James Bond’s Aston Martin

Astin Martin from Casino Royale

He’s dabbled in Bentleys, BMWs, Jaguars, and one very noteworthy Lotus, but James Bond’s first love will always be the refined, powerful elegance of the silver Aston Martin. Whether it’s the fondly remembered DB5 Sean Connery used in Goldfinger or the DBS V12 that Daniel Craig used in Casino Royale (above), there is no car in all of geekdom that comes more fully loaded with gadgets, gizmos, and weapons.

Blade’s 1968 Dodge Charger R/T

Blade's 1968 Dodge Charger R/T

What it lacked in gadgets, it made up for in pure, unadulterated muscle. Its roaring engine could intimidate anything with fangs, and that’s why Blade loved it. Call it a powerful, nontraditional car for a powerful, nontraditional superhero.

Bumblebee

Bumblebee from Transformers

How many Camaros do you know that can transform into giant, warrior robots? We love him for that bold, yellow paint, his loyalty to the Autobots, and his oh-so-sensitive side. Now if he could just do something about that voice box thing…

De Lorean Time Machine

The De Lorean Time Machine from Back to the Future

If this was a ranked list, the De Lorean Time Machine would definitely be at the top spot. There’s simply no more iconic movie car among geeks than Doc Brown and Marty McFly’s time-traveling, aluminum bodied sports car. Powered by nuclear plutonium and made to travel through time via the Flux Capacitor, it can drive on land, fly through the air, and even ride atop railroad tracks. Now that’s all-terrain.

ECTO-1

The Ghostbusters' ECTO-1

Another iconic vehicle from the silver screen, the Ghostbusters-mobile was a dilapidated but tricked-out 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor commonly used as a hearse. Which I suppose is ironic, given that this one was used to fight the dead instead of carry them.

Ford Anglia

Flying Ford Anglia from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The old Ford Anglia fixed up by Arthur Weasley had very little to speak of in the beauty or gadgetry department, but it could fly and turn invisible when needed, thanks to magic. It even managed to develop a personality after an encounter with the Whomping Willow, when the forest near Hogwarts turned it wild.

KITT

KITT from the original Knight Rider

(If you want to split hairs, KITT called the small screen home, but I could also point out that KITT, in various incarnations, has starred in several made-for-TV Knight Rider movies.) KITT is the quintessential 80s talking Trans Am — and he not only talked, he had attitude. He was loaded with gadgets for fighting bad guys, too. There have been numerous attempts to revive the franchise (did you see the 90s TV movie with a red KITT where the ‘Hoff put karate moves on a pre-X-Files Mitch Pileggi in a shopping mall? *shudder*), including two additional TV series and a perpetually in-development big-screen adaptation, but no KITT has ever outdone the original.

Mach V

Mach V from Speed Racer

The live-action Speed Racer movie was rubbish, but the real-life realization of the cartoon Mach V was a thing of beautiful perfection. It came with some killer options too, including wheels that could turn 360 degrees. The movie’s later Mach VI was more “futuristic cool,” but there’s no comparison against this baby’s old-school sexy curves.

The Tumbler

The Tumbler from The Dark Knight

There have been so many Batmobiles, but none of them anywhere near as strong or frankly as believable as the Tumbler from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The love child of a Lamborghini and a Hummer, the Tumbler was billed as a military prototype, giving it a realistic justification for existing. It gets extra credit for being able to transform into the Batpod motorcycle when it’s damaged beyond repair.

V-8 Interceptor

V-8 Interceptor from Mad Max

It sucked to be a post-apocalyptic gang member when you saw this “Pursuit Special” headed your way. The V-8 Interceptor was an instrument of vengeance for former cop Max Rockatansky, who set out on a campaign of blood against the gang that killed his wife and child. It didn’t have a ton of options, but it compensated with a killer reputation.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron logo

High Moon Studios just announced that they’re following up their hit 2010 Transformers game War for Cybertron with a game that tells of the mythical world’s ultimate demise: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. And if you think that abysmal Dark of the Moon movie tie-in game they did earlier this year is being flat-out ignored… You’re right.

Activision and High Moon Studios will release Transformers: Fall of Cybertron in Fall of next year, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game follows War of Cybertron with a story centering on the final hours of the Cybertronian civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons that ultimately leads to both factions leaving their decimated world behind to find a new home (which of course they both decide will be Earth).

