I saw the other thread on the News forum about Transrepro still being in business and it seemed everyone was happy about that. I really don't want to start a fight or anything but it got me wondering....

With some parts and accessories being rather expensive to obtain sometimes, why is the reproduction of these parts not looked at in the same light as a straightforward KO like the high quality G1 look-alikes? Wouldn't some of the G1 authentic purists be mad if they spent a large some of money to obtain a rare part only to find out it's a repro?

Also, same goes for repro labels...why would these same purists decide to put reproduction "KO" stickers on their original figures just to make it look better?? I mean after all, it IS repro'ed and not 100% authentic anymore.

I'm not trying to argue whether any form of KOs are right or wrong...that's been done to death....I just wondered why one is not viewed the same as another.

Any ideas?

 

Well, first off, people who dislike knockoffs don't necessarily approve of repro parts.

But assuming some do, there's a big difference between (A) buying a supposedly complete figure for $100, only to find it's actually worth $80 because the gun is fake, and (B) buying a supposedly authentic MISB G1 Optimus Prime for $1500 only to find it's actually worth $80. You're losing a lot more money with the fake MISB than you are with the fake repro part. In a way, you could say the danger outweighs the benefit. Here's what I think confirms the theory: I'm against high quality knockoffs, and I'm generally okay with repro parts, but I'm against knockoff headmaster heads. This is because there's too much of a chance of the fake being confused with the original, and someone being out $100+. That's a lot of money.

Plus, authenticity is more important with expensive MISB items than it is with loose figures. People buy MISB because they want the authentic original toy in its authentic original packaging. On the other hand, people buy loose figures because they want something to display or play with--they may not even care if the gun is authentic if it looks exactly the same. Of course, there are those that care about authenticity, but I think the ratio of people who care to people who don't is lower with loose toys than MISB toys.

 

As KOs provide a means to obtain rare and expensive discontinued toys, reproparts/reprolabels are a means to obtain rare and expensive parts. Personally, it's only when these substitutes are marketed at legitimate products that I have a problem with them.

 

Transrepro sell what they produce honestly as reproduction parts, but unfortunately not everyone plays as nice as they do there are people who make/have made reproductions parts mainly headmasters for Scorponok and his GPS infested repaint and for Cerebros. KO's sold as such are fine but when people try to pass them off as legit and know they are not is when it crosses the line.

 

I kind of disagree with this. I've encountered tons of MISB collectors who collect the KO almost exclusively, explaining the nostalgia is what draws them in, which the KOs adequately provide. Personally, as a loose collector, I want an original figures with original accessories. My satisfaction for collecting largely comes from hunting down both the figures and theirs parts, which doesn't include what I'd deem "giving up" and buying KO parts. My favorite figures in my collection are definitely those that took effort to complete. I know I'm not alone in this either; I wouldn't be able to trade and sell as much as I do if more people found KO parts to be sufficient. eBay sellers like Wheeljackslab, dit138, etc wouldn't be so successful either if KO parts were preferred.

Also, I in fact find KO parts much more annoying than the MISB figures. They have a greater potential for fraud since they're so hard to detect. For example, I doubt any of the bidders on this auction knew they were being offered KO Wheeljack wings: Transformers G1 Wheeljack clear wings left and right - eBay (item 220546025117 end time Jan-27-10 16:53:39 PST) There aren't many signs to see the differences without known originals in hand and now knowing the seller in advance. Because of this, KO parts have definitely made my loose collecting more frustrating since more parts need to be scrutinized, which can't be easily done from pictures alone.

Like with KO figures, there are actually some KO parts I'd buy if the casters took the extra minute to add markings or make minor mold changes IDing their products as repros.

 

Very good discussion so far. I am glad this isn't turning into something I didn't want it to turn into.

I can understand what MG is saying about the amounts of money involved, but to me I still see it as the same thing. Why would one be so gung-ho about an original figure but then turn around and put a repro (KO) part or a sticker on it.

 

I guess I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. I read the entire thread, then re-read your post, and I still can't quite grasp the question.

In what way is reproducing parts that are often lost/damaged seen different from entire figure reproductions that have yet to be offered by Hasbro and/or Takara, in your opinion?

I've seen people say "this is bad because unscrupulous sellers cheat unsuspecting buyers out of large amounts of money" and "this is great because now I can get what I've been wanting". About both parts and full figures.

Is your question separate from these examples?

 

A part is not as important as the whole. I'm all for buying a KO knowing for well it's a KO when an authentic reissue isn't out yet, or won't ever be out yet.
If you have an authentic loose figure and want to complete it, but can't find the original part, than it's okay to go with a repro.
As most people said, the only thing that makes KO's and Repros unacceptable, is when their being passed as originals to unsuspecting victims. "Potential buyers". All of this is the more reason the "buyer" should educate him/herself before plunging their money into said figure.
It's great to see high-quality KO's of particular figures that originally may never be reproduced.

 

I'm just curious, if you buy a chinese KO G1 Wheeljack, and then you take out and save the accessories but you throw away the figure, are the parts then repros? Not KO's? That's practically what everyone means when they're refering to non licensed rereleased TF accessories only by the name of 'repros', but the toys themselves are Knock Offs, bootlegs whatever.

Repro parts not made under license from Takara/Hasbro are KO's, that including the stuff that Transrepro produces. So calling it just "repros" is plain wrong, they're KO's too. Just because Transrepro, Reprolabels and so on are fanboys and possibly not really in it for the money, does it really make their products more legit than let say the chinese G1 KO's?

 

it's not wrong to call such a part a reproduction. it IS infact a reproduction. I think someone is trying to read something into a term that isn't actually in said term.
methinks you're confusing "reproduction" with "reissue" or something.

and, also, not to be inflammatory or anything, but someone who spends $1500 on G1 prime -deserves- to be ripped off for being willing to spend THAT MUCH more than the figure is worth. no TF, outside of the really crazily rare things where there's an accurate count of how many are in existance, etc, deserves to hit a four-figure pricetag. *sweatdrop*

 

I don't believe they are different at all and that's what I am asking. Why do some people seem to be more accepting of one and not the other?

This is kinda my point actually. What makes one different than the other? Just because it's a part and not the actual figure doesn't make one any more or less acceptable than the other.

 

Although I'm not against KOs or repro parts/stickers, I'd maybe like if a repro parts maker could hide a tiny 'R' on the parts they do. Sure some people would still be complaining about repro parts, but it would show the repro maker is being responsible in their process by making it possible to easily tell if a part is authentic or not. There's pretty much always going to be some area of a part that can't been seen unless you really look at it so the 'R' didn't ruin the look of the part. Stick it on the bottom or sides of weapons pegs so it can't be seen when the figure is holding it. Or if someone wants a new part that has a ball-joint then it can go on the ball or in the cup.
Sure it won't stop people being ripped off on occasion, but adding it can't hurt either.