Another Version of Knockoff Devastator in the Works

Well, it looks like the KO wars are going to really heat up. I have been informed that the same company who did the Metroplex is now going to release a Devastator giftset, much like the other company who is already doing the G1 KOs. Only thing is, their set is going to be very much cheaper. Their set should sell for about $55 while the other Manufacturer wants to try and sell their sets for about $130 to $160 price range. That is a considerable difference. I have been told the Kidi Toys version will not have any of the die cast in it but is NOT the same as the $10 KOs that have been on the market for years. It is all new casting and should fit better and should size better with the G1 counterparts. No word yet if they will do Diaclone versions of the figures but I have inquired into it. If the quality is good for $55 then it would be quite hard to go wrong.



Spencer.

$55 for a KO set, very nice!

Haha. The KO Wars will mean lower prices.

Nice, I might buy this one and sell my Classics one. We'll see.

Heh, the knock-offers are competing with each other now, which can only mean... something.

Well it's not like Devastator had that much die-cast to begin with, so it's no big loss. It was mainly just for joints. And I think Hook has the most die-cast out of them anyway, so he'll suffer the most. So long as the parts are chromed, I'll be able to easily live with the difference.

Heh, ditto. I sure hope they don't try making up for the lower price by slapping on some ridicilously high shipping costs...

How big is Devvy anyway?

I pray the KO Wars will mean better quality!

Depends on quality, if it is decent I will bite.

i was thinking the same, $55 buy it now, $40 ship.

Cool, $160 for a ko devy was a big deal, $55 is way more doable.

$55 would be my retail price plus our $8.99 flat rate shippnig in Canada, $10.99 flat rate in the US. Not quite the $40 for shipping.

Course the $55 is an estimate right now. Without some final numbers from the manufacturer it is hard to say for sure. It will also depend on how much it costs to ship these from China into Canada. They are not as big as the Metroplex so the shipping should not be as outrageous it was for that one.

Spencer.

I kinda want this... b/c I don't have a Devestator!

I don't mind the knock off of Devastator but I wish Hasbro or whoever would do a new version and not a repaint of Devastator just like the work they did on the Classics line.

It would be nice if the other gestalts are released.

Maybe if Devastator makes it into the new movie maybe Takara will Encore this bad boy.

$55 for a Devi KO with a G1-style box doesn't seem like a good deal to me. I'm glad they don't have die-cast though, help keep them identifiable.

Looks like they're trying to turn a $5 KO into a $50 one by capitalizing on the 'looks like vintage G1' element to me.

So is $5. These are going to be all plastic and by the same company that does the cheap-o ones, so I'm guessing they won't be that much better other than matching in size better.

Seriously, what's with all these knockoffs?

Expensive, sub-standard copies of the originals?

No thanks.

The original is around 12-13" tall. (He's about the same height as MP Prime.) I would imagine that this one would be the same height.

Oh God, please don't people start all that "KOs are bad, mmkay?" stuff again. Keep this to news discussion for once.
On topic:
I'll be interested to see what the quality of this $55 KO set is like; especially the joints. They're always the weak point on just about any Devastator KO.
No, G1 Devastator is 8.5" tall.

As long as it's not beefing or carrying on, people should be able to ring in their opinion of the item the thread is about (a Devi KO) a single post, no?

Looks nice, but I'll stick with my original G1 Devi that I've had for 25 years.

Are you saying only folks who think this is a good idea have a right to post an opinion on the subject?

Nice.

Just look who started it yet again. Don't claim that "KOs are good, Mmkay?" then it probably won't come up.

But for the mold, Some of those parts needed to be metal for a reason. I am looking at my Devastator and those parts look pretty thin and if not metal would be stress fracture city.

At least it will be easy to identify differences, like Hotpink Metrotitan. In their goal to undercut their competition, I don't think they realize they are losing customers as it sounds like if they had metal parts for quality and indistinguishable from originals, people would pay more and want them more. For people who simply want a fun little figure that reminds them of Devastator, there have already been 10$ KOs for years.

