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The wizard feat Form Retention in the APG really misses the mark for being a quality specialization feat for transmuters for a number of reasons:
Transmuters don't get polymorph spells that could benefit from it until 3 levels after they can get the feat. And even then, the requirement that it takes up a spell slot 2 levels higher than the spell, without giving any of the benefits of heightening, mean that even its out of combat utility is extremely impaired by having static bonuses and movement rates that are Far lower than your appropriate spell level forms give you. It looks interesting in theory, but it has serious problems in play. Maybe if it lasted an hour instead of 10 minutes it would have some situational utility, but it should be a 12 level feat anyway, since transmuters don't get early level battle forms.
The illusionist specialization feat, convincing illusion is the much cooler specialization feat because it uses a relevant skill for the specialist, is a reaction, and interacts with all illusion spells they can cast. It is a much better bench mark for a school specialization feat.
With that in mind, a much cooler transmutation feat would be one that lets you sustain a transmutation spell as a part of an athletics or acrobatics skill action. This way a transmuter could cast an interesting battlefield control spell in the first round (like shifting sands) and then polymorph and fight using the skills that synthesize with their focus power. I am not great at thinking up the exact wording for things like this, but I think a 6th level specialization feat for transmuters would go a long way towards making it not feel like such a dead specialization.