"Cute Panda Alt Mode For Megatron"

Stumbled onto this nifty “Pandatron” sketch featuring Megatron’s lesser known panda transformation by artist E. J. Su, best known for his work on IDW’s Transformers comics.

You can check out more of his work at his official blog here.

The game looks mighty impressive so far. Could this finally be the game we Transformers fans have all been waiting for?

Signs are looking good: the pre-Earth character designs are top-notch, and Cybertron itself looks fantastic. Peter Cullen is once again voicing the Autobot’s greatest leader, and there appear to be a lot of nice little touches for fans of the original series, like Optimus wielding an axe and Megatron’s mace (also, fusion cannon!).

Set before the arrival of the Transformers on Earth (as depicted in the original 80’s television and comic book series), War For Cybertron offers both Autobot and Decepticon single player campaigns so you’ll be able to play as many of your G1 favorites, including Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, even this guy (if you preorder from GameStop):

Shockwave - A Bonus For Those Who Preorder Through GameStop!

Characters are able to transform into their Alt modes at any time and, like their G1 cartoon counterparts, possess unique special abilities (Ratchet, for instance, can heal himself and others).

The game will also have an online multiplayer mode as well.

Transformers:War For Cybertron will be available for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 this June 22nd.

For more info about the game, cool concept art, and a trailer for the multiplayer mode, check out the official site here.

Over at Obamicon.Me, you can create your own riffs on the famous piece by uploading photos and entering your own caption.

Here are two of my favorites:

No, really.

Here’s a pic from the Legacy Brewing Co. webpage:

It’s tough to make out, but the green figure on the label (Hoptimus Prime, presumably, striking a heroic pose) is muscular, roughly humanoid, and appropriately, made entirely out of hops.

As one might expect, the beer has quite a bit of hoppy flavor to it and, as Autobot Commander Optimus Prime would say, is “made of sterner stuff.”

Here’s a pic I took of the boxed set (click on the images for the full-sized versions):

Looks just like the Autobot Matrix Of Leadership!

And here’s what it looks like when you open it up, Hot Rod-style:

The middle flap opens up to reveal the Generation One goodies contained within:

(Also, a nifty Optimus Prime illustration.)

The set contains 16 DVDs (4 Disc Volumes; see below) with the complete series of G1 episodes up to and including the two-part “The Return Of Optimus Prime” and the three-part mini series “The Rebirth” which introduced the Headmasters and Targetmasters.

There are 98 episodes in all which, according to the official website, adds up to a total of 37 hours of G1 goodness – pretty much everything a die hard Transformers fan could want with the exception of the 1986 Transformers: The Movie (understandable given the convoluted history of the animated film’s distribution rights).

Extra features include five original featurettes with creator and cast interviews, toy commercials, rare PSAs, and more.

The boxed set comes with two Magnets in the shape of the Autobot and Decepticon insignias (pictured below) and a 60-page Episode Guide (top left in the pics below):

Finally, here’s a pic of the empty box revealing the cool Megatron artwork below:

You can order your own Matrix Of Leadership Boxed Set (while supplies last) at http://www.transformerscollectorsset.com for $140 USD with free shipping and handling for all orders within the United States Of America.

All in all, very sweet.  The quality and attention to detail on the boxed set’s presentation is top-notch.

I’ve started rewatching the original series, and I’m noticing all sorts of things I had forgotten.  Prime doesn’t say, “Transform and roll out” nearly as often as one might expect given the iconic nature of the line.

So far, I’ve only watched one of the featurettes, “The Headmasters: Voicing The Robots In Disguise,” with a reunion of eight of the original voice cast members including Frank Welker (Megatron), Gregg Berger (Grimlock), and Corey Burton (Spike Witwicky).  No Peter Cullen, unfortunately; I’m guessing he was too busy lending his voice talents to this summer’s live-action sequel.

I’m thinking I should also pick up Shout! Factory’s G.I. Joe Collector’s Set which is shaped like a footlocker and includes a Flash Drive Dog-Tag to boot.  You can find out more about the Joe boxed set at http://www.gijoecollectorsset.com.