I finally got those Chinese Knockoff Swoops in so I wanted to do a review of them. Fist of all the Box is dead on. The insert and backer are also spot on except for the glue used to attach the bubble. Very weak, a lot are coming off the backer without being opened. The instruction booklet is very close to the original but is lighter. The text is actually more crisp than the original. The stickersheet is basically the same except the stickers that originally were factory applied are on a separate stickersheet. Now on to Swoop. The original is the one with the stickers applied. First of all the red paint is darker and flakes very easily. No chance someone would confuse it with the original. The grey legs are actually metallic grey not dull grey like the original. The red plastic on the feet, head, and beak are thinner. The head is noticable thinner as shown in the pic. The wings chrome is actually brighter than the original and the construction is a little different. I believe it will hold positions better than the original. The KO has a bent wing configuration were as the original is only slightly bent as seen here. The beaks are pretty close and look great. The head was actually superglued on and must have been a Friday job as it looks terrible. My understanding is that this is the third variation. The first had no paint on the face and the missiles did not fit the launchers. The second fixed the launchers but not the face. This is the third version with corrected launchers and painted head. Overall I would say they did a great job. The paint sucks, the construction is pretty good with only a few problems. The one I opened had problems with the legs not retracting. The pins did not go all the way through the plastic and were sticking out too far. A quick fix. I doubt the price of boxed g1 Swoops will be affected as you can tell by the bot it's a ko. I am very happy with mine and will probably customize one. I-(second)
Yes they fit but because the red mechanism on the launcher is made from the soft plastic like the sword, it's a bitch to get it to stay in. Launches fine. Also of the two launchers I have one is a little loose in one fist. I haven't tried to put the missiles in an original launcher but I will to see how they do.
Thanks, but that's not what i asked. On at least some, the missile *launchers* don't fit properly in the hands or in the hole on the right wing. Is this the case with this third version?
The launchers on mine 'settled down' a little after a few misfires, the tab seemed to take the shape of the missile a little better.
these are so damn awesome, but i jsut can't bring myself to drop $70 on a KO. If it'd been about 1/2 tat i'd be all in.
Agreed, I can't bring myself to pay that for a KO. But it sure does make me wish we could get official Dinobot reissues.
Some would say it's a 'reproduction' but given the way they've let the QC slide on so many of these, the term KO may be closer to the mark.
a question about the insert. Is the insert the same as the vintage one ? I was thinking if u could use the insert from the KO into an original box and it would look the same as the original ?
Thanks for the comparison review. If they ever drop in price I may pic one up. But like many others here, I just can't bring myself to spend $70 on a KO. Even though it is tempting.
Boy, what a piece of shit. First, his right hand comes apart because the screw does not screw. Second, his right leg is coming apart because the right leg doesn't screw tightly. None of the rockets fit tightly in his hand. His left wing is the only wing that will hold a rocket launcher. THe sticker sheet is incomplete I believe. For $70, this thing is not worth the money. What a fucking rip-off, I do not suggest one of these. I think I'm not gonna open my KO Prime. Lord knows how shitty this is gonna be.
Which version did you get? Mine does not have any of those problems except the launchers are crap and the paint is cheap. Like I stated before these are not of the same quality as the originals but I for one cannot afford a boxed Takara Swoop so this is a nice alternative. I did not notice a difference in the backing?
I had that with mine. Put the stickers on, they'll hold the arm together fine. Didn't have that one... you could try gluing it. Wrap part of the sticker sheet round it twice. It's hardly even visible, andit keeps it in place. Yup, the chest stickers aren't there.
These do include a second sticker sheet for the missing decals. The decals that originally were factory applied are on a separate sheet.
smkspy if it is that bad you got shafted dont tell your one those who 1st paid over $100 when they 1st came out i scored a set for $150 and mine are fine opened one to make cartoon acurate and other than cheap paint all was good compared to my original mib lauchers are not tight but not loose either and bubbles are the same minus cheap glue to hold them to backer card backer card is fine also zap