Edit: Besides, there have been so many Devastator KOs, if there isn't a quality one out there, there are definitely more fun ones like WST Devastator and Double and Triple size Devastators.

That's what I was thinking. 12"-13" would make him the same size as Predaking!

And to Europe...?

No way! Why not Encore? God...

If it comes in the giftset box like shown on the OP picture, i'd buy it and leave it MISB. They're doing pretty pro on the boxart afaik.
Try getting a G1 Devastator Giftset MI(S)B for $55.

Now go back and try reading my post again without looking for an argument.
PSP: Of course. I'm just worried that the thread will end up as another huge argument about KOs, which we've all see God knows how many times before. (See Timshinn? Someone got my point after all)
Nkelsch: I didn't start it. Look above my post. As for Devastator needing metal, I agree. However my main concern remains the joints, especially shoulder joints. I remember getting one of the cheap Devastator KOs, and Bonecrusher's shoulder joints lasted a grand total of one transformation before breaking.

Fair enough... But calling it out is like whacking the bees nest. And like Alien asked "why not Encore" I don't think we can discuss why we are not getting an Encore without discussing the history of the devastator KO market which directly links to KO's in general.

I think the main issue is this KO I would consider a model kit more than a toy. You can transform him and put him together but he cannot be played with as a toy as he will break. Metal parts were metal for a reason. Or Box Display... Doesn't matter if they break like glass if they are sealed in a box!

Congratulations.

The original Devastator is a pretty crap figure to begin with. If you are going to make a KO, skimping on required materials is only going to end in failure. I would understand an all plastic Predaking, because the metal is really only in the waists of the small bots and a couple other parts, however, I think Dev needs those few parts to support the weight and joints.

I can't see this being any different than the $10 KOs, other than the G1 box and stickers (the stickers which can be had from Reprolabels for $11, and are probably 100x better). All I'm saying is, I just think this smells like epic fail.

Pretty much what I'm thinking. Same low quality KOs that have been out there for years in a new counterfeit box with a higher price tag.

I too am weary of the non-metal parts. At first thought I think of those bad KOs but hey if they want to sell it for $55 then it's got to be better than that, right? I think I'll just keep trying to get all my G1 Devy vintage parts together, they might be a bit loose but hey I just have it sitting on my shelf.

I suppose this can be nice for people looking for display in box items, if they don't mind the KO-ness of it. I know I like my Mirage KO just like if hey were a real Mirage

Not bad, would be a cool thing for my kiddo(won't know the difference for years). But not to hijack the thread, how good of quality was the Metroplex KO? Been thinking of trying to get one since I cant find him anywhere(even incomplete).

QFT

I'll still continue my search for a G1 Dev to pose next to the box.
Tbh I think it'll be a win combination.

Or better yet, bid on this sort of auction. KO box and stuff, but Original G1 bots and parts. Minty all around. Probably could get it for a steal too.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Transformers-G1-C...QQcmdZViewItem

I thought Hasbro was clamping down on this KO stuff and had notified North American retailers not to post or sell this stuff?

Actually in my initail post I stated this are NOT the same molds as the $10 ones, they are all new molds. While I do think parts like bonecrushers arm connection and Hook`s arm connection should be die cast, doing the in plastic does not allways = fail. If you have had any of the Taiwan KOs from back in the day you will find they do not have any die cast in them and they are quite comparable to the Diaclone version of this figure.

Will these be the same quality we have come to expect from the expensive KO figures? Dunno. But you can be 100% sure that when I get both of them in hand I will do an extensive comparison review of them.

One last item on the list here: I have been told these will NOT have any Hasbro or Takara markings on them. To aid in discerning them from originals.

Spencer.

Thanks. I was thinking 10", but thought that number was too small. (I'm at work, so I had to guesstimate his size from the photo on my phone.)

I'm not a KO supporter, but just wondering if these boxes are glossy like the Encore ones?

