Once again, Auto Assembly expands its online presence with the latest addition to its Youtube channel…

Auto Assembly, Europe’s largest Transformers convention, has been continually looking for new and innovative ways to keep its attendees and would-be attendees informed of all the latest developments with the convention in an easy to digest manner. Through press releases, its own website, its forum, and its new page on Twitter, we are reaching out to more Transformers fans that ever before.

Now, we are adding another outlet for information on Auto Assembly! Every week or two, we will be uploading short news bulletins to the official Auto Assembly channel on Youtube. Each bulletin will last for around 3-5 minutes and will feature several short news stories covering some of the latest developments about the convention, most of which will be revealed before you hear them anywhere else!

The first bulletin is online NOW and you can watch it here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hVth0WlOq4 Further videos will be uploaded every 1-2 weeks as we get more news and stories to announce. If you want to know when these videos are released, just subscribe to the Auto Assembly channel and get an email notification of every new video produced by Auto Assembly, which will also include exclusive convention footage and much more!

For more details on Auto Assembly 2010 which is taking place on 13th – 15th August 2010 at the Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England – or to book your tickets, visit the website at www.autoassembly.org.uk

The Auto Assembly 2010 Team

Web: www.autoassembly.org.uk
Youtube: www.youtube.com/autoassembly
Twitter: www.twitter.com/auto_assembly
Forum: http://autoassembly.proboards.com
Email: autoassembly@aol.com
Tel: +44 (0)7860 948296

Auto Assembly 2010 is sponsored by www.transformertoys.co.uk and www.transformersanimated.com whose generosity have made Derrick J Wyatt’s appearance at the convention possible.

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We have two pieces of great Transformers 3 news for you today. Firstly, the script is complete (which is always a good thing) and secondly, Las Vegas actor Josh Duhamel is returning as Major Lennox.

The news comes from cinemablend.com, who caught up with Josh Duhamel this week. He confirmed that the script, written solely by Ehren Kruger this time, has now been finished and that he will back to battle Decepticons once more.

The film will start shooting in a few months at locations such as Chicago in the USA, and Moscow in Russia.

It’s all systems go for Transformers 3!

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All the talk at the moment might be about the impending release of Transformers: War for Cybertron from Activision, but true G1 fans were more excited about the release of Transformers G1 Awakening on the iPhone… at least I was after I saw the screenshots.

The game was released last month and costs just $4.99 – a real bargain for any Transformers fan, and acts as a sort of strategy game on your phone. IGN played it and proclaimed it to be the best Transformers game they’d ever played. Now Appera has also reviewed the game, and they agree – the game is awesome and stays true to the G1 franchise.

Have a look at the review here, then if you’re interested you can buy the game from iTunes here.

Now, can you get it for the HTC Touch?

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How would you like to appear in Transformers 3, acting alongside Optimus Prime, Shia LaBeouf and of course Megan Fox?

You would? Thought so, luckily DreamWorks is currently advertising for extras in the film… and no experience is necessary. The advert was placed on Craiglist in LA, and it calls for people to apply to become extras on the next instalment of the Transformers movie. You don’t even have to be in the union, you can apply no matter what walk of life you come from.

Extras roles tend to pay in the region of $100 per day (but this role pays $200), but the days are very long and Michael Bay is reported to be one of the more tyrannical directors. However, for the die hard Transformers fan, this is an opportunity that can’t be passed up.

The job ad reads:

Spielberg is back to work again.

Release Date: July 1, 2011
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures (Paramount)
Director: Michael Bay
Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Tyrese Gibson
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Plot Summary: Bay and Spielberg are working on the plot for the next chapter in the Transformers saga due in theaters 2011

Pre Casting Starting, ***Contact Casting 1-877-464-9526*** For Background Scene work. Extras Are needed. No Experience Req. Union and Non-Union OK.

* Location: LA
* Compensation: 200 a day
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
* Phone calls about this job are ok.
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

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Every Transformers fan would love to name their child Megatron or Optimus, it’s just something that we think of – but sadly there’s always someone, usually the mother, who puts their foot down. My brother’s middle name is genuinely ‘Magnus’, but that’s just a coincidence… still cool though.

One lucky child, if we’re to believe what we read on Facebook, will be named Megatron when they’re born later this year according to Internet company StuckOn. A guy named Mike Affinito has created a Facebook page stating that his sister will call her child Megatron if he can get one million fans of the page – and he already has one and a half million!

Bet she’s regretting that one.

The website points out though that this isn’t the first example of the name Megatron being promised to a child if a certain number of Facebook users join a page, so maybe this isn’t actually real. We certainly hope it is. Who knows, maybe in a few years time the name Megatron will be really common in schools, just like ‘Kylie’ was around 15 years ago, in Essex at least.

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According a statement from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), global box office takings increased in 2009 to a staggering $29.9 billion – and Transformers Revenge of the Fallen was a key player in that rise.

The Motion Picture Association of America stated that the Transformers sequel was the highest grossing film of the year in the US and Canada, which helped box office takings inside the US increase by 10.1% to $10.6 billion, which is an all time high.

Box office takings outside of North America increased by 6.3% to $19.3 billion.

