TFSource.com have published four small images of the up coming Transformers Masterpiece Prowl and Streak prototypes whic you can view below.

As part of our morning news catchup, where we will quickly take you through the major news stories since out downtime, what better place to start than with Kapow Toys exclusive look at the IDW designs for Transformers More Than Meets The Eye Star Saber.  The UK based online retailer have posted preview images of the designs by Alex Milne on their Transformers site FullMetalHero.com which you can view by clicking the link or by using the mirror below. You can view our Star Saber toy galleries within the toy section of the website.

Hello lovely people, we are back!!

As you may well have noticed, all of our websites including Transformers At The Moon, TransformersAnimated.com, Lucky Draw Transformers, The Visionaries.net, AFA Transformers etc have been offline for the last few days.  This was caused by a series of major hardware failure on our hosted dedicated server.

On Thursday the website went offline as the database crashed and could not recover. This crash was caused by the failure of one of the servers disks.  As well as the disk failing the RAID card which controlled the disks also failed.  This caused corruption to occur within the database.  We had some new hardware fitted but any new RAID card could not read either of the disks which were left nor could the old controller rebuild the RAID array with replacement disks.

Our hosting provider said that they would replace all of the damaged hardware but we would loose everything on the server.  It was at this time we discovered that our backups of the database had also been corrupted and/or were missing information and had been for some time.

We decided to bring forward the introduction of a new server whihch is something we have been planning for a while but did not have the time to focus on migrating the websites to the new server and also migrate our hosted email solution away to a third party provider to reduce load on the server and save some hassle.

So on Friday, before and after work as well as during lunch, we migrated all of the data and files (well over 100GB) between the two servers as well as synchronising all of the database files and images offline (just over 50GB for a highly compressed backup).  The new server was set-up and the database records were recovered after a few attempts and some fun with the old server not being alive enough to actually backup what it had when I did manage to get the database service running again.

This morning I have run a series of tests over our various websites and have redirected the DNS for all of our domains and emails with the exception of the primary transformertoys.co.uk domain which is currently being migrated.

Whilst there is still some minor set-up which is required, you should find that everything on the website is now working, if it is not, then please get in touch with us via email, Facebook, Google Plus or Twitter.

I'd like to apologise for the downtime as we were down far longer than I hoped.

On behalf of my brother and myself I would like to assure everyone that we have not forgotten about this website. It has been a large part of our lives for the past 14 years (the site turns 15 this coming October making it older than many of our visitors!!). We are currently working on completing some other projects but we have a major revamp planned out for the site which I hope to get to over the spring and into the summer.

Thank you to everyone for all the support over the years, the last server hosted the website from 2008 until today, hopefully this one will last as long if not longer.

Steve AKA Quartz

HK-TF have posted some new images of the Transformers Generations Legends 2-packs for Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. The images, which have been mirrored below, also include some additional images which were posted online yesterday by RobotKingdom.

The Michigan Motion Picture Studios have started to build sets for the principal photography of Transformers 4, which is due to start in in late May. The 535,000 square foot facility is in in Pontiac, MI and is one of many locations that Transformers 4 will be shooting this yeah

"They are in the process of pre-production right now," Wenson told MLive Detroit, when asked if Bay's film crew is in town. "They are filming in several other states, too. The majority of their shooting, I believe, will be done in the state of Michigan.

"In addition to working on our stages, they’ll also be working throughout the state at different locations. We’re really excited that they’re here. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to service another film.”

The official Transformers Facebook page has posted the five-page commentary for Transformers: Robots in Disguise Issue 16 with writer John Barber. You can view a mirror of the preview below.

TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE #16 hits the stands today, courtesy of IDW Publishing and Hasbro! This is it—the climax of the first big ROBOTS IN DISGUISE story. The fate of Cybertron’s leadership is decided, as Bumblebee and the Autobots battle Megatron’s forces in the city of Iacon. Artist Andrew Griffith—along with inker Brian Shearer and colorist Josh Perez—pulled out all the stops on this one; and we sat down with writer John Barber to talk about this monumental issue. TF:RID #16 is available at comic book stores everywhere and at https://transformers.comixology.com/ or via the Comixology and iBooks apps on your computer or mobile device!

PAGE 1- The might against Megatron continues with Bumblebee and his team. Considering the different factions trying to live together on their home world, was there ever a right or wrong in the decisions he took? Or was it simply that he wasn’t strong enough to hold them all together?

