KO TF

[emerje]

Nov 6, 2010 23:35:01 GMT -5 supergetterv said:

I am kinda sad that I paid around 80$ for the henkei electrostatic mirage. This was supposed to be a free item for buying the magazine but the priced was jacked by importers.figure was free for people that lives in japan only.

He wasn't really free, it was just that the only way you could get the order form to buy him was through the book. I think in the end it was around 3000yen shipped, but I can't find any verification of that, not even a picture of the order form. The third book had two G1 repaint figures so it's not like they're just giving these things away.

Emerje

[jay27]

im glad that the KO makers are making the most expensive TF's first like the henkei classic line...

[supergetterv]

Well, the cost of the magazine was 2000 yen, and in order to get people to buy it at such a high price, they added a coupon to redeem these exclusive figures. It was pretty much free but you have to pay for the shipping cost to receive it, which is around 1000 yen. Honestly, who's going to buy a 20+ dollar magazine if it didn't have something free. It wasn't like the magazine cost 2000 yen and then you had to pay an additional 3000 yen to purchase the figure.

[Lord Zarak]

hi men i'm trying to remember a robot toy i had in the past 80' years. If some one can help me to remember a name or with a pic...

this is what i remember: it was a KO not original takara TF, was of green plastic and it had 3 trasformation photocamera or similar, laser gun (with chromed parts in the spike) and i think also a tank. it was sold in a card with bouble i remember.

if some one could help me thanks a lot

[emerje]

Nov 7, 2010 13:17:43 GMT -5 supergetterv said:

Well, the cost of the magazine was 2000 yen, and in order to get people to buy it at such a high price, they added a coupon to redeem these exclusive figures. It was pretty much free but you have to pay for the shipping cost to receive it, which is around 1000 yen. Honestly, who's going to buy a 20+ dollar magazine if it didn't have something free. It wasn't like the magazine cost 2000 yen and then you had to pay an additional 3000 yen to purchase the figure.

I don't think you really understand how awesome these are. They aren't magazines, they're 95+ page photo books full of never before seen art, concept sketches, prototypes, manga stories. But that aside, even if you were only buying these for the figures and the figures are "free" plus shipping then you're still looking at a cost involved, not free. But more than anything these figures were very limited, something like 2000 made. $80 is a small price to pay for a limited, mail away, Japanese exclusive. It's not like someone was just handing them out at Toys R US, there was some effort and cash involved in getting them.

Emerje

[supergetterv]

I have the magazine, and honestly, had the not marketed it this way, offering the chance to purchase a limited figure, they would sell a lot fewer copies. As I was looking though my copy again, I have to correct myself. The figures aren't free with the coupon. The coupon allows for you to buy the figure at 3500 yen and shipping and processing fee is an additional 1200 yen. Limited to two per coupon. Cost for two is 6600 yen at 1800 shipping processing cost. Offer ends on 5/19/2009 and release date is August 2009.

Back on topic, I ordered the 5 KO. I will do comparison to my original. Really looking foward to the thundercracker as the price on the original is way beyond what I am willing to pay for. It still bug me that hasbro still has no plans on releasing thundercracker.

[emerje]

I don't know, I'd love to have a set of those books, but they're hard to find cheap now. Sure, if I look I could probably find all of the more interesting pictures, but I love books like this.

I'm sure Hasbro will eventually release Thundercracker. When they revealed Thrust they said they'd reveal two more seekers this year (Dirge and Thundercracker though they never came out and said it). Of course they revealed Dirge, but I think they'll probably save Thundercracker for 4.0. Then again they might surprise at Toy Fair in February.

