The Orlando Sentinel report that "A video by four Union Park Elementary fifth-graders has won the top prize in a contest sponsored by NASA and Hasbro, the makers of “Transformers” toys.

The students won first place in the elementary division of the the Optimus Prime contest for their YouTube video about clothing developed using NASA technology. Their video took the form of a newscast about the fabrics, which protect wearers from harmful ultraviolet rays. The contest goal was to help students understand how NASA technology ‘transforms’ into things used daily.

The four girls each received a 10-pound glass trophy with Optimus Prime etched inside and their name engraved on it, a NASA goody bag and clothing from the SPF company, which makes the UV-protective clothing they featured in their video."

Skewed and Reviewed recently had the opportunity to interview Transformers Prime voice actor Steve Blum (Starscream) regarding his work on Transformers Prime, Guild Wars, Bulletstorm and the Transformers: Dark of the Moon game.

Here are a couple of snippets, but please visits sknr to read the full article.

How did you become involved with the new Transformers project and your character?

I prayed a lot, bribed a little, cried some. [Laughs] Actually, I just auditioned for it like anything else – and got really, really lucky! Starscream has always been one of my favorite characters – especially as played in recent years by the great Charlie Adler and also the great Tom Kenny! In fact, after hearing Charlie’s recent performances in the films, I felt I had to get his blessing before I could even accept the role! By the way, what a gentleman – love that guy! Tom’s a hell of an act to follow too – jeez! It’s very hard for me to take over a character that has been so masterfully portrayed – especially when my friends are the previous portrayers! I didn’t try to consciously copy anything that had been done before me, I simply did what came naturally and apparently (thankfully) they liked it!

... working with a cast (like in Transformers) – is always more fun. We get to play a lot of nuance off of each other that just doesn’t exist when I’m in a room by myself. And we laugh. A lot. Sometimes too much. This cast in particular is amazing. I get a huge kick out of sitting back and watching Peter (Cullen) and Frank (Welker), the “Godfatherbots” themselves – duke it out. It’s a joy and honor to work in the same room with two of my biggest heroes! They ARE a comedy team. Like the old school, masters of improv and impersonation, the real deal. So much talent in that room, and an unusual mix of voices! It’s humbling.

What sort of research did you do for the parts and what challenges did it present compared with other work?

I read a lot of stuff on the internet and watched an episode or two from each of the older series. I was already in my 20’s when G1 came out, but I was certainly aware that Transformers was something new and different and I have to admit that I did play with my kid’s action figures. I still do. Except I have my own action figures now. That counts as research, right?

What can you tell us about your work in Guild wars 2 and the new Transformers game in terms of who you voice and what were your experiences on each?

Ah, Rytlock Brimstone, one big, nasty Charr – wields a huge sword and speaks in a gravelly, deep voice. That’s pretty much my entire knowledge of the guy. I’m not a gamer, so I play, I fight, I move on. Seemed pretty epic at the time.
If you’re speaking of the newest Transformers game – WAY too early to talk about it, methinks. Lasers trained on my temples. In the past, I’ve played a lot of bots – good and bad, including Barricade and Breakdown. Vocally stressful, but any time I get to live in the Transformers universe, I’m grateful.

Million Publishing, the company behind the Generations Books, have announced that their exclusive mail-away figure for the Transformers Generations 2011 book will be none other than Transformers United Stepper.  The figure is a recolour of the Transformers United / Reveal The Shield Jazz complete with Nightstick targetmaster.  The toy is based on the Stepper figure from the Transformers Headmasters line.

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1. TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS
2. TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS

­HK-TF board member zeroeo has posted some in-hand images of the Kabaya gumkit figure GaiaCross.  Gaiacross is a re-imagine of the Transformers Victory group known as Multi-forc­e.  You can view the images below­

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In an update on Michael Bay's message board, Nelson, the administrator, posted the following regarding the trailer release for Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Fast 5 ill be in theaters April 29.
The TF3 trailer will be available on Apple Trailers on 7PM (Eastern Time) on April 28th. 

This is because there was some confusion over a comment posted by Michael Bay where he said that the trailer will debut with Fast 5 next week, which is a week ahead of the US release of Fast 5 but is the release week of several international countries including the UK

Another auction has appeared on TaoBao for one of the upcoming Botcon 2011 exclusive Transformers Animated Stunticons, this time the auction is for Dragstrip. We have mirrored some of the images, but you can view others on the auction page itself.

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MTV and Herocomplex have posted trailer for Transformers Prime Episode 12 Predatory, showing of Airarchnid, the character who's name we unveiled to the world.

New of Transformers Dark of the Moon news, other than toys, has been quiet thin on the ground - something that Michael Bay will be pleased with.  Then yesterday a whole host of news popped up.