Game Informer broke the news with a reveal of their latest wraparound cover, for the November 2011 issue (on sale October 14th). The cover, which features pre-rendered artwork and not an actual screenshot, shows off a darker, more moody atmosphere than the first game had. A second, limited edition cover shows an even grimmer event, with Optimus Prime standing over the (mortally?) wounded body of Bumblebee. But fans are likely to be buzzing more about the primary edition, because of a certain Dinobot’s prominent appearance. You can see both covers below.

I’m not sure how High Moon will pull off Dinobots on Cybertron, since Transformers lore states that the Dinobots were created after the Autobots arrived on Earth, modeled after the primitive Earth animals. Even with the Dinobots  retconned into Cybertronian history, there would be no dinosaurs there for them to be modeled on. So it’ll be interesting to see how High Moon pulls that off.

Game Informer will be gradually releasing information about Transformers: Fall of Cybertron over the next month at their website.

Game Informer cover, November 2011

Game Informer alternate cover, November 2011

Batmobile(s)

Batmobile(s)

Why draw just one when two is twice the fun? Worlds collide when the Michael Keaton Batmobile meets the car from the classic Adam West TV series. [Source]

Bullitt

Bullitt

The car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco in Bullitt is considered one of the most influential in cinema history. So it’s only fitting that it get the Pixar treatment in this clever render that also name-drops Steve McQueen — who Cars‘ Lightning McQueen is named after. [Source]

Bumblebee

Bumblebee from Transformers

Mashing up Cars with Transformers is an inevitable no-brainer, though Bumblebee’s smiling demeanor doesn’t really match his depiction in the Michael Bay films.[Source]

Christine

Christine

The evil horror movie car looks appropriately menacing in this spooky render. [Source]

De Lorean

De Lorean Time Machine from Back to the Future

The expression is perfect. It actually resembles Michael J. Fox’s look on the poster for Back to the Future. (If you’re wondering why the De Lorean is in outer space, look closer at the car’s grill.) [Source]

ECTO-1

ECTO-1 from Ghostbusters

In another dimension of time and space (the Pixar Zone?), maybe the ECTO-1 is the fifth Ghostbuster. [Source]

General Lee

The General Lee from Dukes of Hazard

You can practically hear the Southern drawl coming from the General Lee’s mouth. [Source]

Herbie

Herbie

Few movie cars have more personality than Herbie the Love Bug, and now he has a face as well. (Just overlook that missing back tire.) [Source]

Jurassic Park

Jeep from Jurassic Park

The artist pulled out all the stops for this one. You’ve got the jeep, the big digger standing in for the T-Rex, the jungle, the park entrance, and even a clever logo. [Source]

Landspeeder

Landspeeder from Star Wars

I suppose the Landspeeder is the most natural choice from Star Wars for a Pixarization, since it’s the most car-like vehicle in the series. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Millenium Falcon done up, though. How do you feel about the artist’s choice to make the Landspeeder a buck-toothed bumpkin? [Source]

Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime from Transformers

This one’s basically a new skin applied to Mack, Lightning McQueen’s truck driver. But it would have been cool to see Optimus’ face not quite so happy-go-lucky. [Source]

Star Trek Shuttlecraft

Shuttlecraft from Star Trek

A nice Photoshop job on the Galileo, probably Star Trek‘s most memorably shuttlecraft. But again I find myself wishing the artist had rendered the franchise’s most iconic vehicle. How cool would it be to see the Enterprise get the Pixar treatment? (The J.J. Abrams Enterprise, preferably.) [Source]

"Alientransform" by Carlson Woon

Every once in a while, you see something that makes every thought running through your mind come to a screeching halt. This is one of those things. The second I laid eyes on it, I knew I had to share it.

Digital artist Carlson Woon of Malaysia created this image, which is sort of like the lovechild of a Xenomorph and a Transformer. Or as Woon dubbed the piece, “Alientransform.” He used After Effects, Maya, and Photoshop to create his Alien Transformer.

My brain cannot even fathom what would be required to take one of the creatures from Alien and replace every single part of its body with a metallic part. Look at the visor over the eyes! All the mechanisms and gears and hydraulics. Even down to the chisel-like teeth. It’s astounding.

Hollywood, are you seeing this? Somebody hire this guy!

Transformers #21 - The beginning of Chaos!

The DC universe is not the only fictional universe out there that suffers from continuity issues. Let’s be honest, have you tried to figure out Transformers?

