The Energon Pub

[ZoneDaiatlas]

Marikina. My home city. Pretty rare to come across such good bootlegs in my area, so I don't post much.

Marikina? Is that by Makati City around the Metro Manila area? Also have you been to "Greattoys.net" shop they have at a local mall in Makati? They sell quite a few KO's there and that is where I got KO Predaking at...

[ZoneDaiatlas]

Found more KO's for everyone to enjoy...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0145130068


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0153175261


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0146621333
($50 is too much for this KO. I paid $25 for mine)


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0144801984


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0162560979

[zemper]

Marikina. My home city. Pretty rare to come across such good bootlegs in my area, so I don't post much.

sweet. here in iloilo there are no good KOs to find. sure, the local Robinsons mall sells a few costing below Php100.00, but i never came across something that has quality like your 'ceptor and soundwave KOs.

Marikina. My home city. Pretty rare to come across such good bootlegs in my area, so I don't post much.

Marikina? Is that by Makati City around the Metro Manila area? Also have you been to "Greattoys.net" shop they have at a local mall in Makati? They sell quite a few KO's there and that is where my Fiancee bought my Predaking KO at...

Great Toys is one good TF shop here in the Philippines, though as i live in the mid-south islands i have no idea where their specific branch locations may be. some of the figures they sell are pretty expensive, but if we pinoys are looking for rare figs, even KOs, they're the place to be short of going online and scouting on eBay.

they're online @ http://www.greattoys.net, they also have an ebay account.

[JHand]

Bought a TF knockoff Monday. I'm not sure, but it probably was a gray-colored Cadillac, Saleen or a Saleen-mod Cadillac that transforms similarlly to Cybertron Minicon Oval. His legs are very fragile, however (fall off with little shaking). Thinking about dubbing him as a gray Sideswipe (on the grounds that TF Armada has a blue Sideswipe). Some photos of him follow.
Any ideas?

[craggy]

wow, bootleg Perceptor looks like a pretty cool purchase! digging the gene simmons boots he and Soundblaster are sporting.

the red Defensor looks like a Hate Plague variant. I read someone had an all-white version too, anyone have both so we can get some crazy mix&match pics?

[Scaleface]

Knockoff Nikes!

http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKE-Free-7-0-Trans ... dZViewItem

[Wes Crayon]

ok, heres a question. you know how big lots has the 6 dollar sets with 4 figures in it? the animal one and the dino one? has anyone bought the dinosaur one?

I've got that set! It's um... interesting. I like it since I run a website that reviews all sorts of random wacky things, but I'm honestly not sure how others would feel about it. That auction ZoneDaiatlas posted --

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0069208286

-- is for one of the dinos in the set (though that one appears to have different stickers and a slightly better paint job: the one I have doesn't have a chrome head), so you can probably look at him and know whether you want to get it or not.

If anyone who has the G1 Dinobots picks this set up, btw, I'd be VERY interested in seeing comparison pics. I know that these bootlegs are original -- or at least aren't directly based on the G1 toys -- but I'd be interested in seeing how similar they are in terms of articulation and transformation.

Anyway, back to the knockoffs, this one looks great:

http://cgi.ebay.com/TRANSFORMERS-LASER- ... dZViewItem

I not only like its look better than the original, but also think it is superior to pretty much all of the movie Optimi.

And thanks for the reviews, mechajol!

[Scaleface]

Someone at Knockoff TF Inc. is getting smart. First the Getaway redeco to look like movie Bumblebee. Now we get a redeco of G2 Laser Optimus Prime that looks like movie Optimus!

http://cgi.ebay.com/TRANSFORMERS-LASER- ... dZViewItem

Love the name too... "Super Changes Collect Them All Robots". The box art features movie Optimus, Cybertron Optimus and Cybertron Wing Saber.

[mechajol]

whoah! getaway redeco? can you post some pics?

those bootlegs look cool! i hope they turn out in our pegs. all i see here are WST gestalts

[mechajol]

Marikina. My home city. Pretty rare to come across such good bootlegs in my area, so I don't post much.

Marikina? Is that by Makati City around the Metro Manila area? Also have you been to "Greattoys.net" shop they have at a local mall in Makati? They sell quite a few KO's there and that is where my Fiancee bought my Predaking KO at...

nope. but i work in makati. i've been to the greattoys shop, great stuff they got there. i think they're selling some bootleg G1 primes that are more expensive than the encore

[mechajol]

and speaking of bootlegs from great toys...




Yeah! Bootleg gen1 tape robots!!! Got these a few months ago from the greattoys shop. They had a bucket full of these tapes!

The bootlegs come in 2 sizes, the small versions (which, according to my friend, is the G1 size), and the big versions (which are upsized, but slightly smaller than the real cassettes).

And guess how much I scored these! Around 1$ for all 5!!! Of course, I got the small versions because I was planning to pose these along side the Classics toys.


TAPE MODE



The quality of the plastic used is a bit on the brittle side. Typical bootleg plastic. In tape mode, the structure is a bit convincing, except for the fact that some of the limbs are a bit loose.

