there's not much on the basic Knock Off thread that was started and thought maybe a Masterpiece Knock Off thread might engage people in conversation about the newer KOs..... specifically Masterpieces. hones Opinions/conversations on Quality, looks, etc. now a days...but not opinions on what's right or wrong.
I have a KO MP-10 v2. He has some known problems. Mine arrived with a backwards knee and a broken matrix of leadership. The most common problem with him (which I also have) is that his legs don't collapse correctly in some cases. There are however fixes online for all of these. I recommend checking out RocketPunchArmy's videos among others. I also have a KO MP-16 and honestly cannot tell the difference really between it and the real thing. I have handled a KO MP Prowl, and it too seemed very close to the real thing, with no issues I could find. KO quality for MPs seems to have increased dramatically, and as long as you know the risks and are willing to put some elbow grease into fixes in some cases, I consider it worth it for the lower price especially for long out of production MPs that have ballooned considerably in price. Often there are no problems whatsoever and you really do just get a lower priced full on MP quality figure. That's my opinion and experience, YMMV as always.
^ the paint on the faces of the datsun KOs is almost universally weird around the eyes. i think i have 2 KOs for this mold and theyre both that way .
I have a few of the MP KO's. Sideswipe I got after hearing reports that the quality was better than the original. I was sorely disappointed with the paint on the original, it was downright embarassing on the one I had. The KO was nearly perfect. Sideswipe Gold I just had to have because it was so unique. It remains the only MP KO that is it's own thing and isn't an exact copy. I almost want to suggest that it may have actually been a planned exclusive idea from Takara that never happened, because the graphic design on the box is identical to the box for the silver silverstreak exclusive which came out a year or so later than Goldswipe. Just a fun idea, nothing I would argue. MP-10 I bought because I was fascinated by all the changes/improvements made. I didn't think the overall QC was quite up to snuff (I had one from the first run), and the more premium paint deco actually appealed to me less in person. I also had planned to put a DaCa head on it, but they were not compatible. So I got rid of it. Ratbat I bought because I'm a loser that didn't want to buy the Soundblaster set just to get my little purple bat guy. I think out of all the MP KO's this one has the poorest QC, but it's still pretty good and it hasn't broken or anything. Wheeljack I bought to re-paint the chest so he looked more like the toon. I ended up liking the KO better because the clear wings were much easier to move. As far as KO toys go these seem to be the 'safest' ones to buy in terms of quality. I love that they exist because they add an extra little dynamic to MP collection with their quirks and also as a nice way to make customs without the danger of jacking up an original (and expensive) one.
There are already KO 3P products. Toyworld Throttlebots Warbotron Combaticons TFC Airialbots FP Stunticons ...to name a few. You just wasted a wish
I've got an MP-10U that came in recently. While it's a nice figure and I'm pleased with it, it did suffer QC issues: loose joints, weird gap in hand, etc. But its gun is missing screws so I can't use it til I find replacements.
I have a KO Bluestreak and Wheeljack. They are both ok, but I can see improvements. Streak is wonderful at first sight, but paint on the face is a mess, legs are a bit loose and you can't peg the backpack. On the other hand, he holds his weapon perfectly. Wheeljack on the other side is just as the real deal. Very stiff, too stiff maybe. Very good paint job. Oh, yes, one complain: He doesn't rool smoothly. That 's all. They are improving at every release, luckily they started the Takasa Tony thing...
My first KO was an accident*, but my first Masterpiece KO was very much on purpose. This was when Sideswipe was really expensive, and there were these KOs coming out. And you know why I bought the KO?? Because it used the Red Alert face with eyes that were rectangles and not triangles. I took one look at the comparison photos and I knew that I greatly preferred the face of the KO. And like most, it came in and iI thought it was really good, top quality, and for me, included one little improvement that made all the difference. It was never about the money, it was a preferential choice. Same with the MP10 KO I got. It was improved. *That was me wanting a Fansproject not-Shrapnel, which I later found out was a KO of a 3P party product, which I found hilarious, being what some might call a ripoff of a ripoff. I'm keeping it for the novelty and the fun story it has.
I have KOs of all the MP cars and the reason I got them is because $35 plus free shipping is right where I think something like this should be. I just cannot fathom paying $75 plus shipping for something as tiny as Masterpiece Bumblebee. That just makes no sense to me. I remember the Alternators cost about $25 each and those are way more complicated than the Masterpiece line. Takara and Hasbro think that because they slap the word "Masterpiece" on something that they can charge through the nose for it and collectors will eat it up. I don't appreciate that very much. Now Hasbro's Optimus and Soundwave? Those were excellent deals. Also, $60-$75 seems about right for a Seeker. $200 for Starscream? $75 for Bumblebee? That's insultingly laughable.
I only own 1 Ko, masterpiece Sideswipe and i completely regret of spending 35$ in him as is a total floppy mess. Generally after that bad first impression ko's never bothered me, but may be my door for the huge combiners, not really sure about it yet but as reports from people arrive i probably have at least 1 big ko combiner.
