As a returning TF fan on a budget, being able to find a good quality MP KO is a huge boon. These are figures I wouldn't have touched with a ten foot pole at their retail release price, but, as you said, the lower cost of the KO allowed for a purchase. I'm not going to scoff at a fan with a shelf of KO figures - everyone deserves a chance to join in on a fandom, and a lowered point of entry is a good thing.
Yea no 100%, before the kos became more prominent, and I didn’t really know much about them, I was thinking I would never have a masterpiece collection, the prices just couldn’t be justified in my mind, it was rather upsetting cause they look fantastic but $250 for mp-36 Im not paying that
All my MPs are KOs and like you were saying I would've never experienced a MP figure if KOs weren't available because of price. I like that they can fix issues of the original and end up even better for it. I'm still waiting to hear about a Skids KO and any info would be appreciated if anyone heard anything about it. Now that Fanstoys is KO'd I'll finally be able to experience their designs. This is great video on the ins and outs of KOs.
The only KO i had an issue with was the KO of Takara's Soundwave. It has really fumbly hips and unsteady legs. And a portion of it's mouth shield is missing. The rest are pretty decent.
Yes! I agree with this. The 4rth party hurts them a little bit, but it definitely has way more positives than negative. Let's face it! Just like you said, some of the people that are buying the KO's wouldn't have bought the original to begin with. Not to mention the officials are still selling out. So the company is still making there money. Does it Devalue the market? ..of course it does, but companies already made there money and the only real time they would be affected is if they re-issue there products. But imo, no one should be buying toys as investments. Great video Mike!
I became a resurrected collector last year (2022) and out the gate, I purchased a Takara Smokescreen and Bumblebee. I paid around $100 each and I wasn't impressed in the slightest with the quality. In fact, I broke Smokescreen within an hour of opening. Then I tried the KO version of him at a fraction of cost and I was surprised at how much better he was. So....I jumped the KO bandwagon and I haven't t regretted it one bit. Buying KO has allowed me to grow my collection where I'd still be at 3 or 4 of Takara versions. Truth be told, between reseller greed and, let's face it, plastic toys are just cheaply made, I can't justify the price. Even KOs can be a little much. All in all, I'm happy with the KO line and hopefully soon, I will finish my collection. As far as Skyfire goes, I think the demand for a KO version might actually drive the KO makers and designers to cash in quicker.
Been watching you for a while and this is my first time commenting. You put out a lot of great content man. Just wanted to say thank you and keep up the good work. It is appreciated by the community.
My first MP was a KO and I never would have gotten into MP collecting without them. Now I buy official if it's a figure I really want, and a KO if it's a figure I wouldn't normally get. So I don't feel bad about buying KO's cause I wouldn't have bought the official anyway.
I can't really argue with this video after all. Though I personally don't approve of or condone KOs overall, in this particular market there is some value to be found in them.
I just refuse to pay Takaras pricing, I mean their raiden is a joke for crying out loud, and that’ll be a $1000 combiner, for something that doesn’t even look or scale good with the actual masterpiece line, I was able to pick up a ko mp36 (the infinite transformation one) for $60 awhile back
Got KOs of MP Tracks, MP-13 Soundwave (my very first purchase) and MPP10 among a few others. Wouldn't trade them for anything. I also have official figures (awaiting my MP-57 Skyfire as we speak). Some of us actually collect them because of our childhood memories. I couldn't care less about reselling or what other markets/collectors will think. Scalpers who hoard and sell these at a ridiculous price are the bane of my existence. You won't get a cent from me.
The first round of knockoffs is almost always factory seconds. I don't know if Takara sanctions the sale of the defective toys, allegedly they're supposed to be destroyed. However just because Takara marks them down as destroyed doesn't mean they go to the grinder and not into the back of a van.
