How to tell the new KO Reissues apart from authentic toys.

and the figure is floppy cracked piece of crap right out of the box if it is a KO. Mine had broken legs and a head that wasn't even connected.

The main and absolute problem that everyone seems to overlook is; PEOPLE KEEP BUYING THIS JUNK! The more you support it, the more KO's will continue to flood the market. Although threads like this help to differentiate between the legitimate products and the KO's, its unfortunate people need validation to affirm they have not gotten ripped off. I get it, "I want a G1 Menasor or Optimus Prime or whoever but don't want to pay the price for one"... yeah, the hobby of collecting vintage toys is an EXPENSIVE one, you should've thought of that beforehand. It took me 5 years and a lot of moolah to piece together a full set of Japanese HM's but at the end of the day they are legit and the thrill of the chase made it fun to collect, which is an aspect of the hobby I think has been completely forgotten. Almost any, but not limited too, G1 Transformer you want can be obtained MISB and held in regard as part of a collection. If you buy and support KO toys you don't have a Transformers collection, you have a Chinese Plastic collection. Ugh... I'm sure this may not be the right thread to have gone on this rant, but i'm certain i'll share this opinion on many.

All that time how have you only joined tfw2005 now?

Been a pretty private collector I guess? At the suggestion of a good friend thought i'd give the forums a Whirl (Get it... Whirl... ugh... THIS is why I've avoid public speaking)

Can you post or send a pic of this please? From the description it would either be an early 90s late 80 s china hasbro licensed sludge that came in a ( gold box) or us/uk issued English box w a different bubble cut than the 85' , a 2005 china reissue or a possible early 85 " pre rub sludge" that came in a very rare box w Optimus prime battle scene box artwork on the back. The devil is in the details....in this case the way the body mold was cast around the stamp.

Would someone give me some good links to ID a KO G1 Swoop, or links about the different legit Swoop variations?

I'm looking for something about the toy itself, not just the box.

I have this page, even though not all the pictures work.

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I'm wondering if there are any other good resources.

Here is the current link:
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Thanks!

Since Fred's Workshop doesn't have any info on IDing a KO Swoop, here's a comparison megamus did on TFW: KO Swoop Review / Comparison

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Sorry but I like some of my KO's more that some of the so called Legit toys and frankly I'd rather buy a bootleg sharkticon than someone's beat up used one. and i'm certainly not going to risk buying an original unopened one to open - that's stupid.

With some hunting I can buy half a dozen KO Sharkticons put them in beast mode and display them with MP Grimlock and then I'll have something that would give me loads more pleasure than a hugely expensive Original or a someone's beat up pre-owned one.

I totally understand why people don't like them but I've been buying knockoffs and chinese oddities since I started buying Transformers (with the likes of the mini-Whirl fake) or a unbranded Starscream KO.

Heck I liked that thing more that Starscream the parts fit together better than the Hasbro one it's silvery coloured which looks cooler and unlike G1 Starscream the missile launchers actually work.

Besides if I wanted to make a custom a KO is better fodder than legit toys are.