Following on from the recent news story regarding the Australian release of Masterpiece Optimus Prime version 2, where we commented that we'd expect Toys R Us to pick him up within the UK, well it seems that Hasbro UK have now come out and pretty much confirmed out thoughts.  TFW2005.com member Sweeny28 has posted a copy of an email reply sent by Hasbro UK to a question he posted them regarding a possible UK release.  The email, which can be seen below, confimred that Hasbro are hoping to release the toy on these shores in the Winter and that they are looking for a major toy specialist to pick up the figure in order to distribute him.

Here's a copy of the full email:

"RE: Transformers MP10 Masterpiece Optimus Prime
Thank you for your email.

We are hoping to be able to bring the Masterpiece Optimus Prime in to the Transformers line this winter and if available you will be able to find it major Toy specialist stores. More information will be available in the coming months

May we thank you for contacting Hasbro and if we can be of any further assistance, either now or in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Kind Regards,

Kate

Hasbro UK Ltd
00800 22427276"

As you are all probably aware by now I have spent the last 10 months buying a house.  It took 6 months to get to the completion and another 4 months of repairs, decorating and moving, but now I'm 80% unpacked and so I thought I would share a preview of the new dedicated Transformers display room (which has also been dubbed "The Transformers Museum") with you all.

Now, I am still unpacking some of the toys and so the layout in the cabinets it not yet finalised (and there is another cabinet still to do) but you'll get the idea of how things are going to be displayed.  Once everything is out and in the correct place I will take create a full image gallery of "the Transformers museum" as well as the other figures that I also have out on display as well as putting together a video tour, oh yes, it needs a tour ;), but that is another day.  For now you will find one preview image attached to this news story, another preview image on our Facebook page and the third preview image on our Google Plus page, so you'll need to click around a few places to see them all.

Hi everyone,

Auto Assembly 2012 is less than three months away and we thought that it was time that we stepped up a gear to let everyone know about the convention! We’ve been making announcements about the event steadily over the last few months and the response and support that we have had from everyone has been phenomenal so far, but we want to make this the biggest and best Auto Assembly ever and – with your help and support – we know that we can!

We wanted to do something different to let everyone know about the convention and to share some more news and updates about the convention and we thought long and hard about what the best way to do it was and decided that there was no better way than the internet! Social Media has become an incredible part of our lives over the last few years and there isn’t anyone out there in the Transformers community that either isn’t a member of a forum, doesn’t use Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or some other part of the internet as part of their everyday life so we’re running this week-long campaign starting today to let the whole world know about Auto Assembly and what we are doing with the convention this year and we want everyone out there to play a part in this and share your excitement and enthusiasm about this year’s convention!

So what’s it all about? Well for the next seven days we want everyone to tell as many people as possible about Auto Assembly 2012! Whether this means posting comments on Facebook, sharing stories and news updates that we post here on the website, re-tweeting our comments on Twitter… anything you can think of really and we want you all to be as creative as you can! Just have fun with it and we’d love to hear what you all get up to! For those of you on Facebook, why not join all of us here at Auto Assembly and change your profile image for the next seven days to our QR code image that we have included here:

Talking of Facebook, why not like our page? If you’re not already doing it you can find it here and while you’re there, go to the Auto Assembly 2012 Event Page on Facebook and let us know whether you’re attending this year. Don’t forget it’s an open group so invite all your friends to come along too! Still with online sites and we’d love to have more of you following us on Twitter so why not pop along to our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/auto_assembly and let’s see if we can get up to 500 followers by the end of the week!

We’re not just on Facebook and Twitter though… we’ve got an active channel on Youtube with video footage from the convention from previous years and we’ll be uploading some more news announcements about 2012 shortly. We’ve just released a new photo montage video today for Auto Assembly 2012 so feel free to share this on your own Youtube channels, Facebook, Twitter and everywhere else too! Check out our Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/autoassembly

Anything else? Well, for those of you who shop with some of our dealers, you may have seen our latest flyer for Auto Assembly 2012 but if you want to distribute this yourself or post copies on forums, Facebook or your own website, feel free to post the artwork which we are now making available to all of you now

If you’re on any Transformers forums, feel free to talk to any of our team who will no doubt be online on all of the major Transformers forums including our own joining in in most of the discussions that will be taking place about the convention and we’ll be on hand to answer any questions you might have. We’ll also be making some announcements about the convention through the website over the coming week so if you want to get this news as it breaks, don’t forget that you can sign up for updates free of charge by subscribing to the site!

