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

Discussion in 'Transformers Toy Discussion' started by JunkersHVN, Mar 15, 2007.

  1. DukeFett

    DukeFett Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2011
    Posts:
    8,126
    News Credits:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +6,809
    Ebay:
    Twitter:
    Instagram:
    YouTube (Legacy):
    That's for the recent ones, the MP-12/17 molds and cassettes used the exact same boxes. Maybe there was a small difference, but nothing glaring like Takasa Tony.
     
  2. Brooklynwolf

    Brooklynwolf Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2011
    Posts:
    167
    Trophy Points:
    137
    Likes:
    +194
    Hmmm..so, mp18 and onward is safer territory? I hope so. I hate having to scrutinize every little bit when making MP purchases.
     
  3. BenjaminXavier

    BenjaminXavier Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2010
    Posts:
    8,648
    News Credits:
    33
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    Likes:
    +3,065
    That is correct. Though, I'm pretty sure the Sideswipe (and his moldmates) boxes still said "Takara" and it was changed after that.
     
  4. DukeFett

    DukeFett Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2011
    Posts:
    8,126
    News Credits:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +6,809
    Ebay:
    Twitter:
    Instagram:
    YouTube (Legacy):
    Sorry, I meant the molds for MP-17, so MP-18/9 still would use the identical boxes.
     
  5. DukeFett

    DukeFett Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2011
    Posts:
    8,126
    News Credits:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +6,809
    Ebay:
    Twitter:
    Instagram:
    YouTube (Legacy):
  6. Brooklynwolf

    Brooklynwolf Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2011
    Posts:
    167
    Trophy Points:
    137
    Likes:
    +194
    Ultimately I wanna avoid purchasing KOs of the more recent MPs. Such as bumble bee...but apparently there are KOs of him out in the wild. I bought him not too long ago and unfortunately he didn't come with his coin. The sales rep at the store I purchased him at assured me he's not a KO. He even went on to tell me that if they were to sell KOs, it would affect the stores reputation. Im living in Guangzhou China btw.

    But one can't be TOO sure about the legitimacy of said purchase. Which is why I'm here.
     
  7. DukeFett

    DukeFett Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2011
    Posts:
    8,126
    News Credits:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +6,809
    Ebay:
    Twitter:
    Instagram:
    YouTube (Legacy):
    Oh, if you're in China good luck then! I'm pretty sure that all MP-21 KOs have the Takasa Tony logo on them, AFIAK. You could ask in the 3P KO thread too.
     
  8. Brooklynwolf

    Brooklynwolf Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2011
    Posts:
    167
    Trophy Points:
    137
    Likes:
    +194
    Ok thanks man, will do!
     
  9. Megatron750

    Megatron750 Transformers and Video Games

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Posts:
    131
    Trophy Points:
    82
    Likes:
    +61
    I see that his chest doesn't come with a pre-applied faction symbol and he's missing the white overlay that covers the styrofoam when displayed in the box.
     
  10. ar78

    ar78 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2015
    Posts:
    1,088
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    192
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Likes:
    +1,856
    I was just in Guangzhou last month for business. I went into a toy shop and they did have authentic Masterpiece toys but they were more expensive than if I bought them in the USA. I couldn't help myself and bought a KO Sideswipe and Bumblebee. The store was selling KOs for 120 RMB. $18 was a no brainer and I wanted to see what the quality was like. Sideswipe was a Takasa Tony but Bumblebee had an exact duplicate box that said Takara Tomy and even had a collector coin.
     
  11. SideswipeJen

    SideswipeJen New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2015
    Posts:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    1
    Likes:
    +0
    Noticed some stuff as I compared a Sunstreaker bootleg (the chinese with the spelling-error-dot instead of a colon) to my real ones and would like to share the info to help others identify KO loose parts, I guess this is the thread to go right? When I say something is "off" I mean that it's different from the original. Hopefully I'll be able to post pics of the details mentioned. This is the list of differences I found that I haven't read about anywhere else so all the usual tells are not listed (clear canopy, fat tires etc etc).

    Loose Sunstreaker Bootleg/KO-guide by Sideswipe

    General: Black plastic is dull and gives a grey impression, weird stamping (©Hasbro ’85. ©TAKARA ’85. JAPAN), thin crome-job makes the yellow shine through on the spoiler, “jetpack-thingy” and the tire rims/rivets, screws have a bigger cross (even if they are artificially aged, by looking at the size of the X you can still tell the difference).

    Carmode: Black stickers on doors is painted on, lines on diecast hood much more shallow and thinner, lousy paintjob on diecast hood (I mean it, it’s beyond bad) flakes of at the slightest rub with a nail on corners, injection points on the bottom plate are off, the wheelhouse moulding is off.

    Robotmode: Poor paintjob on the eyes gave this copy yellow eyebrows (poor fellow), bad cut out in the shoulderjoint where the tire sits make the arms stick and this could, at least on my copy, easily have ended in breaking/cracking, springs in arms are Diaclone-strong, the triggers are the wrong shape (or are they?).

    All injection points on the accessories are striped, not just a little streaked but very striped, quite broad stripes, toolmark-ish, like a big file, plyers or saw, not like a paintbrush. They also lack the highnotes when bounced on a surface.
     
