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Man these are great, and I usually stay away from KO's. This would be perfect for me, because while I think those Japanese only release HM's are cool, I'm not interested in them enough to drop the cash on the originals. I'd buy these in a heartbeat though. I found a set on ioffer, but by the time I had completed the registration process it had already sold .

El Duque wrote:Man these are great, and I usually stay away from KO's. This would be perfect for me, because while I think those Japanese only release HM's are cool, I'm not interested in them enough to drop the cash on the originals. I'd buy these in a heartbeat though. I found a set on ioffer, but by the time I had completed the registration process it had already sold .

Yeah I noticed that too since I found out about them on ioffer 3 weeks ago. But don't worry, it appears this guy has and endless supply. I don't know why he only posts his Headmaster sets in increments of 5 and 11 (I've seen other people post items on ioffer with up to 99 available for the same item). He waits until they sell out than he posts another 5 or 11. I think it's a psychological thing to make us want the item even more, that bastard

Crisdecal wrote:

El Duque wrote:Man these are great, and I usually stay away from KO's. This would be perfect for me, because while I think those Japanese only release HM's are cool, I'm not interested in them enough to drop the cash on the originals. I'd buy these in a heartbeat though. I found a set on ioffer, but by the time I had completed the registration process it had already sold .

Yeah I noticed that too since I found out about them on ioffer 3 weeks ago. But don't worry, it appears this guy has and endless supply. I don't know why he only posts his Headmaster sets in increments of 5 and 11 (I've seen other people post items on ioffer with up to 99 available for the same item). He waits until they sell out than he posts another 5 or 11. I think it's a psychological thing to make us want the item even more, that bastard

There is no urgency for the buyer if he sees, 25-100 available.

However, if there are only 4-5, the buyer feels a bit more compelled to drop cash at the current price, rather than bide his/her time.

Crisdecal wrote:

El Duque wrote:Man these are great, and I usually stay away from KO's. This would be perfect for me, because while I think those Japanese only release HM's are cool, I'm not interested in them enough to drop the cash on the originals. I'd buy these in a heartbeat though. I found a set on ioffer, but by the time I had completed the registration process it had already sold .

Yeah I noticed that too since I found out about them on ioffer 3 weeks ago. But don't worry, it appears this guy has and endless supply. I don't know why he only posts his Headmaster sets in increments of 5 and 11 (I've seen other people post items on ioffer with up to 99 available for the same item). He waits until they sell out than he posts another 5 or 11. I think it's a psychological thing to make us want the item even more, that bastard

Good to know, I'll keep checking back.

The guy on ioffer posted some more, so I bought one. Hopefully they won't disappoint.

I picked up my set from the post office yesterday, and I can only agree with everybody who expressed their admiration of the figures AND the box they came in.
The figures are of an excellent quality, extremely tight joins, nice vibrant colors and very crisp molds. Of this set, I only have an original Lord Zarak, but I have to pull him out of storage to compare them.
Anyhow, I'm very happy with these guys and the service provided by the iOffer seller (and creator).

According to tracking mine are officially in the US, so I figure I'll have them by the end of the week. I'm really looking forward to getting these in hand.

I really can't believe what I'm reading in this thread. The support for these KO's is disgusting. What better way for collectors to convince Hasbro/Takara to not officially release remakes of rare Transformers. And even if they have no plans to re-release these molds, supporting these KO manufactures is just awful. Not only does it cheapen the originals, it floods the market with fakes. How many unscrupulous people do you think are going to buy these KOs and then try to unload them on the not-so-savvy newbie collector? I've already seen it numerous times on ebay. I find this whole issue to be rather reprehensible. As collectors, the last thing we should ever want is for the market to be flooded with KOs. Especially high quality KOs.