Let’s see. Just in the comics alone, there’s the original Marvel UK continuity that includes the original cartoon series (which I must confess, I still possess a great fondness for), Dreamwave, and IDW. Yet even that nice, simple original continuity split into two, the British version, and the American / Japanese version. Then these split once more into Generations One and Two, the second becoming it’s own continuity.

This is not to mention the Beast Wars, that remaining confusing even after I watched the entire series. Then there is the Unicron trilogy of cartoons: Transformers Armada, Energon and Cybertron. Which are separate to the original and later Japanese cartoons.

Plus there is the Michael Bay Show, I mean trilogy of live action movies, that helped reawaken the passion for the Robots In Disguise for a whole new generation. (There’s that word again.) Transformers Animated drew from Generation One (well, one of them), the Unicron Trilogy AND the movies.

I won’t ask how that one works, I haven’t watched it yet. The thought of the co-existence of the All-Spark and the Creation Matrix doesn’t really make sense to me, but I will withhold judgement.

But could somebody tell me where the annoying Transformers Prime cartoon fits in? Please tell me it doesn’t. As cartoons go, it’s not too bad, just incredibly irritating and deserves to be forgotten by anyone over the age of ten. I wonder what the average age of a Transformers fan is nowadays?

Approaching the IDW Transformers continuity can feel much the same as looking at the entire thing. Many mini-series, set in differing environments that may or may not be connected. I raved about the recently culminating Heart Of Darkness mini-series that not only implied but demanded a wider context for the story, and now finally these plot lines have come home to roost.

Last week’s Transformers #21 gave a prelude of the treats to come in the new storyline ‘Chaos’ that will run for this and the next eleven issues. According to the editor Andy Schmidt, this will draw together not all, but most of the disparate elements of the IDW continuity, and repair many of the continuity errors that are inevitable with such a fractured universe. Erm, universes. Whatever.

Which suits me fine. If I see elements in a story that contradict previously established canon in what after is not that old a version of a shared universe, (IDW only started with the Transformers in 2005, after all), I want to know that such a contradiction IS PART OF THE STORY, not just some glaring error. I can understand this occurring in DC or Marvel, each carrying decades of history, but in a six-year-old universe? Even assuming this is the tenth or twelfth incarnation of this universe, it still smacks of either sloppy editing or unrealised storylines. Life can do that, I don’t know if IDW’s editorial oversight of Transformers has changed hands over the years, but I admit, real-life events can overtake our fictional worlds. Yet to see that this state of affairs is to be remedied is a welcome development.

Plus, anything I have read of Simon Furman’s Dead Universe saga rocks, and this storyline is the culmination of that.

So, if you have been sickened off the Transformers because it is all too confusing, give IDW a chance to set it all a-right again. Hopefully this will not cause more problems than it solves.

If that is the case, DC could stand to learn a thing or two.

"Megatron" design by Josh Nizzi

Did you see Transformers: Dark of the Moon? Not a perfect film — not by a long shot. But certainly a lot better than the dreck that was Revenge of the Fallen. Whether you loved or hated the movie, one thing you can’t argue is that the giant robots look frickin’ awesome. Check out these amazing digital renderings of Megatron, the Wreckers, the Dreads, and lots more, created by artist Josh Nizzi as concept art for the film. Included: an unused design for the classic character Ultra Magnus.

Okay, I’ll come clean and disclose that I have alternative motives for showing you these. Josh Nizzi, the artist who created these stunning images, is a friend of mine. He lives right here in my home state of North Carolina, and he and I have even collaborated on a few projects that are still in the works. Every time I see him, he shows me some of his amazing artwork, and I’m blown away every single time.

Since getting the job to work on Transformers – he first joined the concept design team for Revenge of the Fallen (if memory serves, I believe this is the image that got him that job)– he’s gone on to create a whole slew of covers for IDW’s Transformers comic books, and work on such upcoming films as Battleship (a kooky-sounding VFX-fest based on the board game), 2012′s The Amazing Spider-Man reboot, and Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, which is filming now.

Take a look at these incredible images, and tell me this guy doesn’t have a huge future with Hollywood. See lots more of his Transformers 3 artwork here.