JOHN BARBER: That’s a good question. Bumblebee was trying to do what was right, and here—battling Megatron—it’s clear what needs to get done. But would Megatron have had support, would the Decepticon masses have followed him, had it not been for Bumblebee’s policies? He locked them up, he put in the Identification/Deterrence chips, and even once those were gone, he still clearly didn’t welcome them with open arms. I mean, Bumblebee had reason to be angry at the Decepticons, and reasons to not trust them. So maybe he never had a chance.

There isn’t really a clear-cut answer, as to whether Bee was right or wrong, and that’s one of the big themes of the series. I hope the readers will argue about it.

Was Bumblebee too weak? That’s how he sees himself, and how some of the others see him. Maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, though. Could anybody have accomplished what he set out to do? Again—I don’t mean to evade the question, it’s that the question is the main thing about the series. I don’t want to cop out on anything, but the question is more interesting to me. And hey, if I had the actual answer, I should be ruling the world myself.

PAGE 2- Megatron, Devastator and the other Decepticons pile on the pressure. You think right now Starscream is regretting the things that he has done prior to this issue, and not done what might have previously done before?

JOHN BARBER: Starscream thought he was playing everything correctly for a while—up to issue 11—then he had a crisis of… well, not “conscious,” as this issue will demonstrate… but a crisis of faith in himself. I’m sure that, in his head, he’s running through every action he’s ever taken, but I don’t think he has Bumblebee’s capacity for self-reflection. He’s more likely to see any failure as a failure of circumstance, not of himself. But this was a big fall—he was about to gain control of the city, and then Megatron showed up and ruined everything, so it’s a crushing blow.

Anyway—he definitely doesn’t have Bee’s capacity for beating himself up over his decisions.Actually, his ego probably protects him a little here (like Prowl’s does).
What is why, at this point in the story, even if it doesn’t look like it, he is actively looking for any opportunity amidst all the action.

PAGE 3- Arcee and Sideswipe do their best to carry on the fight back. With Arcee, was the plan always to make her as ambiguous as possible until she was forced into making a decision on where she truly stood?

JOHN BARBER: Yeah—Issue 18 is where we actually get into her head, and see how she thinks. She just approaches things from a way that other Cybertronians don’t. Her worldview is skewed by all the events in her life—I mean, everybody’s is; it’s just that her event are just a little more unusual.

So, yeah, she was definitely keeping quiet about what she knew, who she would side with, all that—until she had an opportunity to strike most effectively. Which, I don’t think exactly worked out—she definitely didn’t want out-of-control Prowl-Devastator running around, so it’s not like she actually succeeded in her plan. But things could have been worse.

Nevertheless, from my perspective, she’d have been better off going to Bumblebee in issue 4. But she didn’t think he’d trust her, and Bee definitely didn’t act like he was looking to trust Prowl’s secret warrior. So she didn’t think that was a legitimate possibility. And now, hey, look what all that mistrust has sown.

PAGE 4- Ironhide and the Dinobots pile in to provide reinforcements? Considering what is happening to his friends, do you think Ironhide is certain that the visions of the future he saw are going to come true, despite the devastation around him? They seem to have been driving his recent actions.

JOHN BARBER: Ironhide has come to realize that, even if he believes what he saw, there are multiple ways of looking at “fate.” He can just sit back and let the future happen, or he can take an active role. And if he takes an active role, he has to be himself. Beyond that—well, there’s more to come.

PAGE 5- Ironhide literally tries to knock some sense into Prowl/ Devastator’s head, and Bumblebee can see the tide of battle turning. This issue marks the end of the current arc in the series. In the grand scheme of things to come, how important are the issues we’ll find within these pages?

JOHN BARBER: Very. I mean, this issue is the close of the first big RID story arc. The story of Bumblebee versus Starscream versus Metalhawk struggling for control of Iacon comes to a close this issue. And however it works out, any one of them (or none of them) “winning” control of the city will change the face of Cybertron. There’s a lot going on in this issue, a lot of stories coming to a close, and it all matters a lot.

But it’s not the end of the series, and there are still going to be big, pointed questions looming. Where’s Shockwave? Why did what happened to the Aerialbots happen—and what’s the status of them now? Not to give anything away, but how does Starscream justify his actions? What’s up with Ironhide’s vision of the future? What does Jhiaxus want with Gorlam Prime? Lots and lots of other questions…

Not everything ends here—we’re back with another issue in a few weeks—but all that comes will be built on what we’ve done here. And there will be impacts felt in our sister series, TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, too. But I can’t talk about that without spoiling anything. I can say, that events from MTMTE spill into RID next issue… but if you’ve followed what MTMTE revealed about Shockwave, I don’t think that will be a surprise. Anyway—this comic, RID #16, will have repercussions in the comics—and maybe beyond—for some time to come.

