Since I bought two of the KO Henkei TCs, people have been asking me to review them so they'll know whether or not to purchase them. Here goes!
This is the KO (left) standing next to the legit original Henkei Thundercracker (right). As you can see, there aren't a lot of differences between the two. The differences are mostly very very subtle. As you can see, though, the actual Henkei figure has its launchers held onto its arms by rubber bands, whereas the KO is actually able to support its own launchers. Your mileage may vary, though, as the launcher port on the KO's right arm (your left) is a little loose, but nowhere near as loose as the actual product.
To be perfectly frank, this KO is perhaps the best KO I have ever seen. It is sturdy, the transformation process is fluid, and the plastic quality feels like the real deal. I had no issues in transforming it, and it's actually a bit less floppy than the Henkei version. The only joints I thought were too stiff were on the bottom right tailfin, which took a little more pressure to fold up than I was comfortable with. Otherwise, the figure fits together in both modes quite comfortably. All in all, the KO has BETTER paint apps than the original, and holds its launchers better.
The only real problem was that one of the launchers was broken and the missile won't fit in correctly. A simple fix, really.
Simply put, if you want Thundercracker and can't afford the Botcon or Henkei versions, this guy is the one for you, and the price is unbeatable.
Now...I imagine a lot of you are wondering how you can avoid being taken in and buying the KO thinking you are getting the real deal. Well, I'm glad you asked, because I'm about to tell you how you can tell the difference between the two:
The real Henkei version has a notch in the "knee pad" of TC's leg. The KO is perfectly squared.
As you can see from the back of the two TCs' wings, the red on the Henkei version is a much lighter color. This is most noticeable on the wing backs, but is true for the whole figure. The KO figure's red is a much deeper red. Also, I feel like the blue on the KO is a tad deeper blue, and I'm quite sure that the cockpit is a MUCH deeper amber color.
As you can see, the alignment of the Decepticon sigil on the front of the wing is a bit off. That's only true on one wing of my KO, so I'm not certain that this is common to each figure. However, it is one of the few differences that can be detected BEFORE opening the packaging.
This one is a dead giveaway. It's so small, it's almost unnoticeable, but there is a notch on each seeker's shoulder. On the real deal, the notch compromises the silver swatch. It's this way on every seeker that I have, including other KOs. But on this KO, the notch is significantly lower on the shoulder and doesn't cross into the silver swatch at all.
All things considered, I recommend this KO to people who don't have Thundercracker and can't afford him. And I hope this review helps those of you who want to know the difference.
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