XenoStryker wrote:I really can't believe what I'm reading in this thread. The support for these KO's is disgusting. What better way for collectors to convince Hasbro/Takara to not officially release remakes of rare Transformers. And even if they have no plans to re-release these molds, supporting these KO manufactures is just awful. Not only does it cheapen the originals, it floods the market with fakes. How many unscrupulous people do you think are going to buy these KOs and then try to unload them on the not-so-savvy newbie collector? I've already seen it numerous times on ebay. I find this whole issue to be rather reprehensible. As collectors, the last thing we should ever want is for the market to be flooded with KOs. Especially high quality KOs.

Glad to hear this side of the argument. Until now, I don't think we had heard from a purist (no insulted intended).

I can certainly see how these KOs have encouraged scammers. However, they will have a tough time passing the 6 Japanese singles (Lione, Shuffler, Trizer, Lodoni, Kirk, Loafer) for originals. These KOs/Repros lack the official Takara stamp.

As for convincing Hasbro/Takara to not make these, I highly doubt a few KOs are going to influence the decision making process. They will either reissue them sometime in the future or they won't. If anything, they might see how well the KOs are selling and try to gain their rightful slice of the pie. There is a clear demand for these HMs. If Hasbro or Takara can't see that, the loss is theirs. Their inaction towards KO companies/makers is not helping this matter.

Also, I'm not sure the KOs are going to cheapen the originals. Unless these HMs are produced in the tens of thousands, I don't think they will ever affect the original market that much. Plus there will be those clamoring for the originals still.

I am "guilty" of buying a set of these HMs. Why did I do so? I love the way the set is packaged and I currently can't afford the originals (to say nothing of actually finding them). When the time comes, I plan on displaying them with the authentic G1 pieces. Does this make me a bad person? I'm sure someone will be happy to pass judgment on me. Do I care? Not particularly. It's not my job to police KOs or unlicensed reissues. As a consumer, I am entitled to purchase what is available on the market. If Hasbro won't stop the KOs, they will remain on the market.

XenoStryker wrote:I really can't believe what I'm reading in this thread. The support for these KO's is disgusting. What better way for collectors to convince Hasbro/Takara to not officially release remakes of rare Transformers. And even if they have no plans to re-release these molds, supporting these KO manufactures is just awful. Not only does it cheapen the originals, it floods the market with fakes. How many unscrupulous people do you think are going to buy these KOs and then try to unload them on the not-so-savvy newbie collector? I've already seen it numerous times on ebay. I find this whole issue to be rather reprehensible. As collectors, the last thing we should ever want is for the market to be flooded with KOs. Especially high quality KOs.

Spent $700 on one of the 'originals' yourself have you?

I have. I have found them when Transformers was unpopular, I have collected them all the way until now.

I have the originals of Kirk x 2, I have Lione MIB, I have Trizor, I have a MIB complete Black Zarak. I have a MIB complete japanese G1 Fortress Maximus.

I have paid the money, the time, and the patience. I've waited for Takara Tomy to do anything with them. I've gushed over the white versions rarity and NEVER seeing one up for auction or at a convention, ever.

I only needed Lodoni, and Shuffler to complete my color set. Never have I seen a Shuffler available. Lodoni was out of my reach recently having a son just born.

I don't hate KO's. I hate that people pass them off as originals. These should not be passed off as originals. But they do make great pieces for some people to have in their collections. Whether said collection is a 'good' collection or not is up to the individual.

I do plenty to support HASBRO and Takara Tomy. I don't feel the owe me anything, but I also feel I can buy what I want for my collection. If they don't want to make something for whatever reason, that's fine, but I also have choices I can make.

I respect your point of view, but it does not sway me to change mine.

But what you don't seem to understand is it's not just the Headmasters. Sure Hasbro/Takara will probably never re-release those, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. What about the high quality Shockwave and Dinobots that have popped up? The more people buy those KOs the less likely we'll ever see official re-releases of those molds. By you buying KO, whether they be the Headmasters or other more readily available characters, that tells the makers of these KOs that there is a market for them. If there is a market they'll start producing entire lines of TF KOs, not just the rare figures. This will discourage H/T from official releases because they know if a bunch of people just bought a high quality Snarl for $50 they aren't going to shell out a similar amount for the real thing. Support of any type of KO does an incredible amount of disservice to legitimate collectors.

