Just in case this KINGK tickles your fancy, you can import it from—where else—China for $159.99 now. Do let us know if it "caters to the taste of male friends" like it says on the website. [SZPrice via UberGizmo]

With Transformers, Michael Bay elevated the franchise, fattening geek hearts as one could a calf before slaughter—proving, maybe for the first time in the history of man, that it was not better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

And as the bad reviews poured in, Bay laughed upon his throne of burning diesel.

To top the prank of Transformers 2, however, Transformers 3 would not do. Fans had already written off the franchise, and to some extent, the Michael Bay brand altogether. For his next stunt, Bay would need to infiltrate even deeper cultural tomes invisibly, destroying culture from the inside.

So Michael Bay directed this Victoria's Secret ad, thereby spoiling the singular fragment of the world untainted by his confused action-sexual outlook—a perspective comprised of such distilled adolescence that it shames even the lowest brow among us...well, hopefully. [Gawker]

Actually, according to this frame captured from the Blu-ray edition, our favorite astromech appears 2 hours 17 minutes and 52 seconds in the movie, during the merge of Jetfire's parts to Optimus Prime.

It looks like the real thing to me. Those look like his three feet, as he is flying away from the camera. They are too symmetric to be a piece of random metal, and I can see his shape. But then again, I've been wrong before.

Update: A reader sent us this other frame, which clearly shows that's R2-D2. [Transformers Live]

Really, this controller-gone-bug is the work of Industrial Design student James Killinger. Using just three screws from an external source, he rearranged and reattached the joystick's parts to create this completely new form. (There's not even much fudging with mass since 70% of the joystick's original components are seen in the recreation.)

Now if only Sega had released the gruesome robo-insect controller in the first place instead of the typical version directly above, we might all be playing Sega Siis right now, and it would be Sony/Nintendo releasing all the Sonic games...somehow or other. [coroflot]

Bay also welcomes back Megan Fox, knowing that he'll have a hard time finding someone with just the right balance of slutty sexiness to woo a crowd into believing that Shia is a hero.

Michael Bay should really think about using the Red Epic or Red One to shoot Megan Fox with next time. It worked well before. [Deadline]

So yeah, it's not really a robot in disguise. But still, impressive, no?

[Wicked Evolution via Botropolis via Technabob]

Since my son started to drink gas, his IQ has dropped sharply and now he can't figure out simple addition and subtraction. Before that, he was a very smart boy, and he could even repair the television. But now he does not know the answer of 7 plus 17.

No kidding. The worrying thing is that it took a long time for the parents to realize that his son's habits could be bad for him. How long?

He began to drink gasoline five years ago, when we found he liked smelling lighter fuel.

Five years? FIVE FRAKING YEARS? According to the doctors at the Shanghai hospital where he's being treated "the gasoline contains a lot of lead, which can do harm to people's brains. To make thing even worse, the boy is in the physical development stage, and the lead has caused serious damage to his body." Apparently, the parents have been drinking kerosene for the longest time too.

Poor kid, seriously. I hope the parents get their ass in jail for incompetence. The only positive thing in this story: At least he wasn't tased. [Shangai Daily via slashfilm--Thanks GitEmSteveDave!]

Designed and decorated like gigantic toy cartons complete with the extra little flap thing that allows to box to secure itself to a hook (sorry, packaging terminology is not our specialty), they're just retro enough to make you think that you're going to get a real Transformer (but then you just get a stupid pair of shoes that you're just to old to justify ever wearing off of your own property).

Look for the limited edition Soundwave, Megatron and Bumblebee footwear this July for between $100-120—if you're able to score a pair before they head to eBay. [Kix and the City via StreetLevel via walyou]

There should also be a version in the shape of something called "Ultra Magnus," which we're going to assume is another Transformer, and is available for pre-order now. It'll sell for $50 when it arrives sometime later this month. [BigBadToyStore via Chip Chick]

Thanks to Fractal the Meek for dropping a Communist international-friendly video in the comments.

We may have to change out opinion on this most contentious of debates. No, not the iPhone vs. Pre; we're talking about the new film version of Brideshead Revisited vs. the classic 1981 miniseries. [Thanks, Stephen!]

Wilson says these look like GoBots from the mid 1980s. I don't have any idea because at the time I was too busy chasing girls. [Mint Museum via IZ Reloaded]

This appears to be a one-of-a-kind item, as I can't imagine Disney allowing an unauthorized Wall-E Transformer to be sold anywhere. [FC2.com via Toycutter via The Daily What]

So here's how this works: the Active X applet hijacks your webcam and uses face/eye detection to figure out where to plaster Prime's face. Once it figures that out, it renders a 3D head around your own mug, allowing you live vicariously through the leader of the autobots. But if you get too zealous in trying to save the world, the helmet will disappear—vigorous head movement angers the Autobot gods, and they will steal the head of Prime from you (along with the Matrix of Leadership).

