The Energon Pub

Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:26 pm

I came across an old childhood toy of mine that I am planning on selling. I figured out it is a Powerdasher pullback car. I looked up as much information I could about it and what I noticed was that all pictures on internet show chrome/silver for the feet where mine are white. The same goes for the head. My wheels are also white (the rim part on rear wheels not the tires) where I have seen yellow on most pictures or black. Also in the circle on the body I have seen some say Takara where mine is blank.

Is this some sort variant? I don't believe it is a knockoff as I have owned it since I was a kid and I am in my mid 30s now. I have attached picture of mine.

News Credits: 60 · Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:29 pm

Moonspell wrote:I came across an old childhood toy of mine that I am planning on selling. I figured out it is a Powerdasher pullback car. I looked up as much information I could about it and what I noticed was that all pictures on internet show chrome/silver for the feet where mine are white. The same goes for the head. My wheels are also white (the rim part on rear wheels not the tires) where I have seen yellow on most pictures or black. Also in the circle on the body I have seen some say Takara where mine is blank.

Is this some sort variant? I don't believe it is a knockoff as I have owned it since I was a kid and I am in my mid 30s now. I have attached picture of mine.

1st impression its a KO (maybe Taiwan KO)

News Credits: 241 · Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:43 pm

I agree that it's a knockoff. Knockoffs aren't something of recent times, no way. In fact, they were sold alongside genuine Transformers in the 80's, in order to meet demand for converting toy robots. Weird, huh?

As for the toy itself, I can't identify where it came from, but the colors do remind me of the Commandrons aka Super Alternators by Tomy (in cooperation with McDonalds).

:EDIT: ... and it's probably because we see his backside, the front should be all red, so he is close to Diaclone/Transformers deco. The lack of a copyright marking, plus it being all plastic still aims towards knockoff, though.

Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:50 pm

It makes sense that it probably is a knockoff but what I find strange about that is, it is a knockoff of a toy that was only available via mail order.

News Credits: 241 · Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:02 pm

Moonspell wrote:It makes sense that it probably is a knockoff but what I find strange about that is, it is a knockoff of a toy that was only available via mail order.

It doesn't matter how it's available in the US.

Like most Transformers toys of the first 2 years, the Dashers came from Diaclone, and while they were mailaways for US Transformers, other lines that imported toys from the same line around the same time had them out in stores: Diakron, Diaclone in the Benelux and France, and Trasformer in Italy had the same toys (strangely enough with the same names).

Point is, knockoff and bootleg companies are really resourceful when it comes to making their product: in 2008 they managed to release fakes of Transformers toys before they were out in stores!

News Credits: 11 · Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:20 am

I have a KO of the jet dasher he's pretty similar to the original though.

Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:20 pm

Moonspell wrote:It makes sense that it probably is a knockoff but what I find strange about that is, it is a knockoff of a toy that was only available via mail order.

Knockoffs of Reflector were available before Hasbro even made it available via mail order. I bought one at Kaybee back in the day, but wound up taking it back for some reason (probably fell apart within a day). I didn't even know it was related to TF's until well later.