Yes Model...there's one thing that shoots a hole in the theory of any relation to Maketoys: the Seekers. Yes Model did the MP11 KOs with the same improvement as the KuBianBao MP11 mold Seekers (a longer tab made of diecast to hold the torso in place better), but where KuBianBao did the Hasbro color schemes, Yes Model did the Takara color schemes...the Yes Model Skywarp looks infinitely better than the Hasbro Skywarp color scheme & layout of the KuBianBao Skywarp. As for me, the vast majority of my MPs are KOs, which it was gonna be anyway. But make no mistake, some of these ARE creeping way up in price. For instance: • MP39 Sunstreaker KO...typically runs $60-$70 vs. $30-$35 for KO MP Carbots; ShowZ has it for $55, I got mine for $41 and change thanks to a huge chunk of points I had accumulated. • MP36 Megatron KO...yeah, this was always gonna be triple digits regardless of what you went with; I got the Infinite Transformation one from TF-Direct for $115 because at the time, the Toy House Factory one and its unusual $95 price tag was out of stock with only the fugly transparent plastic "Crystal Version" available for $100. • MP43 BW Megatron KO...this runs $120, I got mine for $125 because I dropped the additional five bucks for expedited shipping. 🤷🏽♂️ • MP44 Convoy v3 KO/MP49 Black Convoy KO...a Benjamin a pop. Didn't mind that at all, for Optimus that's already less than ¼ of the original price of MP44, and for Nemesis, that's just under ½ the price of MP49. That modified backpack and altered transformation on my copy of Nemesis sucks, though...truck mode refuses to cooperate at all, unlike Optimus, whose truck mode just has the typical MP44 issues. • MPM3 Bumblebee KO...the Legendary Toys LTS03C Wasp version ran me about $70 or so on eBay...*FAR* more than it probably should've, but I think that version was a limited version compared to their LT01 Wasp version, idk. • MPM4 Optimus Prime KO...that Legendary Toys LT02 ran $70 on eBay back in 2020. WAY too much considering that the legit MPM4 was about $100, but definitely cheaper than other KOs of that size. I don't see the MP57 Skyfire KO is gonna being less than a Benjamin. Not for something that's bigger in size than MP13/36/43/44/49/52. Bare minimum $135. 🤷🏽♂️
Really great points and thoroughly described. One more to add might be that not all sellers identify what they are selling is KO, leaving the buyer to feel and be swindled. It's happened to me. Always need to use reputable places to buy and that doesn't necessarily include anyone on eBay with a high rating.
Price was Just a Killer for the official. I still Love all my KOs...only way I could get so many in the past and They are great, solid etc.. I only have 2 original ones that just Costs too much for what they are. Just waiting on one specific one now, the last one I'm wanting. Mirage!
I just got into collecting a few years back. I will pick up the fanstoys xtransbots, takara originals but have been collecting the KO carbots because like you said takara doesn't release reissues so now that I'm at a point to afford them without paying through the roof the only other option is KO
I have a KO of MP36. Picked it up off Amazon for around $80. It’s pretty spot on to the real one. Packaging, accessories etc. But I really want to track down a MP36+ KO.
No one ever made a KO of MP-36+ MP-36+ didn't sell very well when it was released. It took forever to sell out most places because it looked kind of weird and didn't fit in with anyone's Masterpiece shelf since Takara hasn't done any other "toy versions" of their Masterpiece figures.
Yeah and I bought an official MP36 and he’s so loose and floppy it’s not even funny. Worse than my KO I had before him. Also I don’t think the best way to operate like with the Fanstoys knock off thing that it’s just true until it’s proven otherwise haha. We’d be in a messed up world if we operated that way. But awesome video as always Mike 🙏(oh and my official MP-44 is more floppy as well) And yeah only KO plus made was the MP-12 Plus
i think the only officials masterpiece i own is the Hasbro mp09 and Japanese mpm12 and the rest are ko's out of at least 25 or 30 bots! I really hope someone ko undersizes megatank monocrat down a couple inches because it's just too damn big!
KO’s are the only way new collectors will be able to get some of the figures. I hate the fact that companies only make figures for a certain amount of time and then just stop, KO is just as good and in some cases even better.
I buy the official, but with the cars it got to a point where i bought a couple of KOs because I had the same vehicle mold like 3 or 4 times already and they were limited versions like Tigertracks and Streak. I would do the same in regards to a KO of MP 36+ and MP 29+ because I already have the official one and spending more for the same mold seems crazy. I will admit though that MP 29+ if you bought if for the original price that is like half of what people are selling it for now on the secondary market. I never thought about buying KOs to have another mode for display as I've never displayed mine that way. Interesting topic. I dont' have an issue with the KO's when they upscale it, fix the issues with the original design and make it with better material instead of having to settle for whatever Hasbro chooses to make and for a better price. Great example of this is before FT made Grinder we all wanted an upscaled MP Grimlock, but Takara kept putting that mold out in the same scale and for way more than it should have been by just adding a crown or a throne in a new style box. There are other examples like Wei-Jeng that upscaled MP-10 which goes nicely with my Alternators / Binaltech collection.