"Megatron" design by Josh Nizzi

"Megatron" design by Josh Nizzi

"Breakdown" design by Josh Nizzi

"Blitzwing" design by Josh Nizzi

"Warpath" design by Josh Nizzi

"Flash" design by Josh Nizzi

"Ultra Magnus" unused design by Josh Nizzi

"Dreads" design by Josh Nizzi

"Decepticon Fighter" design by Josh Nizzi

ARCH

Commissioned to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Pittsburgh, the “city of bridges,” this giant robot sculpture is made from parts of bridges, by artist Glenn Kaino. [Image source.]

Bendy Bus Prime

I’m a little reluctant to include this one, as it almost looks like a good Photoshop job. But everything I could find said that “Bendy Bus Prime” is the real deal. It’s made from over 100 bus parts, from England’s famous red buses that bend in the middle, and it’s been dubbed “the very first British Transformer.” [Image source.]

Bumblebee (Cartoon Version)

Tom Rhoads of Lemoore, California created this 18-foot-tall replica in his front yard, using parts of a real VW Bug. Before you laugh at its cartoony nature, remember that this is serious nostalgia for a whole generation of fans. Without old school Transformers like this, there’d be no Michael Bay movies. More pictures at the link. [Image source.]

Citroen C2 “X2″

Three friends from Nanjing, China spent $8,000 American dollars to turn a Citroen C2 into a Transformer that they’ve named “X2.” This is just the first of many Chinese creations you’ll see on this list… The Chinese really love their Transformers! [Image source.]

Cleveland Transformers

A family in Cleveland, Ohio displayed these impressive homemade statues on their front lawn for Halloween. [Image source.]

Guan Yu

Guan Yu was a historic general from China’s Three Kingdoms period, who’s become a pop culture icon and hero in modern times. This statue is made to resemble him and his signature bladed staff, from an old Jie Fang model truck. It stands 30 feet tall and weighs 4 tons. [Image source.]

Megatron Tank

Another Chinese fan build, this one a life-sized recreation of Megatron in his Revenge of the Fallen “alien tank” form. If this guy rides your bumper… let him pass. [Image source.]

Optimus Prime

I’ve shown you this one before (along with another even bigger one that Noemi pointed out from Shenyang City), but it’s entirely worthy of inclusion here because of it’s awesome location placement: it’s right in front of the infamous “Bird’s Nest” arena from the ’08 Olympics. It’s made from recycled car parts. [Image source.]

Optimus Prime Ice Sculpture

Couldn’t find any details about this one, such as where it was located, but it’s one darn impressive ice sculpture. Tons of detail in this thing. See more photos at the link. [Image source.]

Scrap Metal Original

A Chinese original made out of scrap metal from other cars. The builder uses it — and a few others he’s built — as a promotional tool for his scrap metal business. [Image source.]

Studio Re-Creation

Art shop “Studio Re-Creation” takes your favorite personal belongings and re-shapes them into something even more special. This one is a human-sized robot statue made from one of the sculptors’ first car, a Lada Samara Diva. [Image source.]

VW Passat

One more Chinese creation, a robot sculpture on display, made from a VW Passat. Looks pretty nifty, but where’s its head? [Image source.]

A while back, I showed you a transforming tennis shoe. I didn’t think that Transformers could get any weirder, but boy was I wrong.

Chainclaw

Part of the “Pretender” line of official Transformers, Chainclaw was an animalistic Autobot who hid inside a plastic Bear shell. A bear that was so convincing a hiding place with his gladiator helmet and battle gun. [Source]

Computer Mouse

A real, working mouse that transforms into dinobot leader Grimlock. [Source]

Japanese Symbols

Maybe they’re educational toys. We can hope? [Source]

Marvel

But why does Spider-Man turn into a helicopter? And it doesn’t stop with Spidey. There are also Transformers versions of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Wolverine, Venom, and even Ghost Rider. [Source]

McDonald’s Stuff

These were included in Happy Meals back in the 80s. [Source]

Mickey Mouse

Notice that the real Mickey Mouse is piloting the Mickey Transformer, mech style. But the weirdness doesn’t stop here. There’s also a Donald Duck model, and a Buzz Lightyear that turns into his own spaceship. Actually, that one’s kind of cool. [Source]

Sewing Machine

Supposedly, this “Hello Kitty” branded toy is part of a line of Transformers made just for girls. A line that also includes a hairdryer and lipstick. [Source]

Soccer Ball/Football

When he takes down a Decepticon, he screams, “GOOOOOOOOOAALLL!” Okay, I made that up. [Source]