In tape mode, the structure is still solid enough. All robots are marked "6 in 1" and painted only on the Side A part.

The paint does a good job of disguising these (sometimes even better than the original). Turn these over on the unpainted part, and it becomes obvious. Bootleg robots look like actual bootleg tapes!


ROBOT MODE



For Rumble/Frenzy, the robot mode is nice. The arms have surprisingly good articulation, and the loose limbs can be tightened on the screws. Except for the painted tape label, no other paint is applied, so the facial features aren't clear.

Also, it is interesting to note that while these guys have the Frenzy/Rumble body, they have the Rewind/Eject head. And yeah, I know, the legs are transformed backwards. But the feet are placed in the wrong direction. I fixed these already.



Okay, all of the robots have no Autobot/Decepticon markings whatsoever, so unless you're familiar with them, you'll be lost.

Also, there are no weapons or accessories included.

For Ramhorn, the rhino, this toy has the most loose limbs. When you dig in greattoys' bootleg tape bucket, be sure to choose the robots with the tight limbs. The short legs make limited poses.



Ravage and Steeljaw are great. Both have tight leg joints, with only the paws a bit loose.


ROBOT OR TAPE?

I'll go with either modes. The tape mode is really cool, and even deceiving specially if you have someone who's not familiar with these things anymore.

The robot modes are also fun, specially Frenzy/Rumble/Rewind/Eject.



PROS:
- great buy
- good cassette modes

CONS:
- brittle plastic
- wrong assembly of some parts
- loose joints in some parts


RECOMMENDATION:

If you could grab one, grab one! I preferred to purchase the smaller versions because I want to display these with the Classics TF toys.

Also, be very careful when transforming these bootlegs, and expect to do a little bit of adjusting/tweaking here and there.

As for customziing, why not? But honestly, I'm not even sure if I want to repaint these to their G1 colors. I mean, old cassette tapes are colored the same way, right?

[Scaleface]

whoah! getaway redeco? can you post some pics?

those bootlegs look cool! i hope they turn out in our pegs. all i see here are WST gestalts

Getaway redecoed as Movie Bumblebee:

[mechajol]

nice! gotta keep my eyes peeled for one of those! i used to have a getaway when i was a kid!

btw, the car's roof which turns into the chest. it should be able to turn around. The windshield should be pointing downwards

and the gray "feet" should be folded out to form real feet

[It Is Him]

This thread is amazing. Answered all of my questions without having to ask one.

Thank you!

No, no, thank you for taking the time to read the thread rather than making another post asking a qyestion asked 10 times before. Wish more new, and old members were like you.

[bows with gratitude]

In that case... it might make sense to recap some of the finds. And speaking as an experienced lurker, rummaging through 40 pages is brutal. Not that this thread didn't house an incredible wealth of information, but an FAQ (or a link to one) would be helpful.

[waaaaghlord]

This thread is amazing. Answered all of my questions without having to ask one.

Thank you!

No, no, thank you for taking the time to read the thread rather than making another post asking a qyestion asked 10 times before. Wish more new, and old members were like you.

[bows with gratitude]

In that case... it might make sense to recap some of the finds. And speaking as an experienced lurker, rummaging through 40 pages is brutal. Not that this thread didn't house an incredible wealth of information, but an FAQ (or a link to one) would be helpful.

Is it time to suggest a KO forum? Every new find getting it's own thread? The kitbash stuff all started out as a single thread when AK started posting his BT bashes and this place certainly seems to be getting a lot of traffic lately.

[coolpop]

I guess we will be starting new. Start Posting knockoff finds and questions. And could somebody please sticky this.

Hi,everyone,
Here is some photos about the KO ALT WHEELJACK and GRIMLOCK.
It's really good quality.

As a new collector of Alternators line, I came across these 2 KO figures at http://www.agesthreeandup.com , and I'm wondering how's their overall quality? worth buying at $18 a pop?

Cheers!

[deceptibots]

HELLO. I'm new to this site and IN NEED OF YOU GUY's HELP. PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO SPOT A KO G1 OPTIMUS PRIME (in a Hasbro Box) JUST BY LOOKING AT THE BOX.

[xgat]

I couldn't find the set of KO Constructicons at Big Lots but I found the 2packs of them. I don't think I can combine them to form Devastator though.

Also I was laughing really hard when I found some KO Gundams there as well. The KO Wing Gundam in particular was prety funny.

dude they are all over e-bay. buy it and let me know how they are...they go for $10+shipping

[Wes Crayon]

Found those old Victory Leo/Star Saber knockoffs for $3 at Dollar General today -- decided to go ahead and snag the $5 wannabe Insecticon set as well.



No out of package pics of these guys; I'm sure you've all seen them before. They're decent enough for knockoffs -- the plastic is cheap and they are hollow, of course, but that's the nature of the beast. My only significant problem with them involves fact that my Saber's sword handle was broken off inside the package.