Emerje

[speedy]

Anyone seen this Optimus?
www.nuevadominion.com/cybertron/imagenes/usuarios/054d2b289b0161aa5e44ceda75e550c51opr.jpg

A friend buy it from an italian seller. It have some differences from Prime G1. One front window, bigger grill, one pipe, different wheels and a ladder in the rear. And the weapon is the one from Roadbuster.

www.nuevadominion.com/cybertron/imagenes/usuarios/eee5380af5c0013dce75dcea1ef3e81d8opr.jpg
www.nuevadominion.com/cybertron/imagenes/usuarios/1339295453f9229bb143b6f4d6111d0c10opr.jpg
www.nuevadominion.com/cybertron/imagenes/usuarios/b7ee57ab09972b58558b2b17dc03267e12opr.jpg
www.nuevadominion.com/cybertron/imagenes/usuarios/5f9d134956b2f047ba73aa95ea833f7613opr.jpg
www.nuevadominion.com/cybertron/imagenes/usuarios/f1dae5165ce528ba0752cd83091440d717opr.jpg

[emerje]

Yep, I've seen one before on one of those Transformers oddities websites. That must be some sort of "reissue" as I know I've seen one long before the date on the box.

(edit) Found it: Battle Convoy from the 80s, Battle SupBot from the 90s.

Emerje

[speedy]

Thanks for the info, very usefull!. So I think that this is the same version as the canadian but with corean words.

And to add more to this thread, this just arrived to me.




At first I thought it's original but I think this is a KO because for it's poor plastic and paint quality, and the arms are different than the original. But it is made of steel (weights a ton!) and the lock mechanism works. You can't transform it unless you unlock it.

The original line was named Metal Joe from Japan, and it had an USA realease named Padlock Robot.

Anyone have more of this? I would like to see more.

[emerje]

That ones a knockoff made by Four Star, it's likely stamped on the figure somewhere. I can tell because they used the exact same packaging that they used for their Takara Lock Robo knockoffs, only stand out difference being the copywright info missing from the bottom.

Emerje

[supergetterv]

Well, here is the first review of the henkei thundercracker ko.

www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/comparison-review-between-henkei-thundercracker-and-the-ko/20180/

This is a comparison review to help identify the real from the fake. The difference is very minor and hard to tell at first glance. The reviewer even point out how to tell the difference when the figure is in MISB. The funny thing was that the build on the ko version is actually better than the original. I'll be getting mine hopefully before thanksgiving. Will do comparison to my authentic version of the electro disrupter mirage and the ko version. The dead giveaway is that the ko version has no packaging. But hopefully I can provide enough differences to help, so that no collector get ripped off. I don't have a problem with ko replicas, especially when it is made with high quality. I do have a problem with dishonest sellers who are selling ko as originals.

[mojacko]

ok did anybody in rj ordered something from KOtoys? i just ordered a MP01 KO but havent heard any confirmation from them since last thursday? do u think i should start to panic? anyway if anyone have any thoughts abt it let me know. thanks

[supergetterv]

I wouldn't worry about it. Kotoys, they send their confirmation over from paypal. The thing I hate about them is them damn styrofoam packaging they pack with. It is so cheap that it breaks into many small parts and gets inside the box. I just got the henkei seekers and the two mirage from them on Fridayand all I can say is that these aren't perfect replicas. You can easily spot the difference. Definately not work the 25$ they are charginh for it. I will have some comparison picture up tomorrow.

[mojacko]

Nov 14, 2010 4:53:41 GMT -5 supergetterv said:

I wouldn't worry about it. Kotoys, they send their confirmation over from paypal. The thing I hate about them is them damn styrofoam packaging they pack with. It is so cheap that it breaks into many small parts and gets inside the box. I just got the henkei seekers and the two mirage from them on Fridayand all I can say is that these aren't perfect replicas. You can easily spot the difference. Definately not work the 25$ they are charginh for it. I will have some comparison picture up tomorrow.

good thing i didnt succumb to those KO seekers. but theyre pretty decent.

[supergetterv]

So, here are some pictures of the ones that I got from KOtoys the other day. Again, I don't recommend these at all as the quality on them really blows.