We’re really excited about what this week is going to hold and we’re really looking forward to hearing what you’ve all got to say about the convention and what you’re all looking forward to!

Simon Plumbe

Auto Assembly Committee Head

Whilst not really Transformers news we thought we had to share this with you all.  Neurie tweeted us earlier today about the "return of the Jumpstarters" in reference to a figure he saw for sale from the new Amazing Spider-man toy line released to tie-in (not in story of form, just in time) into the upcoming movie.  The toy was from the "Flip and Attack" line and is produced by Hasbro (so there is a Transformers link :p).  The toy, which can be seen below, it basically an updated Jumpstarter and is, in my opinion, both awesome and tacky at the same time.  You can view Neuries original tweets here and here,

Spider-man, Spider-man does whatever a Jumpstarter can.

You can watch the preview video for the 40th episode of Transformers Prime, Triage, using the YouTube plugin below.

Ozformers, the Australian fansite, is reporting that Masterpiece Optimus Prime will be released "down-under" in October this year at a retail price of $150 (that's Australian Dollars).  This would work out as a $100 at US retail and, if Toys R Us US pick him up, probably an inflated UK price of between £80 and £100.

Hasbro have posted the answers from their Transformer Prime Q&A with the legendary Frank Welker onto their Facebook page.

1) Randy Young: What are your thoughts on why Transformers has become such a pop culture icon and endures to this day?

FW: Honestly, I think early on the ability to move the characters and have them transform was a brilliant design idea. You ended up with two figures not just one. The figures themselves were well thought out and stood apart from what was being made at the time. Also, Hasbro never sits idle for long they must have “mad scientist” idea men who work around the clock to keep coming up with new ideas, takes and concepts. I think that helps keep interest in the brand and grabs a new group of fans in each generation. Some things work and some don’t but they never stop trying to please the fans and it blows me away that they have listened to you guys and kept Prime, and Megatron as the leading force in the franchise. That kind of loyalty is not often seen in the biz.

2) Chibi Chan: If you could bring in any of the transformers from the other generations into Transformers Prime, who would they be and why?

FW: Chibi, you know what I would really like to see is a tribute to the G1 series and have a special that included the entire past cast or as many as we could assemble for a terrific 90 minute or two hour event. I know a lot of the guys and gals that are around and would love to do it. It’s problematic to bring charters into CGI life it’s very expensive so it would have to be like the old animated show and done in flat animation.

As to who I would bring into Transformers Prime, that is a tough question…there were so many I had affection for but you know what might be a good idea, have a contest and let you the fans vote for one Autobot and one Decepticon that you would like to see inserted into the TFP shows.

3) Christopher Curi: Mr. Welker, have any of your characters ever been modeled after the voice you create for them, or do you create the voice based on what the characters already look like?

FW: Hi Christopher, it is almost, with rare exception, the latter. We usually create the voice based on what we see or a verbal description by the producer or director. My favorite process is looking at the drawing or picture and then letting us the actors just come up with a voice to fit what we see. That is what Wally Burr director in the G1 days did with us. Almost always, that will be the best voice for the actor to perform because it is his initial gut instinct. But it usually doesn’t go down that way. The writer, the producer, and the director all have ideas that they want to be incorporated and often the amalgam is far from the actor’s first impression. Sometimes it works out great with the team effort…but to me the less messing around the better, after all if a picture is worth a thousand words that should be plenty enough.

4) Barry Koch: how hard is it to get the voice of Megatron down to the perfect pitch?

FW: Barry, just like feeling better some days than others there are times I feel such power and strength with Megatron it’s like flying effortlessly. Then there are those few days where I have to physically kick it up a notch to get him where I want him. There is technique for this…when I feel he isn’t quite as edgy as I would like, I do some low unearthly growls to get into character then I play the microphone on its stand just like it was a boxing opponent. I concentrate on the mike as a presence and bob and weave and pounce. I know that may sound a bit melodramatic but it works for me. The sound engineer may stop me once in a while because I am off mike but it really does the trick for the acting beats and getting vocal control.
Now I think is the time I should say, “I am a professional don’t try this at home”…but I would suggest it is a great way to get into character or maybe loosen up for work?? So put on your best evil face and move swiftly making guttural sounds, bob and weave and enjoy irritating the bejesus out of those around you!!! Yes, Barry, I say…”Start your day the Megatron way.”

