The Energon Pub

??? Do these look like knock-offs?

I'd have to say no.

Well they're obviously not Alternators, but it's hard to tell weather they're BT's or bootlegs. This is because it's hard to see the detailing in the provided pic and the Wheeljack figure is a commonly bootleg(ed) figure.

Well, it seems shady, so I'm thinking they're KOs or bootlegs or whatever. I guess I should have posted this in that "Official KO" thread, huh? Sorry!

Those are KO's. But from what I understand they are pretty nice. Check agesthreeandup.com. They sell them there, and they have a link on their site that goes into detail about quite a few KO's. It's pretty informative.

Thanks. I wonder if they're worth $20...

They are actually pretty nice. More of Binaltech KOs than Alternator KOs because of their die-cast content. Pretty good quality BUT still KOs keep in mind.

I bought the KO white Hound for my Ratchet Custom here:





Great quality for a KO in my opinion.

Yep...ALMOST got hooked into buying those KOs when they first came out (AT agesthreeandup actually...Spencer is VERY cool and gave me my $$ back, no hassle).

Kinda nice looking, but I don't do KOs

No they're not real aternators I almost bougt that wheeljack

OK, now that I know they're KOs, does anyone know if the quality is at least decent? It may not be a collector's item, but if the quality of the figures is decent, I'd pay $20 for one that I could play with and not worry about keeping in mint condition. But if it's crappy quality, it's not even worth having.

A lot of these KO Alternators are done very close to the original. Often, it's hard to distinguish, unless you put them side by side.

GuyIncognito wrote:



??? Do these look like knock-offs?

high-quality KOs, to be precise. these contain die-cast content and are pretty hefty (like real BTs). the Grimlock has the following errors:

shoulder Autobot insignia - the real TF has tamped signs, but the one in the pics look like stickers (square edges give it away).

facemask - the real BT has gold-painted mouthplate. that one in the pic looks silvery to be the real thing.

actually, there are lots of these at one local mall here, and the retail's half the price of a standard Alternator! but from the box alone you can detect it's fake. no Takara company labels and chinese characters abound. also doesn't state itself as Binaltech or something. i might actually swing around that place and buy one just for reference purposes.

Be careful with the die cast parts though. They break easily. Made of cheap materials.

Look at the wheels. obviously ko's... pretty good ko's, i must say! how much were they?

I've seen some going at 12 to 15 bucks.

Not too cheap. If you compare it to the standard retail of 19.99.

woosh wrote:Look at the wheels. obviously ko's... pretty good ko's, i must say! how much were they?

Someone on eBay is selling them for $19.95 (Buy It Now) + $5 S/H. I would have posted a link, but I didn't know if it was against the rules to post stuff like that here. (I frequent the IGN video game boards, where any discussion of bootlegs is strictly forbidden.)

My order from ages3andup just showed up of KOs Wheeljack & Prowl. I've only opened WJ so far and I dunno...I suppose for a knockoff it's pretty good; if you're comparing it to like KO Devastator or, but compared to the real thing...it's shite. It just feel cheap and flimsy and the joints right out of the box are loose...the only thing tight about it was the sword on the bottom which snapped in half trying to get it off. I'd be totally pissed, but I'm too disappointed with the thing to give much a chit. So I'll just super glue it...or throw it away as it might not be worth the effort of gluing.

In Robot mode I guess it looks decent enough if you're just going to display it, but I think it's probably too cheap and flimsy for much transforming. In alt mode it looks a bit less ok and you don't want to focus too much on the wheels that bend in...it's like Allspark Landmine or something with the suspension, only this one isn't supposed to have that feature and the tires just rub on the wheel well. And it doesn't roll worth a crap. That might be how he got his name...the effin' wheels are all jacked up! Oh, and car frame pieces don't seem to want to snap into place very well either...I assume the alternator does pretty decently as the other molds I have do. And I almost forgot, the leg keeps coming loose from the hip joint.

So at this point I pretty much just feel ripped off. It seems like a pretty cool mold, too, so I think I might have to do what I should have just done in the first place and pony up the extra for the real thing. The Big question is what to do with Prowl...hope he might be less flimsy (don't know why that would be) or just try selling the POS on eBay. I think I'd feel guilty doing that, though, even making it perfectly clear that it's a KO.