I picked up Wheeljack, Prowl, Smokescreen, and a week later Exhaust. The only issue I have is that the shoulders on WJ and E don't properly tab in, accordin to people that have both reg and KO versions. I have to look for the TONY burned into the bottom of P and SS to know the difference. I will be getting Bluestreak as finances allow, BB, and OP.
I've bought & handled a number of the KOs, and replaced most. KO MP Sideswipe - Lots of issues with him. Head just would not stay closed, even with very careful sanding. Middle chest locking tab molded too big, had to sand it down. Similarly, there was a tab in his spine that I needed to sand down, as you couldn't lock him into place. Also, can't hold his gun for squat, shoulder cannon also loose. Backpack of car bits also doesn't stay in place as well as legit. (These various issues made me go for a used MP Sideswipe I saw on Twitter. Paint was actually better than my KO.) KO MP Prowl - Really sloppy paint on mine, extremely loose joints, and gun wasn't cut properly (had to sand down to fit in hand). Otherwise, the best KO I've handled so far. (Got a cheap one used, so wasn't too sad to ditch the KO) KO Exhaust - Does not lock in properly compared to legit Wheeljack. Getting him out of car mode is difficult, because the locking tabs are molded a bit to deep compared to legit MP Wheeljack. Robot mode, his whole waist doesn't lock down properly. You can get it mostly in position, but things can pop out of place & none of the tabs are aligned properly. The head has a slight tilt, which you can somewhat fix by unscrewing, but the tilt is part of the mold. The only thing he does better, is that his wings are the tight nightmares like on the legit Wheeljack. KO MP Frenzy - Frenzy's nose is a bit more cubic compared to Takara MP Rumble. Also, top bridge of nose was left unpainted on mine. One back hole is cut slightly too large. Was able to fix this with a slight amount of superglue. KO Buzzsaw - For the most part, exactly the same, except not nearly as tight in most joint compared to Takara Laserbeak. The only exception is the camera, which is impossible to move without a tool. From my experience, all these KOs have at least a minor issue or two. Nothing you can't live with, but when people tout that the KOs are perfect, I tend to roll my eyes. I doubt they've ever been able to compare, and see that there's a legitimate difference.
I've got kos of all of the chars I'm not attached to, like smokescreen, red alert, ratbat, bluestreak, etc. mainly the cars, but they are all super high quality, and I can't tell the difference between real or ko. I had one with a small qc issue that I had to fix, but that could happen to any figure. Hell my authentic MP-10'has some of the issues that were mentioned that the ko had. But they were easily addressed.
All of my official's are at home, and all of my KO's are at work. Bee (sorry, "Bumble") came in yesterday, and he's good, just like the rest of them. Some joints are a little loose, some are a little too tight, and there are some fingerprint smudges on his windshield. Alt mode doesn't plug in as tightly as the official, but he does come with the extra toy accurate face, which is nice. Surprisingly enough, where both Wheeljack and Exhaust both have "TONY" on their mold, Bee still has "TOMY".
i ahve KOs of most recent masterpieces, none of which i regret. bluestreak, silverstreak, sideswipe x2, tiger track, KO mp10 bape x 2, and ratbat and wheeljack. most have minor paint issues but nothing serious to where i was upset. most were around $30 so im quite happy to buy them as filler bots that i wouldnt have otherwise bought.
Look up RocketPunchArmy on YouTube. He has a video detailing how to fix Wheeljack's and Exhaust's shoulders. It's easy.
It's true for some though. I have MP KOs that ARE pretty much perfect, and I have definitely had the ability to compare them to the authentic ones. And as I said before a couple of the KOs I have are actually better than the authentic ones I have. Not every toy is exactly the same, and the problems some have will not be present on all of them. Likewise I don't expect all of them to be as problem free as mine are. That goes for all toys, KO and authentic both. I've had three authentic MP10s and each of them had little issues that the others didn't. It's just how it works with mass produced toys.
KO Seekers? I doubt they exist because I've yet to find any info, but are there any KO's of the seeker molds (either MP3 or MP11)? Has anyone heard rumors of any upcoming KO seeker molds, or why they haven't done it yet? I would think this would be a no-brainer for Takasa Tony because so many characters could be spawned from a single mold (SS, TC, SW, Acid Storm, etc.). Although I own a legit TT MP11, I refuse to spend $200 on Skywarp or the upcoming Thundercracker. The seekers have less plastic and shouldn't cost more than MP-13 ($180), MP-22 ($190), MP-24 ($170) and MP-10 ($190). I'd love to get a KO Starscream and not have to go through all of the crap TRU makes us die-hard collectors go through (yes, I'm one of the losers that didn't score a pre-order due to being in Vegas over the weekend). Here's hoping they KO the seekers one day, but until then it looks like my life is reduced to stalking the TRU website every few hours for the next 2 months.
