More Takara Reissue Rumors!

Posted by Professor Smooth at Seibertron.com

RUMORS: From the people who brought you the "Takara to Reissue more

Gestalts" rumor comes "More Takara Reissue Rumors." I've heard from

more than one person that Takara's Special Edition reissue of

Predaking will lead to more reissues outside of the Transformers

Collection line. The gestalts may find there way into the line, but

so may other fan favorites. On the short list of figures Takara

might be looking to throw at fans are the City Formers, Metroplex

(Metrotitan), Trypticon, and the Maximus family (Fortress and

Grand).



The odds of a Fort/Grand Maximus reissue seem rather slim at the

moment. Takara's not doing to hot financially, and (believe it or

not) two foot robot toys are not exactly cheap to manufacture.

However, they have recently busted out the Maximus mold to produce

the Robotmasters' Lucky Draw Brave Maximus, so the possibility is

there.



Would the same fans who are turned of by the 150 dollar asking price

of Predaking be willing to drop 200 dollars (or more) for Fortress

Maximus? How about Grand Maximus?

Preview: Transformers Galaxy Force

The latest issue of Newtype and Animage the official next series of Transformers has been revealed, Transformers Galaxy Force. With animation by GONZO studio, an animation studio that has brought you anime titles such as Vandread, Gravion, Hellsing & Final Fantasy: Unlimited.The new series is in mecha 3DCG, This series is expected to air from January 2005. Shown as follows are some character design of the 2 major characters in the series.

Galaxy Force Convoy


Galaxy Force Convoy and Galaxy Force Megatron

Transformers G1 # 8

by: Ruel de Vera





The odd thing about "Infestation" (last month's issue) and this issue's

"Extermination" story is that they represent a departure in Dreamwave

techniques. The creative team of James McDonough, Adam Patyk and Don Figueroa had previously distinguished themselves by crafting somewhat complex storyarcs of four issue or more, usually with some subplots included that would continue into the next storyarc.



But with its compact, close-ended nature, "Infestation/Extermination"

instead resembles the structure of an 1980s Sunbow/Marvel Transformers TV

episode. In fact, aside from one scene depicting possible changes in the life of fan favorite Bumblebee, virtually the entire issue is focused on the weird events in San Desto, California. When last we saw them, Bumper had been captured by the emerging Insecticons, and the sibling team of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker seemed to be at the verge of the same. At another part of town, Jazz and Earth Defense Command's Commander Marissa Faireborn were similarly surrounded by an Insecticon clone army.



Now, the Autobots, through their own means, try to fight and survive. They discover that the Insecticons are building a hive and are controlling the townspeople using Bombshell's cerebro-shells. Through a vintage TV effort, the Autobots manage to turn the tables of the Insecticons and survive the buggy experience. While there are a few twist and turns, "Inesftation/Extermination" is by far one of the weakest arcs so far in terms of writing. Everything is so linear and predictable that's is actually a surprise just how predictable the issues are.

One gets the feeling like these two issues were just traditional "fillers" between big stories, a breath between deep dives.



While it was nice seeing the Insecticons back (who doesn't like these creepy crawlies, after all), there's only so much of them we can take. This arc might be a breather after the tumultuous events of the last Jetfire/Sunstorm epic, but perhaps we expected more from this talented team.



That being said, I do like the fact that this storyarc was chockful of

little winks to TF continuity and fandom. And well, it was admittedly a funthrowback.But the real action seems to be reserved for next issue, as Shockwave and (see that familiar outline) a certain Decepticon leader seems to be back.



Reports from Vector Sigma (formerly Hardcore TF tidbits):

1) Jazz's comment, "I've never seen Decepticons that have a chewy center" seemslike a funny reference to how easy it was to dispatch the Insecticon clones, a phenomenon that happened even back in the Sunbow cartoon.



2) There's something weird going on with the word balloons for Faireborn. In some panels, they're translucent, almost to the point of being unreadable.



3) The scene where Fairebon and Jazz have a conversation while Jazz is in his alt mode is another reference to cartoon continuity. Jazz talks to Marissa through a pop-up screen that shows Jazz's robot face, something we've seen as lately as RID. Later on, we have a scene where Bumblebee talks to Spike while in alt mode, but this time he doesn't have a pop-up screen, just a glowing orb, just like in the Sunbow cartoon.



