DOTM Laserbeak combined with Optimus Prime and Shockwave.

Presenting what happens when you combine the Transformers Dark of the Moon (DOTM) Laserbeak with Optimus Prime and  Shockwave - yes apparently you can combine DOTM  Laserbeak  with some of the major DOTM Transformers - who knew? These are definitely not official link-ups though.

The idea first came to me after a series of great photo posted by Jon Jansen Campos over Facebook. Jon did the links then created some wonderful photos which he posted on his photo-blog jokerjester-campos on Deviant-Art. I was so inspired by the photographs that I decided I had to find out how the link-ups happened.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Arcee

Presenting the Autobot Arcee (Target Exclusive Cyber-Tattoo version) as she appears in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - though Arcee is credited as part of the Transformers Dark of the Moon line (A movie she did not appear in)

There's a lot of continuity issues when it comes to DOTM Arcee - or the movie line Arcee - thanks in part to the fact that she was written out of the 1st Transformers movie and IDW (Idea + Design Works) Comics ran a comic book like in between the movies which involved Arcee (Whom a lot of people assumed to have perished in Revenge of the Fallen), and the novelization of the movie.

Then of course there are her sisters Elita 1 and Chromia. If you buy the individual toys, you'll note the different personalities at the back of their blister cards - I know I have a Chromia here somewhere (Hmmmm. Must be in storage). But if you follow the novelization of the movie - and even IDW's comic books, then you'll note that Arcee's two sisters died and they were animated only by a crazy Decepticon (Flatline) who wanted to create a new breed of what we call a "tripartite Cybertronian" - or Transformers that can operate separately but more or less have the same personality or combine - much like that camera guy Reflector. As a result the movie versions of Elita 1 and Chromia are supposedly nothing more than extensions of DOTM Arcee.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Air Raid (Hasbro)

Presenting the new Air Raid from Transformers Dark of the Moon (Deluxe Class). Let's make it a bit clear that this is the Hasbro release of Air Raid. Though I have not seen an actual piece, there is supposed to be a Takara released Deluxe Class Air Raid (the gray guy to your right) that's basically a re-paint of Thrust and also has a MechTech weapons system attachment. If you want that guy, click here to visit Seibertron.com.

Sadly, neither of the Takara version nor the Hasbro version - which is a new mold by the way, not a re-paint - look anything like the Air Raid that appeared as one of the bosses in the Transformers DOTM video-game - which was a prequel of the movie.

At any rate, here he is. DOTM Air Raid transforms from a... I really don't know what he transforms into. DOTM Air Raid transforms into a reconnaissance jet with a huge AWACS (Airborne Warning |And Control System) dish up top. Unfortunately DOTM Air Raid is kinda small. At best he's a small hybrid between a Northrop Grumman E-10 (Which is the only AWACs bearing airplane in military service today with twin jet engines) and a Gulfstream - I'll have to ask my friend who worked for the US Navy to confirm.

But I feel that, given the weird location of the intakes (on top of the plane) and the fact that an airplane with a Control System requires more space as it's supposed to coordinate other aircraft, that this probably just fell out of someone's imagination in Hasbro and is not based upon anything real.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Drag Strip

Presenting Drag Strip a Human Alliance Decepticon from the Transformers Dark of the Moon toy-line. Yes, that's a Decepticon. I don't normally collect Decepticon. Shockwave and Laserbeak were exceptions because I liked what they looked like. DOTM Drag  Strip is another exception. "Why?" Well we'll discuss that later.

If you were a fan of the Transformers cartoon, then you might remember Drag Strip as one of the Decepticon Stunticons - he was the yellow weirdly six wheeled (yes, count them, six)  F1 race-car that became the left arm of the Mighty - and very mentally unstable -  Menasor.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Whirl

Presenting the Autobot Whirl from Transformers Dark of the Moon (Human Alliance) - accompanied by Major  Sparkplug.  Neither DOTM Whirl nor Major Sparkplug were in the movie unfortunately which is a pity because when the DOTM Transformers pics first started appearing on the web there was a lot of speculation about the "Human Alliance" and how it would affect the movie (Only to find out that the Human Alliance was never meant to be a part of the movie.)

Rude marketing gimmicks aside, DOTM Whirl is actually a member of the Wreckers - the elite Autobot Commando squad out to end the Cybertronian War through any means necessary - which puts him on the same team as Topspin and Roadbuster.

Whirl was actually also released in the ROTF line as a re-paint/model of Evac who was a re-paint./model of the Decepticon Blackout, but the DOTM Whirl - with skis for feet - is closer to how Whirl was first envisioned in Generation 1 of the Transformers.

In the IDW Generation 1 continuity of the Wreckers, DOTM Whirl is actually cited by Megatron as the "One to taught him how to hate and use violence instead of peaceful means." Apparently when Megatron was just a petty criminal and Whirl was a cop, DOTM Whirl beat the crap out of Megatron in an interrogation gone bad.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Topspin and G1 Topspin

A month ago, I did a review on Transformers Dark of the Moon's Topspin. A few days later I was at the 10th Philippine Toy Con where I found a G1 Topspin that had seen better days for a bargain price. And I thought that it would be great if the two met.

It's actually interesting to see how far technology has come in terms of toy production. G1 Topspin was born in 1985, DOTM Topspin was born this year. In 26 years Topspin has gone from a spring-loaded Kickstarter to a spring loaded mechtech accessorized complex piece of plastic that takes almost forever to transform. 

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Laserbeak

Presenting Transformers Dark of the Moon: Laserbeak. I purchased Laserbeak at the recently concluded Hasbro/Toys R' Us two day DOTM Toy launch at Robinson's Galleria. So I was able to get him at the retail price of PhP 699.75  (Roughly US$ 15, US$ 18.99 to US$ 21.45 on Amazon) - the price of a regular DOTM figure.

I have to admit I was quite impressed with Laserbeak's versatility in the movie. I'm quite sure he'll be quite an opponent in the video-game. Though I'm sadly disappointed at how whimpy the writers of DOTM wrote him when it came to something as simple as killing or capturing Sam Witwicky - who, by the way, I feel ruined the movie (It was like watching Lord of the Rings and wanting to forward all the parts with the Hobbit love scenes).