And the argument that if H/T disapproves of KOs they should do something about them is invalid. Pretty much all KOs are made in China. Because of that, H/T (or any overseas company) has little to no legal standing, therefore there is next to nothing they can do. Just ask Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo, or any number of American companies that have their product counterfeited in China. Believe me, H/T would love nothing more that to eradicate KOs, but the reality is there isn't a whole lot they can do.

XenoStryker wrote:What about the high quality Shockwave and Dinobots that have popped up? The more people buy those KOs the less likely we'll ever see official re-releases of those molds.

I can see and do agree with your point but just wanted to say that Hasbro has long claimed that the molds for the dinobots were either lost or unusable making a official reissue not likely. Also, Hasbro can never reissue G1 shockwave due to the fact that they don't own the molds.

If past threads are any indication this will probably devolve into a flame war, which is sad. If anything the KO market should prove to H/T that there is a high demand for reissues, and the small portion of the market these KO's hold would do nothing to effect H/T profits should they decide to release the reissues. I have well over 1K Transformers and 99.9% of my collection is official H/T product. That other .1% is third-party stuff ie: FansProject, Nato-bot, etc. In fact I currently have no "KO's" in my collection, that is until my Headmaster set arrives. I have given H/T thousands and thousands of dollars over the years. I don't think buying a set of KO Headmasters that H/T has no intentions of reissuing is going to destroy the collecting world. As far as people getting ripped off on Ebay, I don't see it happening that much. Most collectors that are actively seeking the original Japanese exclusive Headmasters are savvy enough not to get ripped off. These don't even have the trademark stamps on them, which is the first thing I would want to see if I was about to throw down some insane amount of cash.

El Duque wrote:If past threads are any indication this will probably devolve into a flame war, which is sad. If anything the KO market should prove to H/T that there is a high demand for reissues, and the small portion of the market these KO's hold would do nothing to effect H/T profits should they decide to release the reissues. I have well over 1K Transformers and 99.9% of my collection is official H/T product. That other .1% is third-party stuff ie: FansProject, Nato-bot, etc. In fact I currently have no "KO's" in my collection, that is until my Headmaster set arrives. I have given H/T thousands and thousands of dollars over the years. I don't think buying a set of KO Headmasters that H/T has no intentions of reissuing is going to destroy the collecting world. As far as people getting ripped off on Ebay, I don't see it happening that much. Most collectors that are actively seeking the original Japanese exclusive Headmasters are savvy enough not to get ripped off. These don't even have the trademark stamps on them, which is the first thing I would want to see if I was about to throw down some insane amount of cash.

Well said. The demand is there for some of these reissues. If H/T decides to release official versions, the KOs would hardly affect the sales of the official reissues.

I'm more amazed how some people are so eager to jump on the morality bandwagon. Who am I to judge El Duque or tigertrack's buying habits? They can spend money as they choose. I'm sure they would prefer official reissues, but will settle for the high quality KOs. Again, a missed opportunity on H/T's part.

Most of those G1 accurate KO's that copy packaging and everything are low quality enough that I know that most folks who bought those, would happily buy an official re-issue expecting not only better quality, but also legitimacy for their collections.

I like that these are out there, and they have a package that says it's cool, we're not official, but we're a good product. No stamps on them also means one CAN work to make sure they are not getting ripped off.

If HASBRO or TT had done even a single headmaster re-issue we might have a glimmer of hope that they would throw maybe one of these in... but probably not. No HM re-issues sadly.

And one still has to wonder, if a KO company can create Wheeljack, Mirage, Sunstreaker, and the dinobots with all the accuracy of a G1 toy-- minus the quality-- than the companies with much more resources at their disposal should be able to do it as well, if they want.

End of the day, I don't feel as though I am shafting anyone in this.

