Jim Sorenson has updated his blog, Diciples of Boltax, with the news that he will be working on a new GI Joe Animation model book along with Bill Forster.  Transformers fans will know that Jim and Bill released two Transformers Ark books covering the animation art from the original Transformers series and Japanese Transformers series.

Jim has posted the following.

Yo Joe!  The time has come for much rejoicing and cavorting.  I can now officially announce what many of you have guessed... my next book is going to be an Ark-style book of G.I. Joe animation models, out this summer.

(Nice Snake Eyes model courtesy of a frequent contributor to the model book, Tim Finn of A Real American Book.)

It's going to be pretty spectacular.  For some reason I've been able to find WAY more material than I have for Transformers.  As the illustration to the right jokingly illustrates, I'm going to be taking a few thousand model sheets and condensing the very best and most interesting of them down into one volume of a few hundred pages. I'm really stoked at my first work in this new and glorious arena.  I've come across some amazingly cool rare stuff, plus most of what you'd expect for a book about the Sunbow animation models. I'm still looking for more material, too, so if you're a collector of such things drop me a line.  I'm especially interested in material from the movie and the commercials beyond, as well as incidental characters.

So you see, my Roll Out Roll Call appearance is doubly fortuitous!  I can show off some early sneak-peaks of the book there.  Definitely swing by if you're in the UK.

Now you know the significance of Jim and Bill's appearance at Roll Out Roll Call 2012, and as we all know Knowing is Half the Battle

HK-TF.com have posted images of the free figure people will get when they go on Transformrt: The Ride when it opens in Singapore and then latter in Hollywood.  The toy, named Evac, can be viewed below.

Original link: TT???AUTOBOT EVAC - TF???? - HK-TF ???? - Powered by Discuz!

Jim Sorenson has updated the Diciples of Boltax with a news story covering Bill Forsters new tatoo, based on the cover of The Ark II. What makes the story more special is that Bill's session was fimed for the TC show LA Ink and the image was officially approved by Hasbro.

Jim says the following

For those of you who don't remember, Bill posted here about his experiences getting the cover of The Ark II tattooed on his chest... on cable TV.  This was actually pretty difficult to set up.  You see, in order for LA Ink to be allowed to show a picture of a Transformer on their show, they had to have legal permission from Hasbro to do so.  We approached our editors at IDW to see if they could help make it happen.  The editors put us in touch with the Hasbro legal team, who were absolutely stellar and made it happen.

Remember that both Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster will be appearing at Roll Out Roll Call 2012 next month.

The Weibo page of tktf has been updated with a new colour image of the Super Deformed Convoy (Optimus Prime) that was previously seen in December 2010. So far there is no information on who is producing the figure, though it still appears that the toy will transform.  Our bet is this could be a garage kit for Winter Wonderfestival, which takes place this month in Tokyo.

The Transformers Facebook page has continued with it:s daily updats, this time showing Transformers Prime Robots In Disguise Arcee.  The toy features a very large gun.

CMSCorp have updated their blog with another image of their upcoming 3rd Party Ginrai figure.  The toy is the Godmaster (Powermaster) of God Ginrai (Powermaster Optimus Prime) based on the likeness from the Japanese Generation One cartoon series Super God Masterforce.  You can view a mirror of the image below.

Credit goes to Snakas for the report.

Hasbro have updated their Facebook page with the first official image of Transformers Prime HotShot. The figure, originally shown in the Argos catalogue here within the UK can be seen below.

Michael Bay's blog have been updated with the VFX reel for Transformers 3 that will be shown at the Oscars on the 26th Feb.  You can view the video below.

The Official Transformers Facebook page has posted another Toy Fair preview image. This time, of the upcoming Revealer (Deluxe) Vehicon from the Transformers: Prime Robots in Disguise line.

German Transformers fansite NTF-Archive.de has posted scans of the catalog available at the Nuremberg Toy Fair showing off the upcoming Kre-O Devastator. This set is composed of four individual constructicon robots that can be rebuilt into their respective vehicle modes, as well as can be combined into one to form Devastator.

The Allspark member Corgsopalposted news that the current issue of Game Informer magazine, issue 227, has pictures of the Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Brawl, Swindle AND Bruticus!!!  According to Corgsopa, Bruticus is made up of all 5 members of the Combaticons who will be deluxe scale figures.  You can view the initial post along with the images on their forum here.  Expect more images of these toys, along with the other members, to come out after the US Toy Fair.

Hasbro have updated the official Transformers Facebook page with the following announcement. "Every day from now until February 12th, we’re showing off some of the great new Transformers toys coming your way in 2012. Today, check out Transformers Prime Deluxe Knockout!"  Accompanying the announcement was the image that you can find below.

USA Today have shown of pictures of some of the GI Joe Retaliation toys.  These toys will not be out in the UK, so GI Joe fans will need to import them or purchase them from places like All The Cool Stuff and Kapow Toys

Directed by Jon M. Chu and due out in theaters June 29, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is the follow-up to the 1980s military-tinged franchise's first cinematic affair three years ago, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which was the highest pop-culture point to date of three decades of comic books, cartoons and toys.

And with a new movie come new action figures of returning actors Channing Tatum as team leader Duke and Ray Park as the ninja Snake Eyes, franchise newbie Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as heavy machine gunner Roadblock, and many more. (For those who've been waiting for a toy to complement their John McClane action figure, Bruce Willis is in the flick, too, as "original Joe," Joe Colton.) ....

The article shows off toys including Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Duke, Cobra Commander, Cobra Trooper, Joe Trooper, Snake-Eyes, Stormshadow, Red Ninja and Zartan.

