The Energon Pub

News Credits: 1 · by **Galvatron X** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:30 pm

Hi guys, I'm considering buying myself a nice gift with my tax return - a MISB ORIGINAL Dinobot.

I've seen the reissues for sale and the packaging looks exactly the same. Is there an easy way to know for sure it's real? I've seen some claiming to be real on EBay, but the boxes look way too good to be real...

Are the UPCs different?
Does the packaging have a later-than-1985 date on it somewhere?

Thanks!

News Credits: 3 · by **Samsonator** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:54 pm

The original Dinobots were never reissued, anything claiming to be is a knockoff.
If you want a Dinobot, and a treat for yourself, you can't go wrong with Masterpiece Grimlock. Better than G1 all the way, with awesome and beautifully detailed modes, great articulation, and a light up gimmick for his trademarked Energo-Sword and Twin Stunner laser. Combine that with additional cartoon inspired accessories, and a gimmick that changes the colour of his eyes in either mode.

But if an original is your goal, MISB is gonna be expensive. Especially if you're going for one like Swoop. but they are out there, just be careful.

- Sam

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:23 pm

If you *really* want an origional Dinobot, you gotta track down a Diaclone Dino Robo (think it was called that). It came with a driver to drive Grimmy around.

News Credits: 1 · by **Galvatron X** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:44 pm

Huh, I think I'd heard that they were never re-issued, but when I saw this I wasn't so sure...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Transformers-Dinobot-Grimlock-Reissue-MISB-New_W0QQitemZ160395642489QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2558534679

That's a KO? Wow, that's a really good looking one!

So, does that mean these are KOs too?

http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... 1789/1/24/

Also, thanks for the advise, guys. Yeah, I know they're really expensive, but I'd like to get an original Grimlock, Sludge, or Swoop. They're the ones I had as a kid. Oh, one more thing...why is Swoop so much more expensive than the others? Popularity? Rarity?

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:46 pm

Oh, now ... don't think Seibs would ever photograph a KO! None of the galleries are of KOs.

Grimlock has *never* been reissued. Except in G2; and those have a G2 Autobot symbol "tatooed" on him (in case he forgets which side he's on, I guess). That auction? Yeah, that's a knockoff.

News Credits: 14 · by **Overcracker** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 12:38 am

As far As I knew the way to tell most knockoffs form the real deal is in first place the package. Specifically the edge of the packaging between the character art and the window

If its gray its a knockoff. If its the same as the rest of the package (in other words the package ends next to the window) its the real deal or a good knockoff that pays attention to detail. Additionally the real deals have a Plastic Window, not a vacuformed blister inside the box like the auction.

With that said it would seem the Dinobots featured in the Gallery are indeed Knockoffs.
Though Ryan is the only one that can confirm that.

As was said before the Dinobots have never been re-issued. The G2 Dinobots had a different color scheme, for instance Grimlock was blue. He can be seen in that same Gallery of Grimlock that you linked to.

If you really want original Dinobots you are going to pay a lot of money. And the likelihood of finding them in package is extremely slim to none.

However with Takara's encore line, and putting aside the fact that Hasbro has said the Dinobot molds are either missing or damaged beyond repair, there may still be a slim chance of seeing an Encore re-issue at some point.

News Credits: 2 · by **Skyfire77** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:25 am

An easy tell is that MISB G1 'formers have a Styrofoam tray, the KO boxes have a plastic tray.

by **IceWilly** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:36 am

Considering the recent insecticons reissue... I wouldn't put it past Takara/Hasbro to reissue the Dinobots. The toys weren't magnificent, but they are iconic. Hopefully the molds are still around.

Either way, I would like to pick them up just so I can copy Frenzy Rumbles repaint/mods of them. They are so awesome after his treatment. I was | | this close to buying a second set of Reissue insecticons yesterday to use to do the same thing for those as well.

Here's to hoping they reissue them

News Credits: 12 · by **GuyIncognito** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:40 am

IceWilly wrote:Considering the recent insecticons reissue... I wouldn't put it past Takara/Hasbro to reissue the Dinobots. The toys weren't magnificent, but they are iconic. Hopefully the molds are still around....

Here's to hoping they reissue them

I second that! Given the trend of the recent TRU reissues - Soundwave, Perceptor, Insecticons - it seems natural that the Dinobots would be part of that group. And man, that would be one sweet shelf, with all of those guys displayed together.