I have a mixture of official MP, MPKOS. and 3rd party i do my research if the figure is a great looking ko i will go for it kos add another dimension to collecting. My decepticon seekers and coneheads are official the kos ain't up to much just research the ko figure you want.
Where is a good place for someone to start shopping KO's? My first guess was Amazon because I'm familiar enough with it amd the free shipping doesn't hurt as well. But I want to broaden my scope of trusted websites.
I've mostly bought the Original Takara's, but when their prices started to get blown out of proportion (like carbots getting more and more expensive) then i've resorted to getting a KO, for me to get a 180$ figure, I have to calculate the cost of shipping and customs (upto 33% here) which makes it just not worth buying. I also don't like buying the same figure twice just cause repainted, so I buy one original and the repaint as a KO. While I love FansToys designs, I usually pick the XTransbots alternative, cause they overcharge for their figures. Like their MiniBots cost in most cases, more then a Prime sized figure and that's just going overboard. I managed to get two of their MiniBots (SeaSpray/Beachcomber) cause they were on drastic sale and with a coupon and other discounts, I got them for 60$ a piece which is more respectable. I think Takara and FansToys will get less KO'd if they charge appropriately and not like they do now...
I love my IT and straight KO MP36. Masterpiece Transformers is the one area that I gravitate mostly towards 3rd party or the KO version if I buy new. Used is usually how I get the official.
I love the oversized MPP figures offered by WeiJiang, I've been collecting as many as possible, ending up with 6 autobots and 3 decepticons. They make my hands seem tiny like when I was a kid lol
I got one of the Megatron KOs. If it wasn't for them, I don't think I would have gotten the Takara version because of the price and I didn't like how the back looked. The KO was less than $100 and it came with a piece to cover up the back.
well hello I have the megatron mp-36 + KO, the transformers if I have an opinion and well there is just a slight defect in the chrome paint easily recoverable with a chrome color mark, it has good articulation , I found it in a convention in France (japan expo) I paid quite a lot for it, the seller informed me that he had bought it in Shanghai 6 months ago, he told me that it was official.
Sometimes the kos are almost the same quality . Just have to weigh up whether or not you want the official or not . But when official is Reaching 200-300 for a carbot , KOs are a better option . Scalping has ruined the hobby
*It was a real DICK move* when toy companies starting releasing very limited runs. Instead of making them inexpensive enough for mass appeal and making revenue through quantity, rather than markup, all they did is enable scalping and thus created a bubble economy.
KO's are often great for value (for the buyer), but they are a nightmare for a 2nd hand seller or buyer, because go scratch your brain which one is a KO and which one is 'legit' . I don't have a MP Prowl for example . I don't know where to get a Takara release, and honestly, if I were to turn to the boards or eBay to get one, I'm not sure if what's on offer is really a Takara or a KO . I'm not even sure that the would be seller knows . And with the improvements in KO quality, I'm not sure I could tell myself ... -- and I would be sure to go onto the boards and reviews and try an dig out the truth , as some KO's have tell signs . MP Tracks has two signs, one is the rubber wheels, the other (if you get it boxed) -- the toy came unusually ... oily for some reason (I have 3 KO's + a Takara , as Tracks was my first TF, so I wanted to display him in all 3 modes + I wanted an original) . So anyway, there's the question of what you buy when you want something from the secondary market years down the line -- not from an ideological point, but from a practical point of view . The rest of the stuff -- better pricing & occasional improvement you already mentioned . Good vid . I'm sure that wether we want it or not, the KO Question will hunt us for years to come . Cheers .