Star Wars

Star Wars + Transformers should equal awesomeness, right? Wrong. They couldn’t stop at merely having Star Wars vehicles that turn into robots. They had to make them vehicles that transform into Star Wars characters. Because that just makes so much sense. Making matters worse: these are the real deal, made by Hasbro, licensed by Lucasfilm, and available to buy at specialty toy stores right now. [Source]

Thomas the Tank Engine

As the parent of a young Thomas fan, this kinda offends me, though I can’t explain why. It’s actually a “combine to form” robot, a la Voltron or Power Rangers. [Source]

Titanic

Good grief. You’d think that before something like this got made, somebody would have the good sense to see how tasteless it would be. And you’d be wrong. What’s next? Transforming World Trade Center towers? [Source]

In this list, you’ll find entries from the likes of genre mainstays Star Wars, Star Trek, Spider-Man, and even Transformers. There are some homages to space travel, as well as a favorite cartoon or two. And you’ll find that those obsessive Twilight fans even extend into farming. (Who knew?)

Family Guy

[Source]

Iron Man

[Source]

Moon Landing

[Source]

Prince Caspian

[Source]

Sesame Street

[Source]

Spider-Man

[Source]

Spongebob Squarepants

[Source]

Star Trek

[Source]

Star Wars: Anakin Skywalker

[Source]

Star Wars: Darth Vader

[Source]

Transformers

[Source]

Twilight: New Moon

[Source]

Twilight: Eclipse

[Source]

UFO #1

[Source]

UFO #2

[Source]

The Transformers: Dark of the Moon video game is inching closer to release, and I know past releases in the series haven’t exactly instilled confidence, but still, we have good reason to cling to high hopes for this one.

A new batch of screenshots just came down the pike from Activision and developer High Moon Studios, and I’m willing to admit that I may be alone in this, but I think some of the Transformers in these high-res shots look nearly as good as their movie counterparts. Oh, how I wish we could get a truly killer Transformers game. Talk about wish fulfillment for every man who was a child of the 80s.

Angry Birds

There are plenty of Angry Birds eggs being made this year; this one gets my vote for the best due to its perfect detailing. [Source]

Auto (WALL-E)

Very well-made version of the villain Auto (aka Auto-Pilot) from WALL-E. [Source]

Bender (Futurama)

The egg-maker really nailed Bender’s look, but I can’t help wondering why Futurama‘s robot is so angry. [Source]

Binary Code

Binary code is always big among geeks, but you’ll have to decide for yourself if it’s clever or just plain nerdy. [Source]

Bumblebee (Transformers)

It can’t be easy translating the proportions of a Transformer like Bumblebee into an egg, but this one manages to pull it off. [Source]

Chewbacca (Star Wars)

As you’d imagine, there are a ton of homemade Star Wars eggs, but this one grabbed my attention with that realistic fur. Wow. [Source]

Dalek (Doctor Who)

No matter how you slice it, that is just darn impressive. How in the world did they get the eye stalk and arm things to stay on? [Source]

Death Star (Star Wars)

Never have I seen an Easter Egg perfectly convey so much with so little. [Source]

EVE (WALL-E)

Turning an egg into EVE is a total no-brainer; the character is shaped like an egg, after all. This one perfectly captures the lighter side of her personality. [Source]

The Federation (Star Trek)

The United Federation of Planets design is raised and even has a metallic sheen to it. I have no idea how they did it, but it’s awesome. [Source]

iPhone

The Apple “iEgg” is shown here front and back. And yes, if it were real I’d totally use it. [Source]

Iron Man

Absolutely perfect lighting shows off the steel/glowy goodness of this impressive Iron Man mask. [Source]

Joker

Awful photo. (So blurry!) But staggeringly good work on the egg. It captures Joker’s unpredictable malice so well, it scares the crap out of me. [Source]

Naruto

Another one that manages to translate the proportions of a human figure into an egg remarkably well. [Source]

The One Ring

If Easter was celebrated in Middle Earth… well, they wouldn’t use the inscription from Sauron’s evil ring, would they. But I still love the idea. [Source]

Pac-Man

So many Pac-Man eggs, so little time. I picked this one for its instantly-recognizable depiction of Pac-Man. The ghost doesn’t come across quite as well. [Source]

Rorschach

Watchmen‘s signature crime-fighter. [Source]

Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

The anti-hero from Tim Burton’s stop-motion classic is depicted in one of his most memorable moments. [Source]

Spider-Man

Great version of Marvel’s wall-crawler. [Source]

Superman

Looks like clay was added to give this one a raised “S” emblem. Very cool. [Source]

Terminator

It’ll be back. Next Easter. [Source]

Xbox 360

Another one that left me wondering how they pulled it off. I’m sure the silver is some kind of enamel paint, but the green part all but glows. Very impressive. [Source]

Zombie

The visible brains part is brilliantly executed. Love the creativity! [Source]

Have you ever heard of Tee Fury? It’s this nifty website where every day, they make one new t-shirt available for just 24 hours or until it sells out. All shirts are sold for $10 (+ shipping), and they never make that same t-shirt again. Their designs come mostly from members of their forum, who create the artwork, and Tee Fury then pays the designer $1 for every shirt they sell.

Basically, they profit off of your fear of missing out on something good.

Their designs are always geektastic, but as a geek of 80s, today’s design really captured my attention. The designer, “nganci,” combined Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1 with Transformers, the Batmobile, the DeLorean from Back to the Future, the turtle van driven by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the A-Team’s signature black van, and KITT from Knight Rider. The result is this awesome homage to the unforgettable cartoon and movie vehicles from the 80s.

They’ve got sizes available ranging from Small to 2X. Get yours now, but hurry: tonight at midnight they’ll be gone forever.

Remember the first arrival of Unicron? The introduction of the much maligned Hot-Rod and his evolution into Rhodimus Prime? The very first appearance of a female Transformer Arcee? (Not that I ever understood what the point of all that was. Surely robotic organisms are beyond gender?)

Good memories.

So, following the plug from Infestation, I dived into last weeks Transformers: Heart Of Darkness with some gusto, especially once I saw it was written by Dan Abnett. Although I did not have much of a clue as to the set up of this series, as it is obviously firmly entrenched in previous opportunity, Mr Abnett sets up a mystery with engaging efficacy, as one whole technoform planet is discovered as wiped of life.

As ever, this has set me rooting through the back issue bines to find Transformers: Revelation, as I encountered far more mysteries than Dan probably wanted me to. Jhiaxus is a name I vaguely remember, but a dead universe? A number of portals? What’s all that about?

Looks like I’m a fan again!

Asteroids

An homage to the classic arcade game. [Source]

Boba Fett

Stride Rite makes a whole series of Star Wars-themed tennis shoes for kids, but there can be none cooler than the Boba Fett models. [Source]

The Dark Knight

Diversitile is a company that specializes in hand-customized apparel and shoes. These custom Dark Knight Nikes made somebody one of the coolest geeks of all time. [Source]

Iron Man

Another from Diversitile, these were put into production in support of Iron Man 2, along with a similar-but-grey pair for War Machine. Gotta love the authentic look and feel. [Source]

Keyboard

Not sure how comfy these would be, since those are real keyboard keys affixed to the outsides. But they will certainly grab attention. [Source]

Toy Story

My favorite part is the “Andy” on the sole. That’s some thoughtful detailing. [Source]

Transformers

You can’t wear these shoes, but who cares! They actually transform from shoe to robot! [Source]

Tron

They really light up, using ELastolite — the same material woven into the costumes made for Tron: Legacy.

Twitter

If you really need to celebrate your favorite microblogging service, there’s an Adidas for that. [Source] They also come in a Facebook flavor.

Xbox 360

Not terribly practical, but come on. Who doesn’t want a pair of shoes that look like game controllers? (The buttons are merely aesthetic.) [Source]

Transformers toys and the cartoon were some of my favorite things.  I was infatuated with Optimus Prime and other “good” Transformers, along with the “evil” Decepticons.

In conjunction with my Transformer adoration, so too I now adore the creations of a Chinese gentlemen, Yang Junlin of Huizhou, referring to himself as the ‘steel legend’.

Prior to creating a super awesome army of Transformers from scrap metal, ‘steel legend’ fashioned an equally excellent scrap metal Megatron tank.

Created at his “Legend of Iron” factory, opened in 2006 after retiring from the army, Yang became inspired to create his metal masterpieces after attending an exhibition featuring displays of steel sculptures.

The sculptures he saw, mostly simple human figures created from twisted metal wire, impressed him to the point that he began crafting his very own steel creations.

