The Energon Pub

[Valandar]

Sure

[Scaleface]

I got my Classic Megatron knockoff in the mail today and the back on the box has pictures of other knockoffs.

Check these guys out.

[ionacus]

wow KO of E bulkhead and E sharkticon look great. wish i could get ahold of those.

[Overcracker]

The Sharkticon knockoff looks great.

Red Dreadwing also looks good.

So how's the plastic quality on these?

[Scaleface]

The Classic Megatron is a little thinner plastic than the real thing. His leg joints are a LITTLE wobbley, his wings make him backheavy. I just put a reprolabel Decepticon symbol on him.

There was also a knockoff Cybertron Sideways, just slightly odd colors.

Also, I took a picture of my "Classic Megaplex".

[waaaaghlord]

Shame that the red Dreadwind doesn't look to have his lil buddy. I love the mould, but getting them as a pair is pretty much make or break for me.

edit - Presumably no extra missiles for the drop launchers either. It's difficult to tell from that picture wether the launchers are even still present and functional.

[ionacus]

last night i bought that quick change KO of the RM star saber/victory leo set. i ilke them. really good plastic too. i wonder if the other two packs are this good.

[Scaleface]

The 2 Cyberjets are better plastic than most Cyberjet knockoffs. The ball joints are not loose, and they can stand and pose properly.

[Transtopias Rodimus Prime]

I got the Starsaber 2 pack awhile back and love it. It is a KO however and can be broken. I only broke a small piece on the sword handle though. Still is great and I recommend it to everyone. If you can find him.
Here is a KO I have had for a few years. I used to have 2, but sold it a long time ago. This one is still in the package.

[Transtopias Rodimus Prime]

Sorry. Never got back to Biglots. If you guys are looking for something old though. I've had this guy for a few years.

[Duke of Luns]

I got the Star Saber/Victory Leo 2-Pack as well. Just opened it, and it seems very good for the price. But I dont' wanna bust it, so can I get instructions for the Victory Saber combination?

*Edit* Never mind, figured it out.

Now I see why Star Saber didn't get great reviews, as the figure isn't that great. Still, it's pretty cool. Wish they'd come out with another, better version that's more posable.

[waaaaghlord]

The sword handle on the Takara version breaks easily anyway. I'd already heard a few people complaining about this and was being careful with it and still managed to snap the end off the damned thing. Robotmasters were made with some pretty shoddy plastic generally. My housemate's girlfreind broke my RM Starscream (ball yoint on one of the tail fins). They were a nice line but the quality really wasn't so hot. I wouldn't mind a second Victory Sabre at all. I've got a thing for displaying combiners in combined form with the individual bots in front of them. Spent shedloads on the E combiners and I still need to track down a couple of limbs.

Sorry about rambling a bit, but as long as I'm posting in this thread I may as well do a write up on the Kabaya KOs that I've been buying recently. These are (as far as I can tell) made with the original Kabaya moulds and are produced by a Chinese company. Due to a combination of mould degredation and cheap plastics there are quite a few areas that are less than perfectly cast and a fair amount of flash on the sprues

8 PIECE HEADMASTER ASSORTMENT

(not quite) WST Hardhead: A bit too big to fit in perfectly amongst WSTs and the transform in the legs is a bit weird, the tank tracks pop off the side of the upper legs and slide onto the knees to form the lower legs. This is what they were designed to do rather than a mould problem though so that qualifies him as a part former. Goes together with minimal knifework and I didn't need to use any glue in basic construction (these are theoreticaly snap together kits though I will be using more glue as I go back through the lil fellas to add some paintwork later on). As with the other 3 original Headmasters (but not the Headmaster Juniours) there is a seperate removable head and a one piece Nebulan in robot mode. The shoulder cannon ends up a bit loose for my liking but it's not too much of an issue.

(not quite) WST Chromedome: The same scale as Hardhead this one was a bit of a bugger. There's far too much plastic on the rear left side of the car mode that prevents the leg section from attatching properly or turning during the transform. I had to carve the piece out using the other side as a guide. He went together eventually but he's a bit rough.