• Michael Bay Previews Transformers: Dark of the Moon! - ComingSoon.net
• Sneak peek: 'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon' offers craziest robot action yet - HitFix
• 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' new details: Moon crashes, crushed skyscrapers, and flying-squirrel soldiers - Entertainment Weekly
• Transformers 3 : Sentinel Prime se dévoile - Lyricis.fr
• /Film Gets a Sneak Peek At The INSANE Action in ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ - SlashFilm
• 'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon' Features 'More Mature' Story, Michael Bay Says - MTV News
• In Dark of the Moon Sneak Peek, ‘Birdmen’ Steal Transformers’ Thunder - Wired
• Sneak Peek at Transformers: Dark of the Moon - UGO
• Sneaking A Peek At Michael Bay's New Film 'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon' - Latino Review
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On top of this news, TakaraTomy has posted a listing of its Transformers Darkside of the Moon figures

• DA-15 JETWINGS OPTIMUS PRIME - 4 PER CASE - JULY RELEASE - JAPAN EXCL
• DA- 16 ULTIMATE IRONHIDE - 6 PER CASE - JULY RELEASE - LEADER CLASS - JULY
• DA-17 SPACE OPTIMUS - 6 PER CASE - JULY - VOYAGER CLASS
• DA-18 NITRO BUMBLEBEE - 12 PER CASE - JULY - DELUXE CLASS
• DA-19 MADFLAP - 12 PER CASE - JULY RELEASE - DELUXE CLASS
• DD-07 BAZARD - 12 PER CASE - JULY RELEASE - SCOUT CLASS
• DD-08 THUNDERCRACKER - JULY RELEASE - DELUXE CLASS
• DA-20 SENTINEL PRIME - AUGUST RELEASE - VOYAGER CLASS
• DA-21 GUNFIRE AND SPIKE - HUMAN ALLIANCE BASIC - JULY
• DA-22 GUNFIRE AND TANGUSTEIN - HUMAN ALLIANCE BASIC - JULY
• DA-23 SANDSTORM AND DEADCLIFF - HUMAN ALLIANCE BASIC - JULY
• DD-09 DECEPTICON A - DELUXE CLASS - AUGUST
• DD-10 STARSCREAM REDECO - DELUXE CLASS - AUGUST
• DD-11 ICEPEAK AND CHAOS - HUMAN ALLIANCE BASIC - AUGUST
• DA-24 OPTIMUS PRIME REDECO - VOYAGER CLASS - AUGUST
• DA-25 MOTORCYCLE AND NEST - HUMAN ALLIANCE BASIC - AUGUST
• DA-26 HELICOPTOR AND NEST - HUMAN ALLIANCE BASIC - AUGUST
• DA-27 OVERBIKE AND NEST - HUMAN ALLIANCE BASIC - AUGUST
• DD-12 F1 CAR - DELUXE CLASS - 12 PER CASE ­

Both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.jp have­ posted more information on the upcoming book  Transformers Vault: The Complete Transformers Universe.

Amazon.com describes the book as

"For the first time ever, Transformers Vault reveals the complete story of the Transformers, everyone's favorite robots in disguise. Loaded with never-before-seen images, this book is a guide to the epic battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, as it began with toys and television, and continued to comics, film, games, and other media. There's something here for all generations, from classic toys that have become sought-after collectibles to the amazing, high-tech visuals of the three live-action films.

Hasbro has opened its official archives, gathering more than 250 images and several featured pieces of memorabilia. Look inside for a sheet of Generation One tech specs with a secret revealer, a rare pencil sketch from comics artist Casey Coller, an unseen character profile for Hot Rod from the 1986 film, an animation cel, and much more. Exclusive photos of Japanese Transformer prototypes, archival development art, and brand-new information about the future of the Transformers make this the ultimate package for every fan."

With the Japanese version of the website posting the following description:

""The epic battle between the Autobots and Deceptions has captivated fans of all ages for more than two decades, and the robots in disguise were recently rediscovered by a new generation via the hugely successful live-action film series directed by Michael Bay. Officially licensed by Hasbro, The TRANSFORMERS Vault: The Complete TRANSFORMERS Universe covers, for the first time ever, the complete history of TRANSFORMERS, including toys, the original animated series, comics, collectibles, and merchandise, as well as animated and live-action feature films. This heavily illustrated book features never-before-seen images from the Hasbro archives, seven interactive pieces of memorabilia, and an acetate slipcase with a unique "transforming effect." Five visually driven chapters feature early animation sketches, interviews with creators, wooden sculptures for the original toys, patents, prototypes, action-figure designs that never made it to production, vintage packaging art, and set-design sketches from the Michael Bay films."

In an update over on FullMetalHero.com, Kapow Toys posted the following announcement yesterday:

"We received the full UK product listings up until Wave 3 today and the new HA Basic's are not listed unless they are infact included in the cyberverse line up but that looks unlikely. Perhaps this is a direct result of the poor sales of the ROTF Human Alliance line which as most people know Hasbro are still trying to clearance at half price and without much success.

We will post the full UK waves later today and try and hopefully get firm word on the the fate of the HA line soon."

Does this mean that the UK won't get the scouts at all, or will they find their way into Tesco and Asda via their US deals?  Time will tell