Insecticon wannabes! They're pretty crappy, but if you're planning to build a cheap Insecticon army these guys are great. The cicada and the grasshopper kinda suck, but the dragonfly is pretty cool and the beetle rules the school. I'd pay up to $3 for him alone.



Note that these are larger than the ones I've seen packed individually (the larger ones with the painted eyes are from the 4-pack). The big grasshopper's legs have several points of articulation, whereas the smaller one's legs have none. In the absence of clear nail polish and tighter joints, this effectively makes the larger one far floppier than his smaller counterpart.



Shot of the grasshoppers in robot mode. They also have different transformations regarding the legs: the smaller grasshopper's hind insect legs fold forward to become the robot shins and feet, but the larger one has these molded so his hind insect legs fold back (he's kinda unstable, so I use them as heelspurs). Incidentally, both the larger and smaller robots had misassembled legs right out of the package, but since there are no screws or pins they were fairly easy to fix.

The stickers on the larger one are not very sticky at all.

All for now -- someday I'll get a more complete review of all of my bootleg Insecticons up on Scary-Crayon.

[coolpop]

HELLO. I'm new to this site and IN NEED OF YOU GUY's HELP. PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO SPOT A KO G1 OPTIMUS PRIME (in a Hasbro Box) JUST BY LOOKING AT THE BOX.

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong. KO G1 Optimus Prime has DIY stickers, so the trailer seen through the box window is bare with no stickers applied. Hopefully this helps.

Cheers.

[blunghole]

I have these guys, plus a Laserbeak and Steeljaw that he doesn't list anymore. And they
are FANTASTIC.

...A word or two of advice: X-Acto knives and Krylon paint are a must and if
you are going to paint them, paint the pieces first and then put them together. A little hot
glue is nice too. It'll keep pieces from separating if you plan on transforming the figures
often.

Thanks a lot for the mini-review! These figures do sound kinda awesome, though now you're making me wish he still had Laserbeak in stock.

Also, do you mention Krylon paint because that's your personal preference, or because you've had bad experiences trying to paint the figures with other brands?

Just personal preference.

[It Is Him]

This thread is amazing. Answered all of my questions without having to ask one.

Thank you!

No, no, thank you for taking the time to read the thread rather than making another post asking a qyestion asked 10 times before. Wish more new, and old members were like you.

[bows with gratitude]

In that case... it might make sense to recap some of the finds. And speaking as an experienced lurker, rummaging through 40 pages is brutal. Not that this thread didn't house an incredible wealth of information, but an FAQ (or a link to one) would be helpful.

Is it time to suggest a KO forum? Every new find getting it's own thread? The kitbash stuff all started out as a single thread when AK started posting his BT bashes and this place certainly seems to be getting a lot of traffic lately.

I think a KO forum is a fantastic idea. I don't know who runs this place, so if this can be passed onto the powers that be, I'm all for it.

I'd also like to re-iterate that someone should write an FAQ. Today, I went to Big Lots to take another look at the KOs, and was dismayed when I couldn't remember where the Insect KOs (seen in the last page) and the Dinosaur KOs originated from. I know it was previously mentioned in this thread, but I'm not going to dig through 41 pages to find it again. There were also some Animal KOs that I don't think I've seen on this thread. (I really should upgrade to a digital camera)

[Auto Bot]

That's a very good Hound you got there. Looks like fine quality, with details instructions and nice packaging. Almost like original of another brand.

Price is acceptable. But not the cheapest. I've seen this version (same box design) of Subaru and Viper at around 8-10 USD.

But 15 USD is still a decent enough price.

Great find!

[First Gen]

So I went to BIG LOTS again to go get the Knock off Beast Wars/MAchines Megs (Dragon one) and they had 1 Lio Convoy ko. The Japanese version one. Its in the weird yellow which are traditional lion colors but its real bright.

I guess Im asking this, should I keep it and repaint it to look like the original, or should I just dump it on ebay?

[Wes Crayon]

So I went to BIG LOTS again to go get the Knock off Beast Wars/MAchines Megs (Dragon one) and they had 1 Lio Convoy ko. The Japanese version one. Its in the weird yellow which are traditional lion colors but its real bright.

I guess Im asking this, should I keep it and repaint it to look like the original, or should I just dump it on ebay?

Erm, that's up to you... but it's not a particularly rare knockoff, so I doubt you'd get much for it. If you really want to unload it, though -- and you want to be a pal to some of your fellow collectors in places that don't have a Big Lots nearby! -- you might try seeing if anyone in this forum or in Carbombya wants to buy it off you for cost + shipping/handling.

I fully intend to repaint the one I picked up at some point, though I'm not sure whether I want to paint just the robot parts or do the yellow as well. If I didn't want to keep him a good guy, I'd try painting him orange and black like an evil Scar (from The Lion King!) robot.

And in other news, FAB knockoffs have hit the scene:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0144545533
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0145121808

And a weird Galaxy Force Prime that I think has been around for a while:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0144555322