4) In yet another reference to traditional G1 trivia, Sunstreaker deploys his shoulder missles while Sideswipe uses his alternative hand weapons. Similarly, the two tone down the machomecha banter and get to business with characteristic grimness, something the two warriors do when under fire.



5) Again, in classic TF tradition, the Insecticons are spot on. Shrapnel uses his electrical powers and speaks in that "sibilant" repeating manner. Bombshell uses the infamous cerebro-shells and even has a conversation with Shockwave reminiscent of Bombshell's prickly dealings with Decepticon leadership. It actually reminded me more of Beast Wars Tarantulas dismissively talking to Megatron. Also, aside from the clone army, the Insecticons (the originals) are shown rising from eggs after recharging or something. That, and the scene with the hive, is "Alien"-cool. The ribbing Sharpnel gets about seemingly handing control over to Bombshell is obviously something that will be revisted later on.



6) By the way, I think it's nice seeing Jazz drawn consistently with this

shoulder-mounted weapon, something that was missing in past comic appearances. He even gets to use it this ish.



7) Bumper the heroic Autobot. Pretty cool for a figure who gained fame for being a production oversight. Bumblejumper's one of the big boys now.

David Kaye Voices His Latest Work

Media contact: Holly Carinci, HollyWords Publicity Inc





TV series, DVDs, and a Feature Film all on the slate

VANCOUVER August 30, 2004 One of the busiest actors in North America, David Kaye has recently added a Feature Film, two new anime series, three new award-winning games, a Guest Starring role on a television show, and another reprisal of his famous "Megatron" character to his daily schedule that includes voice imaging radio stations and television networks in over 120 markets around the world. One of the busiest, most sought-after voice-over artists in North America, Kaye is represented by some of the best agents talent can get Kaye"s reps at William Morris out of both New York and Los Angeles keep him plane-hopping weekly, but the Canadian-born actor still does most of his work from the studio he had built into his home by industry specialists.



Kaye became well-known for his animated character "Megatron" in the last three Transformer series, Transformers-Beastwars, Transformers: Beast Machines and Transformers Armada. His character has been reprised for the newest installment, Transformers Energon. A great line that Megs has in this newest Transformer series is "Join me and I will send you to battle. Defy me and I will send you to oblivion",laughs Kaye. That's my Megs! Kaye is also the voice behind Megatron in the Atari game Transformers for PlayStation 2 that went gold earlier this year and was released worldwide on May 11th. Reviewers of the game wrote: Graphically, Transformers is one of the most impressive PS2 games I have seen to date." - PSE2; "Transformers is a damn fine videogame." - Official PlayStation Magazine; "Transformers is looking like one of the PS2"s most exciting new action titles. Plus it has freakin" Transformers in it! - Game Informer.



David Kaye"s character "Clank" in Ratchet & Clank, is the popular, diminutive robot that can interface with any computer or droid. Insomniac Games developed both Ratchet & Clank (2002) and Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (2003) for PlayStation 2, and both have garnered seven PlayStation 2 "Game of the Year" awards and 12 "Best in Genre" awards from media. These accolades do not include the "Readers"/Editors" Choice" awards, recognition from leading industry organizations and additional media accolades for outstanding technical achievements. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, the third installment to the Ratchet & Clank series, will launch in November 2004.



And then there"s the sequel to Splinter Cell titled Pandora Tomorrow which went gold for XBox and PC earlier this year. In the game David Kaye plays the main bad-guy, "Suhadi Sadono", the leader of Anti-US guerrilla militia acting with the unofficial support of major corrupt factions of the Indonesian government.



Kaye"s first feature film work in his career has arrived in the form of a Universal Studio production, Ant Bully in which he plays the entertaining character "Fugax". So far I"ve just laid what"s called the scratch track, says Kaye. I can only pray they don"t cast Brad Pitt or someone in the role before they release it! Ant Bully is currently in production with no set release date as-of-yet.