Again, I hate that KOTOYS.com, for whatever reason, they ship everything with these crappy styrofoam board that breaks into millions of small styrofoam balls. These bits, not only stick to the outside surface on the plastic packaging on the figures but they also can get inside. So one way to spot a fake is if your see white styrofoam balls or bits inside the plastic blister card type packaging of your Henkei Figure, it is most likely a KO. But the difference doesn't stop here, the execution on these figures are extremely poor. The chrome on the shoulder cannon isn't shinny. On my Skywarp, it came with two right fist. And all three have the same problem where the back and middle section of the figure doesn't lock all the way in. The holes for the shoulder weapon attachments are awful and you have to manually tighten the screws to make it fit better. Oh, the packaging. Looks really but you can feel that it is fake if you have handle a real Henkei figure. Original cardboard stock has a nice gloss on the back of the card. These fakes don't seem to have the same type of gloss finish. So any expert that has some Henkei Figure can tell that these are KO just by touching the packaging. Also both the inner and outer plastic clamshell on the packaging are a lot softer than the original.

So on with the two Mirages that came along with this lot. A Electro Disrupter Mirage and a BotCon Exclusive Clear Blue Mirage. Here is the first Picture. Real version on the right side, and KO on the left. Picture isn't all that focus, that is why the original one looks kinda blurry.



One way to easily identify the real one from a fake is that the KO doesn't come with any packaging. But the best way to tell them apart is this:



They miss the entire bottom side of the front driving axle and left it black. The quality on the KO also sucks. The head is extremely loose and doesn't hold. The finished on the figure is also poor. The best way to compare this KO, this is like a old toy where all the joints are no longer tight and the paint feels like it has been handled. Kinda like the toy has been played with a lot.
The Shatter Glass Clear Blue version also has the same problem, Floppy heads.

[mojacko]

aw man...poor KO toys...its a good thing i didnt let my instinct buy this KO's. they can still be good for kitbashing thou but for the price of KO, think its better to wait for some collectors sell their loose henkei's.

BTW i already got the tracking number from KOtoys. thanks for the info again superG

[supergetterv]

I purchased them with an assumption that they were exact counterfeits. But one can easily tell by just handling them. I was hoping that the quality on these were like the G1 KO's they sell on their site. Those are perfect counterfeits, almost impossible to tell the difference without having an original to compare it to. And those were so well made that the differnces are very small and few. The plastic quality on these are okay, pretty much the same as the original, it's just the molding and finish/QC aren't good on these. There are molding difference where they miss minor details.

[Lord Zarak]

Nov 7, 2010 13:29:47 GMT -5 Lord Zarak said:

hi men i'm trying to remember a robot toy i had in the past 80' years. If some one can help me to remember a name or with a pic...

this is what i remember: it was a KO not original takara TF, was of green plastic and it had 3 trasformation photocamera or similar, laser gun (with chromed parts in the spike) and i think also a tank. it was sold in a card with bouble i remember.

if some one could help me thanks a lot

[backfromthedead75]

Nov 15, 2010 12:04:11 GMT -5 supergetterv said:

I purchased them with an assumption that they were exact counterfeits. But one can easily tell by just handling them. I was hoping that the quality on these were like the G1 KO's they sell on their site. Those are perfect counterfeits, almost impossible to tell the difference without having an original to compare it to. And those were so well made that the differnces are very small and few. The plastic quality on these are okay, pretty much the same as the original, it's just the molding and finish/QC aren't good on these. There are molding difference where they miss minor details.

I got KO Henkei Skywarp a few days ago, and basically it is exactly like every Henkei seeker I've ever dealt with. Floppy joints, poorly fitting launchers, and bad chrome. I just tightened all the screws and used a few drops of super glue to tighten everything up and now the KO is solid. I had the real Henkei TC and SW when they came out and immediately sold them off because of how poor of quality they were. When I got them they we're about $75 and at that price there was no way I was going to use super glue, etc. to "fix" the mistakes of TakaraTomy. My friends that got them all had the same issues. I'd say that for the most part I'm happier with my KO. Hell it even has the Takara copyright info on it, haha.