In summary, the thing is pretty much a piece of crap and I hate all you that said it was even half ass, mediocre and I wanna fight you! ......just kidding...lol. In all seriousness, unless your plan is to just put it in robot mode and leave it...definitely pass. And even if you do just want to display it...I'd be hesitant to recommend it.

Watch out for these. The quality is not even close to a real BT. They are all metal, but the paint apps are very spotty with drips.

They also do not transform back into alt mode as crisply as real BTs.

Considering you will end up paying 25-30 shipped for one, I'd recommend just paying 50 and getting the real deal.

However, if you really want one, check my buy/sell thread.

I can't comment on the quality of these knock-offs, although they do appear far more accurate to the Alt/BT versions of Wheeljack and Grimlock. What does my head in is that these two plus the knock-offs of Prowl and Skids are heaven for ebay scammers, one seller had 10 'Binaltech-15' Prowls available at £75 ($150) each.

I am collecting the Binaltechs at the moment as well as finishing the Alternators, a bit late to the game i will agree but rest assure i will not be going near ebay for Prowl, Skids, Grimlock or Wheeljack because there's a more than 50% chance that you are paying the higher price for a knock-off.

Hell even bigbadtoystore had to cancel a pre-order for BT Skids due to the 'questionable reliability' of those providing the figure....i.e. they were fakes. small rant

Saw a Wheeljack KO yesterday. Looks really good. Almost had me fooled. Except for the different (insect-like) Autobot logo.

Auto Bot wrote:Saw a Wheeljack KO yesterday. Looks really good. Almost had me fooled. Except for the different (insect-like) Autobot logo.

Did you see it in real life out of the package? Have you seen the real BT in real life out of package? The quality is not in the same league. I don't understand why you are a proponent of these. Please explain, with pics preferably.

I was duped into buying the Grimlock version. I have to admit that the craftsmanship on these is great, that they transform just like the real ones, and that parts and colors are pretty good. However, the insignia on the shoulders are not real autobot symbols, and that Grimlock's face is a little wonky. He has no clear blue visor over the eyes but one solid brick of plastic for his entire head. He also has part of his nose and chin painted some color.

If anyone wants to buy mine cheap, Pm me. Where BinalMasterNators are concerned, I don't do KO's so it's just gathering shelf in its box on my shelf.

Since I ripped them thoroughly the other night, I should probably be fair and say I've opened Prowl and was much happier with him...until his arm snapped off on the first transformation attempt! These knock offs are the first I've ever had a problem with pieces breaking, so I don't manhandle them or anything. Also on the suck list was his blight saber was missing despite coming ISB (can't go as far as calling them MISB.)

Anyhow, trying to be “fair,” once I managed to superglue the arm peg and got it attached and working again, it's actually pretty decent for a KO. I might have even recommended him had his arm not snapped off and the glow stick been included. His wheels are a bit shaky as well, but not nearly as bad as Wheeljack's. Prowl will at least roll if you push him. And speaking of Wheeljack, I was probably a little harsh on him, too. I still think his alt mode is poor, but he does look decent in robot mode as long as you're ok with poor paint jobs...and he hasn't yet fallen apart transforming him. Maybe I'll try to add a pic or two later.

Optimutt wrote:I was duped into buying the Grimlock version. I have to admit that the craftsmanship on these is great, that they transform just like the real ones, and that parts and colors are pretty good. However, the insignia on the shoulders are not real autobot symbols, and that Grimlock's face is a little wonky. He has no clear blue visor over the eyes but one solid brick of plastic for his entire head. He also has part of his nose and chin painted some color.

If anyone wants to buy mine cheap, Pm me. Where BinalMasterNators are concerned, I don't do KO's so it's just gathering shelf in its box on my shelf.

How are the wheels on your Grimlock? ...just out of curiosity, aka not inquiring to purchase.

I can't remember. I opened it once, transformed it once to see how it looked in Robot Mode, then put it away. Sorry to say that I didn't really look.