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Hi All, brand new collector here. I have a 3 year old that is obsessed with Transformers. He can basically only use the Rescue Bots but seeing as I am a life time fan I want to start collecting masterpiece figures. I purchased my first figure at toys r us, Prowl. I see Takara figures on eBay, how do I avoid purchasing knock offs on eBay? Anything you look for, or specific sellers anyone reccomends? It seems Big Bad is the best shop but also wanted to look around on eBay for some better prices.

Thanks for taking the time to read and help, hope to spend alot of time here. I have been a longtime twincast listener.

Honestly, I would just wait for Hasbro releases. It may sound stupid but most KOs are so good, you couldn't tell. I wouldn't trust any seller selling MP-12 molds or MP-17/18/19 or the cassettes. People say that the more expensive the eBay auction it's probably legit. The other side of the coin is that maybe you're just getting screwed out of money for a KO.
With a Hasbro release at least you know it's not KOed. And if you weren't aware, the only KOs are MP-12 mold, MP-17/18/19, and Soundwaves Cassettes. Oh MP-10 was also KOed but it's so much money just wait for an official release or buy the one available on TFSourse/BBTS now.

The only thing you can be sure of with buying the mps online is that if the price is cheap (30s for the mp12 molds or z molds, 20s for cassettes) it is most likely a ko

After that,it is a crap shoot if that $70 prowl is real or ko

Optimus has been ko'd as has grimlock but even the kos are over $100

I also recently saw a thread about rodimus being ko'd as well

Sadly I cant suggest "wait for hasbro" as the tru price for prowl is more than it costs to buy takara prowl

plus they all can have QC issues even real mps so ... still just a crapshoot at the end of the day

I should also add that some sellers are well known for selling high quality kos while others are known to sell legit takara mps

Try buying directly from Japan online. ebay is a 50/50 miss. I know of a reputable ebay seller who sells BOTH KO and the real thing(just pm me for the name). You have a choice but if I were you just get the originals......even if expensive.

I don't own many MPs. Missed out on the Countachs and the Datsuns (a lot of those are being KOd. Same with the casseticons). Either buy 'em at bbts or the others reputable stores or directly from Japanese online stores that sell 2ndary market TFs.

If you are into vintages, be warned, even the originals are prone to breakages. If you buy 'em, weigh your options if you want to keep 'em MISB or play with them.

Thanks All!! I will stick to TFSource and Big Bad. I preordered the Hasbro Optimus Asia Reissue yesterday, the obsession has begun!!!! Not going to keep them in the box, I plan to give them all to my son when he gets older. Seems like a fun hobby fpr the two of us as he can get easier bots now and I have better figures for him down the line. Look forward to being a regular here

Also dont forget hlj. If you watch them carefully you can get in on their tak mp preorders for pretty good pricing as well (right now all they have available is wheeljack and ultra magnus)

If you're lucky you might be able to find a year of the horse optimus for $90 at your local tru. It is the mp10 mold with slight differences (diff shoulder symbol, gold trim, clear trailer ...). Add in potential sales like b1g1 50% off or 20% coupons and u can get a pretty cheap mp op

Lots of good advice in this thread. Watching Japan based retailers such as HLJ is a great way to get surefire authentic MPs upon release for great prices, so I'll second that bit of advice.

Something else to look out for are certain keywords:

"China/Chinese edition"
"China/Chinese reissue"
"China/Chinese remake"

Those three always mean "KO", it's simply a way of being able to sell them on ebay while still labeling them as KOs.

I do tons of KO reviews, not only for those that want them but also to be able to distinguish. My advice is to order from a reputable site. Ebay is a crapshoot as most have stated, but you always have Paypal to back you up in case you are wrongfully sold a KO. Low prices almost always mean KO. Some honest sites will also label KO as KO's and have them priced accordingly.

If you are at a show where you can see the box, most KO boxes lack the sharp edges on the boxes and have darker low contrast pictures on the box. Also most blues on the box will appear purple.

As someone said earlier, the toys are actually well done so having them loose in hand does nothing to really show off its legitimacy or lack thereof.

This is a link to my KO review playlist on youtube, hope it helps. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... PIhhnX0OnS

I've got a question about a recent purchase I made. I bought Takara's Generations Waspinator from the Amazon Marketplace. The order was fulfilled by "TYFamily." I can't remember why I thought it was a Japanese seller, but I think I must have been mistaken. The package arrived via China Post from Bejing. Nothing looked odd with the package, and the figure seems to be fine, but what threw me was the use of old, school wire and plastic twist ties. I thought Takara was using the paper ones now too, the ones Hasbro has been using for the past few years. This is the first deluxe I bought from Takara's Generations line, but the twist ties for the Takara Rhinox I bought from BBTS recently did have the paper twist ties. Does Takara only do the paper ties for the voyagers and not the deluxes? Anyone know if the old twist ties are a possible KO sign?

Wolfman Jake wrote:I've got a question about a recent purchase I made. I bought Takara's Generations Waspinator from the Amazon Marketplace. The order was fulfilled by "TYFamily." I can't remember why I thought it was a Japanese seller, but I think I must have been mistaken. The package arrived via China Post from Bejing. Nothing looked odd with the package, and the figure seems to be fine, but what threw me was the use of old, school wire and plastic twist ties. I thought Takara was using the paper ones now too, the ones Hasbro has been using for the past few years. This is the first deluxe I bought from Takara's Generations line, but the twist ties for the Takara Rhinox I bought from BBTS recently did have the paper twist ties. Does Takara only do the paper ties for the voyagers and not the deluxes? Anyone know if the old twist ties are a possible KO sign?

A quick check at his gallery shows that TakaraTomy was still using twist ties for Gen. Deluxes.

I wouldn't worry too much about any recent releases being bootlegged anyway, they seem to focus on the more collectable vintage G1.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:A quick check at his gallery shows that TakaraTomy was still using twist ties for Gen. Deluxes.

I wouldn't worry too much about any recent releases being bootlegged anyway, they seem to focus on the more collectable vintage G1.

Yeah, I'm mostly sure it's a genuine piece, but it's been getting harder and harder to really tell, especially with the very high quality stuff coming out of China lately. The twist ties just sort of threw me for a loop. Didn't see that coming.