling stuff. Specially in characters like Optimus and Arcee who now have to transform on-screen and do more action in broad daylight and etc.

 

Clear image of Prime I saw in another thread:

 

Bumblebee robot mode leaked!?

 

Hopefully this means updated SS BB Optimus.
With better legs.

 

I think it's his holomatter avatar  

 

I would actual love if they used holomatter avatars.

Imagine Optimus needing to interact with a human say on his own or to help a human character to not blow their cover, Prime's door unexpectedly opens and BOOM, Peter Cullen steps out.

 

That would be amazing!

 

Hell if I know what's really the most profitable way to go about it. I just figured they already got a couple figures out from the BB design and licensed it out to other companies to make their own, like Three Zero and YOLO Park. If they make a new design they can do that all over again.

 

Imo It’d be better if they got Garry chalk as prime’s holo avatar, but if they got Cullen it’d still be great.

 

I would honestly love for Garry Chalk and David Kaye to voice movie Optimus and Megatron.

It isn't different tho.

Or at least not majorly anyway. Main differences that have been stated from people who've seen the model are the chest windows (cause they've actually got a truck for him this time) some colour placement changes such as the more amount of silver stripe, and supposedly the parts from the grill-guard.

 

I agree that the bay transformation did cheat a bit. And evasion prime onward, it was easy to spot. But, the first three movies seemed believable from a visual standpoint. Bumblebee in his movie very obviously has non car part armour on his bulky limbs that just dissapear. It doesnt really take away from the movie but it is odd looking. Really that problem is in most transformers things anyway. I think it would be interesting if they made a movie with alt modes that still had visible robot parts in the interior, or maybe one with car parts in robot mode. It is just a movoe and I'm sure it will be entertaining so Im not really concerned either way.

 

That's actually exactly how he looked in Age of Extinction, besides the colors. The level of detail is exactly the same

I agree with this. Like imagine Optimus Prime with his regular chest windows except he has a freaking cage across his chest and shoulders. That would be super cool imo

Looks like legs could actually come out of that rear end

I absolutely love the these cars have the Autobot insignias up front and center on their alt modes. It's so cheesy but so fun. I hope their symbols are prominently displayed in bot mode too

Please, yes

 

I'm honestly shocked that they've done 6 movies, and never used Cullen as a hologram driver. Even as a quick visual gag. Like maybe he has to ask a bystander for directions or something. I get that these movies aren't about fan appeasement and references to popular things (nor should they be), but this particular thing would be so easy to do. And if they had Cullen's hologram talk in the Optimus Prime voice to a bystander, the general audience would understand the cameo perfectly (even if they didn't know what Cullen looked like beforehand).

Although I hope these movies don't get into holomatter avatars. Holograms that leave the vehicle and can physically interact with matter are a step too far, and IMO give the Transformers a bit too much power. It's the Holdo maneuver of Transformers...it just makes you ask "why don't they use that ability all the time?" I'd argue worse than the Holdo maneuver. Why don't they just project a holomatter avatar the size of a fly inside Megatron and shut him down from the inside? Why doesn't Megatron create a holomatter avatar that looks like the president, and use that to get resources? This brand is already full of "why don't they do this" situations (because the brand honestly doesn't have terribly well-defined rules, especially in terms of disguise and scanning new altmodes), but holomatter avatars are where I check out. I'd prefer hologram drivers just exist as illusions that add an extra layer of disguise when the Transformers are in a populated area.

 

Quoting myself because I made two quick mockups. First has the bottom section of bull bar flipping over to the shoulders, second has that section just folding down on itself to add another layer of cage to his chest