cybertronians wrote:Hi guys, sorry, this questions might not be new. I am a new TF collector, a newbie. How do I tell KO transformers from the real ones? Is it true that only the original TFs have Hasbro/Takara stamp on them ? Thanks !
Ok, first you have to consider that there are 2 kinds of KOs that are copies of existing figures:
1) Cheap; sometimes odd-looking, with odd colors; very easy to tell from the original ones. The boxes usually have nothing to very few to do with the original ones, so you can spot them easily.
2) Good quality; very close to the originals; very hard to tell from the original ones, sometimes even if you're holding it in your hands. The boxes also are usually good copies of the original ones, where the typos and other small mistakes are not easy to notice.
For option number 1, even if you never heard of the KO you'll probably know it is one once you see it, boxed or not. Most times these don't even have metal where they should and are usually cheap looking and the molds have many issues.
For option number 2, well... you really have to be careful. First, if you're looking at a G1 that looks brand new for a low price, it sounds fishy from the start. But most sellers usually call these "reissues/remakes", so if you see a G1 in a vintage box with "reissue/remake" in its description, it's a KO. The official reissues don't have boxes that reproduce completely the vintage ones. Some reissues by Takara have a similar look, but it's not equal, there are differences from the vintage boxes. But about small details on the boxes and the figures (which are in many cases 99.9% just like the originals), you better check this site (which isn't complete):
http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17BTW, like said before me, the "Hasbro/Takara" copyright stamp also appears in many KOs, just like the ones on option 2 above. They are very good reproductions of the originals. I have 3 of them and I can tell you the quality is almost just as an official reissue, or even just as good. Reflector is very hard to distinguish.
To know about these KOs you can also check the auctions at ioffer.com, which are mostly KOs when it's not official reissues. The newer ones are Sunstreaker, Octane, Shockwave and I think they're doing sideswipe and Red Alert, although I don't see the point because there are Hasbro and Takara official reissues of those two.
Hope this helps.
EDIT: BTW, you can check the current TakaraTomy official reissues here:
http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/products/encore.htmlAnd some info about previous official reissues here:
http://www.microforever.com/TFcollection/tfcollectionindex.htmHasbro also recently reissued Optimus Prime, Perceptor, Soundwave (with 4 cassettes) and the Insecticons on the Universe line.
Also, if you decide to venture to ioffer.com I advise you to be careful because there is someone cheating many people with fake accounts, sending fake pens or other stuff instead of the goods. Some sellers I know you can trust are t800pro, comicpan (there are others though, but check well their listings and feedback, which is a bad sign if it only has few positives), but these sellers sell KOs for the option number 2 above.