Ahoy, squirts! Quint here again. Well, I knew Paramount or Bay wouldn't be happy about this, but they were on the ball quicker than I expected. I was thinking the article might survive the night.

The picture is removed, but I'm going to take this opportunity to get on a soap box, aimed at Michael Bay, Dreamworks and Paramount. I have seen much of the preproduction art and I really liked what I have seen. I like what I've seen on the set. It'll be different, but the promise of something recognizable in a new world was made in the art and animatics I saw.

Right now you guys are losing the fans. The more secretive you act, the more the fans think you're trying to hide a shitty movie. I'm pretty convinced the film will be big and fun as all hell, but even I have some doubts as a fan. Until we see these robots in action or hear that Cullen is onboard, the geeks will keep thinking this project is doomed.

I hope you guys have something up your sleeves for Comic-Con or some internet exclusive look at the robots... you need to do something soon, prove yourselves to the fans. Afterall, we all want this movie to rock. Not one fan in the talkback below wants this movie to suck. Not one. All you have to do is show us something we can latch on to and put our faith in. At least that's my thoughts. I'm sure you'll read more below.

Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I know TRANFORMERS is one of the biggest "Hot Button" movies in the works right now. I've been able to cover the preproduction and production of this flick for you and believe me. I am listening to the fans out there. I myself am a fan of TRANSFORMERS, but I must admit that I loved the cartoon and the toys as a kid, but I never took the cartoon with me into adulthood. It wasn't until earlier this year that I even revisited the cartoon via the out of print and hard as hell to find DVDs, rediscovering what I loved about these characters.

So, that puts me in a weird place. I'm a fan, but I'm not as married to the original as a lot of folks are. I see this movie as an opportunity to see a huge, sci-fi extravaganza from one of the most unapologetically extravagant popcorn filmmakers working in the business. If Michael Bay can stay true to the cornerstones of the characters (Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream, Bumblebee, etc.) I don't mind him changing up the story or even modernizing the design. However, the fans must be able to recognize the characters they love. If you're not willing to placate the fans at least a little bit, then what was the point in developing a property like TRANSFORMERS?

Case in point, the blue and white Optimus Prime design that has been floating around for the better part of 2006. A lot of sites have been touting it as a true blue ILM effects test. I still get it emailed to me on a daily basis. The video and pics from that video were made by a fan who was gunning for a job on the film. It looked great... I wonder if he got hired?

It didn't help that the character designs I saw in Bay's office were blue-ish gray in color. I stated then that these were rough and unapproved. Bay told me then that they hadn't settled on a look for the main Autobots and Decepticons. They were still playing, tweaking.

So here we are. Below I have a still taken by a long-time and trusted spy deep within Dreamworks' infrastructure from some exterior shooting of TRANSFORMERS. It is of the vehicle form of Optimus Prime. Yes, he's a truck. Yes, he's red. Yes, he's totally Michael Bay-ized. The picture will relieve some fans and probably infuriate some other fans. But I guarantee this... if that truck transforms into a badass giant robot and we hear Peter Cullen's voice coming from the big bastard, you'll see some orgasmically happy fanboys and girls. Hopefully Bay made the right decision with the voice casting.

Enjoy the picture while you can. I have a feeling it won't be up for long...

PICTURE HAS BEEN REMOVED