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2015
  12. Raiyuki

    Raiyuki Low Class Seeker

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2014
    Posts:
    6,116
    Trophy Points:
    247
    Likes:
    +1,913
    I don't feel like reading this whole thread but I'll just say this much: The dead giveaway is that if it says Reissue on a listing and it's what looks like original Hasbro packaging from the original G1 era, it's a KO.
    That said I own the KO Black Optimus prime. For whatever reason the trailer says Made in France. The pegs and holes have a larger diameter than the real thing. This means you can't combo it with an Ultra Magnus trailer or (how I found out originally) use the fist included with the TF Collections Starscream to hold the Megatron accessory. In fact, in an odd twist, the fistholes do accomodate the peg at the top of the fuel pump. Also on mine, the the head comes off; I believe at the very least all official versions have it glued on or something.
    I can't say much paintwise or colorwise; it looks good. I do have the actual JAFCON Convoy that I got much more recently (as in this year as opposed to the KO black I got around 2007 or so). I have yet to compare the two for color but I'd almost say the official one has a slightly browning tint (unless that's just how my room reflects). I never noticed anything like that on the KO, but I haven't pulled it out in years.
    Stickers: The two most noticable things are that A. the trailer side stickers are not applied and B. it lacks the silver stripe stickers along the truck cab (or the chest and arms in bot mode). I don't think ALL G1 Optimus KO's suffer from B. but I think most are characterized by A.
    I THINK the missiles and Roller pusher work fine which if I'm not mistaken were neutered for the original Hasbro releases (I could be wrong on that one).
    I sadly don't have an actual 84 85 Optimus to directly compare. I DO have a vintage Ultra Magnus (plastic foot, unpainted heads, no windows variant) as well as several reissues (and redecoes) including Takara Magnus reissue, Shining Magnus, Jafcon Convoy, Hasbro Pepsi Optimus, the 2008 Hasbro Optimus, and Music Label white Convoy (just putting this out there so people know what I'm comparing to in hand). Naturally the closest one in terms of sculpting is the old Magnus who still has the big fists (and I think no indent for the rubsign). All the reissues 1999/2000 onward use pretty much the same sculpting.
    I can't tell if there's any differences on the box or manual. The stickers however were difficult to remove for the inner trailer details.
    One more thing (and this is where things might be different on a legit pre 2000s Optimus): the missile sprue on my JAFCON Convoy have the pieces holding the missiles on the sides NOT attached to the outer frame of the sprue; this means that if you pull off two missiles next to eachother, that piece comes off with them. The KO is not like that; the parts holding the sides of the missiles do extend from the sprue frame.
    Hope this all helps and isn't uneeded/outdated.
     
  13. evilomar

    evilomar Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2016
    Posts:
    29
    Trophy Points:
    21
    Likes:
    +0
    This thread has been so handy. Thank you for putting it together.
     
  14. Zeke1

    Zeke1 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2015
    Posts:
    5,537
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    247
    Likes:
    +10,340
    Is there anyway to search this thread specifically for clues on what's a KO of MP Bumblebee? 98 pages is a little too overwhelming for me to search manually. :eek: 
     
  15. DukeFett

    DukeFett Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2011
    Posts:
    8,126
    News Credits:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +6,809
    Ebay:
    Twitter:
    Instagram:
    YouTube (Legacy):
    There's a KO thread in the 3rd party forums, those guys seem to know everything; I'd ask them.
     
  16. Dereka138

    Dereka138 Bucket full of Bad Brains

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2012
    Posts:
    1,052
    Trophy Points:
    197
    Location:
    Spud town
    Likes:
    +55
    I have noticed a headmasters ko set for all the hasbro headmasters. Is there anyway to tell the difference between them and the g1? I just bought a vorath and am trying to see if its a ko.
     
  17. Primus00

    Primus00 Creator

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2007
    Posts:
    2,057
    Trophy Points:
    312
    Likes:
    +268
    How many Masterpieces are knockoffs?
     
  18. MetalPSI

    MetalPSI New Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2016
    Posts:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    1
    Likes:
    +0
    Hello, first time here, I was referred from another site I visit regularly that isn't toy related. I was recently at a Comic Expo and picked up some of these. I knew they weren't official but I was curious if someone might be able to pinpoint year of manufacture and just what kind of KO this is, or if it is indeed a reissue/genuine. Thanks for your time :) 

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  19. MetalPSI

    MetalPSI New Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2016
    Posts:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    1
    Likes:
    +0
    I also picked up a KO of Shockwave, but I cannot get the pic to go the right way around

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Now, all the others I have (Devastator gift set, all five Dinobots and 3 Insectacons) have the usual manufacturer specs, Hasbro, Tanaka Japan

    But Shockwave has Intek LTD Seoul
     
  20. Predakwon

    Predakwon ...Green Lantern's light!

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2003
    Posts:
    10,402
    News Credits:
    69
    Trophy Points:
    357
    Location:
    NYC/LI
    Likes:
    +12,879
    Ebay:
    Oh, I just happened to have run into this thread. In terms for Vorath, the main way you can tell between authentic and KO is the rivets on the sides of the legs.

    See my pic. The real heads are to the right with solid/smooth rivets. KOs have an indent in them.

    [​IMG]
     

    Attached Files: