An auction has appeared over on Chinese auction site Taobao for a Decepticon re-coloured Transformers Movie Real Gear Highscore 100 called Twitcher F451. Only one image is available at present, and you can view that below.

Thanks to Mark for letting us know that on the 28th October ASDA received their delivery of their exclusive 2-disc Transformers Movie DVD. The DVD included the animated prequel on the extra and is in the same packaging as the regular UK release, only with a green sticker on the front explaining the different.

On a side note, we're sorry for the delay in this news story but our email server has been unable to receive emails since the server crashed a few days ago, now its back up and running again the emails are starting to be delivered once more

Talk Transformers has an image of carded versions of the Transformers Movie toys Cliffjumper (repainted 08 Bumblebee), Landmine and Camshaft (repainted Swindle).

You can see the image here.

talk.transformers, the Hong Kong Transformers newsgroup, has posted images of the Transformer sMovie Trans-Scanning Bumblebee and Optimus Prime figures.

Both Bumblebee, here ,and Prime, here, share the same protoform robot mode, but with attachable pieces that form the vehicle and earth robot modes.

Thanks to T4E for posting this on our message board .

"Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but was in ASDA in Cardiff yesterday and they had the Prime talking helmet's but they were packed with one of those TransTech figures on the side. Can't remember the name of it, but it was the cell phone transformer.

I'm assuming it'll be in other ASDA stores so maybe worth checking out."

We apologies if this has been seen before, but we do not remember seeing it ourselves

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Bay's robots in disguise boost GM profile
Survey: 'Transformers' car characters more popular than film's stars

From the outset, GM was thrilled with the starring roles that director Michael Bay orchestrated for four of its vehicles in his summer blockbuster "Transformers" despite some media and blogger criticism that the integrations went too far and basically served as commercials for the carmaker.

Now with the release of market research data from GM on the impact of its placement in the film, it appears there was indeed little consumer backlash against the integrations, which were widely considered among the highest profile and most significant film roles for an auto manufacturer, or any advertiser, for that matter.

According to the market research, Autobot Bumblebee, who spent much of the film as a Chevy Camaro, was the film's favorite character, beating out real-life stars Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox and even Autobot leader Optimus Prime. Ninety-four% of moviegoers surveyed rated their opinion of Bumblebee as excellent or very good, compared with 91% for Optimus Prime, 83% for LeBeouf, 82% for Fox and 69% for Jazz, Ratchet and Ironhide -- played by a Pontiac Solstice, a Hummer H2 and a GMC Topkick, respectively, that transform into Autobots.

"This is one of those rare instances when our product was actually a key character in a movie," said Dino Bernacchi, associate director of marketing alliances and branded entertainment at GM. "When 94% of all moviegoers questioned said their favorite character in the film was Bumblebee, I think that just shows the power of what this movie was and what it did for us."

The data, compiled by an independent market research firm based on interviews with 1,350 U.S. moviegoers before and after seeing the film in theaters, demonstrated that respondents were 70%-90% more likely to consider purchasing the Camaro, Solstice, Hummer H2 and GMC Topkick after seeing "Transformers." And moviegoers' opinions of the GM vehicles also shot up drastically, with a 144% improvement in their opinions of the Solstice -- which has only been on the market since 2005 -- and a 72% improvement in audience views of the Camaro. Opinions of the Hummer H2 and the GMC Topkick improved by 65% or greater.

Simon Furman has posted the following information on a new Top Trumps style set from Haynes Publishing for the Transformers Movie.

Out now, published by Haynes Publishing, is an brand-spanking-new guide to the live-action Transformers movie (featuring ALL the Autobots and Decepticons and a goodly number of the human cast too!).

Top Trumps Transformers draws its inspiration from the recent Top Trumps deck of Transformers battle cards, but goes much, much further. For the in-depth lowdown on everyone from Optimus Prime to Starscream to Agent Simmons, Top Trumps Transformers really does have it all.

This pocket-sized book is packed to rafters with illustrations, profiles, and detailed specs, making it the first truly comprehensive guide to the movie (soon to be released on DVD). It's written by myself (Simon Furman), and retails (considering everything that's packed into its 192-pages) at the staggeringly low price of just £4.99/$9.95!

Check out the sample spreads below by clicking on the thumbnails.
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Rotten Tomatoes has the following article on Transformers 2.

Thaks to Seibertron.com for spotting an eBay auction by Masyu for the Allspark Powered Jungle Bonecrusher Transformers Movie toy repaint.

