Entertainment Weekly.com has posted an article by Anthony Breznican that announced that Leonard Nimoy has joined the cast of Transformers Dark of the Moon and will voice Sentinel Prime.

"Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, has joined the film as the voice of Sentinel Prime, the predecessor of Optimus Prime whose wrecked body is seen in the teaser trailer, found crash-landed on the moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969. Later, after being brought to earth, he takes the disguise form of a fire engine in the movie’s massive, climactic battle through Chicago.

Apart from his obvious Star Trek cred, Nimoy also has a history with Hasbro’s shape-shifting alien robots: He was the voice of Galvatron in 1986?s TheTransformers: The Movie.

Transformers filmmaker Michael Bay had toyed with the idea of inviting him to play a voice in the second movie, Revenge of the Fallen, but wasn’t sure he could pay the veteran actor enough. “I was too scared to ask him,” the director says. “Plus, he’s married to Susan Bay, who’s a cousin of mine. So I had to be careful. I’ve met him at family functions. But he told me, ‘I would be honored. I’m glad to be back!’”"

iGear Toys have posted more listings and images of the upcoming Botcon 2011 toys.  The listings are of Dead End, Drag Strip and Wildrider.

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This year we managed to invite a special guest to the C.O.N.S. 2011.

Simon Furman, the comicartist of IDW, will do us the honour, to visit the C.O.N.S. 2011, in order to get to know his fans in Germany.

Today we can proudly present you two C.O.N.S. 2011 exclusives. The first one is an exclusive T-shirt which will only be available at the C.O.N.S. itself. It will be printed live on-site, right before your eyes by 2 MEJG Art & Design. Here are the pictures from the front and back:

Another C.O.N.S. 2011 exclusive is a coupling-out of the new CD of the rockband Rampage. This coupling-out will be the sing "Letz go Transform", which will be played live and exclusively on the C.O.N.S. 2011 on the 24th of July. This is a picture detail of the backside of the exclusive CD, because the rest of the cover shall still stay a surprise.

Source: ntf-cons.de

iGearToys have updated their facebook page some in-hand images of this years Botcon 2011 exclusive Wildrider figure.  You can view the mirrored images below.

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KOToys.com have confirmed that they are producing and will be selling knock-offs of all the combiner Cassettes from Generation One including the highly sort after Dinosaur cassettes.  We reported this in the past but not many people believed us but they have now posted the first images of Beastbox and Squawktalk and have confirmed that all of the others are in production.  KOToys will be releasing the figures in their original colour scheme, then all black versions, then "crystal colours" (so clear versions of the original colours) and then in "opposite faction colours".  They are also interested in the possibility of releasing Noise, Gurafi, Saur and Dial in Generation One Dinobot colour schemes.

This news will be welcomes by large portions of the Transformers community who have long wanted these figures, whilst others will be against these rare figures from being mass produced in the same manner as the Headmaster figures which were created by a group of Western sellers.

• Noise
• Gurafi
• Saur
• Dial

David White, MechaZone.com, has produced some concept art for Transformers War For Cybertron 2, which has been leaked out onto HK-Tf.Com.  The concept art features the following characters, all of which you can view below.

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­Thanks to three auctions on Yahoo! Japan, we can bring you images of some more Dark of the Moon toys.

First up is a new Decepticon figure called Hatchet.  Hatchet transforms from a jet info a winged cat. Hatchet was not shown of at any of the known Toy Fairs.­  The back of the card reads as follows:

Commander Class, Series 1 007­
Decepticon Hatchet
Decepticon Hatchet enforces his commanders wishes with merciless efficiency.  Fast and heavily armed, this DECEPTICON not to be underestimated.  His four-legged robot mode allows for superior mobility on the galaxy's toughest terrain.  The auction can be found here

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Next up­ is a Dark of the Moon Legends 2-pack with bonus figure.  This auction can be found here.

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Finally, the third auction is for a recoloured Universe Mini-con into Generation 1 Grimlock's colour scheme but with a new name of Dualor.

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A news story which interests me, and I know of at least one other UK Transformers fan who will like this, but Mandarake have listed a book which includes images of what is stated to be all the Generation One Kabaya Kits.

Having spent a lotof money in Mandarake stores, it appears more will be going to them with the publication of this book.

BotCon have confirmed that the BotCon Stunticon set has sold out.

BotCon Primus and Iacon and loose packages are now all sold out!

That's right, it took just a little over 5 days for all of the toy packages to be gone!

If you tried to place an order before today and your order went to our incomplete file, no worries as we have pulled enough sets to cover all of the incompletes. If we have any sets left after we work the incompletes, we will put them back into inventory. We will let you know if this happens, and it won't be for a couple of weeks. There will not be anymore Iacon (non-attending sets).

Also, we will not be keeping a waiting list.