No metal parts? What are they thinking?

OT: When are we gonna get our Wheeljack and Sunstreaker KOs?

$55 is far better that $100+ for a ko, i might get this and use the box for my loose devy and display the ko instead.

Geek for the score and win...lol.

seriously, though, i have only been a Devy fan in appearances only- his combining sucks, it is way too easy to break apart (if they made a gnat sized insecticon, he'd take Devy down, I swear) and i had a cold sweat nightmare several times while assembling him and then putting him on the shelf and backing away like i just saw the Pope.

if replacing the metal would add a 10 or 20 percent improvement to his assembly being easier, tighter, then god bless 'em. and i will kneecap a rival mobster for 'em (kidding) for keeping it under 60 bucks retail.

one other question- i hope that they fix the springs in the hand/wrist assembly- my G1 Devy shoots his fist off like my sister's mouth, without warning or reason.
they fix that, then what's there not to like about this new KO?

last of my 2 cents, what is the big argument over KO's anyway? if the QC is crap, spread the word, and avoid. if the quality is ok or meets a minor need or price range, then go for it.
it ain't like debating over the pros and cons of DDT use in a California field...so why the civil war? this is why cybertron was at war ya know- KOs walking into vintage only Energon bars and stuff....just silly to me.

and hey, where the heck are youse guys getting these massive 2x, 3x gestalts from? are they juiced or something?

peace.

Now, this I might consider buying. Finally something in a reasonable price range.
Guess I'll wait and see how the QC is on this thing.

Nice! Now, if only Zhong Jin would stop using Hasbro and Takara markings as well...

I think (g1) Devastator was my first dissapoinment (and scale issue) with TFs as a young'un. When I first saw them on the cartoon, I thought each Constructicon would be the same size as the Autobot cars, if not larger. After I collected all those surprisingly small guys and built Devastator, One of the first things out of my mouth was "He's shorter than Shockwave!"

Like they always say, 'there's no such thing as scale in TFs'

I've always thought that anyone who lists Devastator as their favorite figure never put one together. I've only assembled him a fcouple of times. (I bought one of those cheap Walgreen KOs last year for those moments when I get the urge to take him apart and put him back together again.) I think they learned what not to do with gestalts when they made him.

Point of clarification: Does that mean the box will still look like G1 (as in the image at the top of the thread), but not have the 80s-style Hasbro logo on it? (I ask because the Transformer logo itself is a "Hasbro marking," and indeed was probably one of the items that caused Hasbro to crack down on these a short while ago--although you'll certainly know more about that than I do.)

Indeed, if that IS the case (G1-esque, but no logo that says "Hasbro" on it), even if Hasbro isn't satisfied, I certainly am. The best of both worlds.



Now, for the thread in general: I'm not bothered by the existence of these KOs, per se, but I do have to wonder "why do the Constructicons?" These are among the most-often-done KOs out there already. Even assuming that these differ substantively in quality from the other KOs, why not do something that most of us don't already have in some form or another? I just can't see how they can justify an extra $50 (as good as that may be compared to other quality KOs) when we can get something so similar for just $5. I mean, just how many differences and improvements can there be to justify spending $50 more?

Well if it is tighter joints than the walgreens POS set that wants to break when you look at it cross-eyed or try to transform it and if it holds together semi-decent ( the G1 one never held together that awesome anyway) then it will be probably worth it....six g1 style bots for $55 is not too bad....

I might bite on this, depending on Spencer's in-hand assessment. If it's as nice as my KO tapes I got from you last year, you have a sale.

I always liked how the fiction backed up the look and feel of the toy, how these were six dudes Megatron Frankensteined together and they are a unwieldy, clamoring but nigh unstoppable force that's barely sane. And how the combining process was refined with each subsequent gestalt until you had smooth, well-integrated hunter-killers like Predaking and Pirahnacon. Just like the characters, the combiner toys themselves got better as G1 went on.