You can read more about this in the following article from Shine.cn: https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2007232766/ .
Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
Posted by william-james88
Jul 23, 2020 at 8:46pm CDT
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You can read more about this in the following article from Shine.cn: https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2007232766/ .
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Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by Cheetron
Jul 23, 2020
Wondered where all the knockoffs on Amazon went to overnight. Now I know and it's better for that!
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by -Kanrabat-
Jul 23, 2020
Look like the Weijiang toys will become rare hot collectibles pretty soon.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by Ultra Markus
Jul 23, 2020
i wonder if those oversized combiner wars figures will be rare now
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by LE0KING
Jul 23, 2020
That's a real shame. WeiJiang took alot of the crappier hasbro designs and fixed them. They would upscale some figures, add articulation where needed, overall good things.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by sol magnus
Jul 23, 2020
Welp. Hadda happen eventually.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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They will if Ebay suddenly forbid their sale and the authorities command the remaining stocks to be destroyed. This is the most likely scenario.
I wonder if it's just Weijiang that is affected, or is it all the KOs? Because I ordered yesterday the undersized MP-10V trailer for a custom and it would suck if I could no longer receive it despite the thing being marked as shipped.
Comment by -Kanrabat-
Jul 23, 2020
Ultra Markus wrote:i wonder if those oversized combiner wars figures will be rare now
They will if Ebay suddenly forbid their sale and the authorities command the remaining stocks to be destroyed. This is the most likely scenario.
I wonder if it's just Weijiang that is affected, or is it all the KOs? Because I ordered yesterday the undersized MP-10V trailer for a custom and it would suck if I could no longer receive it despite the thing being marked as shipped.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by DeathReviews
Jul 23, 2020
I think Hasbro is just jealous because some fly-by-night losers can make the toys bigger and better than THEY can...
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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By reverse engineering their designs? Are you joking or is this a "blame the victim" thing?
Comment by sol magnus
Jul 23, 2020
DeathReviews wrote:I think Hasbro is just jealous because some fly-by-night losers can make the toys bigger and better than THEY can...
By reverse engineering their designs? Are you joking or is this a "blame the victim" thing?
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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I think it's the usual troll-n-run tactic.
Replying nonsense via the news article without ever entering the thread, and never replying to anything afterward. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Comment by -Kanrabat-
Jul 23, 2020
sol magnus wrote:DeathReviews wrote:I think Hasbro is just jealous because some fly-by-night losers can make the toys bigger and better than THEY can...
By reverse engineering their designs? Are you joking or is this a "blame the victim" thing?
I think it's the usual troll-n-run tactic.
Replying nonsense via the news article without ever entering the thread, and never replying to anything afterward. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by Gauntlet101010
Jul 23, 2020
I don't buy many KOs, but I've bought a couple. So I guess I feel bad for the KO people since they really did make some good toys ... out of designs they outright stole.
A part of me is a bit more tempted to get the oversized combiners while I can find them easily. But that's the relentless consumerist in me.
A part of me is a bit more tempted to get the oversized combiners while I can find them easily. But that's the relentless consumerist in me.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Hasbro's got their "Masterpiece" line for high end stuff - except they keep remaking those too. If the normal figures weren't lacking, then 3rd party enhancement companies (and their dark cousins the "KO" outfits) wouldn't have such a huge market. Sure it's better to buy the official merchandise. But it's also better when the official merchandise is made with enough quality that nobody would bother with 3rd party and KO figures....
Comment by DeathReviews
Jul 23, 2020
sol magnus wrote:DeathReviews wrote:I think Hasbro is just jealous because some fly-by-night losers can make the toys bigger and better than THEY can...
By reverse engineering their designs? Are you joking or is this a "blame the victim" thing?
Hasbro's got their "Masterpiece" line for high end stuff - except they keep remaking those too. If the normal figures weren't lacking, then 3rd party enhancement companies (and their dark cousins the "KO" outfits) wouldn't have such a huge market. Sure it's better to buy the official merchandise. But it's also better when the official merchandise is made with enough quality that nobody would bother with 3rd party and KO figures....
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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The guy above you would disprove part of your thesis. He buys them not because of quality at all - but because they're oversized versions of Hasbro figures. If Hasbro is "jealous", they'd be right to be, since they are literally selling their stuff and not getting a cut of it.
I don't buy knock-offs. I will buy the occasional 3rd party figure to fill in a collection gap, but I always get the official of any character I do this with. We can debate the merits of IP infringement in both cases, but with the knock-offs it's indefensible. With 3rd party figures, Hasbro isn't actually losing any money (in my case).