Please note that we are in the middle of GIJoeCon in Florida so we won't be working the incomplete files until after April 9.

We know who you are and we will follow back up with you then. Please be patient.

We still have Protoform packages available.

We look forward to seeing you in Pasadena in a couple of months!

Stay tuned for upcoming guest information!

Brian

Earlier in the week they confirmed that this year also saw the most number of people buying multiple sets, for what they thought was display reasons - but will probably actually be to sell on.

Snakas has posted the following round-up of the contents of this months Figure King Magazine, issue 158.  Figure is often incorrectly referred to as "Figure Oh" by some Western sites.

Figure King issue 158 was released on the 24th March 2011.

The first five toys form Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon (Transformers Dark of the Moon) including Sentinal Prime, Bumbleee and Optimus Prime with his Japanese exclusive trailer were all shown.

There was an article on how to play the Mech-Tech card/slot game which will be taking over from the current card/slot game B-1.

Some more Transformers Unites figures were six shown with comparisons to their overseas releases.  The Dual Model Kits of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee that were featured in last months Dengeki Hobby magazines are shown, but with more detailed images.

There are more images of the Transformers Crossover Kabya figure Gaia.  As you may remember Gaia is an updated version of the Transformers Victory Landcross toy, so Multi-Force.

The Hub recently issues the following full press release regarding their 2011-2012 programming schedule.

The Hub Television Network Unveils Robust 2011-12 Program Schedule, Building on Success as Destination for Kids and Their Families

"Scrabble Showdown," "Majors & Minors," "The Game of Life," "The Aquabats Super Show" and Warren Buffett Animated Specials Among New Action-Adventure, Family Games, Music, Comedy Series to Join Lineup

Returning Series Include "Transformers Prime," "Dan Vs.," "Family Game Night," "R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series," "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic"

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A music competition for kids, family game shows based on iconic, beloved brands, and an animated Warren Buffett are among the nine new original programs that will join ten returning popular series with new episodes in the 2011-2012 program lineup on The Hub television network, a destination for kids and their families. Announcement of the network’s continued ambitious strategy of original programming – which includes 425 half-hours of new production, on a single network in one television season -- was made by Margaret Loesch, President and CEO, The Hub, in advance of the network’s upfront meeting with advertisers in New York Thursday evening.

The Hub, a joint venture of Discovery Communications and Hasbro, Inc., was re-branded on October 10, 2010, and is available to 60 million U.S. cable and satellite households.

"In the short period of time we’ve been a newly branded network, we’ve seen that our strategy of providing quality, engaging entertainment to kids and their families — in an environment where they can watch and enjoy programs together -- is exactly the right space for us," said Ms. Loesch. "We have a tremendous advantage with strong, proven brands, and we are working with some of the best creative minds to bring those brands to life across multiple platforms and also to create new properties that will become future brands. The programs that we are announcing today will add strength, dimension and excitement to a schedule that is already resonating with viewers and building an extremely loyal audience."

The Hub’s lineup of new series and returning series with new episodes -- live-action and animated -- will join a schedule that will also feature a wide range of acquired series and popular family movies, all targeting children 6-11 and providing opportunities for children to watch programs together with their families.

New, original series on The Hub for 2011-2012: (in alphabetical order)

"The Aquabats Super Show" (Hub Original Series)
From the creators of "Yo Gabba Gabba" comes this quirky comedy adventure show featuring the popular rock band The Aquabats. A hybrid of concert footage, live-action skits and animation, the Aquabats battle evil with music and superhero powers unlike any seen before. The Aquabats are a touring band with five albums currently released. Produced by FremantleMedia Enterprises and The Magic Store.

"Blythe Loves The Littlest Pet Shop" (Hub Original Series, working title)
Inspired by the beloved "Littlest Pet Shop" brand, Blythe moves to the city and discovers that her new apartment is where her neighbors’ pets come to play when their owners are away. In this animated series, Blythe befriends the pets and introduces them to a world of adventures just outside their door. Produced by Hasbro Studios.

"Clue" (Hub Original Miniseries)
Inspired by the iconic family game brand, this live-action series features six teens who are brought together when they believe they’ve witnessed a terrible crime. As a team, they discover conspiracy theories and cover-ups dating back centuries! They must work together to solve one mystery, only to realize that they may have opened a Pandora’s Box. Produced by Hasbro Studios.

"The Game of Life" (Hub Original Series)
The live-action family game show "The Game of Life" will be presented in an entirely new way as each family team gets a chance at the iconic spinner and hops in the car for a one-of-a-kind journey through a larger-than-life virtual world. Hosted by comedian Frank Nicotero (co-host of "The Sharon Osbourne Show," "Street Smarts," and Yahoo! TV’s "Primetime in No Time"). Produced by Hasbro Studios.

"Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters" (Hub Original Series, working title)
In this animated series inspired by the wildly popular trading card game, "Duel Masters," a 14-year-old boy discovers a secret world in which mind-blowing creatures rule! These creatures harness special powers that if unleashed, could destroy the world as we know it. It is up to the boy to master his abilities in the ancient art of Kaijudo to protect their world and his own. Produced by Hasbro Studios.

"Majors & Minors" (Hub Original Series, working title)
This groundbreaking reality series follows 16 talented young performers as they are mentored by the biggest and most established artists in the music industry. While no one is ever voted off, one lucky "star-in-the-making’ will claim the final prize of a recording deal with the RCA/Jive label group and an opportunity to be featured in a cross-country concert tour. Among the musical artists already scheduled to participate are Leona Lewis, Jordin Sparks, Sean Kingston and Ryan Tedder (of One Republic). From Evan Bogart, the songwriting hit-maker for music stars Rihanna and Beyonce, and top TV producers Tim Bogart and Gary A. Randall, the series is produced by The Boardwalk Entertainment Group in partnership with Sony Music's RCA/Jive Label Group and BMI.

"Rescue Bots" (Hub Original Series, working title)
Inspired by the iconic "Transformers" brand, a group of Autobots, too young to protect humanity alongside Optimus Prime and his team, are partnered with a close-knit human family of first responders. Together, they learn teamwork and heroism alongside their new human friends in this animated series produced by Hasbro Studios.

"Scrabble Showdown" (Hub Original Series)
The world’s most popular word game comes to life in this new game show in which families use teamwork to solve a variety of word games and puzzles that test their speed, spelling and vocabulary for points and prizes. The live-action series is hosted by Justin Willman ("Hubworld," Food Network’s "Cupcake Wars"). Produced by Hasbro Studios.

"Secret Millionaire’s Club" (Hub Original Series of Specials)
The Hub will air four half-hour specials of Warren Buffett’s "Secret Millionaire’s Club," a new animated series created by one of the most successful investors in the world. Warren Buffett is a secret advisor to a group of kids who learn about business and how the world around them works. Through a series of adventures, kids learn basic business principles, and discover that the most valuable investment they can make is an investment in themselves. Created in partnership with and voiced by Mr. Buffett himself. Produced by A Squared Entertainment and Andy Heyward, former CEO of DIC Entertainment.

New acquisition

"Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"
From Mark Burnett, "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" is an atypical game show that measures adults' lack of knowledge – as revealed by how much they've forgotten since grammar school. Jeff Foxworthy hosts the half hour as grownups find themselves in a classroom setting, revisiting their youth, as they tackle subjects they were taught years ago ranging from art to geography and math to social studies. The live-action series premiered on FOX in 2007 followed by all-new episodes in syndication. 309 half-hour episodes have been acquired by The Hub. Distributed by Twentieth Television.

Returning series with new episodes on The Hub for 2011-2012: (in alphabetical order)

"The Adventures of Chuck & Friends" (Produced by Hasbro Studios)

"Animal Mechanicals" (Produced by Halifax Film, a DHX Media Ltd. Company)

"Dan Vs." (Produced by Film Roman in association with The Hatchery, LLC)

"Family Game Night" (Produced by Hasbro Studios)

"My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" (Produced by Hasbro Studios)

"Pound Puppies" (Produced by Hasbro Studios)

"R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series" (Produced by The Hatchery, LLC, in association with Front Street Pictures)

"Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures" (Produced by American Greetings Properties)

"Transformers Prime" (Produced by Hasbro Studios)

"The WotWots" (Produced by Pukeko Pictures LLP)

THE HUB is a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) and Hasbro, Inc., (NASDAQ: HAS) with a goal of entertaining, enlightening, empowering and educating children and their families. The cable and satellite television network features original programming as well as content from Discovery's library of award-winning children's educational programming; from Hasbro's rich portfolio of entertainment and educational properties built during the past 90 years; and from leading third-party producers worldwide. The Hub lineup includes animated and live-action series, specials and game shows, and the network extends its content through a robust and engaging online presence, www.hubworld.com. The Hub rebranded from Discovery Kids on October 10, 2010, and reaches approximately 60 million U.S. households. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.

You can visit The Hub on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/hubtvnetwork 

Botcon.com has been updated with the box art for the BotCon 2011 Transformers Animated Stunticon giftset.  

Personally speaking (as Moonbug) I'm a little disapointed by the design of the box ths year

A quick reminder to everyone that Marvel Heroes issue 33 goes on sale today.  The issue contains the return of everyone's favourite bounty hunter, sorry "Freelance Peacekeeping Agent", Death's Head as he goes toe-to-toe with the Hulk.

Go out, buy it, let us know what you think and, more importantly, let Simon Williams know what you think