Kaye was also just cast in two new anime television series, Human Crossing and Tokyo Underground. In the latter of his newest series, Kaye plays the main bad guy (I"m getting type-cast, he jokes) "Pairon". Throughout the series, his character pursues the three protagonists, "Rumina Asagi", "Chelsea Rorec" and "Ruri Sarasa" in-and-around a forgotten, sealed world where they have escaped to, deep under the ground in Tokyo.



With all of this voice work, Kaye was surprised when he recently landed an on-camera Guest Starring role on the popular USA Cable Entertainment/SCI-FI Channel Battlestar Galactica. Playing the character "James McManus" in the episode Colonial Day, he is still a voice to be reckoned with, however. A blowhard host of a broadcast news show, Kaye"s character is adrenaline-charged and speaks his mind with machine-gun rapidity. He"s all fired up and makes it clear about who his alliances lie with, until a guest appears and takes the wind out of his sails. Says Kaye about the on-camera role: Well, I"m kinda tired at the moment.but it"s a fun tired. It"s nice to be back on set and be involved in something I grew up with. Now if you"ll excuse me, I"ve got to get back to outer space.

TransFormers Live Action Movie News

info forward by: anakinskywalker





Last time I had checked, New Line and Dreamworks - and last I'd heard... it was pretty vicious, with both companies really really wanting it. So I decided to check back in with some sources that will talk.



Word has it that New Line lost out to Dreamworks, which intends to further develop and make a live-action TRANSFORMER's movie. The word behind the scenes is that Hasbro was leaning towards New Line, till Dreamworks' 2 Billion Dollar Gorilla, Steven Spielberg got in a plane and flew out to Rhode Island to personally meet with Hasbro's team and to dangle the, if we have this, I may direct it, golden carrot. After which Hasbro agreed to Dreamworks getting the project.

Transformers Energon # 25

review by: Ruel S. De Vera



Well, those Dreamwave folks can really surprise, can't they? Just as I was worried they were falling behind, everything that was late suddenly came out! And so here we begin a virtual series of reviews, just for this week's releases!



I begin with Transformers Energon # 25, simply because it's the simplest and most conventional of the new releases. It's nice to see Energon/Armada reach the 25 milestone and despite its relative weaknesses compared to the other series (especially the new/upcoming ones) it should continue to thrive.



That's because it still has the solid creative team of Simon Furman and Joe Ng. But "Omni-Potent," this issue's story, seems to be a somewhat safe standalone issue. In fact, save for a few key moments, it can even be considered inconsequential.



The whole point of "Omni-Potent" is to show how the newly-activated

Omnicons, new to the planet Earth, seem to sow chaos wherever they go. To prevent any more incidents, Prime basically dumps Signal Flare, Arcee, Skyblast and Strongarm to Base One, off in some polar region to keep them away from trouble. But the moment they arrive, they accidentally start to tear apart Ironhide's contraption. In a fit of frustration, unit leader Hot Shot tells them literally to get lost--and they do just that!



So while Kicker and Hot Shot search for them, the Ominicons accidentally fall into the clutches of the Decepticon Snow Cat. Snow Cat then tries to brainwash them, but the Ominicons (with Mini-con Over-run making a cameo) use their collective consciousness to break free. But Snow Cat is in his environment and it'll take more than just brain power to beat this polar

feline. But just as that little sortie is resolved, Furman throws in a pretty interesting cliff-hanger of an ending, something more exciting than anything else in the entire issue.



All in all, "Omni-Potent" remains pretty typical of the Energon storylines, meaning they're basically linear and still somewhat cartoony. But Furman is still trying to beef up the narrative--good luck. When the TV series is actually still more compelling than the comic series, you know you've still got problems. But art-wise, Ng continues to evolve and here, he adds a whole new dimension of detail to the machines, made much more noticeable amid a starkly white backdrop. This boy can draw! In particular, I like how the Omincons looks formidable instead of wimpy (check out his "Metropolitan"-like take on Arcee and the badass Strongarm), but most of all check out how menacing the monochromatic Snow Cat looks in Ng's hands.



All in all, the issue is just all right, but it continues to underperform, and, amid the invasion of quality Dreamwave material this week, "Omni-Potent" is just not potent enough to keep up with the pack.



