Well I finally got another reissue Mirage to open and compare. First things first, the box as I'm sure you have heard is pretty good. I opened it up and the first thing I noticed was the chrome on the engine, chest, and spoilers was different. I really cannot explain it except maybe to say it is a darker shade but definately noticable. Next is the obvious pin striping denoted in the red circle on the first pic. The original did not have these pin stripes painted on, rather they were stickers which was weird because even the reissue had a sticker sheet with those stickers on it. The gas cap which is located in the crotch area in bot mode is missing on the reissue. ORIGINAL IS ON THE RIGHT ON ALL PICS The front spoiler has the blue underneath coming up further so that it is noticable in car mode. This is denoted with the red circle in this pic. Notice how you cannot see the blue on the original. The spoiler is also thicker, this is especially noticable in the corners. Also the 26 on the nose of the car is painted on for the reissue and is a sticker on the original. The overall feel of the reissue is close to the original but still had a little bit of a cheap feeling to it. Not like the eary version of swoop where I was afraid it was going to fall apart. Also the weapons are pretty close. I could not get my camera to pickup on the mold differences but there are some. The spring on the launcher is great and works like it should. So in short a very good reissue / knockoff or whatever you want to call it. Although mine did come with two right fists??? You gotta love quality control.
Would you recommend the KO Mirage then? I'm contemplating on buying one. thanks for the KO Swoop comment.
I would recommend Mirage as far as quaility for a sealed speciman. The same cannot be said for swoop. here is a link to my comparison on him. http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=128432 Unlike swoop, the packaging on mirage is much better. The bubble was firm and sealed on both of mine. When I got in the swoops the main grip I had was that some of the bubbles came off the card. So in the end I would recommend swoop to anyone who wants a loose swoop or one to customize but not boxed. For Mirage I would say if you are going to pay $50 or so for one to open, pay a little more and get a nice vintage one but if you are not going to open it then the reissue Mirage is the way to go. I hope this helps.
great review! I'm very tempted to b that mirage, but i'm saving for the wheeljack and sunstreaker, wheeljack is coming this month they say, sweet! btw, are those rubber wheels?
Cool & thanks for taking the extra time to show the differences! I still don't think it's worth even close to $50USD for a KO Mirage though - to keep sealed or to open.
To be honest, I plan on buying two of all the reissues. One to keep sealed and the other to do a review of. I am hoping that in this way no one gets riped off thinking they are buying a g1. I know I will probably never be able to get a niced sealed g1 wheeljack, mirage, sunstreaker or whatever so the reissues are good for that. I hope this and future reviews help out. Oh yeah, the wheels are rubber just like the originals except they say Dunlop instead of goodyear. I can't believe I forgot that in the review. Oh well
You can do that, however due to the difference in joint size you would have to tighten up the wrist with pledge or super glue. I did that and it was fine.
Wow,......what a good read since i just acquired a G1 Mirage and sort of wondered about what i have. Seeing as this thread is old just glad it popped up at the right time.
Did you tried to disassemble it to see if the waist joint is better and stronger than the original ? Because I remember it was a really weak part on the original one. And I would consider the KO if there is an improvement in this department.