But I do want to thank all the readers who’ve read this series—and read MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, and all the other Transformers comics, too—from the beginning, or who’ve come in during the run, or who are just joining us. Thanks for being there, hope you’ve enjoyed the ride so far, and it just gets better from here on out.

Hong Kong based sites and groups are going crazy today with images of Transformers Generations Blitzwing and Springer and thanks to these groups as well as Robot Kingdom, we can bring you over 100 images of some of the best looking Transformers releases in years.  You can view all of the images after the jump.

Mastermind Creations have posted some new images of their Feral-cons including an image of not-Razorclaw in his combined form.

Michael Bay has spoken to Collider at the Cinemacon regarding some of the technology he will be using to film Transformers 4.

"Over the last few years, IMAX has been quietly developing a smaller digital camera with amazing resolution. And while that would be great on its own…the new camera would also shoot in 3D! However, since no one had been talking about it recently, I figured IMAX was stuck trying to get the tech to work and it’d be years before we’d see it in action. I thought wrong. Tonight on the CinemaCon red carpet for Paramount’s presentation, Michael Bay told me he’s going to be shooting the big showcase scenes in Transformers 4 with the new, smaller IMAX 3D digital camera!"

Michael Bay has announced that Stanley Tucci has signed on to join the growing cast for Transformers 4 and that he will be announcing another cast member shortly.  An Emmy Award winning actor, Stanley played the Scientist Abraham Erskine in the movie Captain America: The 1st Avenger.

The Allspark have posted a list of "rumoured" new Asian exclusive Transformers figures which can be viewed below.

Platinum Edition Ultra Magnus: This is the Weaponiser version of Prime Beast Hunters Ultra Magnus and is a remould of the Weaponiser Optimus Prime released last year.
Platinum Edition Grimlock Vs Bruticus: A set containing the Fall of Cybertron releases of Voyager Grimlock and Bruticus.
Platinum Edition Classic Predaking: This is expected to be a G1 Predaking reissue
Platinum Edition CNY (Chinese New Year) RID Ultra Magnus: A recolour of the RiD / Car Robots Ultra Magnus.
Platinum Edition CNY Supreme Starscream: Expected to be a recolour of the Supreme class Starscream figure from Cybertron
ACG HK Con Metroplex: An exclusive at Anime-Comic-Game Expo release.
Cybertron Con Shockwave's Lab:Most likely a Cyberverse playset
Cybertron Con Beast Hunter Optimus Prime:

Since the announcement, Marcelo Matere has tweeted that he worked on the box art for some of the upcoming exclusives.

TakaraTomy have updated their official Transformers GT website with some new images of Safety Prime who will be offered at the "Kids Walk" event in Japan.  The event will take place on the qualifying day for the Super GT, where children will be able to visit the pit lane with their parents, which they are not normally allowed to do.  You can view three images showing the transformations below.

Every year CR Magazine produces a list of their top "100 Best Corporate Citizens" which recognises companies for their increasing transparency regarding the Company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, including product safety, environmental sustainability and manufacturing ethics as well as philanthropy. Hasbro were placed 7th in this years list with other notable companies include AT&T, Gap, Inc., Campbell Soup Co. and Intel.

"We are proud to be honored for the second consecutive year for our leadership and advancements in corporate social responsibility, including environmental sustainability, manufacturing ethics, philanthropy, and governance," said Brian Goldner, Hasbro's President and CEO. "This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our employees around the world, and the strides we’re making in helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations.”

This is the 2nd such award Hasbro have received this year as in March Hasbro was recognised as one of the "2013 World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, a leading global business ethics think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability.

