The Transformers 4 Age of Extinction Oreo cookie advert has been uploaded onto YouTube. The advert contains some additional footage from the scene where Lockdown attacks Optimus Prime and was directed by Michael Bay himself

YouTube user John McEwen has posted a new TV spot for Transformers: Age of Extinction which features some new footage from the movie including Optimus Prime riding Grimlock as well as Hound.

Steve Jablonsky has posted an image onto his his Facebook profile announcing that he is composing the Dinobots Theme for Transformers 5: Age Of Extinction. The photo, which can be seen below, was captioned by: "They're Coming...".  Steve has stated that he started working on the score last Saturday and will continue over this weekend at the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage, Sony Pictures

Singapore Transformers fans will be best advised to head downt o Toys R Us for a special Age of Extinction launch night where one lucky winner (well the person who spends the most amount of money) will be able to win a gold chrome Transformers: Age of Extinction Leader Class Optimus Prime who will come complete within a display case much like previous Transformers Movie "lucky draw" figures

1. "Lion City Roars for Grimlock" App
In order for the mighty Grimlock to emerge, we need to collect one million decibels worth of roars. To help in this quest, fans and their friends can submit their loudest roars via the Facebook mobile application titled The Lion City Roars for Grimlock.

2. Transformers Toy Madness @ 2200
Kicking off the festivities is the TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION Toy Madness @ 2200 event. Starting from 10pm on Friday, 16th May, fans of all walks can join in the excitement at Toys’R’Us Forum and be the first to own the figures from the TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION movie. Fans can also revel in fun-filled activities such as putting their skills to the test in a race against fellow fans to convert TRANSFORMERS figurines; and have their photos taken with their favourite Transformers characters. What’s more, the top spender of the night will win a Gold-Chrome Transformers 4 Optimus Prime Leader (with display case), limited to Toys’R’Us Star Card members only.

The Transformers 4 Platinum Edition Optimus Prime and Grimlock, available only at Toys’R’Us, will be launched at this event. Fans who purchase this item during the event will stand a chance to receive a pair of TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION movie tickets, a Transformers paper bag and movie poster, along with Miniature 2-inch Optimus Prime Then & Now metal figures.

Argos have launched a Transformers Age of Extinction promo page with a count down until a launch of the line which, it's suggested, will contain Argos exclusives.  The count down is currently set to expire on the Monday 12th May at midnight. You can check it out by visiting The Argos Website

TFW2005 Board member jru42287 has learned of some interesting new entries in the Toys R Us computer system within the US and has taken some photos for TFW2005.

"The first of these entries, with a retail value listed of $129.99, is a "Transformers MV4 Optimus Trailer Platinum Edition" which by the sounds of it is a Platinum Edition version of Age of Extinction Optimus Prime complete with trailer. An image is shown with the listing, showing a more detailed truck mode than we have seen so far with a Generation 1 inspired trailer, although the image might be a placeholder.

Second is another Platinum Series set, titled "Breakout Scene". This set curiously has a Generations Skids pictured with it in spite of being explicitly labelled as "TRA MV4", or Transformers Movie 4. The Skids is colored to look like the Sonic rally car, though may be a placeholder since he's a non-movie toy. The set is listed as $59.99 which implies there may be more to it than just this one Deluxe - although we may never know, since it is in "D" status, suggesting the set has been discontinued. This may mean it is not happening, or just that it is not yet fully confirmed.

Lastly there are two more sets of listings, one set for Transformers Age of Extinction Leaders and one set for Transformers Generations Leader class toys. Both sets of listings feature three toys listed - which in both cases covers the two known Leaders (Grimlock and Optimus Prime for Age of Extinction, Megatron and Jetfire for Generations). There's no information on who the third Leader for either line is, though, but rumors are that the third Age of Extinction Leader may be a reworked Dark of the Moon Leader Bumblebee."

