Hi

My Knight Morpher Commander pulled into the station today. I was fiddling with him following the instructions to transform him and noticed he's missing pieces.

His hands (not the slanted lance hands but the normal ones) are gone. They aren't in his forearms and I cannot see them anywhere in the box. Is there a secret hiding place I'm missing or are they just gone?

The other piece is the lance. I fully disassembled the cannon and could not find the little lance piece to pull out.

Anyone had this (or a similar problem)? I've emailed the place I purchased from so here's hoping something can be done...

 

Mine also did not come with the hands, I figured they were left out during assembly or a last minute change in production. The lance is all there though.

 

Is this sort of thing not all that uncommon with these 3rd party co's?

I'm someone who has never purchased a TF from a 3rd party (just ordered the G3 trailer, but it hasn't arrived yet) and has been getting more and more intrigued with stuff like this (especially after seeing what Hasbro's upcoming TF lineup is looking like), but I feel like I read that parts are missing from third party stuff on this site way more than I should.

Are there certain 3rd party co's that you guys would suggest avoiding, or is it just luck of the draw when you purchase from these places?

 

I've never had a problem. Though honestly, the extra fists are hardly something to get concerned about. If the shield or cannon parts are missing, that's a pretty big deal, but I'm honestly not even sure why they included extra fists. They really don't do anything substantial that the regular fists don't.

 

As previous threads about this issue have stated (specifically the feedback thread), you need to contact the store you bought them from; it appears BBTS is getting these issues handled.

OV - Fans Project has become the premier third party company, although KM helped MMC take a huge step forward. There is still a difference in quality, but MMC seems to be closing the gap a little. As stated before, the missing pieces can be rectified by contacting the distributor. I wouldn't let this deter you from purchasing 3rd party figures, because frankly they are pretty damn awesome. A little bit expensive, but well worth it as a true collector's piece.

 

Is it just mine, or when you take out the fists from the underside of the trailer, the pegs are severely stressed and won't fit properly in the arms anymore. They just kinda slide out of the arms now. It's almost impossible for me to put the gun or lance in his fist and remove the lance/gun without the fist popping out of the arm first.

 

Your handle has become appropriate. You're edging closer and closer to the point of no return. Welcome to the dark side. Once you get the G3 Trailer, you're going to wish you had never seen 3rd party stuff, because it keeps getting better - and more expensive  

There's two different concepts at work: the retailer that you order from, and the producer of the toys themselves.

Although I have not had to call in a QC issue yet, BBTS and TF Source both have a reputation of taking care of problems like this, and being good with returns. It's important for a lot of us, since these things are a lot more expensive than normal TF's.

The producers of the toys are kinda luck of the draw. FansProject has established itself as a good producer, they keep an eye on QC and have taken care of problems in the past - they even put out a lot of detailed info on how to spot KO's of their stuff. Mastermind Creations was a gamble for us, because KMC was their first product - that's why picking the retailer like the two mentioned above is important, and don't forget that many times we're dealing with preorders that must be paid in advance and aren't refundable. Other producers (iGear, Perfect Effect, etc) are out there, and their products vary, but you're left with having to read through the feedback threads to get an idea of what to expect, and you're almost forced to rely on a good retailer.

It is frustrating though, and I know how you feel - it's a risk, and it's difficult to know when you have to gamble and when you shouldn't. I had to withdraw a preorder for City Commander years ago when he was first released, only to watch the prices skyrocket, and the reviews turn out to be as good as I had hoped. If FP hadn't done the second run, I would probably have missed it forever. I've gone back and forth on iGear's Faith Leader, but before I even have a chance to make up my mind or decide to risk the money on an unproven toy from a producer that has had QC issues, the first batch was already sold out. On the bright side, their second and third versions are more interesting to me, and they're going to do more of the first version, but it would have annoyed me if the first release was the one I truly had my heart set on and I missed it before knowing anything about it. Like I said, it is the dark side of collecting - lots of risk, some anger, anguish, and disappointment are always possible, but the reward is the possibility of getting some really great stuff that's unique and sometimes very limited.

 

These stories are why i won't buy 3rd party stuff. (with the exception of the commander armor if i ever mange to get any of the classic voyager prime mold)

For the price charged the figures, add on kits and etc should checked, double checked and checked one last time before the package is seal to make sure everything is there and it is in perfect condition.