You can see the auction along with it's two images here.

In a press release sent over Business Wire, Warner Home Video have announced that they secured a deal to release Transformers on DVD within China. Here's the full release.

Warner Home Video Signs Deal to Distribute Paramount and DreamWorks Animation Titles in China - Launching with the Release of ''Transformers'' and ''Shrek the Third''

BURBANK, Calif., Nov 07, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- At a press conference today in Beijing Warner Home Video (WHV) announced it has signed an agreement with Paramount and DreamWorks Animation to distribute DVDs in China. WHV will leverage its distribution infrastructure and expertise to provide high quality, studio-authorized copies of these blockbuster films on DVD. DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount's "Transformers" and DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third" will be the first two new release titles distributed under the new partnerships.

"The addition of two major Hollywood studios' product in China - Paramount and DreamWorks Animation - further strengthens our efforts in building a legitimate video business in China," said Mark Horak, executive vice president & general manager, worldwide operations & new packaged media for Warner Home Video. "By providing a wide selection of high quality, competitively priced DVDs, we will be offering consumers a more attractive alternative to lower quality, pirated product."

CAV Warner Home Entertainment, a joint entertainment distribution venture between Warner Home Video and China Audio Video, will use its established relationships with retailers throughout China to distribute select Paramount and DreamWorks Animation titles in more than 50 cities and up to 20,000 outlets. On November 1 the first film distributed under the new agreement, "Transformers," hit shelves. The biggest original film of the year during its theatrical release, the DVD has become a top-selling title in China. "Shrek the Third" will be released on November 28, 2007. All titles will be distributed on competitively priced, Mandarin language DVDs.

"Warner has demonstrated that securing key retail outlets in China is necessary to supplant pirated content with legitimate product to fight piracy in the market," said Dennis Maguire, President, Paramount Home Entertainment International. "Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation believe that consumers in China deserve to see their films at the best quality and most affordable price. Our relationship with Warner Bros. allows us the best opportunity to reach the most consumers with two of the year's most highly anticipated releases of "Transformers" and "Shrek the Third"."

"We are pleased to welcome Paramount and DreamWorks into our growing distribution network in China," said Philippe Cardon, president of Warner Home Video International. "This agreement further strengthens our value proposition to readily provide inexpensive, quality DVDs, which appeal to consumers who are used to purchasing cheap pirated products."

The press conference, held today in Beijing, China, was hosted by Warner Home Entertainment, CAV Warner Home Entertainment and Paramount.

About CAV Warner Home Entertainment

Shanghai based CAV Warner Home Entertainment Co. is a joint venture between Warner Home Video and China Audio Video. The venture marks the first U.S. studio to create an in-country DVD/VCD distribution and marketing operation in China. CAV Warner Home Entertainment was established to address China's enormous consumer demand and growing appetite for legitimate alternatives to poor quality pirated goods. In addition to distributing Warner Bros. home entertainment titles, the joint venture distributes home entertainment titles from Universal Pictures International in the region.

About PHEI

Paramount Home Entertainment International (PHEI) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation, a unit of Viacom (VIA)(VIA.B), a global entertainment company that produces and distributes filmed entertainment through the Paramount Motion Picture Group. PHEI is responsible for the international sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and CBS and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.

SOURCE: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group

Both Burger King and Activison Inc have announced previous quarter profits with both attributing part of the rise to Transformers Movie tie-in products.

The Associated Press have sent out the following report on the rise in Burger Kings 1st Quarter profits.

"MIAMI (AP) - Fast-food chain Burger King Corp. said Monday its fiscal first-quarter earnings rose 23 percent, beating Wall Street expectations, helped by ''Simpsons'' and ''Transformers'' marketing promotions and sales of the Tendercrisp and Spicy Chick'N Crisp sandwiches. The company earned $49 million, or 35 cents per share, compared with $40 million, or 30 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenue increased 10 percent to $602 million, from $546 million in the prior-year period. Analysts were expecting a profit of 33 cents per share on revenue of $597.1 million, according to a poll by Thomson Financial. Worldwide same-store sales were up 5.9 percent, Burger King said, while same-store sales in the U.S. and Canada rose 6.6 percent. Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, is a key indicator of retailer performance since it measures growth at existing stores rather than newly opened ones. In the U.S., the company said its tie-in with ''The Simpsons Movie'' drove sales of the Ultimate DoubleWhopper sandwich. Burger King also said sales were helped in the U.K. by the launch of its BKFusions Real Dairy Ice Cream offerings."