The whole "we lost the original molds" excuse if ridiculous. A company like H/T could reverse engineer those mold so fast it would make your head spin. In college I took a jewelry making class where they taught to make very primitive molds of existing items. I reverse molded some G1 Optimus Prime fist for my Ultra Magnus who was missing his and they turned out great.

XenoStryker wrote:I really can't believe what I'm reading in this thread. The support for these KO's is disgusting. What better way for collectors to convince Hasbro/Takara to not officially release remakes of rare Transformers. And even if they have no plans to re-release these molds, supporting these KO manufactures is just awful. Not only does it cheapen the originals, it floods the market with fakes.

Damn dude, no need to be a hater. Sounds like they're taking money out of your pocket. If you think fakes cheapen the originals how do you think the reissues make certain collectors feel when they've spent hundreds of dollars on MIB or even MISB G1 Transformers and then watch as there boxed toys drop in value as Hasbro/Takara floods the market with reissues? I wonder how someone felt when, for example, they bought a boxed G1 Targetmaster Stepper then watched as the Stepper reissue hit the stores and now less people are interested in the asking price of his G1 Stepper.

I'm a G1 collector and I welcome the bootlegs because I think they do fill a void. But despite people snapping these Headmasters or other KO G1's, I know if they ever decided to reissue these same Headmasters, most people including myself would buy these as soon as they went on pre-order. After 3 weeks since receiving these Headmasters I still think they are incredible and I cannot believe how close to the originals they are. I'm waiting to see what else the makers have in store for us and I look forward to receiving my Impossible Toys Arcee & Medic this week.

Crisdecal wrote:

XenoStryker wrote:I really can't believe what I'm reading in this thread. The support for these KO's is disgusting. What better way for collectors to convince Hasbro/Takara to not officially release remakes of rare Transformers. And even if they have no plans to re-release these molds, supporting these KO manufactures is just awful. Not only does it cheapen the originals, it floods the market with fakes.

Damn dude, no need to be a hater. Sounds like they're taking money out of your pocket. If you think fakes cheapen the originals how do you think the reissues make certain collectors feel when they've spent hundreds of dollars on MIB or even MISB G1 Transformers and then watch as there boxed toys drop in value as Hasbro/Takara floods the market with reissues? I wonder how someone felt when, for example, they bought a boxed G1 Targetmaster Stepper then watched as the Stepper reissue hit the stores and now less people are interested in the asking price of his G1 Stepper.

I'm a G1 collector and I welcome the bootlegs because I think they do fill a void. But despite people snapping these Headmasters or other KO G1's, I know if they ever decided to reissue these same Headmasters, most people including myself would buy these as soon as they went on pre-order. After 3 weeks since receiving these Headmasters I still think they are incredible and I cannot believe how close to the originals they are. I'm waiting to see what else the makers have in store for us and I look forward to receiving my Impossible Toys Arcee & Medic this week.

No kidding I just got through piecing together a complete Predaking, and now lo and behold a reissue for far less than I spent. Works out though, I plan on putting the CrazyDevy custom parts on the upcoming reissue and putting him on my Neo-classics shelf.

tigertracks 24 wrote:Most of those G1 accurate KO's that copy packaging and everything are low quality enough that I know that most folks who bought those, would happily buy an official re-issue expecting not only better quality, but also legitimacy for their collections.

I like that these are out there, and they have a package that says it's cool, we're not official, but we're a good product. No stamps on them also means one CAN work to make sure they are not getting ripped off.

If HASBRO or TT had done even a single headmaster re-issue we might have a glimmer of hope that they would throw maybe one of these in... but probably not. No HM re-issues sadly.

And one still has to wonder, if a KO company can create Wheeljack, Mirage, Sunstreaker, and the dinobots with all the accuracy of a G1 toy-- minus the quality-- than the companies with much more resources at their disposal should be able to do it as well, if they want.

End of the day, I don't feel as though I am shafting anyone in this.

I agree. Hasbro and TakaraTomy have the resources and the ability to make this happen. Or at least they have more than the bootleggers do. Either way, they choose not to address most of the fans cries for help when it comes to reissues.