The Facebook group Transformers Colombia has shared official images of the "Toys R Us exclusive" Dinobot Strafe and Slug "Evolution two packs" known as the "then and now" sets.  The sets feature Deluxe class Dinobots from Age of Extinction with Minicon Transformers: Dark of the Moon Dinobot. Rav is packed with Strafe whlst and Triceradon is packed with Slug

The same website has also posted images of the Cybersmasher Grimlock　and Strafe with Bumblebee sets.

If you are in the US and want to get the Transformers: Age of Extinction figures, then you should head on down to your local Wal*Mart and check to see whether they have put the toys out onto the shelves early.  Yes as is the case with almost every product launch someone was going to break the "street date" of May 17th 2014 and it appears that Wal*Mart have started the trend by breaking it by over a month!  Toy companies do not look always well on this sort of thing as they often receive complaints from competitors, but Hasbro Inc will not do anything as it's Wal*Mart and will, instead, sit back and watch the toys sells as scalpers hunt down the toys to place them on eBay and try to make some quick money.

The first official trailer for Transformers: Age of Extinction has now been released and is a full two minutes, thirty three seconds in length

Thanks to a YouTube leak from Paramount International, it has been able to rip a still image from the private video for the trailer that will air during the superbowl.  The video placerholder is available on the YouTube mobile site, but the following image has been extracted.

The New York Times have held an interview with Hasbro’s chief executive Brian D. Goldner regarding the Transformers line in which he described the toys have having "lost their magic". Mr Goldner made the statement whilst referring to the complexity of the toys these days compared to earlier incarnations.  “We’ve made incredibly sophisticated robots,” he said, “but it can be like a 1,000-piece puzzle.” he went on to say.

Goldner is quoted as having taking the decision that "the toys needed to return to their roots" and that he challenged the design team to relook at the figures to greatly simplify them.  The result is that some of the figures will now change simply from the push of a button or a "flick of the wrist".

The article also confirmed that the toys will be on show to retailer at the British Toy Fair which takes place this week and that part of the reasoning for the change in the toys was to grant the instant gratification that is sort by children these days who attention span simply does not keep them interested in a more complicated figure.

Joshua Lamb, the senior design director for the brand, is quoted as stating that " “As new designers and engineers continued to work on this brand, it got more complicated,” he said. Hasbro will continue to make complex Transformers for adult fans who have collected the toys since their inception 30 years ago. But the new design is intended to re-engage parents and children, who found the transformations too challenging."

The figures will also be repackaging in a standard brand theme rather than separate sub-brands for say Generations, RescueBots, the Movie figures etc.  According to the Jonathan Newkirk, the creative brand manager for Transformers, the new box design will leave "as much space as possible to celebrate the characters".

You can view an example of one of the new figure in the form of "Smash - Change" Optimus Prime below,

TFW2005.com board member catz has posted an image of what he claims is the TakaraTomy Transformers 4 toy solicitation he received from his toy supplier.  The list, which can be viewed below, includes recolours from the previous Transformers Movie toys as well as launch dates, package dimensions and placeholder names.

ACToys.net have posted some more images of a factory leaked Transformers Age of Extinction Optimus Prime figure who, they report, will be the Leader Class version.  The figure, which can be seen below, has chrome detailing which is unusual for a Western release, meaning that this might be a Japanese version of the figure, or is a hint to expect more chrome on the new line

Thanks to ACToys.net the first in-hand image of the Transformers Age of Extinction Leader Class Optimus Prime can now be revealed.  The image, which can be seen below, clearly shows the two melee weapons with which the toy will come.

The CYBERGEEKS Alliance Facebook page have posted image of the solicitation for the upcoming Transformers: Age of Extinction figures. We have broken the list down into size groups below:

Deluxe:

• Bumblebee Classic/High Octanne
• Crosshairs/Slingshot
• Dinobot Slug
• "Southpaw"
• Lockdown
• Drift
• Strafe
• Dinobot Slash
• PDQ
• Snarl
• Rally Car
• Decepticon Stinger

Voyager:

• Optimus Prime "Evasion Mode"
• Grimlock
• Hound
• Galvatron
• Slog
• Drift
• Optimus Prime and Grimlock

Leader:

• Grimlock
• Optimus Prime