The best part about this taking place in augmented reality is that you don't have to figure out a way to behead a 30-foot robot. Plus, you won't get motor oil (not to mention any other fluids and lubricants he has running through his system) all over your shit. [We Are Autobots]

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Much like the Optimus Prime mask demonstrated by our very own Autobot-aspiring Brian Lam, this Bumblebee mask uses the power of three AAs to transform your voice into a modulated mess. The good news, however, is that since it's a mask, few people will know who's wearing the ages five to adult toy. And even fewer people will risk life, limb and general reputation to check. [Hasbro via 2dayBlog via Botropolis]

The CarGo contains a pick-up bed and an extra storage compartment that can flip up, pull out, or get removed/stowed away depending on how large you need your car to be. This vehicle might be useful for college kids who could use the pick-up mode to move in and out of dorms, the narrow one to park in alleys and stuff when there's no legit parking to be found, and the wider but more upright compact mode to go about the normal business of picking up sorority chicks. [Yanko]
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It's the perfect gift for that special someone. That same special someone who's willing to wait hours and hours in line with you at a premiere so you can go into the theater to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and ogle Megan Fox half-naked on a motorcycle. [Geekologie]

Admittedly, this is not as cool as a trailer. And it certainly doesn't elicit the tingling sensation Megan Fox gives you when she fixes an engine or graces the cover of Esquire.

But it's apparently a first look, procured by MTV to promote this evening's MTV Movie Awards, and the thing looks legitimately bad ass (is that an Egyptian style headdress going on up in there?).

And it looks slightly different too, right? Shia LeBeouf explains:

Basically, the Fallen is to them what cavemen, Neanderthals were to us. He's the ancestor, the first version of this exoskeleton. He's the first version of this sentient being. That's what he is. He's the origins of what they came from.

He also says the Megatron answers to the fallen thanks to a sort of "Emperor and Darth Vader ... kind of situation."

So long as we're talking Emperor-Vader from the Return of the Jedi, and not that "Noooo!!!" abomination at the end of Revenge of the Sith, that sounds cool enough. [MTV via Film School Rejects]

This mashup by IGN, Transforminators, works on so many levels that it's almost scary. Then again, it probably explains a lot about the stylistic decisions made in Terminator Salvation. If you haven't ditched out for your extended weekend yet, kill some of the company's time...before the summer blockbusters kill you. [IGN]

Created by German industrial designer Stefan Wallmann, the Zweistil provides with two riding positions. One to travel in the city, when you need to be more agile and aware of the traffic around you. The other is to travel long distances and for leisure, when you can lay back and enjoy the views.

As you can see in the video, it works rather well. Sadly, it's only a prototype now, but I would happily pay for one. [Stefan Wallmann via The Design Blog]

A 2GB flash drive doesn't really cut it nowadays, and there's no functional reason it couldn't have carried more memory. This, on the other hand, is a fully functioning laser mouse, which works (or should work) like any other compact laser mouse. It's also a much better Transformer: sure, it's a little spindly compared to the Trypticon you might remember from your childhood, and it looks suspiciously familiar to the Grimlock Dinobot toy it's pictured with above, but it folds into an amazingly small package, and one that most importantly isn't immediately recognizable as a Transformer.

Unfortunately, this one won't ship until September either, and it's just as overpriced, at $60. [Likecool via Gadgetreview]

In flash drive form, he's neither terribly compact nor inconspicuous, but this toy isn't meant to be a great Transformer—it's about proudly hanging a physical manifestation of your awkward fandom out of the side of your laptop. The Ravage drive will run a steep $43, and ship in September. [NerdApproved via OhGizmo]

I just can't wait for this magnum opus to be released in June 26, because that will mean I will be on my way to sun, sailing, and endless summer nights in Sweden, thank you very much. Not even having Turturro will make me sit down through two hours of Shia LeBeef. [Trailer Addict via Jalopnik]

The video was originally shown by Michael Bay after his acceptance of the Vanguard Award at ShoWest, but now it's online for all to see. You can check it out in HD. [The Clip In HD via Crunchgear]

Up for auction is a custom built Transformer of Master Chief from the Halo series of games.  A quick transformation turns him from the iconic Spartan soldier into a battle ready Warthog LRV .  Stands 5 1/4" tall when transformed and comes with a variety of weapons including a Sniper Rifle, Spike Grenade, and Warthog turret.  Built from a McFarlane Master Chief figure, an Actionclix Wartog and an Autobot Hound transformer, many hours of work have been put into this to make it a faithfull representation of both the vehicle and the character.

The auction ends on March 12, and is currently at $51 with 15 bids. Hmm, I think I found what I'm going to blow my cash on this month. [eBay via geekologie]

Update Turns out, this animation is made from a photo series by prestox, which you can check out, all super clear and stuff, here. [via Buzzfeed]

Six separate "Constructicons"-scary!-Voltron-together to form him. Each looks like they can be played with for a few minutes on their own, too. Good times. The new Devastator will run $100. [Toy Fair 2009]

Do yourself a favor and watch it in HD over at YouTube. [YouTube]

The Transformers Chrono Label will come in two versions: Cybertron Autoceptor and Destron Time Limit. The old-school dot graphic timepiece detaches from the wristband, and with a bit of tugging becomes a tiny little transforming robot.

It can be pre-ordered from NCSX for $290.90 each. Wow, is there anyway we can transform that price into something less ridiculous? And maybe bring back this cute pop-up Transformer watch instead? At least it's got colors. [Geek Alerts]

With the Mickey Mouse Transformer, everybody's favorite rodent goes from sitting in a semi to perched on top of a giant Mickey-bot. Adorable! It'll be available for sale in February for roughly $40 from 1999. [Dvice]