Comment by sol magnus
Jul 23, 2020
DeathReviews wrote:sol magnus wrote:DeathReviews wrote:I think Hasbro is just jealous because some fly-by-night losers can make the toys bigger and better than THEY can...
By reverse engineering their designs? Are you joking or is this a "blame the victim" thing?
Hasbro's got their "Masterpiece" line for high end stuff - except they keep remaking those too. If the normal figures weren't lacking, then 3rd party enhancement companies (and their dark cousins the "KO" outfits) wouldn't have such a huge market. Sure it's better to buy the official merchandise. But it's also better when the official merchandise is made with enough quality that nobody would bother with 3rd party and KO figures....
The guy above you would disprove part of your thesis. He buys them not because of quality at all - but because they're oversized versions of Hasbro figures. If Hasbro is "jealous", they'd be right to be, since they are literally selling their stuff and not getting a cut of it.
I don't buy knock-offs. I will buy the occasional 3rd party figure to fill in a collection gap, but I always get the official of any character I do this with. We can debate the merits of IP infringement in both cases, but with the knock-offs it's indefensible. With 3rd party figures, Hasbro isn't actually losing any money (in my case).
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by Burn
Jul 23, 2020
Not to mention the investment (time, money, etc) Hasbro has put into each figure, something the KO companies don't have to worry about as reverse engineering is a lot easier than engineering from scratch.
But hey, I'm sure people will still find a way to hate on Hasbro for it, I'm sure if they had something they created stolen they might think otherwise.
But hey, I'm sure people will still find a way to hate on Hasbro for it, I'm sure if they had something they created stolen they might think otherwise.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Exactly. I was just looking across their oversized combiners about a week ago.
My Combiner Wars Superion, For example, Looks downright puny next to Combiner Wars Devastator (As do all of the other combiners, Really).
As you can see from my profile picture, I really like the IDW designs and characters. If Hasbro made more figures of them, 3d party stuff (Like MMC, For example) wouldn't need to exist. This ties back into the combiner thing; I'm not the only one dissatisfied with the size difference, Thus, A company made oversized ones. I'll not get into the legality, But it's simple supply vs demand. If theres a void in a market that a company isn't filling, Someone else will always fill that void. Hasbro can play wack-a-mole forever, But it's like Hydra. Cut off one head, Two more shall grow back.
The only way for Hasbro/Takara to if not permanently stop this, But at least slow it down a bit, Would be to try to fill that void, Lest others inevitably will.
Comment by -WonkoTheSane-
Jul 23, 2020
DeathReviews wrote:If the normal figures weren't lacking, then 3rd party enhancement companies (and their dark cousins the "KO" outfits) wouldn't have such a huge market.
Exactly. I was just looking across their oversized combiners about a week ago.
My Combiner Wars Superion, For example, Looks downright puny next to Combiner Wars Devastator (As do all of the other combiners, Really).
As you can see from my profile picture, I really like the IDW designs and characters. If Hasbro made more figures of them, 3d party stuff (Like MMC, For example) wouldn't need to exist. This ties back into the combiner thing; I'm not the only one dissatisfied with the size difference, Thus, A company made oversized ones. I'll not get into the legality, But it's simple supply vs demand. If theres a void in a market that a company isn't filling, Someone else will always fill that void. Hasbro can play wack-a-mole forever, But it's like Hydra. Cut off one head, Two more shall grow back.
The only way for Hasbro/Takara to if not permanently stop this, But at least slow it down a bit, Would be to try to fill that void, Lest others inevitably will.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Exactly.
It's pretty damn easy to say "HASBLOW MAED CRAP!" when Hasbro/Takara have to...
-- Develop the toy from scratch.
-- Then having a specific limited budget for each toy.
-- And having to deal with safety measures dictated by the laws of so many countries worldwide.
The KO company don't have to deal with any of those points. It's piss-easy to improves things when you don't have to invent anything and having no limitations.
Comment by -Kanrabat-
Jul 23, 2020
Burn wrote:Not to mention the investment (time, money, etc) Hasbro has put into each figure, something the KO companies don't have to worry about as reverse engineering is a lot easier than engineering from scratch.
But hey, I'm sure people will still find a way to hate on Hasbro for it, I'm sure if they had something they created stolen they might think otherwise.
Exactly.
It's pretty damn easy to say "HASBLOW MAED CRAP!" when Hasbro/Takara have to...
-- Develop the toy from scratch.
-- Then having a specific limited budget for each toy.
-- And having to deal with safety measures dictated by the laws of so many countries worldwide.