Highlights of Hasbro's CSR efforts include:

• Reduced packaging: In 2012, Hasbro began to reduce the amount of material used in packaging for products in its brand portfolio. This builds upon Hasbro's ongoing sustainable packaging commitment.
• Phase-out of PVC in packaging: Hasbro has already phased out polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from new product packaging, and will continue to reduce PVC in all packaging until completely eliminated.
• Using Materials Responsibly: Hasbro’s owned and operated North American factory which makes many of the company’s board games and puzzles uses vegetable-based printing inks and aqueous coatings in its printing processes for game and puzzle components, boxes and instructions. Additionally, this factory retains green certification for its printing processes by the nonprofit Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP).
• Product safety: Continuing the company's outstanding product safety record, all Hasbro products meet or exceed federal and international safety standards and regulation, and Hasbro has not experienced a product recall in recent years.
• Philanthropy: In 2012, more than three million children were impacted by Hasbro’s philanthropic programs worldwide which focus on empowering childhood through hope, play and service. Hasbro employees also volunteered just over 20,000 hours of their time and talents to make a difference for children in their local communities.

A new ebay auction has appeared containing some new images of a testshot for the upcoming Transformers Generations 30th Anniversary Beast Wars Megatron figure.  The images can be seen below.

The toy is a recolour of the Transformers Fall of Cybertron Grimlock toy with a new head scuplt

Auto Assembly have issued the following Press Release to announce their first ever exclusive toy!

Auto Assembly Unveils It's First Ever Exclusive Toy For 2013
 
After listening to requests from our attendees for over a decade Auto Assembly, Europe's largest Transformers Convention, is proud to announce that it is able to unveil that it will have its FIRST EVER Exclusive Toy available for its 2013 convention taking place this August...
 
ROBOT MANUEL X is an exclusive repaint of the critically-acclaimed third party toy Demolition Crue Apex from Mech Ideas and is being produced into the Robot Manuel X convention exclusive being brought to the convention in conjunction with Sensible Collectibles.
 
Supplies of this toy will be extremely limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis and to ensure that as many of our attendees are able to get this toy, they will be limited to a maximum of ONE per person. Robot Manuel X is available to pre-order from the Auto Assembly website NOW for those of you who have already purchased tickets for the convention for just £45 and you can then collect your toy when you arrive at the convention. When ordering you will need to provide your Auto Assembly 2013 ticket number or we will not be able to process the order and it can be ordered from http://www.autoassembly.org.uk/auto-assembly-2013-exclusive-toy-order-form/
 
If you have not already booked for the convention, tickets are still available and they can be purchased from the site at: http://www.autoassembly.org.uk/auto-assembly-2013-ticket-bookings/
 
Please note that as this is a third party toy, our normal restrictions for the sale of third party products apply so they can not be supplied to anyone under the age of 18.
 
The toy will be available to fans who attend the convention and those who purchase the Auto Assembly 2013 Non-Attendee Pack which will be made available through the convention's website shortly which will include the toy, one of our exclusive t-shirts plus other mystery items which will be announced in the near future.
 
Any supplies of the toy remaining after pre-orders and Non-Attendee Pack orders close may be available at the convention while stock lasts.
 
This toy is one of a two-part set and his “spark-mate” will be made available at another Transformers Convention this Summer which will be announced at a later date.
 
We will be joined at Auto Assembly 2013 by Dan Gilvezan (G1 Bumblebee), Neil Kaplan (RiD Prime) and Steve Blum (TF: Prime Starscream), as well as comic guests Simon Furman, James Roberts, Andrew Griffith and many more.
 
Auto Assembly 2013 is Europe's largest EVER Transformers convention and is taking place over the weekend of 9th - 11th August 2013 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel. To book your tickets or find out more including details of all the dealers attending, all of our guests and a full schedule for the weekend, visit the website at www.autoassembly.org.uk
 

Hope to see you all in August!
 
The Auto Assembly Team
 
Web: www.autoassembly.org.uk / www.ct-alpha.com
Auto Assembly Europe: www.autoassemblyeurope.eu
Youtube: www.youtube.com/autoassembly
Twitter: www.twitter.com/auto_assembly
Forum: http://www.autoassembly.org.uk/forum
Email: contact@autoassembly.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0)7860 948296
 
Auto Assembly is sponsored by
 
Calloway Custom Designs - www.shapeways.com/shops/callowaycustomdesigns
Big Ds Toy Chest - www.bigdstoychest.co.uk
Toyz And Gamez - www.toyzandgamez.co.uk
Kapow Toys - www.kapowtoys.co.uk
TF Source - www.tfsource.com
Robot Kingdom - www.robotkingdom.com
Transformers @ The Moon - www.transformertoys.co.uk
TransformersAnimated.com - www.transformersanimated.com
Titan Books - www.titanbooks.com
Big Bad Toy Store - www.bbts.com