I know these are small companies with tight profit margins but any company that keeps messing up is going to lose customers over time.

 

I agree, with small quantities it would be nice if everything were triple checked, but let's not get the wrong impression about the third parties; Hasbro has plenty of QC issues as well. I've opened plenty of TF's over the years and found splotchy paint, loose or broken limbs, missing or duplicated parts, etc. Let's not forget the infamous sticky Prowl during Universe/CL2.0. My own luck with Animated was horrible - I don't know how many Jazz and Soundwave figures I went through trying to get a good one without stray paint marks or missing paint. I'm still trying to find a Masterpiece Skywarp US version that doesn't have messed up feet - I've been through 4 so far, and at $60 (original retail), you'd expect something better than the QC you get on Scouts and Deluxes.

There are plenty of stories here and on other boards about Takara's QC, but you don't find people avoiding the import of TT figures from Japan - they just know that it's a risk, and they use reliable retailers to help soften that risk. I felt better about buying CC through BBTS than I did about buying Takara's MP Skywarp through Amazon - and that was an "official" TF Product.

Overall? I've found the QC on third party stuff to be better or at least the same. The only difference between FP and Hasbro is that there are 100 stores in my area that carry TF's and can do exchanges instantly, while there are 0 that carry FP products.

 

For Hasbro im more understanding as they are pumping out hundreds to thousands of figures a day. With that many it hard to be perfect and hard to be certain of quality across an entire production run.

3rd products generally are produced in numbers from a dozen or less up to a hundred a day, maybe with a full production run equaling what Hasbro or Takara might produce in a day or two.

So to my the 3rd party makes have much less of an excuse for poor quality control. I have always thought it would be there best interest to be sure what gets sent out is correct as these days a small company can be killed or be given a huge boost by word of mouth on sites like TFW. Honestly the TF fans and collectors that go to TF fansites are the ones buying the 3rd party stuff not the parents looking for toys for their kids.

Please correct my thoughts on production numbers if im way off, I went with what i felt were decent rough guessitmates.

 

Check for the fists under the "trailer" and the lance handle is on top of the last or first cannon piece...need to pry it off. I have not had any issues with this figure, and as a matter of fact, I love it.

Watch the review posted last week to get further answers on how to find these things or if you need more help wait contact the company. Most respectable companies try to rectify situations smoothly due to them wanting to build or keep a certain reputation.

 

Thanks, man. I try to keep my spending in check when it comes to toys and things like that. I've been on the fence about the iGear Leaders since I first saw pictures a few weeks back. I see what you're saying about BBTS and TFSource. I don't think I've ever read anything negative about either co.

Since I'm going down this dark path now it only seems right that I take the chance on one of those Nemesis Leaders. If it sucks, then I learned about a $100 lesson.

 

I got my KMC figure yesterday. It does have alot of cool features. But I still like Eric's HOS Prime orginal design better. Besides this company copied his design. And Sabrina...I gotta give her major praise for a excellent paint job on the HOS Prime version. Here's pics of them side by side.

 

cool seeing them next to each other like that.....

 

Thanks for the replies.

Just to clarify:

The fists that are missing are his 'normal fists'. The ones that should come already plugged into his arm. I thought perhaps they might have been in the cab (ala G1 Prime) but no go.

I've emailed TFSource and last time I had an issue they were eager to resolve so I wouldn't expect any different this time.

 

maybe its the first run with all the issues. i will order one maybe in the second run, hopefully they fixed things up then.

 

I ordered two. One was fine, while the other was missing the entire translucent blue piece in the chest (and hence, the matrix), with some really dicey paint/molding on the upper left thigh. It was pretty shocking with such an omission, but Robot Kingdom agreed to an exchange, which is good.

 

Since this is kinda turning into a "issues with KMC" thread...

Has anyone else been unable to get the little visor he comes with to stay on? I found it in the little bag he came with and found the spots to clip it on, but at best it stays there for a second before shooting off. It's like the pegs used to hold it weren't made long enough or the head's simply too big to accommodate it.

Really, it's a small issue and doesn't affect the figure's overall look, but it's just something I'd like to be able to keep attached without gluing (as it does appear to be able to swing down over his eyes a la knight's visor).

 

How much did they charge for shipping for both?

 

It was recommended that you can apply a little dap of super glue to hold the visor in place. That's what I did.