Click the news story to see the images

Kapow Toys have posted new images of some upcoming TakaraTomy Transformers: Prime Micron Arms figure.  The series features new toys with Minicon/Micron partners that turn into weapons.  The main new figure that is shown is a recolour of Transformers Prime Starscream toy as Skywarp! This figure is, currently, a Japanese exclusive item.  You can view the order page here.

The official Transformers Facebook page has updated with another quick Q&A, and this week, it is the turn of the voice of Bulkhead, Kevin Michael Richardson.

Transformers Prime Tuesday Q&A: Bulkhead Voice Actor Kevin Michael Richardson

Each week, we’re taking questions for the cast and crew of the hit animated series “Transformers Prime” from fans of the official Transformers Facebook page. Check out this week’s Fan Q&A with the voice of Bulkhead, Kevin Michael Richardson!

Kevin Samanta asked: Who inspired you to become a voice acting legend?

KEVIN MICHAEL RICHARDSON: I don't know about calling me a legend. But thanks for saying that Kevin! Honestly there were quite a few early influences. Flip Wilson did a character called Geraldine. Watching him hop in and out of a high-pitched sassy woman's voice and then back into his coarse tone was just phenomenal to me as a kid. Remember the guy who played the Dean in ANIMAL HOUSE? John Vernon had a serious influence on my career. Big voices like James Earl Jones and Sir Lawrence Oliver were obvious examples of guys I looked up to. Then there's the guys I get to work with on PRIME. I mean, you can't beat Peter Cullen and Frank Welker when it comes to inspirations for voice work. Frank and Peter are two legends that I'm blown away by every time I work with them.


Ben Maddison asked: Were you a Transformers fan as a kid and how do you feel about its evolution into the awesome series it is today?

KEVIN MICHAEL RICHARDSON: Yes. I loved watching the cartoon— especially the main title credits. But sadly, didn't get to watch enough of them since I was busy studying at Syracuse University. But even back then, I remember I was always fascinated by Peter Cullen's voice. And now I get to work with him! I'm blown away by this series. It's fantastic that we've been able to reach out to another generation of Transformers fans. I was a big fan of the toys growing up for sure.


Trevor Stairs asked: Do you have a favorite Transformers character outside of the ones involved in Transformers PRIME? And are there any that you could see yourself being the voice of?

KEVIN MICHAEL RICHARDSON: I can't see myself being any other voice than Bulkhead. I mean, there's so many Transformers in the Transformers universe — where do you even start to say which one I'd play? Tough question Trevor! I guess in another universe, and in another lifetime, I would love to be Optimus. But don't hold your breath for that one. Those would be some big shoes to try and fill!


Julia In-Gyong Handschin asked: Big fan of yours, Mr Richardson; I've grown attached to characters you voiced. What's it like to be part of a cast with prominent voice-actors, from legends to rising stars?

KEVIN MICHAEL RICHARDSON: First of all, many thanks to you Julia. That means so much to me. What's it like to be part of this cast with these amazing and gifted voice actors? It's so wild! It's definitely a high-powered cast and certainly one of my favorite shows to work on. But do you know what the best thing is about this cast? These guys are funny. I mean, we are always cracking jokes in between lines. I'm just thankful the producers and directors are cool because it sometimes takes a while to get us all serious about reading our lines. We definitely have a great time!


Yessie Nieves asked: Thank you for being here and let us asks some questions. How much of Bulkhead is you and how much of you is Bulkhead? And what do you think or believe separates your interpretation of Bulkhead from other roles you had done before?

KEVIN MICHAEL RICHARDSON: Well physically, Bulkhead and I are both barrel-chested. We have a similar walk. And I guess I'm a little more lucky, because I can eat and Bulkhead can't! Aside from our shared physical attributes, I do have somewhat of a soft side when it comes to protecting kids. The bond between Miko and Bulkhead is like how I feel about my nieces and nephews. The need to protect them is definitely a similarity. Another thing we definitely have in common is that sometimes I don't always get in on the joke. And sometimes Bulkhead doesn't get in on the joke. We both just shrug and move on just to get the job done.

The biggest difference about playing Bulkhead is that he's a robot. So playing him – especially his protective nature over Miko- is very different from the other roles I've played. He's a powerful Transformer who has never really dealt with humans before, so I have to play with trying to understand what humans are all about and in the meantime create a slow bond with these characters. He's always concerned about Miko the most, so I would say that's what differentiates this role from the others — his vulnerability for Miko.


BIO: Kevin Michael Richardson, known to his friends as KMR, is one of the most renowned voice of artists of our time. His deep voice and love for all things animated make him a fan favorite. But, don’t let his deep voice fool you, KMR is known for his fun-loving antics, sense of humor and devotion to his fans.

Despite being one of the most famous voices of our time, only his most devoted fans recognize this awesome king-sized actor in person. Regardless of having voiced hundreds of animated TV shows, commercials and video game characters his dedication to his craft often keeps him in disguise, not dissimilar to his character BULKHEAD. But, when he does transform you never know what voice is going to come out; some of his voices include Panthro on the new Thundercats, Cleveland JR on The Cleveland Show, Kilowog on The Green Lantern, The Shredder on Tenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Maurice in The Penguins of Madagascar, Prime 2 in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the list goes on! His work has also been recognized with a nomination for a Daytime Emmy as the voice of The Joker in The Batman series.

If all that was not enough KMR has also sung with some of our generation’s most famous singers. He has had a rap off with Kanye West, chimed in with the cast of Glee, gotten vocal with Harry Connick, Jr and joined in a tune with Seth MacFarlane and Frank Sinatra Jr. accompanied by a 62 piece band.

So, if you cant find KMR locked inside an animation studio, he is probably singing at a karaoke bar with one of his famous friends.