Transformers movie designs
POSTED BY: Cybersnark
UPDATED: Saturday, December 2, 2006 17:03
VIEWED: 23822
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These were first published yesterday by TFW2005, but their server nearly went kerplooie and they've closed off all outside access. These are mirrored by esrz22 of the Allspark forums.
Design sketch for Optimus Prime. Yes, I see the flames.
Design sketch for "Blackout" (ignore the "Incinerator" nametag, they've been using decoy/non-final names):
Blackout's toy prototype:
Toy prototype for Starscream. Yes, Starscream.
Scorponok. Can't tell if this is a toy proto or CGI. I'm guessing CGI, used to design the toy's gimmick. It's just too detailed.
There's also a pic of a practical mockup for Bumblebee, but It's been dismissed as an incomplete pre-viz (just something they can set up on-set for the actors to establish scale), so I'm not gonna post it here.
Here's a discusion thread over on the Allspark.
http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=28854a63bf37b8d83fb643664fb
2f7f8&showtopic=13057
And here's Michael Bay's third-hand commentary.
http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=e55db92217d054c433fe18d593c
8a519&showtopic=13086&st=0
The fandom seems pretty evenly divided about these. Some people love them and think they're the greatest thing to happen to TFs since Beast Wars, and others think they're abominations and the people involved with making them should be banned from ever working anywhere again. Not really any middle ground.
Personally, while I can't say I'm in love with the new style (way too busy and overly-detailed), I can kinda understand the logic behind it; Decepticons are war machines, and would optimize themselves for the most effective combat tactics (reverse-articulated legs for running and jumping, talons instead of hands, faces that look like things conjured from Hell, etc). Autobots would be more diplomatic and general-purpose in their choice of robot modes (humanoid, sleek and agile, human-like faces, etc).
I just wish Bay/ILM hadn't felt the need to go all cliche on us. The bad guys don't need to be monstrous to be scary --they can carry that off in facial expression and personality (note Joss' comment about making humans scarier than anything you can put in latex. That also applies to CGI). Unfortunately, Bay seems to be of the mind that "writing" is basically stringing the action scenes together. He's promised that it'll be like all of the action scenes of his previous movies all rolled into one. Which probably means that we won't actually see anything more than random strobes and flashes of colour, punctuated by ever-larger explosions. 
He's also "assured" us that the action scenes will be bigger than the dialogue (namely that five pages of dialogue can fly by like nothing, and a two-line action sequence can be much bigger and more spectacular than it seems). 
Also, the movie designs are obviously just ILM showing off how intricate and detailed their mecha can be. They aren't remotely practical (no armour, no covering, just fully exposed pistons, wires, and gears). I'm keeping my expectations low, hoping for a half-decent "giant alien robots" movie (which is not in any way to be confused with a "Transformers" movie).
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Soooo.....does anyone else think Starscream look brilliantly good AND utter c*ap at the same time. Come on, he doesn't even have HANDS!!! 
Thank You Cyberhsnark for the brilliant pics and info! 
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*under FRIKKING repair*...
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I agree about Starscream. He looks like he'll be a great little toy, he just doesn't look anything remotely like Starscream.
Too bulky and powerful. He looks like a serious brawler --Starscream is more of a "sidle up beside you with a smile and slip a shiv into your back."
(And he does have claws; it looks like the missile launchers can fold back so he can bring his graspers into play.)
That said, he'd make a great upgrade for Landbullet (or Crumplezone as he's called in NorAm).
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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.
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Ok, I like Blackout's prototype.
Starscream is okay except for the total lack of hands.
I would like to see a prototype of Optimus. The CGI they did of him is not inspiring much confidence that they will do the big guy justice.
__________________________________________
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."
Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/
http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org
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Blackout is made of solid awesomeness. As observed on TFW2005 before they locked up:
Blackout is a star.
He's got a movie coming out, he's surrounded by controversy, he's in talks for a new series, and he's recently been spotted snuggling with Lindsey Lohan.
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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.
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UPDATE:
We have a Megatron:
This may be the worst of the bunch. He's just so generic. No bigass cannon, no alt-mode kibble (his alt mode is that Cybertronian jet in the first pic), not even any colour.
He needs some flourishes.
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WTF?!?
Megatron is HORRIBLE!
What are these designers thinking?
__________________________________________
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."
Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/
http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org
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I know, he doesn't even shout "leader of evil people." Just looks like some random evil monster thing (generic cannon fooder number 42)
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Yeah. I think it's the lack of kibble that does it (and the monochrome look doesn't help either).
Really, every incarnation of Megatron has had some distinctive feature that sets him apart and serves as an immediate visual shorthand.
G1: Big honking gun on one arm, mullet-shaped helmet.
G2: Heavy camo-pattern plate armour, huge artillery piece on shoulder.
Beast Wars: T-Rex head-cannon and tail/cyber-T-Rex tail-cannon/dragon head cannon and gold wings.
Beast Machines: Vorlon-style control harness, disembodied & possessing various hosts.
RiD: 10-changer, featuring great violet bat-wings
Armada: tank treads on shoulders, hip-slung minigun-style cannon.
Energon: shoulder-cannons, wings, hand-held tank (!!!).
Cybertron: Unicron's armour, spikes in useful places (knees, elbows, forearms, shoulders), pompadour-shaped helmet, Batmobile alt-mode.
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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.
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Not really a "design" per se, but I'll throw it in here to avoid another thread:
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/728/728564p1.html
(contains traces of spoilers)
This confirms the vehicle modes for all the Autobots (as of what appears to be the climactic battle):
Bumblebee: yellow/black Camaro.
Ironhide: souped-up GMC 4X4 truck.
Ratchet: emergency-rescue vehicle, "modified humvee."
Jazz: Pontiac Solstice.
We know from set photos that Bumblebee will likely reformat(*) mid-movie from a beat-up '70s Camaro to the glossy 2007 model. Optimus, as we saw earlier, is a flaming truck.
Thus far, the Decepticons are:
Megatron: Cybertronian jet/possible reformatting towards the end.
Starscream: Earth jet (exact model unconfirmed, rumoured to be a JSF).
Brawl: ???
Bonecrusher: A minesweeper vehicle (I saw pictures of what must be him a few months back, I'll hunt them down momentarily).
Barricade: Police car.
Blackout: Pave Low helicopter (you met him earlier).
Scorpinok: Unknown alt-mode, rumoured to be non-humanoid (from ???-to-scorpion), or at least not to transform in the film (???->scorpion->robot)
Frenzy: ???
Soundwave (a.k.a. "the guy with the cool voice") won't be seen, but will likely appear in a sequel. Further data is unclear due to glaring grammatical incompetence.
My favourite part:
Quote:That's Jazz alright.
Jazz is a curvy silver coupe, the latest Pontiac Solstice. It seemed like one guy's entire job was to buff the car and make sure it remained shiny during the carnage.
Do it with style or don't bother doin' it.
(* "reformatting" is what it's called when TFs adopt a new alt-mode/body.)
EDIT: Pics of Barricade, Bonecrusher, and Bumblebee's alt-modes: http://www.jbfans.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=778&sid=c03e3bb2f3d487a01
77894ea24219685
Bonecrusher:
Old-Bumblebee:
New-Bumblebee:
And here's Blackout in action:
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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.
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