We are pleased to announced that the Internet's only dedicated Lucky Draw website, LuckyDrawTransformers.com, has been relaunched with a brand new look and some new sections. The new layout should make navigation of the site much easier and means that LuckyDrawTransformers.com now contains all of the image scans that we have taken from the various Japanese Hobby Magazines. We have also included a check list showing which of the magazines we have looked through for any Lucky Draw figure. This should help others who are looking to acquire back-issues that contain lucky draw articles.

To help celebrate the re-launch we have added some new images to the Brave Maximus toy image image gallery, showing all of the extra pieces that come with the Lucky Draw version of the toy. These images were kindly supplied by Transfan2.

Titan Comics Assistant Editor, Den Patrick, has updated his blog with a post regarding the forthcoming UK exclusive Transformers Animated comic which will be released by Titan on the 23rd October. Here is a rather length quote from Den's blog, but you can click through to read the article in its entirety

"We are launching the new title on the 23rd October, and the regular TRANSFORMERS Comic: UK, will continue to run in it’s current format, published every four weeks.

Find out more about our new comic here.

Presumably Hasbro have created the television show to keep the new generation of fans sated after the Transformers 2007 film, and to keep the fanboys bitching until the sequel – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Transformers Animated has been on NickToons since March this year, and is rumoured to be available on a terrestrial channel in the UK in the New Year."

Movie Cronchiles user OneMoreNone has posted a higher quality video of the filming that took place on the Queensway Bridge during the filming of Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. You can view the video by using the player below. Be warned the video contains a loud explosion as well as explictives, so is not may suitable for some visitors.

Also we have updated our Revenge of the Fallen production image gallery with some images of the tanker that was used during the filming which confirm that the scene is is suppose to be taking place in China due to the Kanji symbol for Shanghai.

Credit to transformerslive.blogspot.com for the images and video

The Transformers Collectors Club website has been updated with the following release regarding issue 3 of the Transformers Timelines comic

Transformers Timelines Issue 3
Benson Yee (w) Don Figueroa (a) Espen Grundetjern (c)

Don Figueroa returns to Transformers for this exciting Timelines story, one that will shatter everything you thought you knew about the Transformers!

On a world known as Cybertron, a ruthless and cruel tyrant prepares his army for an all out attack on a planet rich in resources. Their Destination: Earth! Only a small band of rebels stand between this evil warlord and his plans for universal conquest. If these brave soldiers are unable to stop the attack then there will be nothing to prevent the Universe from falling victim to the maniacal Optimus Prime and his legion of Autobots!

This Fall, the Mirror Universe comes to Transformers, as the battle lines will be drawn and a new champion will emerge. A young and noble Decepticon known as Megatron will stand up and fight for freedom, the freedom that is the right of all Transformers! Along with his fellow Decepticons, they will fight to the very last to stop the spread of Optimus Prime's tyranny!

Featuring all new Bonus profile art by Makoto Ono and Alex Milne as well as other extra content only available in this special Diamond edition.

FC - 32 pages - $4.95

Timelines Issue 3 is up for solicitation in the current September Issue of Previews. The book will be available November 2008 so be sure to request your copy of Timelines at a comic shop near you!

Our thanks once again go out to Break for letting us know that Toys R Us UK are now (as of yesterday) stocking the following Transformers items

Transformers Animated Powerbot (Cyber Stomping) Bumblebee

Transformers Animated Arm Blaster (Optimus fire truck)

Transformers Universe Voyagers (Blaster & Heavy Duty).

AICN have published an interview they recently held with Generation One and Transformers Movie Optimus Prime voice actor Peter Cullen.

In related Transformers Movie news, the TransformersLive.Blogspot.com have posted a video from the set of the second Transformers Movie, which you can find below, containing the first public footage of the Chevy Volt.

TFClub has posted some high resolution images of the upcoming Transformers Universe Ironhide toy on their site.

The site, which is in Chinese, may take some time to load so please be patient.

Actoys has posted the bio for Transformers Universe Unicron, which reads as follows.

Name: Unicron
Faction: Decepticons

Bio: Immortal, indestructible and all-powerful, Unicron is the ultimate evil in the cosmos. Massive silent and unstoppable, he floats through the non-space between dimensions, reaching out with his sensors to find the universe with the most energy. Those dimensions he finds suitable, he consumes, destroying every planet, every star and every trace of life. He has been destroyed or defeated countless times, yet he always returns, hungrier and more powerful than before, for he is more than a mere monster. He is evil incarnate, and as long as there is evil, there is Unicron.

Strength: ??
Intelligence: ??
Speed: 10
Endurance: ??
Rank: 10
Courage: 10
Firepower: ??
Skill: 10

In his latest blog update Transformers writer Simon Furman talks about the Return to Cybertron story ark that will begin in issue 17 of the UK Transformers comic.