(not quite) WST Brainstorm: again a bit too big to readily fit in with the WSTs I don't recalla ny particular assemley issues with him. The transform here is again a bit strange. There's a peg on his back for the nose section of his jet mode to attach to whilst in robot mode but no way to actually attach it to the front of the jet. Hopefully I'll be able to constuct a peg and drill a wee hole to sort this out.

WST Highbrow: Wow, a Headmaster that's actually the right size for my perposes! Smaller than the others partially due to his relative complexity and partly because there needed to be room on the sprue for two 3 blade props. A bit of a bugger to get together I had to remove some of his internal pins and use superglue in a couple of places (on a side note due to the nature of these plastics a poly glue won't melt and bond these like it would a hard styrene). Durus is the smallest of the Nebulans and he can stand on a flat surface adequately, although it may be an idea to add a touch of blutac to his feet, I will be when these are painted and ready to hit the shelf.

WST Nosecone: No combiner parts or indeed ability, but has a full complement of weapons and goes together nicely.

WST Lightspeed: Pretty much the same applies.

WST Cutthroat: As with the Technobots non combining and no major assembley issues.

WST Rippersnapper: Again pretty much the same. with the Terrorcons I think I'm going to end up displaying them in beast modes. While they don't get combining abilities they do come with their beast mode weapons.

8 PIECE TARGETMASTER ASSORTMENT

WST Crosshairs: Only major problem is that his car mode hood doesn't fit in it's hinge groves properly. It'll stay in place in vehical mode but will need a spot of blutac to stay on his back in robot mode. I would add a hinge but it's just too fiddly to bother with that much. The Nebulans that come with the Targetmasters are designed to transform, but in keeping with the Headmasters coming with one in each mode and given how small these are I've opted to glue them together in weapon mode with an additional one taken from a spare sprue (I bought these in blind assortments and just ordered loads) to put together in robot mode.

WST Sureshot: Everything was going really well until I got to his arms. I've managed to whittle the shoulder joints sufficiently but his elbows are a different story. I'm on the lookout for some really tiny flat headed pins to sort that out. There is a large area of plastic flash on one of the main body areas on either Sureshot or Pointblank, can't entirely remember which, that looks like its supposed to be there but isn't and needs removing before assembley is possible.

WST Pointblank: Theres a problem with all the Autobot Targetmasters except Pointblank. I'ts his Nebulan that's a sod instead. He's a partformer with the legs coming off' being reversed and put back on the other way for gun mode. Problem here is that there's a lot of flash to be removed from some small and fiddly areas and even then the connection doesn't sit quite right. Pointblank is actually the only Targetmaster that I only got one of, so he's stuck with just a weapon for the moment rather than having a seperate Targetmaster partner as well.

WST Triggerhappy: His cockpit tends to come off a bit too easily when handled and I couldn't manage to get his landing gear to fit although that doesn't bother me really. He looks a bit odd as his jet weapons point straight down in robot mode rather than being hinged like the proper toy.

WST Slugslinger: Goes together like a dream, probably the easiest out of the Targetmaster assortment.

WST Misfire: Another littlte bugger. Most of the assembly's fine and the main structure's nice and sturdy but the wings (with arms attached) refuse to sit properly in their hinge sockets. Two longish thin pins to act as proper hinges should solve this when I manage to find some suitably sized ones. It's Misfire that's putting me off doing up a load of extra Decepticon Targetmasters (albeit without their partners) painting them in generic seeker colours and calling them Nebulos pattern seekers.

WST Flywheels: A little work of art, but then I've always had a bit of a weakness for the Duocons (probably why I love my Overlord so much). Only minor issue is that he doesn't grip his rifle all that tightly, but that should improve once he's got a layer or two of paint on.

WST Battletrap: Possibly the worst of the bunch for mould degredation. The pins in his cockpit needed removing and that section gluing together but it was the arms that presented most difficulties. One needed carving out where the mould had given way and there was solid plastic throughout the section that should be gripping a rod on the van roof, the other was hollow for the entire length and needs a bit of filler along the outer surface. Having had to drill out his hands he also needs a touch oc blutac to be able to hold his weapon.

Ok, thats it for part one of waaaaghlord's KO Kabaya adventures. Join us next time for small scale Masterforce and Victory pieces and in part three we'll be looking at some larger kits. No access to a camera at the moment but I will try to post pictures in the kitbash forum when I've got some paint on the lil guys.