Fast forward a year and Yang Junlin opened his own factory, Legend of Iron, hiring more than10 workers to help him realize his dream of building cool robot sculptures.

Yang Junlin’s team uses all sorts of scrap metal, ranging from old car parts to sheets of steel to manufacture pieces like those in his Transformers collection.

Admitting that the work is time-consuming, Yang, to date, has constructed over 1,000 iron sculptures since his shop opened.

Want to see more?  Check out the other Transformers created by Yang here.

Are you a fan of Transformers?  Would one of Yang’s gigantic metal Transformers be something you’d like to purchase?

Obvious Winner

If anyone can turn in a decent Transformers video game, it’s High Moon Studios. It’s the studio that crafted the fan-favorite Transformers: War for Cybertron game. Thankfully, High Moon has been given free reign to do whatever they want with the game based on the new movie, so they’ve crafted an original storyline that serves as a prequel.

A set of media just released for the new game shows off characters both new and old, but the one that jumped out at me is Laserbeak. This vulture-like Transformer originally debuted as one of the tiny cassette tapes that came with boom box Decepticon Soundwave. In the new movie, Soundwave is back, and gets to be more than just a satellite orbiting Earth, and he’s bringing Laserbeak along for the ride.

The new trailer shows off some other changes as well, including a new paint job for Ratchet (bright green? really?) and some upgraded weaponry for Optimus Prime that seems to include a chainsaw-type device. There’s a new tank character joining the ranks of the Autobots, but I’m not sure who this is. The trailer shows that Megatron is still suffering from the damage he took at the end of the second film, and it even gives us a glimpse of Shockwave, the film’s main baddie.

As a rule, movie tie-in video games are abysmal. Made with too little time and not enough polish, they exist primarily to fleece more money out of the movie-going public, to experience the movie’s story a second time. (Toy Story 3 stands as an exception to this rule, as its game was, by all accounts, rather fantastic.)

The first two Transformers games based on Michael Bay’s movies were just awful. But there may be cause to hope over the tie-in for the Transformers: Dark of the Moon game (I’m still hating that title). What’s the cause for this sudden optimism? Unlike the first two games, which were made by TT Games and Luxoflux respectively, this new one is being made by High Moon Studios — the developer behind last year’s excellent Transformers: War for Cybertron. While not perfect, War for Cybertron showed that High Moon has a real love for these characters and their world, and it got the best reviews of any Transformers game ever.

Now, the odds are against High Moon besting itself with Dark of the Moon, since once again we have a game that’s been given far too short a development life. But the press release sent out today by distributor Activision makes it sound like High Moon is at least trying to make the game worthwhile.

High Moon has created a new gameplay mode for this new game called “Stealth Force,” which represents a hybrid between robot mode and vehicle mode. Why it’s called Stealth Force, I have no idea, because as you can see Bumblebee model it in the trailer above, there’s nothing whatsoever stealthy about it. It looks more like “battle tank” mode to me.

The Dark of the Moon game also has the distinction of introducing robot characters that are new to the Michaelbayverse, including the movie’s big bad, Shockwave. High Moon’s game features a storyline that serves as a prologue to the events in the movie, so at least it’s not just a regurgitation of the film, right?

Do we dare hope for a good game?

You can find out more about the game at transformersgame.com. Here are the game’s first screenshots.

As impressive as the statue is, yesterday, it had to hand over the distinction of being the tallest Optimus Prime installation in the world. Another Optimus Prime statue was unveiled in China, this time in Shenyang City. This statue weighs in at 21 tons and is 11 meters tall. It is also made of various car parts – taken from 20 cars. Here are some photos of the new record holder for your viewing pleasure.

Up close and personal.

Check out that guy at the bottom of the picture to give you an idea of just how tall the statue is!

Here’s a video of the statue in action. Well, it does not really move, but you know what I mean.

Now, comic veterans like us are quite used to the Transformers mingling with the G.I. Joes. Yet in a stroke of genius (and marketing of course, but I’ll ignore that for now), Dan Abnett and the folks at IDW have thrown in the original Star Trek crew, and the Ghostbusters!

Bizarre crossovers are the pinnacle of the art of crossovers. If you have never read the Superman and Bugs Bunny mini-series from 2000, then I highly recommend it. The beauty of this is that the whole story actually makes sense, in the context of both sets of characters.

