Yeah that's what I'm talking about. Shame to hear about no third party replacements too.   Wonder if I have to get the official MP Star Saber then because so far I may have to do that.

 

I've heard about those Shockwaves; what are the differences exactly? Are they still on sale anywhere?

 

My genuine MP24 arrived today. I shall do a proper comparison with shots in a bit.

 

I lost the small sword handle and had to buy a replacement. I've seen a few instances on eBay where it looks like someone has bought an entire Star Saber and then sold him off piece by piece with a bit of a mark-up. You might get lucky and find what you're looking for, but it's more likely you will have to buy at least the entire small Saber figure.

 

I would go in for parts, I need the Chrome chest pieces

 

KO MP24 V Genuine MP24

So here we go, some pics  
I've had the KO a while, and got the genuine MP24 today.

If you don't know what to look for, you could easily be taken in, and to be fair, the quality of the KO is *very* good.

For reference, the KO is always on the left in these images, with the genuine on the right.

Here are the V-Stars, from the front/above. The metal cannons on the KO are slightly raised, and the red plastic directly around the cannons is a smidge more magenta, but otherwise you can't spot much....


And from the front...the wheels are down, but sank into the carpet (sorry!). I've raised the cannons here to show that even the hidden missile compartment is fairly spot on....


Speaking of those cannons again - here they are up close. The moulding on the KO is not quite as 'sharp', and the paint is a shade glossier...


Next subtle difference - the V-Star main rear wings. The genuine paint app is very uniform, and not as 'glossy' as the KO.


Same wing, from underneath. Note the glossy KO again - but also that even the genuine has overspray!


And the V-Star engines - the moulding on the genuine is sharper/more detailed...but not by much!


Now for a KO only shot - and we get very picky...the top wing/vanes, when folded down, should have a 1 on one side, and a 2 on the other. You can see there is only a 1 (on the right). If you flip the left vane over, there is another 1, as they just copied/re-used the same piece...


Here is the genuine one - with 1 and 2 visible...


Star Saber has a gun, not just swords. The KO is not sealed as flush as the genuine - and is a slightly lighter plastic.


Now the Brain Masters. The paint apps on the KO is patchier (look at the knees/feet) - and also the chest shapes are a bit wonky and not quite as yellow.


So, here we have Saber in jet form....no real differences obvious (even the cockpit moulding is spot on)


So, let's check Sabers sword hilt...again, almost bang on, but the blue plastic hilt is a bit darker on the genuine...


And with the sword in...the KO has a slightly less perfect finish in the chrome - some blemishes (but the don't photo well)


And here is Saber himself. See anything? Hard isn't it!


And this is one of the two differences with him....his feet...the KO has gone a bit over glossy again, like he's had one too many coats...


And speaking of his feet, let's check those engines...the KO has 'poles' whereas the genuine has rounded cones.


We spotted that Saber's feet were a bit different....what about the main feet? The genuine should be "two tone" red - and again, the KO is just a shade glossier....


What about the "big swords!"? Well, those are pretty much identical (even the hilt blue) - although the chrome finish on the genuine is more uniform...


The main head is where I found the biggest difference. The genuine ones eyes are light blue, the KO, much darker. Also the antenna on the genuine have ratchets, so they lock into place upward and forward, whereas the KO doesn't ratchet, so is easier to knock out of place...the KO also has a little mould mark on the front of the helmet.


But, that said, here they are together....aside from the eyes, you can't spot any differences unless you're up real close. Even the gold paint app is identical shade & application wise....


So, this is a 'good' KO - on some joints, it's actually tighter than the genuine!

So there you go! Easiest thing to spot is the jet nozzles on the Saber jet, and the ratchets on the antenna. Otherwise, unless you're really picky (like me!) you should be relatively happy with a KO!

 

thats a great job you did there.

ive been trying to get a saber for a long time. got screwed from ebay 3 times and gave up. where did you get the ko?

 

Cheers! And I got mine via eBay, via China, circa £70 IIRC.

 

how is the chrome on the chest? I need the chrome chest mine kinda flaked....mines a legit

 

Boxes

And here are the boxes. REALLY hard to spot these differences....if anything the KO box is "blacker" than the real one!

Front...


Back...


Side...(the genuine Takara Tomy logo is a darker shade)...


Detail...the yellow on the KO is lighter, but this could be sun damage?


KO "stamp" - not as detailed...


Genuine stamp - very detailed...interesting that the 5 on both is stamped harder!

 

They are both spot on!

 

Oh wish they took the opportunity to upgrade the mold. I think this would be perfect if they used diecast hip joints. The plastic hips joints really are just okay and a strong metal hip joint would have made this mold perfect.

 

Maybe its just me because I'm a huge Star Saber / Victory fan but invest some cash into this 3D printed Hilt

Disclaimer:
I have the KFC hand upgrades too which came with an adapter to hold Saber's hilt better. Kinda pricy if you're not a big fan, but well worth the cash

 

I got KO Star Saber. One of the biggest difference between the original is those black dead eyes of the KO one. I painted them, now they look good but still not like original.

 

"Y'know, the thing about a shark, he's got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes.",Quint.

 

Well done, it looks better now.

also, the eyes were not black, just really really really dark blue. Like too many coats of paint dark.
If you shine a torch in the dark ones eyes (scary) you can see there are blue eyes, not now on your one seeing as you repainted it very nicely, but you get the idea.

 

Hey thanks so much for all the info, I quoted you over in the KO thread as people were asking about it and nobody could confirm anything (and I have one, and was looking for comparison pics to note the differences).

Do you think this is an unofficial reproduction, or failed Q.C. of official product?

The differences to me all look so minor and like Q.C. issues, I am interested to hear what your opinion is. The box for my one is the same as yours.

 

anyone want to split a KO or official for parts? i just need the saber part since my windshield is cracked. dont need any of the rest.

i got a guy who might have a deal of a price but not sure yet.

 

How are the joints for the KO? Are they tighter. I read conflicting reviews about them, so I just want to make sure

 

My one I posted was def a KO - if you meant to post a pic for me to check, it didn't show up (feel free to point me at the right post!)
The seller is still on eBay knocking them out at £70...

Easiest thing to do is pull the "big" head out of the box and see if the antenna freely move up & down & side to side, or if they "click" and ratchet. If they don't, it's a KO.
Also the "BrainMaster" paint apps are crappy on the KOs. Look at the chest (misaligned yellows) and knees (missed paint entirely). Those are notorious. They are not QC failures