Harcore TF tidbits:

1) On the second page, check out how Optimus 4, the submarine, gets some face time. It's been a running joke in TF continuity that the water-based TFs get no love, so this is kinda cute.



2) In an unmistakable nod to the G.I. Joe vehicle of the same name, Snow Cat makes a cool, hehe, debut. But there is nothing mentioned here of his origin--that Snow Cat is actually the new form of the former Decepticon Cyclonus. Whatever happened to that?



3) This isn't exactly a hardcore tidbit, but I want to point out that, of all the comics, it is Energon that always gets the colors right--and here, colorists Jong-Im Lee and Josh Perez actually make the characters looks just as brightly colored as their toy counterparts.



4) And the killer detail this issue (SPOILER!): it's back to Armada! Yes, even though Megatron, as we know from # 22, already has a new form, that is indeed Armada Megatron's head in the middle of the last panel. And in the corner--fresh from his nameless appearance in Armada's Worlds Collide arc--it's G1 Scourge! Hmmm.

Transformers G1 # 6

Review by Ruel S. De Vera



I'm sorry, Dreamwave, I know I complained that Sunssome of the characters were getting way too much face time, but did you really have to go on and do that? Anyway, just read this issue to find out exactly what I'm talking about.



After a delay, Transformers Generation 1's most protracted storyarc

concludes this issue with "Atonement." Incidentally, the writer previously known as Brad Mick (G1, MTMTE) now appears under his full name of James McDonough. Adam Patyk is still Adam Patyk and the incredibly talented Don Figueroa is, thankfully, still present and himself.



After the events of last issue, Prowl meets with the Autobots for a possible return of their forces to Earth following their discovery of Sunstorm's flight to Earth. Prowl wants to set up more of their forces on the planet. Meanwhile, Warpath and Bumper, together with the inert bodies of Jazz and company, remain in the custody of the Earth Defense Force, presumably in the same underground base where the remains of the Constructicons are being

studied.



But the big bash is the final throwdown between Sunstorm, Jetfire, Bumblebee and the ever-deceitful Starscream underground. Here, where more TF secrets are set to be uncovered, two characters will emerge somewhat functional and two others will not. It is, by all measure, a mighty surprise and a rabbit punch by the writers. After all the robotic violence of the last few issues, the violence and detsurction actually is ratcheted up in this one. The last few panels, a quiet reqiuem for a fallen warrior, will stay in your heads for a long time.



I know I complained about how long this arc was going but damn what an ending. Take a bow guys. But did you really have to... Aw, well. Pay homage to the fall of G1 gladiators with "Atonement," a great issue from a great creative team.



Hardcore TF tidbits:



1) In the fourth page is a whole buncha TF winks. In the first panel, you can clearly see Cybertron's two moons, yes, yet to be devoured by Unicron as per movie continuity (which of course, is no longer applicable, but still it's a fun fact).



2) Same page, second panel. On the tower in the middle of the panel can be reconigzed (in the pseudo-English Cybertronian sigils favored by War Within) the fan-favorite Tf website named "TFW2005,"



3) Same page, same panel: Inside the room with a view on the right, two G2 Autobots can be seen at the table, Volt and Electro. I'm not sure but I surmise that the red and black 'bot to the the left is Gunrunner, the Japanese Roadhandler repaint which came with the Takara Groundshaker tank. Anyone have a clue who the two bots to the right are?



4) In the meeting between the Autobots, once again we see the traditional characterization brought back itno focus: Bluestreak is brash but wants to return to Earth. Gears and Huffer don't want to, and Mirage is depicted pretty much as a prissy aristocrat--which he is.



5) Just my little preference, but I love the conversation between

Cliffjumper and Omega Supreme. I mean, they actually wind up agreeing--and I've often wondered what a conversation with OS would be like. I guess this is as good as it gets.



6) The constant side-switching done by Starscream may be confusing, but it is certainly true to character. And his act of doing something he clearly doesn't want to do but does anyway (saving somebody) reminds me of those scenes in the TV series where he would whine but comply anyway.



7) Just have to say. That last page. Four panels. Two words. "The end." Wow.