The KO company don't have to deal with any of those points. It's piss-easy to improves things when you don't have to invent anything and having no limitations.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by Regimus Prime
Jul 23, 2020
Good riddance to bad rubbish. Like I've said before when we were discussing the Haslab Unicron vs. whatever copy cat 3rd party option is out there, I really don't see this counterfeit producing and embracing culture in other fandoms like MOTU, Star Wars or G.I. Joe. It's completely frowned upon and you'd be ridiculed to no end if you even tried it in the sneaker head culture. Knock off J's? Pffft!!! GTFOH! But in Transformers fandom, it's welcomed. I don't understand how online retailers like BBTS, TF Source and others carry the official products and the blatant rip off 3rd party figures. The 3rd party companies make some good products, why not create their own lines and market them with accompanying media such as cartoons, comics, video games and movies? Oh, I know, it's much cheaper and far more convenient to lat the official license holder make that investment and then capitalize on it. 
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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I'll give you the TlDr:
3P =/= KO
Comment by -Kanrabat-
Jul 23, 2020
Regimus Prime wrote:Good riddance to bad rubbish. Like I've said before when we were discussing the Haslab Unicron vs. whatever copy cat 3rd party option is out there, I really don't see this counterfeit producing and embracing culture in other fandoms like MOTU, Star Wars or G.I. Joe. It's completely frowned upon and you'd be ridiculed to no end if you even tried it in the sneaker head culture. Knock off J's? Pffft!!! GTFOH! But in Transformers fandom, it's welcomed. I don't understand how online retailers like BBTS, TF Source and others carry the official products and the blatant rip off 3rd party figures. The 3rd party companies make some good products, why not create their own lines and market them with accompanying media such as cartoons, comics, video games and movies? Oh, I know, it's much cheaper and far more convenient to lat the official license holder make that investment and then capitalize on it.
I'll give you the TlDr:
3P =/= KO
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Comment by o.supreme
Jul 24, 2020
I've only purchased one KO, and it was just recently. I see a lot of people here talking about over sized CW combiners. I think the ones released by TT/Hasbro were very well done for the most pat, it's just that Devastator and Predaking were too big IMHO (they are great toys, and I purchased them, just not to scale with anything else other than other Titans). Better to shrink two combiners, than try to purchase 20+ larger ones. So I just bought Taikongzahns undersized Devastator, and it is actually pretty good.
Not like the $10 combiners original series rips that used to sell at flea markets 10-15 years ago that would literally fall apart when you tried to transform them. I'm still hoping for an undersized Predaking. But we'll see.
I don't expect TT/Hasbro to please all of the fans all of the time, that would be impossible. So since there's always someone that's going to be "I'd rather this toy be "Y", than "X", (bigger, smaller, different colors, different accessories etc...) it's likely some 3P or KO is going to make it, if enough people ask for it.
Not like the $10 combiners original series rips that used to sell at flea markets 10-15 years ago that would literally fall apart when you tried to transform them. I'm still hoping for an undersized Predaking. But we'll see.
I don't expect TT/Hasbro to please all of the fans all of the time, that would be impossible. So since there's always someone that's going to be "I'd rather this toy be "Y", than "X", (bigger, smaller, different colors, different accessories etc...) it's likely some 3P or KO is going to make it, if enough people ask for it.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Exactly.
3P, while I don't buy it, only "steals" the character likeness, they do their own design and engineering.
KO just steals everything, does a bit of reverse engineering, slaps together some molds, pours in some questionable plastic, bit of assembly and toss it out there as either a KO, or, and this is what shits me the most, the genuine article.
Comment by Burn
Jul 24, 2020
-Kanrabat- wrote:I'll give you the TlDr:
3P =/= KO
Exactly.
3P, while I don't buy it, only "steals" the character likeness, they do their own design and engineering.
KO just steals everything, does a bit of reverse engineering, slaps together some molds, pours in some questionable plastic, bit of assembly and toss it out there as either a KO, or, and this is what shits me the most, the genuine article.
Re: Shanghai Police Crack Down on Transformers KOs, Raiding Factory and Arresting People
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Huh. Quite short sightedly, I honestly didn't think of that. Thats a pretty good idea, One I think I'll look into.
Comment by -WonkoTheSane-
Jul 24, 2020
o.supreme wrote:Better to shrink two combiners, than try to purchase 20+ larger ones. So I just bought Taikongzahns undersized Devastator, and it is actually pretty good.
Huh. Quite short sightedly, I honestly didn't think of that. Thats a pretty good idea, One I think I'll look into.
