The Energon Pub

I am trying in vain to figure out of this is a legit MISB Prime or a knockoff produced in the last year or two. Of course the buyer doesn't have anymore photos...

From what I remember, the discernable differences between the knock off and real G1 Primes are very minute, if impossile to find.

Please help!

Here are some photos of the item in question:

It's a knockoff as the top of the window is touching a grey border. Also, there is a perfect crease along the back, all knokoffs came with that flap crease.

GetterDragun wrote:It's a knockoff as the top of the window is touching a grey border. Also, there is a perfect crease along the back, all knokoffs came with that flap crease.

You're my hero. I may be sending you pics of a Cyclonus I have my eyes on...

I started spotting these on ebay sold under the seller maybang which is a ebay store. I posted a link to it in a thread with their exact description which listed it as an original or maybe a knockoff. It is identical to the one you are looking at. I have noticed that the seller maybang has changed their description on this version of Optimus so that it no longer states it might be a knock off.

Here is the original link:http://cgi.ebay.com/G1-Transformers-Optimus-Prime-Mint-MIMB-MIB-Boxed-US_W0QQitemZ120089486254QQihZ002QQcategoryZ4696QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Here is their new edited one:http://cgi.ebay.com/G1-Transformers-Optimus-Prime-Mint-MIMB-MIB-Boxed-US_W0QQitemZ120094324318QQihZ002QQcategoryZ4696QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120094324318

I don't like that type vague deception and dishonesty but it's hard to prove to ebay that they are selling KOs. Unfortunately someone will unknowigly overpay for a KO and there really isn't a system set up to warn potential buyers, so buyer beware. If you decide to get it just make sure you don't pay too much for it. It's up to you to decide how much too much is for a KO.

this person wants $300 for this item. Acting like they don't know it's worth $2000 sealed, I hate this kind of ****.

THANK YOU for the help!


"THIS AD IS FOR A SEALED GENERATION 1 OPTIMUS PRIME TRANSFORMER. BOX IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.(IT WOULDN'T BE $299.00 IF IT WASN'T)"
http://tfieds.com/detail.php?siteid=4858

in the seller's defense, here's what's in the item description:

DESCRIPTION:
You are bidding on one G1 Hasbro Optimus Prime Mint in Mint C9++ Box , It Comes with 100% Complete Accessories, Unapplied Sticker Sheet, Box, Styro Foam, ... Everything.

This may be a Highest Possible China Reproduction or maybe knock off. We Compare it to the original Prime, it's 95%+ Looks the same, and it has Hasbro logo on the toy itself. and on the box it says 1984. I hardly can tell what is the differents. It's a must buy for Optimus Prime Collector.

You will get one in high grade class in Mint Box C9++ and ship carefully to you. Check our feedkback and always buy and bid with confidence.

seems like the seller is being pretty honest here.

the thing ive always wondered is if the ko has good quality

Tips for determining if your G1 Prime may be a knockoff:

-Presence of more or less than six wheels on cab
-Cab painted bright pink
-Swastikas painted on trailer
-Packaging contains prominent bullet holes
-Noticeable misspellings such as "Optimas Preem"
-Erroneous copyright dates, such as 1938 or 2052
-Odd, unexpected text on packaging, such as "Official Al-Qaeda Seal of Approval"
-All plastic parts replaced by cheap particle board

You mean my Swastika Prime isn't genuine!?

prehistoryanimal wrote:in the seller's defense, here's what's in the item description:

DESCRIPTION:
You are bidding on one G1 Hasbro Optimus Prime Mint in Mint C9++ Box , It Comes with 100% Complete Accessories, Unapplied Sticker Sheet, Box, Styro Foam, ... Everything.

This may be a Highest Possible China Reproduction or maybe knock off. We Compare it to the original Prime, it's 95%+ Looks the same, and it has Hasbro logo on the toy itself. and on the box it says 1984. I hardly can tell what is the differents. It's a must buy for Optimus Prime Collector.

You will get one in high grade class in Mint Box C9++ and ship carefully to you. Check our feedkback and always buy and bid with confidence.

seems like the seller is being pretty honest here.

Yes, they did state that in their earlier listings for Prime. In their recent postings they have since removed the actual statement that it might be a KO and are just passing them off as re-issues. If you look at the second link the description has changed to be a bit more ambigiuous. Why would they go to the trouble of removing the KO part if they felt liable to warn the buyers that the product is potentially counterfeit, especially since they previously stated this in other listings?

They were one of the biggest offenders when the KO Swoop first surfaced claiming they found a bunch of MISB Swoops leftover from 1984 in their warehouse. Their later postings stated that a few were Hasbro re-issues despite Hasbro never reissuing the item and never once did they say it was a KO. I no longer have the links to either one of those postings, but it is this type of sales tactic which appears to me to be an attempt to deceive a potential buyer into thinking they are buying something they are not.

Swerve wrote:

prehistoryanimal wrote:in the seller's defense, here's what's in the item description:

DESCRIPTION:
You are bidding on one G1 Hasbro Optimus Prime Mint in Mint C9++ Box , It Comes with 100% Complete Accessories, Unapplied Sticker Sheet, Box, Styro Foam, ... Everything.

This may be a Highest Possible China Reproduction or maybe knock off. We Compare it to the original Prime, it's 95%+ Looks the same, and it has Hasbro logo on the toy itself. and on the box it says 1984. I hardly can tell what is the differents. It's a must buy for Optimus Prime Collector.

You will get one in high grade class in Mint Box C9++ and ship carefully to you. Check our feedkback and always buy and bid with confidence.

seems like the seller is being pretty honest here.

Yes, they did state that in their earlier listings for Prime. In their recent postings they have since removed the actual statement that it might be a KO and are just passing them off as re-issues. If you look at the second link the description has changed to be a bit more ambigiuous. Why would they go to the trouble of removing the KO part if they felt liable to warn the buyers that the product is potentially counterfeit, especially since they previously stated this in other listings?

They were one of the biggest offenders when the KO Swoop first surfaced claiming they found a bunch of MISB Swoops leftover from 1984 in their warehouse. Their later postings stated that a few were Hasbro re-issues despite Hasbro never reissuing the item and never once did they say it was a KO. I no longer have the links to either one of those postings, but it is this type of sales tactic which appears to me to be an attempt to deceive a potential buyer into thinking they are buying something they are not.

point taken. but also gotta remember ebay's policy on selling knock-offs and bootlegs - not supposed to sell that type of stuff... maybe they got in trouble? had to remove some choice auctions cuz of this? who knows.. but again, i'm playing 'beelzebub's buddy' and giving him the benefit of the doubt. if the seller is purposely guising their auctions to pass em off as OG legits in the hopes of duping a consumer, that's a HUGE no-no.

How about Robot Points? How many robot points did the original Prime have the box? The KO has 4 points, which seem kind of low.

Stormrider wrote:How about Robot Points? How many robot points did the original Prime have the box? The KO has 4 points, which seem kind of low.

No that's correct. The items I listed above, plus the box color is slightly off and the back battle scene is not the same height as the original.

Ninja Sixshot wrote:the thing ive always wondered is if the ko has good quality

I can answer that. I bought the black KO G1 Prime a month ago, and I have to say I'm impressed. The quality is very good. I've transformed him and rolled him around with no problems at all. Really, it's a good deal. I paid about 100 w/shipping off of ebay for him. I say get the black one, why shell out that much for a copy when you can have the TRU reissue for the same price. The black one is at least unique.