[Transtopias Rodimus Prime]

Not a KO, but a KB (sort of). This is for you lord.



OOPS posted the wrong pics. here's the right ones

[waaaaghlord]

Cheers.

[Transtopias Rodimus Prime]

Edited my post. Sorry Waaaaaghlord. I posted the wrong pics. I fixed it though.

[Nemesis Sturmvogel]

I think it's one of the Road Kaiser/Caesar members.

A classic bootleg.

[Transtopias Rodimus Prime]

Yes it is. When I first got it I had 2, so I opened one. The head is attached. I had an original Nightbeat, so I thought it looked like a headmaster. I did some tformers research and found Road Ceasar for the first time. I decided to keep this one in the package in hopes I would one day find the other 2 in KO. I never have. I was out of the Transformer loop from the time my father left in '86 until Beast Machines and RID. We were kind of poor, like no TV and Jeans for Christmas poor. When I learned Transformers never quit I went Tfan bonkers and started collecting everything I could find. First thing I bought was RID Omega Prime. Ops and Magnus! Then I found Ebay and 6 years later I had over 300 real and 100 KO's. People call me a geek and I don't mind at all, because I am a Transformers geek. Only the hardcore Tfan buys KO's and does KB's. Transtopia is truly my home away from home.

[waaaaghlord]

OK that makes a bit more sense, that's pretty cool and those guys just don't get enough love.

[ionacus]

i got the KO cyber jets and the G2 motorcycles last night. wish they would have srpung for different packaging for all three set. but, ah well, they are KOs. cant ask for to much

[Transtopias Rodimus Prime]

OK that makes a bit more sense, that's pretty cool and those guys just don't get enough love.

I've always loved the duocons myself. I wish they would make a KO larger version. They are much nicer at Alternator size.

[sparty2304]

Hey gang...GOt my first KOs, thanks ionacus. NOW where the heck can I find that Classics MEGS KO!!

[Duke of Luns]

I did NOT know the RM version of Star Saber actually came with his (Powermaster?) little guy, and the knockoffs actually kept it AND kept the combination with Victory Leo, for Victory Saber.

Actually, that's not a Brainmaster, that's Saber, and they had to shrink him down to Headmaster size for the RM. A pic with RM Saber with the real Saber:



Size comparison with the orginal Star Saber's Brainmaster:



I wish the KO had filled in the legs for Saber, as looking at the pic makes my KO feel empty. But hey, $3 for two excellent KO's in almost the exact colors is a really good thing, specially when the real things would cost at least 10 times that amount.

Oh, and the KO's can also combine in vehicle mode as well.

I really wish Hasbro had brought over Star Saber and Victory Leo back in the day, as I think these RM KO's are awsome, and I would have loved the real G1 figures as a kid.

[Scaleface]

So, the the original Victory series, the Brainmaster was near-human or Micromaster size, the medium jet Saber was Autobot car size, and Star Saber was like Gestalt size?

[Duke of Luns]

So, the the original Victory series, the Brainmaster was near-human or Micromaster size, the medium jet Saber was Autobot car size, and Star Saber was like Gestalt size?

Well, the thing about the Brainmasters is that they weren't actually shown or utilized in the show. Sure, they popped up in the transformation stock footage, but other than that they were never spoken of. I don't even think they were ever even shown inside the cockpits when the show had cockpit views. But this pic shows Brainmasters at Micro size, and it would make sense, as it is a variation on the Head/Powermaster theme:



Saber is shown in the gallery to be the same size as Powermaster Prime without the armor. Forget how tall he was portrayed in the show. But Star Saber was certainly Gestalt size, as he fought Liokaizer several times.

And here's something I don't think anyone caught! The box/gallery of Star Saber shows that his jet trailer thingy in a base mode(never appeared in the show that I know of):



Well, the RM KO(and I assume the real thing) can do it too!

[TF Hunter D]

I think we are in the same boat here, Rodimus. I'm a big KO collector myself. Somewhere around here, I have pics of my big KO collection. Although they're over a year old, it's quite big. I just got myself the oversized Doubledealer. Man, he's bigger than movie voyager Prime.