As well as Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, the highest grossing film of 2009 in North America, 3D movies also played a big part in the increased box office gross – led of course by Avatar. The reason 3D films play such a significant role is that they are more expensive to see at the cinema.

Bob Pisano, from the MPAA, stated:

Digital presentation and 3-D hold the promise of a dramatic game change in moviemaking and movie-going.

It’s also worth noting that while 2009 was the best year ever for box office gross in the US and Canada, it also saw fewer films released than in 2008 – just 558 movies, a drop of 12%. This was the first time that movie output dropped since 2003.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen grossed $402 million in the US and Canada in 2009. If you’re thinking that Avatar made much more than that – it did, but not in 2009’s figures. Avatar only made $283.6 million in North America last year – the rest of Avatar’s world record breaking gross came in 2010.

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According to news from the Hollywood Reporter, actor Kevin Dunn might be absent from Transformers 3. Dunn plays the role of Ron Witwicky, father of Sam – and one of the film’s comedic characters.

The reason that Kevin may miss Transformers 3 is that he is signed on for a new series with HBO, and the schedules may clash with filming of the third Transformers movie. Surely Michael Bay wouldn’t consider making Transformers 3 without Kevin? Who would say all of those inappropriate things to Shia LaBeouf?

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Ask any Transformers fan what they want for Christmas and they’ll all say the same thing ‘a real life size Transformer’ – if they had time to think about it of course. Sadly, there aren’t many opportunities to own a giant hulk of metal that looks cool as hell stood in your garden, scares the neighbours’ pets and answers to the name of Optimus Prime – until now.

A company based in Ireland no less, called RoboSteel, makes 2.5 metre tall versions of Optimus Prime to order! Now you can have the Christmas present of your dreams, so long as you have the €5,500.00 to pay for it.

Optimus Prime is made from totally 100% recycled materials, so you can even persuade your parents, wife or girlfriend that you’re doing your bit for the environment by purchasing a huge chunk of baddass metal for your garden, or front room – if your ceiling is high enough.

As you can see by the photos, Optimus doesn’t just cast an awesome shadow, he even attracts the best looking women around – so he would also be good for your social life. Although, we don’t think RoboSteel guarantee that you’ll attract women who look like this if you bought one, we’re checking their terms and conditions later.

Don’t worry about transport either as you don’t have to try and strap Optimus to the roof of your car. RoboSteel can deliver, even to the USA.

Check out the Optimus Prime here.

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Auto Assembly 2010 Live Q&A On Twitter

Auto Assembly has expanded its online coverage once again and joining its website, Facebook and Youtube presence is our new account on Twitter! We’ll be updating our Twitter feed every day with all the latest news and mini-updates on the convention as well as our general thoughts and comments on Auto Assembly 2010 and past events and anything else to do with Transformers!

We’ll be checking the account constantly every day so you can use it to post questions about the conventions to us at any time and to start things off we’ll be holding a LIVE Q&A session this Sunday evening (14th March) at 11:00 pm GMT so you can put your questions to us and get immediate answers! If you can’t make it, feel free to post questions earlier in the day and we’ll answer as soon as we log on for the Q&A. Naturally, we’ll answer questions at any time, but we wanted to celebrate the launch of this new service with a chance to chat to everyone in this live setting.

You can find our Twitter page at http://www.twitter.com/auto_assembly and it will only take a second to become one of our followers. If you don’t already have a Twitter account, it will only take a few minutes to sign up for your own free micro-blog of your own!

We will be making some rather big, exciting announcements on our Twitter page and Youtube channel soon about Auto Assembly 2010 that you won’t want to miss out on and Twitter followers will get to see all of this FIRST as every video and announcement will be linked straight away!

Auto Assembly 2010 is going to be our biggest and best Transformers convention yet. We are going to celebrate Auto Assembly’s 10th Anniversary in style and run the best Transformers event that Europe has ever seen! Over the weekend of Friday 13th – Sunday 15th August 2010 we will be bringing you AT LEAST three guests of honour (Garry Chalk and Derrick J Wyatt are already confirmed), a massive Saturday evening programme with a party, live band, costume competition and loads more, toy and art displays, dealers, comic guests, free autograph sessions, video games area, workshops, dedicated childrens programming, video screenings and so much more!

All this will be taking place at the The Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England. Tickets for the weekend are on sale now through the website for £45 for the weekend for adults and £35 for children, students and senior citizens, with under 5s admitted free. Single day passes will be made available for sale closer to the convention.

For more details on the convention, to see a full list of all the guests and activities taking place over the weekend, or to book your tickets, visit the website at www.autoassembly.org.uk

We hope to see you all in August 2010.

The Auto Assembly 2010 Team

Web: www.autoassembly.org.uk
Youtube: www.youtube.com/autoassembly
Twitter: www.twitter.com/auto_assembly
Forum: http://autoassembly.proboards.com
Email: autoassembly@aol.com
Tel: +44 (0)7860 948296

Auto Assembly 2010 is sponsored by www.transformertoys.co.uk and www.transformersanimated.com whose generosity have made Derrick J Wyatt’s appearance at the convention possible.

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