News Credits: 7 · by **Chaoslock** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:52 am

Samsonator wrote:The original Dinobots were never reissued, anything claiming to be is a knockoff.

WRONG!!!

Though not really a reissue, the dinobots were given the Gold box re-release (except for Swoop and Slag) in Europe, at the start of the 90s.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9819697@N03/3731950834

Thankfully, these releases were not copied by the chinese yet (as I know), so if you see one of these, you can buy it.

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:10 am

The G2 dinos were all available in grey, but they had G2 Autobot stamps on them. And I totally forgot about the gold box version.

So, I guess the Dinobots were reissued. Twice. Three times if we count the G1 versions as reissues of Diaclone.

News Credits: 1 · by **Galvatron X** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 1:23 pm

Skyfire77 wrote:An easy tell is that MISB G1 'formers have a Styrofoam tray, the KO boxes have a plastic tray.

Hmm, interesting! Here's an AFA graded one with plastic trays and gray next to the window (like Overcracker stated).

http://cgi.ebay.com/Transformers-G1-SLA ... 1e59d74692

Can't AFA identify a KO? I don't see anything on the AFA tag identifying it as as such.

Edit: I found one with the correct packaging (not gray) but it has a plastic tray(??).

http://cgi.ebay.com/TRANSFORMERS-G1-DIN ... 45edfcb674

I guess finding a real one is tougher than I initially thought!

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 1:28 pm

Energon Is My Drug wrote:
Skyfire77 wrote:An easy tell is that MISB G1 'formers have a Styrofoam tray, the KO boxes have a plastic tray.

Hmm, interesting! Here's an AFA graded one with plastic trays and gray next to the window (like Overcracker stated).

http://cgi.ebay.com/Transformers-G1-SLA ... 1e59d74692

Can't AFA identify a KO? I don't see anything on the AFA tag identifying it as as such.

Apparently. Then again, AFA only checks state, not legality. What I would do tho, is report it, if not tell the seller.

News Credits: 14 · by **Overcracker** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 3:02 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:
Energon Is My Drug wrote:
Skyfire77 wrote:An easy tell is that MISB G1 'formers have a Styrofoam tray, the KO boxes have a plastic tray.

Hmm, interesting! Here's an AFA graded one with plastic trays and gray next to the window (like Overcracker stated).

http://cgi.ebay.com/Transformers-G1-SLA ... 1e59d74692

Can't AFA identify a KO? I don't see anything on the AFA tag identifying it as as such.

Apparently. Then again, AFA only checks state, not legality. What I would do tho, is report it, if not tell the seller.

Agreed, seems the AFA is not into checking the provenance of an item. Only its state.

Energon Is My Drug wrote:Edit: I found one with the correct packaging (not gray) but it has a plastic tray(??).

http://cgi.ebay.com/TRANSFORMERS-G1-DIN ... 45edfcb674

While the packaging seems to be authentic G1. Mostly by the wear and tear it features, the inside is noticeably KO'd.

Again the vacu-formed plastic blister instead of the tray. Not sure about Styrofoam, but definitely has to be a tray.

Which is an easy thing to do if you kept the box of your original G1 Dinobot and bought a knockoff recently. So you put the knockoff inside the original box.

News Credits: 2 · by **Skyfire77** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:17 am

Energon Is My Drug wrote:
Skyfire77 wrote:An easy tell is that MISB G1 'formers have a Styrofoam tray, the KO boxes have a plastic tray.

Hmm, interesting! Here's an AFA graded one with plastic trays and gray next to the window (like Overcracker stated).

http://cgi.ebay.com/Transformers-G1-SLA ... 1e59d74692

Can't AFA identify a KO? I don't see anything on the AFA tag identifying it as as such.

Edit: I found one with the correct packaging (not gray) but it has a plastic tray(??).

http://cgi.ebay.com/TRANSFORMERS-G1-DIN ... 45edfcb674

I guess finding a real one is tougher than I initially thought!

Tell me about it, I can't even find a real MISB of any Dinobot to confirm that I'm remembering right! All I can say is I remember the '84-'86 (and maybe '87) toys had a styrofoam tray, not a vac-formed blister. If someone has one, please let me know if I'm wrong!

The second auction you've linked to does mention the insert is custom, BTW. Also IMHO the first looks an awful lot like the "re-issue" Snarls on ioffer, and if you compare the pictures in the first auction to the second, the "box" for Slag seems to be photopaper (probably the same guy who did the "custom" G1 Mirage box I have), not cardboard like Snarl.