What The Heck? The Encore 12 Metroplex I Got From TFSource Is A Fake!

What The Heck? The Encore 12 Metroplex I Got From TFSource Is A Fake!

A couple of weeks ago I did a review of Transformers 12 Encore Metroplex. In [Links are hidden for guests. Please Register.], I noted that the plastic material used is very substandard and the toy seemed cheaply made. Initially I just thought that Takara screwed up in the build quality. Since I got this figure from a well respected online retailer (TFSource - on sale for $60); it didn't occur to me that my Metroplex could be a knock-off/counterfeit/fake.

Well, a couple of days ago I was at Ages 3 & Up and I saw that they had KO Encore Metroplexes on sale for $49.99. I noticed that the box was eerily similar to my Encore Metroplex's. So I went home and did some research on the internet for KO Encore Metroplex. What I found was the page (below) on a website that tells you the differences between a real Encore Metroplex and a fake one:
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I was shocked at how similar my Encore Metroplex's box was to the fake one and how dissimilar it was to the real one. So this morning I bought my Encore Metroplex (box and all) to Ages 3 & Up to compare with their KO's. Spencer and the crew working there immediately confirmed that my Encore Metroplex was a fake. My box was identical to theirs and they confirmed that my crappy looking Metroplex was one big dud. I've already emailed TFSource about my findings and I'm awaiting their reply.

First I want to state that I have nothing but good dealings with TFSource, and in no way do I think that they purposely knew they were sending me a knock-off. In fact, the guys at A3U told me that their shipment of Encore Metroplexes was thought to be legit until Spencer checked out the merchandise and discovered that there were fakes. He had no choice but to sell his Metroplexes as KO's afterwards. I suspect that TFSource was also cheated by their suppliers.

I'm writing this article so that people can look out for these fakes. If you suspect that you already own one of these fakes, maybe the info here can help you figure out if your suspicions are warranted or not. So I will summarize the differences and provide images to help you find the fakes. First thought, it would help for you to read the page that I linked earlier. Now, let's get to the details.

Toy differences:
I only have my old original G1 Metroplex to compare and below are just a few differences that I have noticed.
- There is a wide gap between the tires and the hips on the KO, not so much on the G1.
- The tires on my KO Encore Metroplex have text with a different font compared to those of my G1 Metroplex.
- The garage door and the missile bay on the KO has glossy black paint over them, my G1 is just solid black plastic.
- The final difference is that the KO's quality is very shabby, nothing like the original (even though my G1 is worn over the years).





Box Differences:
- The grid background on the fake box has a whitish outline next to the grey lines. On my real Encore Omega Supreme's box, the grid is made up of solid single gray colored lines.
- The Takara Tomy logo's white outline is off center on the fake box, and evenly aligned on the real box.
- The image of the product is fussy on the fake box and sharp on the real box.
- The indented serial number has an indented square around it on the fake box, and the real one doesn't. The text is close together on the fake and farther apart on the real one. And worst of all, every fake box of Encore Metroplex has "H2208" indented on it; the numbers should be different in every box.





Anyway, I think everyone should check their Encore Metroplexes just in case. It's a shame that even retail stores may be fool by these KO's. I think Takara Tomy & Hasbro should step up their efforts against toy piracy; or at least warn the public about them.

Here's a link to my full article (with receipt image):
What The Heck? The Encore 12 Metroplex I Got From TFSource Is A Fake! | Core Articles

I'm wondering if anyone out there has more information about this subject.

Wow that is crazy.I heard some rumours they would take some of the G1 k/o's and repackage them in encore boxes but man talk about the suppliers ripping everyone off.Thanks for the heads up dude!

I was going to suggest contacting TFSource since they can sort out the problem, but looks like you have done it already. I would await their response, probably just a genuine case of mistaken identity.

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Originally Posted by Lance Halberd Sol Fury can be likened to a German clock. A very exact, complex, and tightly-wound precision instrument that occasionally goes cuckoo.

No problem. Man this sucks, I was really looking forward to getting a replacement for my old dilapidated G1 Metroplex.

Still, I'm going to give TFSource the benefit of the doubt. I hope they'll email me back soon.

Grrrrrr. Looks like mine is a big fake as well. That gets my blood boiling.

This should be frontpaged. Now the brand new Encore line already has KOs. We need to get the word out, as this line is still brand new and not always easy to spot stuff like this.

Wow. I didn't get mine from TFsource but I will be checking it later. I am sure that they will have sold these in good faith, and any time it takes them to get back to you will be while they conduct an investigation into how they got supplied with them in the first place.

It really looks like the Chinese re-packed all those unsold 'Plexes from the KO run into faked Encore boxes and sold them as legit (as they weren't going to sell once the real Encore hit). It raises concerns over the minibot reissue too since they've brought all those out in KO form, but I feel this is less likely. I reckon this is probably just going to be Metroplex because of the circumstances where the KO came out right before the Encore was announced, leaving piles of the KO figure which wouldn't sell. But it's a worrying precedent.

And here I thought KOs were awesome because they give people a chance of getting toys they couldn't get otherw... oh wait.

Ugh, this is terrible news... From my own experience, TFsource has been screwed by their suppliers lately -- some of my henkei preorders with them have been delayed for months now, possibly permanently, due to shiftless import contacts. Curt lamented that this is the first time he's had so much frustration in eight years, and is having to exercise insurance claims for missing shipments.

I'm already in the process of reworking my orders... Curt and Company must never get a moment to rest.

So, ok, mine falls somewhere in the middle. The numbers on the back DO say H2208, but don't have any square indent. The Takara/Tomy logo border is only off center on the bottom panel by a tiny amount. The grid lines are clean and silver except they do have some whiteness bordering them when they get down into the red. The picture seems clear... so, I don't know, but I haven't opened him yet and I actually got him from BBTS.