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Post by JB on Jul 20, 2003 11:48:47 GMT -5
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Post by shaxper on Jul 20, 2003 18:26:41 GMT -5
Sounds like a careless listing error. Wouldn't be the first time Takotoku and Takara were confused. Diabattles was definately designed by Takara, not Takotoku, and the King Dam version (the only non-Takara produced version I know of) was made by Daicast in Taiwan.
As for quality differences, the main thing I've noticed is that the quality control on these items was not up to par. Nothing is glaringly wrong with any of the three King Dam Diabattles I've owned (I buy them for parts and resell the skeletons), but some come with minor scratches and scuffs and, strangly enough, the height varies from 5.5 to 5.75 inches, depending on which one you get.
Really, the only LARGE difference between the King Dam version and the Diaclone version that I'm aware of is the drivers. The King Dam drivers seem to have been produced from a later generation mold created from actual Diaclone drivers. This would explain why the pilots' details are blurred and vague. There's also some excess metal from the mold that can be easily cut away with a scissor, since the metal is a bit softer, as well. The Drivers are also produced without their magnetic feet, but with the plastic pins that connect to the magnets, so your drivers appear to be walking on stilts, unless you choose to cut them off.
All in all, the die-cast, plastic, and painted details are of very high quality for a repro though. I've never been able to affordably obtain a Diaclone original, but the King Dam version is of nearly comprable quality to the authentic Diaclones that I do own.
Incidentally, that may be the wrong pilot included. My King Dam version which came MIB had two red drivers. It's possible there were variations in pilot colors though.
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Post by JB on Jul 20, 2003 23:38:50 GMT -5
Could not have asked for a better reply; thanks Shax.
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Post by shaxper on Jul 21, 2003 18:36:27 GMT -5
Welc  |
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styro
Junior Robot
Posts: 15
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Post by styro on Jul 24, 2003 7:32:46 GMT -5
Hey, about what does the original Diabattles go for? I just snagged one sealed in an Italian box, for $40. Good deal?
Anyway I haven't gotten it yet. I have the KingDam knockoff, with no accessories. I like it, so I'm sure the original will be even better.
Did the Italian Diaclones come with different figures than the Japanese ones? From the pics of the toy, these look a little... anemic.
I'm just getting back into Diaclones. I particularly like the non-transformer ones (dia-Attacker, Buffalo, etc) they are so similar to super robots, which I mostly collect. I sold the few Diaclones and Microchange toys I had a few years ago, and I wish I hadn't.
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Post by shaxper on Jul 24, 2003 9:13:45 GMT -5
$40 is definately a good price, but while a lot of people out there prefer the Italian Gig versions for some reason, their quality is often inconsistant. The Japanese originals are consistantly high quality and, most importantly, are the true originals, so I try to get those whenever possible.
As for drivers, it helps to understand how the Italian Gig series was done. Takara was near bankrupsy and looking to make a buck wherever they could. At the same time, Diaclone was not selling as well as Takara had anticipated due to a major recession in Japan (this is pretty much why Takara was near bankrupsy to begin with) so Takara sold their overstock (and sometimes their rejects) to Gig, where it was all repackaged. In some cases, you get the exact same toy as the Japanese original, but in many cases, they threw together whatever parts were readily available, thus, for example, the Italian Powered Convoy with the red Battle Convoy cab, which was far more common than the Italian Powered Convoy with the correct blue cab. This sort of mixing and matching was also highly common with the drivers, which is why you'll never see the original skinny drivers in Italian boxes (as far as I know).
So, as a quick answer to your question, yes, the drivers may differ in the Italian version.
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