VIDEO REVIEW LINK: Review I don't think it's a KO guys. I got this MP Grimlock on ebay a couple weeks ago and it came in today. It was packed well and in bot mode and came with a sword and rifle. I own the Takara version as well and compared this Grimlock directly to the Takara one. I believe this is a genuine Takara MP Grimlock. I see no difference in any way whatsoever except that the gold chrome is actually a little deeper in gold appearance, which is nicer. All joints are tight, clean, ratcheting. All chrome is perfect, clean, and no defects. Notorious crotch paint chip not present - although I am sure it would be if I transformed him a couple more times...which is what happened with my takara version. He is labeled '2009 TOMY - Made in China' exactly like my Takara version I bought brand new back then from BBTS. Autobot symbol looks exactly like takara one, no difference. Chrome eyes are clean and tight. Jaws on dino head are chromed perfectly. Nothing about him says KO to me guys. I have a video review downloading now. Also and unfortunately the seller on eBay got kicked off for KO figures EVEN THOUGH he stated 'not KO'. That's not cool and sucks for those of you who weren't sure about this being a genuine TOMY figure and hoping to get one. Sword, gun, and crown all perfect and look identical in every way to my takara version. Chrome tail wrapped in plastic which is nice, and no prints or smudging on any chrome areas...except mine from handling him. ** No my hands aren't that small, my kid pressed the button to light the sword I paid about $140 shipped I think for him shipped and he's brand new (no box or manual though). There is no dust present or anything either, just like it was new. Even had to pull the battery plastic out of the shoulder just like a new one. What do you guys think?
I got one of these today as well. Mine has a couple of paint-chipped spots on the crotch, and the clear plastic around the gold on the t-rex neck appears to have a different shade on one side - one side is a smoky plastic, the other side is tinted a little green. Other than that, I haven't noticed any other imperfections either. I don't have another Takara one to compare it to, but I'm going to compare it to my Hasbro one tonight to see if anything else might be off. This did turn out to be a much better deal, though, than buying an MIB Hasbro or Takara MP-08. I'm satisfied!
It looks great. And even if it was a KO, everything you listed sounds almost perfect, so just enjoy it. I remember being on the fence with whether I was going to get Grimlock or not, but since I needed him as part of my "cast" for my stupid videos I had to get him. I remember thinking he robot mode looked dumb from the pics I saw. But now that he's in my hands I like his robot mode even more than the T-Rex mode. Grimlock is a great figure.
I've been following the influx of KO and loose Grimlocks closely and in my opinion the short answer is your Grimlock is a legit Takara MP-08. The reason why I think this, is because of the pictures below X2Otoys did a comparison gallery here between the real Takara (right) and the KO (left) I also compared the above pictures with my Hasbro MP-08 and the sprue marks are consistent with the Takara (right). Even if they are wrong and you do have a KO, it's still as good as the real thing IMO. It looks amazing. May I ask which seller on eBay you bought this from?
What you have at the moment are factory workers stealing rejects and loose toys as they are easier to smuggle out. Takara know it and ever since the fiasco with Sideswipe and Red Alert, things have tightened but evidently Takara have been complacent recently. It's a major problem and one that's going to kill the MP line.
This is my theory too. I can't imagine the factory workers getting paid very much, so I don't have too much of a problem buying something from a worker that was going to be thrown out anyways. It happens in factories here in the States as well - I've gotten car parts from a buddy who works at the plant that makes them. I don't make it a habit of searching for this kind of merchandise, though, because it could get out of hand and "kill the line". But it's never going to be completely quelled, either.
This is the most likely reason for these IMO. These probably didn't pass QA and were sold off in bulk, which would explain the wide range of quality issues on these.
Plus, if it came with the crown it would seem as though it is the Hasbro Asia exclusive rather than the original takara release which have been popping up loose all over the place.
Except that the ones showing up on the grey market would clearly have passed QA, and Takara's QA hasn't been very exacting of late. Also, given the volume on the market, it was more than likely an unauthorized factory run. QA will be more lax since they wouldn't have to answer to a client, but these aren't rejects and individual stolen pieces.
That's interesting but it is labeled 2009 TOMY just like my original takara from 2009. Wouldn't the asia exclusive be labeled 2013?
I'd rather pay some worker for a reject than pay Takara/Hasblow for a reject in pretty packaging, which is what I almost always seem to end up with =/
