Seems obvious right? Got all the molds for the combiners, so many recolour opportunities. How many people would want a Guard City, Battle Gaia or G2 versions (perhaps Superion with no GPS Slingshot)...

They already started the carded limbs and boxed leader versions.

 

Because the KO's are mainly made cheap for kids, the number of adults who want this and that variant is so small that it's insignificant and not part of the equation.
Still, it's nice when it does happen. 

 

I recently bought a reissue G1 Optimus Prime on Amazon, and I'd like to be sure I bought the real thing. The wonky stickers are my own doing.

 

It's the real deal. That's the latest 2018 Walmart exclusive reissue without the trailer. The best way to tell besides the box is that the silver panel stripe on the cab is painted on instead of it being a sticker. I don't even think they have a KO available in box without a trailer.

 

Recently bought an MP Dinobot and did t remember the packaging having the 35th anniversary emblem in the corner. Is this guy a knock off of just a reissue?



(If more pics are needed to be able to tell please don’t hesitate to ask)

Thanks in advance!

 

I just bought a loose G1 Grapple in amazing shape and I'm not entirely sure if I have an authentic version or not. According to the guide I found here Grapple, it doesn't match the description of the KO. He pretty much looks the part of an authentic, but the crane hook and crane support piece are plain plastic and aren't chromed like all the photos I find online. One of the top lights is higher than the other, but not excessively so like in the KO guide. It has a rub symbol on the inside of the cab. The arms aren't spring loaded and the fists are hard to pull out. With the exception of a loose-ish right arm, all the joints are surprisingly good. Like "I don't believe this toy was made in the 80's" good. Could this be a commemorative edition? The copyright stamp says 1980-1982.

EDIT: Of course I find the answer right after posting this. Looks like it is a commemorative edition. TFWiki describes the changes.

His autobot logo is tampographed and his eyes are blue. The hook and hydraulics aren't painted at all, however.

Still pretty happy to have him!

 

Good job finding the answer. First glance the chrome-less hook is the biggest giveaway before you look into the tampograph and blue eyes.

For the KO, the biggest giveaway even in box is the kind of cog below the robot arm in crane mode and the section next to it have holes. This is due to lazy molding as those holes are used to house Inferno's little hose reel. Once opened, you'll see the top lights are quite huge compared to a vintage, but only if you have one to compare.

 

Anyone in this thread know about this eBay seller? alexmeng78 on eBay
He's got some KO combiners that I was considering picking up. They look pretty good from the pictures but I was curious if anyone had first-hand experience or anything like that.

Thanks for the help!

 

I've seen the name too, but can't find the feedback in the usual thread
China Ebay Seller Check - New-comers READ FIRST POST!!

Searching for the name directly on the board brings up a few positive reviews.

G1 combiners or newer 3rd party?

 

G1 combiners

 

Regarding MP-44 Convoy, I hear its KO variant is on par with the original.

 

The seller is legit. I ordered a KO Sunstreaker recently from them and it was missing the fists. They offered to send the fists at no charge, but also gave me the option to receive a discount if I ordered another figure to ship with the fists. I chose to get a KO Shockwave too, and both the fists and the discounted figure arrived yesterday as promised. The only KO combiner I've ever ordered was a G1 Devy, but it wasn't from this seller. No matter who you get KO's of G1 figures from it's a crapshoot on quality. My Devy was decent, but needed some tab shaving and other slight mods to fit everything correctly. The Sunstreaker needed SERIOUS modding with a Dremel to get the shoulders to transform without breaking. There have been other figures, and every KO I've bought from China has needed some degree of "fixing" before it was functional.

 

Thanks for the help! How was Shockwave's condition?

 

Not bad for what I paid. It had some issues like sprue marks that needed cleaning up, the legs don't lock in while fully extended, and the light bulb in the electronic feature is really dim. I broke the battery hatch clip while trying to take the battery out after testing, which sucks. Still, it transforms and holds together in both modes so overall I'm happy. I bought it with no box so I can't comment on packaging but it's nice to have a copy of a toy that I never got to have as a kid without paying three times as much for a fragile vintage copy I'd be afraid to touch.

 

I have ordered the KO Shockwave here about 10 years ago. I transformed it several times and the only problem l have with it is the legs does not transform properly and it does not stand up straight. The sound works, but it is loud. I still have it and l keep it inside the box. Also l ordered the KO Devastator and the box was beat to hell when it arrived. But then l accepted it because it is KO and not authentic.

 

I apologize in advance if this question sounds clumsy, but I recently bought a G1 Optimus Primes reissue off Ebay and I just assumed they were KOs based on the Hasbro logo on the box and the low price tag. I can't recall if the listing mentioned a disclaimer advising they were KOs. As a novice collector, I'm not unhappy with it at all, other than the silver band decals not sticking properly. Naturally, these days I would expect to pay significantly more authentic versions of OP, but I was just curious if it would be correct to assume in most cases, for that price, they would most likely be KOs.

 

If you had to apply those silver band stickers yourself and they weren't already factory applied, it would almost certainly be a KO. I'm not sure what you paid, but the current average price for a boxed KO of G1 Prime with trailer is around $45 to $55 USD based on e-bay listings.

 

That's great thanks. I figured as much, just nice to have it confirmed. Yes, I did not want to mention $ amount, but yes, I paid $105 CAD, so my basic expectations were met. I need to find some silver decals that stick. I was even considering just painting them on carefully. Thanks again.

Forgot to add, I bought 2. Lol

 

No problem. It sounds like you paid about the average price for a KO. If you wanted better labels, I'd recommend Toyhax. They aren't cheap (actually overpriced IMHO) but it's about the only consistent resource out there for G1 reprolabels. Painting would be cheaper lol.

 

Thanks PurpleStuf, I appreciate the information.