From Reuters regarding Activision

"SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Activision Inc (ATVI.O: Quote, Profile, Research), the second-biggest U.S. video game publisher, posted a small quarterly net profit on Monday compared with a year-earlier loss, as revenue jumped on sales of titles like ransformers and Guitar Hero.

Heerotoysmaker has an auction for a Transformers Movie Evac testshot, in what are probably final colours, the toy is the Autobot retool (face) of Transformers Movie Blackout.

The toy was first shown at BotCon 2007 during the Hasbro tour, and later on their display.

You can find lots of images of the toy in our Hasbro Tour image gallery

Viacom profit up on cable,"Transformers"
Viacom Inc said on Friday its quarterly profit rose 80 percent, boosted by the sale of its music publishing unit, strong cable advertising and blockbuster turnout for the alien robots movie "Transformers."

The results beat Wall Street forecasts, and Viacom's Class B shares ended three percent higher at $41.58 in a generally flat market.

The company, home to the MTV Networks cable television channels and the Paramount film studios, also said it expects U.S. advertising sales to increase further in the current quarter and its digital entertainment outlets to post continued growth.

"'Transformers' gave the movie studio the lift, and the cable networks continued to improve in revenue growth," said Gabelli & Co analyst Christopher Marangi.

Viacom's third-quarter profit rose to $641.6 million, or 96 cents per share, from $356.8 million, or 50 cents per share, a year ago. The company recorded a $192 million gain for selling its Famous Music publishing unit in July.

Excluding the sale and other items, earnings per share for the 2007 quarter was 65 cents, above the average analysts' view of 60 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.

Revenue rose 24 percent to $3.27 billion. Analysts had forecast revenue of $3 billion.

The company also said it was on track to post low double-digit annual growth in diluted earnings per share from continuing operations.

Viacom founder and Chairman Sumner Redstone said he was "more than pleased" with the results and gave a strong endorsement to Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, who took the helm after company veteran Tom Freston was ousted.

The 84-year-old media mogul is embroiled in a public battle with his daughter Shari, once seen as his likely successor.

"One of the smartest moves that I and the board have ever made was to ask Philippe Dauman to assume the role of CEO," Redstone said. "The rewards of that decision are becoming more and more apparent."

A STRIKE FOR STEWART?

The company has prepared for a possible strike by Hollywood screenwriters after their labor contract with production studios expired, but expects little or no impact on Viacom's business, Dauman said.

But two of Viacom's most popular comedy shows -- "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" -- could be hurt by a walkout as they rely on fresh writing about current events, he said.

Viacom's media networks business posted a 9 percent rise in revenue to $2 billion in the third quarter. Filmed entertainment revenue 57 percent to $1.3 billion.

Worldwide advertising rose 7 percent to $1.18 billion. Domestic ad sales grew 5 percent and the company expects comparable growth in the fourth quarter.

Viacom, which is also home to the Nickelodeon and Comedy Central cable channels, has sought to extend its entertainment brands more broadly across the Internet.

Viacom did not give details on results for its digital media businesses, but it has said in the past it would likely exceed a goal of $500 million in digital revenue for 2007.

Dauman said it would be increasingly difficult to break out digital results as the company sells more of that advertising in combined deals with its television programming.

"As far as digital advertising goes, we are experiencing nice growth in our efforts, particularly as we add sites, add functionality," Dauman told a conference call with analysts.

Analysts said the company should continue to post growth despite concerns over the impact of a deteriorating housing market on the U.S. economy.

"One of the variables is the overall ad environment, but they should fare relatively well given the dual revenue stream and the international (business)," said Marangi.

Reuters

In a report over at Variety, Transformers 2 is one of the films mentioned as under threat from the possible writers union strikes which are expected to take place in Hollywood next year. When talking about Dreamworks, Variety report that "Not on the pre-strike list is "Transformers 2," a sequel that is still being written. Labor talks will determine whether the visual effects-heavy film makes its projected June 26, 2009, release date."

The article also includes a mention of the summer 2009 release of the live action G.I-Joe movie. "Paramount, pleased with revisions done by scribe Stuart Beattie, has officially set a Feb. 13 start date for G.I Joe an event-sized film that went from a pre-strike question mark to an anchor of the studio's summer 2009 release schedule. Paramount is in talks with up-and-comer Sam Worthington to star, and the studio was down to working out any scheduling overlap with Fox, which has Worthington starring in the James Cameron-directed Avatar".