And thus it appears to be the same in Infestation. The story begins in the world of the Covert Vampiric Operations, dealing with an experimental portal to the world of Zombies Vs Robots. I haven’t read C.V.O. before, but I will be sure to dig out the back issues. (So that marketing I wasn’t talking about sure worked!) In an excellent set-up that demonstrates just why and how a multitude of zombies can be acting on an agenda, the end of the issue sends the hungry mob out into the four other universes.

So, it appears we are not going to see Spock baffled by the antics of Slimer, or Optimus Prime dealing with Venkman, Stantz or Spengler, but this makes for a coherent tale. Of course, we have yet to see what the final bookend issue will offer, but I wait with baited breath.

In order not to turn this column into the Dan Abnett fan club, I will state that this motivating force that makes sense is very reminescent of the Hunger Plague of the Marvel Zombies, Then again, hey! If it works…..

There aren’t many details to be found in Antti Pedrozo, but who needs the details when you have this image?

Here’s a really nice close up of the sculpture‘s body.

Here’s a question for you Transformer geeks out there: how accurate is this?

More pictures from the Antti Pedrozo.

So I took a little liberty with that expression, but who cares? I think that anyone who has worked on one of these babies knows that it is quite hard to go back to a Windows machine – hard but not impossible. Now, if you were to have a MacBook that behaved just like Optimus Prime and the rest of the gang, then turning it in would be a hideous thought at best.

Check out this video of a transforming MacBook, which I saw on YouTube today.

Truth be told, I find it rather silly. Don’t get me wrong – I like the whole idea. I actually found myself chuckling as I watched the video. That doesn’t change the fact that it is silly, though, does it? And, as much as I would want a MacBook that transformed into some other toy, I wouldn’t want to risk thousands of dollars flying out of that window, would you?

The latest episode of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (PSG) was a real treat for mecha fans as the first half was packed with transforming robots and machine violence. The whole thing was a parody of the Transformers series, with two robots at war crashing into the Earth. Their cores are then eaten by Panty and Stocking, who turn into robots themselves.

With their newfound powers, Panty and Stocking both enlist the help of robots from everyday objects in their rooms. Some of the robots very closely resemble the actual ones in Transformers, but a few of the more hilarious robots to transform are the condombots and the bigdildobot. With the formation of the Pantybot and Stockingcon factions, sibling robot rivalry is taken to the extreme.

At first, the two sides battle over trivial things like who gets what’s in the fridge and who can use the washroom.

Keep in mind that this is PSG we’re talking about here, and it wouldn’t be right if there was nothing naughty implied. Things start to heat up when the Stockingcons send in a spy dressed as a sexy race car to seduce Panty. Little do the Pantybots know that the spy is actually wired to self-destruct after screwing Panty with his screwdriver (literally).

An all-out war ensues, with both sides ready to fight to the bitter end. However, they’re both interrupted with the appearance of a ghost. I was half expecting Panty and Stocking to transform into robot angels, but apparently the angel transformation turned them back into biological beings.

If PSG can keep up with providing crazy, yet hilarious content like this, I’m sure it’s bound to be one of the top series of the year.

The music video below is called Kutty Pisassu and was created in 2010 with Bumblebee from Transformers. I’m not really sure what country it comes from or why in the world there is a dinosaur looking creature that’s apparently friends with the child, but how can you not love a Transformers inspired flick with Bumblebee inspired bongos.

The films music director is Deva, not to be confused with Devo, who’s own work “Whip It” music video isn’t even close to as weird as this piece of musical mess.

Here’s the video:

I should point out that this kid is apparently the Justin Bieber of his country, the title say’s “little superstar dances with Bumblebee.”

I have no idea why the two dueling dudes in this video — who are somewhere in Russia — are wearing nothing but shorts. One of them clearly likes showing off his physique; the other doesn’t have much to show off (I can relate).

But nobody watches Michael Bay’s Transformers movies for the humans, and the same can be said for this impressive fan film, which features two robots-in-disguise as cell phones as well as one… well, that would be telling. Just watch.

Optimus Prime may be a 21st century Transformer, but the team at Encline Designs wanted to see what he would have turned into during the 1800′s and the most obvious answer was formed, a steam engine!

The pictures shown below showcase Optimus Prime in all of his transformation stages as a steam engine.

Now I wonder what the rest of the Transformers would have become, perhaps Shockwave could transform into an old civil war .44cal Army Colt.

What do you think about this Optimus Prime re-imagining? Leave us your thoughts.