"Right, let’s talk Cybertron. In fact, let’s talk ‘Return to Cybertron,’ the next four-part mini-epic from the alt. movie universe saga running in the Transformers (UK) comic/magazine. As always, the following contains teasers (rather than out and out spoilers), but if you’d rather not know at all, look away now. Okay, it all kicks off in TF-UK #17, as the escalating crisis on Earth necessitates a desperate plan and—for Ironhide, Bumblebee, Arcee and Armorhide—a not so happy homecoming. But, first things first! The current (sad) state of planet Earth necessitates some expert know-how, which leads Optimus Prime to summon a team of specialists (headed by Evac, making his comic strip debut). In the wake of the destruction of the All Spark (in ‘Twilight’s Last Gleaming’), things are looking decidedly terminal for terra firma, and the President wants action. He gets it. ‘Subtle’ just ain’t in Evac’s crew’s toolkit. And what of Cybertron itself? What could possibly merit a virtual combat drop into a world currently as barren hostile as they come? One word: Nucleon! What’s waiting there for Ironhide and his team? All I can say is, someone hasn’t given up on Cybertron. In fact, they’ve gone to great lengths to see the planet rise like a phoenix from the ashes. But, of course, there’s a price… a really, really BIG price! You won’t believe where we’re going with this one! TF-UK #17 is out on the 9th of October. Hoo-hah! Art for part 1 of ‘Return to Cybertron’ is by Jon Davis-Hunt. Check out his amazing work by clicking on the image below.

Its time for us to once again bring you the NPD retail charts, this time for the month of June 2008.  Its bad news for Transformers in terms of revenue generated as the brand falls out of the top 10 revenue chart completely.  In terms of units sold, those Movie Legends hung in their in 6th spot.  Overall, Transformers sales were high enough to keep both the Movie Legends and the Movie Deluxe figures in the Year To Date chart at the half way mark of 2008.  In general the number of action figures sold fell, though Transformers, Ben 10 and Indiana Jones all performed pretty well.  None of the Movie tie in lines (Indy, Hulk and Ironman) performed anywhere near as well as Transformers and Spider-man 12 months ago, though shelf space was getting limited with other movie tie-in figures being released in July. Anyway, here are the charts

UK June 2008 (£ Sales)
1 BEN 10 FIGURES 10CM ASSORTMENT - BANDAI
2 CARS VEHICLE ASSORTMENT - MATTEL
3 BEN 10 15CM ACTION FIGURES - BANDAI
4 BEN 10 OMNITRIX FX WATCH - BANDAI
5 ALL SURFACE SWINGBALL - MOOKIE
6 ITNG MINI PLUSH - HASBRO
7 INDIANA JONES WHIP ROLEPLAY - HASBRO
8 ITNG 12-INCH TALKING PLUSH - HASBRO
9 HOT WHEELS BASIC CAR ASSORTMENT - MATTEL
10 HSM COUNTRY CLUB FRIENDS - MATTEL

UK June 2008 (Unit Sales)
1 HOT WHEELS BASIC CAR ASSORTMENT MATTEL
2 BEN 10 FIGS 10CM ASSORTMENT BANDAI
3 CARS VEHICLE ASSORTMENT MATTEL
4 MATCH ATTAX CARDS 07/08 TOPPS
5 SPEED RACER DIE-CAST VEHICLES MATTEL
6 TRANSFORMERS MOVIE LEGENDS HASBRO
7 ITNG MINI PLUSH HASBRO
8 POWER RANGERS OPERATION OVERDRIVE FIGURES BANDAI
9 BEN 10 15CM ACTION FIGURES BANDAI
10 DR WHO SONIC SCREWDRIVER CHARACTER OPTIONS

Year To Date (£ Sales)
1 CARS VEHICLE ASSORTMENT MATTEL
2 BEN 10 FIGS 10CM ASSORTMENT BANDAI
3 BEN 10 OMNITRIX FX WATCH BANDAI
4 TRANSFORMERS MOVIE LEGENDS HASBRO
5 POWER RANGERS OPERATION OVERDRIVE FIGURES BANDAI
6 ITNG MINI PLUSH HASBRO
7 ITNG 12-INCH TALKING PLUSH HASBRO
8 HSM COUNTRY CLUB FRIENDS MATTEL
9 HOT WHEELS BASIC CAR ASSORTMENT MATTEL
10 TRANSFORMERS MOVIE DELUXE HASBRO

Year To Date (Unit Sales)
1 HOT WHEELS BASIC CAR ASSORTMENT MATTEL
2 CARS VEHICLE ASSORTMENT MATTEL
3 BEN 10 FIGS 10CM ASSORTMENT BANDAI
4 TRANSFORMERS MOVIE LEGENDS HASBRO
5 POWER RANGERS OPERATION OVERDRIVE FIGURES BANDAI
6 ITNG MINI PLUSH HASBRO
7 WWE RUTHLESS AGGRESSION VIVID
8 BEN 10 15CM ACTION FIGURES BANDAI
9 DR WHO 5-INCH FIGURES CHARACTER OPTIONS
10 BEN 10 OMNITRIX FX WATCH BANDAI