ScreenCrush.com have posted a short clip from the upcoming Transformers Prime episode "Triangulation" onto YouTube. The episode continues the current Relic Hunt storyline and airs this weekend. You can view the clip below.

I'm sorry fo report that NTFA have announced that the next Auto Assembly Europe, whihc was planned for November has been put back until 2013.  In an update on their website the group posted the following update

"We regret to inform you that we must move the next Auto Assembly Europe to autumn 2013.

Since the convention in November all the members of the organizer team has had to deal with various personal and health concerns, and we simply haven’t been able to invest nearly as much effort in the convention as we would have liked and needed.
With six months left until the intended date we feel that maybe we could still pull off presenting a so-so convention this autumn, but we don’t want to settle for merely ”acceptable” - we want to surpass and go beyond! And by taking a gap year in 2012 and postponing Auto Assembly Europe to autumn 2013 instead, we ensure that we can do just that.

The planning for AAE 2013 starts right away, and with almost 1,5 year to go we should be able to announce a date and venue well in advance of the convention this time.

So that you won't be completely bereft of AAEurope goodness this year, we intend to renew our efforts to put together the Auto Assembly Europe magazine, originally intended as a post-convention magazine but put on ice for quite some time because of the aforementioned health problems. Work on the magazine will resume soon!

Another piece of AAE goodness has also just been sent out to the AAEurope 2011 attendees - those of you who hadn't already reserved a copy from the NTFA Store, will receive a copy of the Free Comic Book Day comic, Transformers Regeneration One #80.5, as a gift from the Auto Assembly Europe committee! The issue should be delivered to all the Swedish attendees today, and to the non-Swedish attendees tomorrow.

We hope to see you in autumn 2013!

- Lars, Martin, Peter and Dennis"

IGN have posted a trailer for the upcoming Nintendo Wii and DS video game Transformers Prime onto the video sharing website YouTube. The trailer, which can be viewed using the plug-in below, is just over 1 minute in length features the main cast of the Television series.

Hello!! After almost a month of not having access to the Internet at home, having recently moved, I am glad to announced that as of this afternoon my new home finally has working internet connectivity.  I am truely sorry for the lack of updates on every front over the last few months.  I finalised the deal on my house at the end of January but the renovations that were required to install the central heating, fix the drains, generally sort out the property, pack everything and move has taken some time to come together.  Indeed I am still unpacking figures into their new display cases which will probably go on for another 2-3 weeks.  I also still need to move comics and any other figures I've forgotten about, so the final displays may not be in place until late June or even July.  As you can no doubt imagine this has meant that I've been even busier than my professional life normally keeps me as has my brother, but how that internet access is back working again I will slowly start to catch up with content again.  Moving has given me the chance to look at many of the figures I had forgotten about which has made me even more determined to get back to photographing and reviewing everything to share with the rest of the Transformers fandom.  I've also dug out more original paperwork from the Sunbow production meetings which I will slowly create articles from to share several pieces of information which will probably be new to you all.

Once again I am sorry for the delay and whilst things may be a little slow still whilst I get back upto speed, I hope that I will be able to bring new, fresh and focused content and updates for you all to enjoy. Whilst the website has taken a back seat in my life over the lasy 5-6 years it still plays an important part of who I am as I have met many good friends through this site either directly or indirectly since starting it back in October 1999 and that is something that I am always extremely grateful for.

So please, raise a glass, I'm back on the web and that means Transformers will be back on The Moon!!

Steve

Hold the press Transformers Prime fans. We've had a sighting report of the Wave 2 figures at ASDA

"Please let everyone know to start checking their Asda's. Just picked up RID Ratchet and Arcee from Asda Harrogate for £9.73.

Only one each per case so you will have to be quick i think :D"

the official Transformers Facebook page, we get our first look at Prime Waves 4 & 5, which brings new toy goodness in the form of Sergeant Kup, Rumble, Airachnhid, Dead End and Stealth Bumblebee.

It's free Comic Book day! And just a reminder that Orbital Comics in London are having a signing to celebrate the release of Transformers Regeneration One #80.5.

Writer Simon Furman, penciler Andrew Wildman, inker Stephen Baskerville, colourist John-Paul Bove and cover colourist Jason Cardy will be in store today (Saturday 5th May 2012) from 12-2pm, where you can pick up a copy of The Transformers Regeneration One #80.5, get it signed and have a chat with the team behind the book!

Store details can be found here.

Moviehole.net has posted a short interview with Transformers film actor Tyrese Gibson. In the interview he states how much he'd love to return for the 4th installment of the film franchise