TakaraTomy seems to do it more than Hasbro does, but Hasbro doesn't seem to even want to try. I can't figure that out at all.

Bought this giftset for my 10yo son. They arrived yesterday and he loves them! Our mission for this year's TFcon was headmasters, and since no dealers really had or were willing to part with heads, we ended up with only a bunch of bodies. He doesn't really care about what head goes to which body, he just wanted some heads and these filled the void perfectly. I paid $100 for the set, so that's only $10 a figure. Way cheaper than e(vil)Bay prices.

They may be knockoffs, but if he's happy, I'm happy.

fuzzd0rk wrote:Bought this giftset for my 10yo son. They arrived yesterday and he loves them! Our mission for this year's TFcon was headmasters, and since no dealers really had or were willing to part with heads, we ended up with only a bunch of bodies. He doesn't really care about what head goes to which body, he just wanted some heads and these filled the void perfectly. I paid $100 for the set, so that's only $10 a figure. Way cheaper than e(vil)Bay prices.

They may be knockoffs, but if he's happy, I'm happy.

Did you buy off IOffer or Ebay? I purchased my set from IOffer and they still haven't arrived. I know they've shipped, and according to tracking they were released for US Customs two days ago. This my first dealing with EMS shipping, does anyone know if the tracking continues once the item has been released from Customs into the care of the USPS?

El Duque wrote:Did you buy off IOffer or Ebay? I purchased my set from IOffer and they still haven't arrived. I know they've shipped, and according to tracking they were released for US Customs two days ago. This my first dealing with EMS shipping, does anyone know if the tracking continues once the item has been released from Customs into the care of the USPS?

Yes, I bought them on iOffer. Took roughly a week to arrive. Here's the tracking for mine.

Timing Site Status
2010-07-22 11:41:00 NANHAI Posting
2010-07-22 11:59:00 NHWLTC Despatch from Sorting Center
2010-07-22 12:25:37 NANHAI Arrival at Sorting Center
2010-07-22 12:53:54 NANHAI Despatch from Sorting Center
2010-07-22 19:17:00 GUANGZHOU Arrival at Sorting Center
2010-07-22 21:13:00 GUANGZHOU Despatch from Sorting Center
2010-07-25 10:28:00 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA USJFKA Arrival at Sorting Center
2010-07-27 07:40:00 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 14220 Arrival at Delivery Office
2010-07-27 09:13:00 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 14220 Delivery

fuzzd0rk wrote:

El Duque wrote:Did you buy off IOffer or Ebay? I purchased my set from IOffer and they still haven't arrived. I know they've shipped, and according to tracking they were released for US Customs two days ago. This my first dealing with EMS shipping, does anyone know if the tracking continues once the item has been released from Customs into the care of the USPS?

Yes, I bought them on iOffer. Took roughly a week to arrive. Here's the tracking for mine.

Timing Site Status
2010-07-22 11:41:00 NANHAI Posting
2010-07-22 11:59:00 NHWLTC Despatch from Sorting Center
2010-07-22 12:25:37 NANHAI Arrival at Sorting Center
2010-07-22 12:53:54 NANHAI Despatch from Sorting Center
2010-07-22 19:17:00 GUANGZHOU Arrival at Sorting Center
2010-07-22 21:13:00 GUANGZHOU Despatch from Sorting Center
2010-07-25 10:28:00 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA USJFKA Arrival at Sorting Center
2010-07-27 07:40:00 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 14220 Arrival at Delivery Office
2010-07-27 09:13:00 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 14220 Delivery

Thanks, for the response. I checked my tracking just now and delivery was attempted today. I can pick them up from the Post Office tomorrow!

Got my set in the mail today, and all I can say is, "Wow!" The packaging, the insert, the art, and most importantly the figures are superb. I think I'll take some pics later this evening. I have all the original large Headmasters, so if anyone would like to see any particular combination let me know I will try to accommodate.

I got mine today too. Nice set. I may try to take some photos comparing some originals I have with the KO's at some point.