Sobre Sowndwave, o KO dele descasca na pintura e há muitas reclamações sobre isso. Esperava que o preço do original fosse mais em conta, mas totalmente proibitivo para mim. E até hoje não temos um KO do Bumblebee V2 da MP. Ao menos, não encontro no AliExpress.
takara price most of us out the market on a lot of their figures by charging crazy prices for them that when the knock offs come out its really the only way most of us will ever get a hold of one . they dont do themselves any favours by over charging . but i guess they did the research and it must be more profitable to charge more but sell less , than charge less sell more !. it seems the days are gone where i would wait for the hasbro version that would always be much cheaper , i dont believe that happens now right ? ive been away from the scene a while
I wish we could get a MP20+ KO. Cause it's literally impossible to find one nowadays and it sucks cause he's one of my favorite G1 characters and Takara will probably never reissue it nit just because of making thr value higher but because they need to buy licensing rights to make anither run so they don't have a lot of incentive
When I started collecting MPs, I was very careful to not get KOs. Just because I wanted the full quality item, not a half assed copy. The only exception was MP10 and MP36, because they scaled them down, and I wanted versions tthat were to scale with MP01, so I got the WeiJiang oversized versions. Now Takara MPs are just too expensive for me, so I collect FansToys instead.
Fans Toys isn't cheap either and I think they're more expensive. The good thing about Fans Toys is they make figures Takara Tomy doesn't. Some Takara Tomy doesn't touch while others they simply can't because of licensing issues.
@@saysoun752 I prefer FT over Takara MPs because they always have diecast parts, rubber tires, gorgeous paint, and they usually keep the kibble to a minimum. (And the cartoon accuracy is spot on.) The same could be said for my first MP (MP01), but after that, the quality lowered. For example, the design of Wheeljack was great, but he was all plastic with slick plastic tires. A good figure, but short of what I'd describe as a "Masterpiece". And now the price of Takara MPs has shot through the roof. I stopped buying them around the time of Sunstreaker which was $120 (I was used to paying about $70 for an Autobot car), and then there was Hound at $160, then Optimus 3.0 at $400.. It just got ridiculous. My most expensive FTs were about $180, which is a lot of dough, but I consider it reasonable for the product (and that's for the bigger characters like Galvatron or Sixshot). Now I'm pretty much a FT collector. They just do everything I want from a premium Transformer.
@@drewlovelyhell4892 I have Fans Toys but I'll still support Takara Tomy because without them, there's no Transformers. Takara Tomy is also a legit company that has to follow international laws and regulations, which isn't the case for third party Transformers, which is from China. For example, there's a reason why there's no Masterpiece Jazz as Takara Tomy doesn't have the license from Porsche, which isn't the case fort other third party as there's plenty of Jazz out there.
I bought the KO bluesteak… wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t the toy quality it was the toy design. I’m so glad I didn’t buy the official. Red alert wasn’t that much better. There are gaps in the inside legs like a mainstream toy. No metal. So I’m going to have to rethink my involvement, because takara seems way behind on design skills. For that reason I’m pro KO, OFFICIAL ISNT WORTH THE PRICE.
Yeah, Takara had primarily gone away from the diecast as of MP10. They brought it back for a split second with MP13 Soundwave (his feet are primarily diecast) and its repaints (Takara's MP13B Soundblaster and Hasbro's Year of the Goat Soundwave and his Minions).
What should be noted, is if 3P can re create and in many cases IMPROVE upon the Original, at a much Much Lower Price Point, that the PRICE GOUGING by TT is Astronomical. The Majority of that Difference in Price, is PROFIT. I have many KOs because it allowed me to get into the Masterpiece Market after it was already going and flesh out my Characters. YES! You can easily buy 2, one for each mode, for less than the Original. That alone is AWESOME! I am still waiting for a 3P to do the Autobots with Blue Windshields, they do have a nice look to them. Thanks for the thoughts Have a Great Weekend
Umm.... no. For one thing, most KOs do not improve on the quality of the original. Most KOs are lesser quality than the official toy which might be hard to see if you only have the KO but usually becomes very obvious if you can compare them side by side. Quality control with KOs is very hit or miss, and some toys will be great while others will have missing hardware, or bad paint, or joints that have been accidentally glued/painted together. Takara would weed most of those defective toys out but KO companies by and large just ship them and leave the retailer to deal with any problems. Second, Takara pays industrial designers to develop the Masterpiece toy which is a process that can takes months or even years and involves several rounds of prototyping and revision. The KO guys usually get a copy of the final toy, take it apart and recreate it in CAD to create their own molds so while there is effort and time involved 90% of the work has been done for them already because they're starting from a finalized toy design. Likewise most of the time the box art and instructions design has been done for them as they just copy an original Takara box and instructions sheet. It doesn't seem like much but this is likely at least a month or two worth of work for a graphic designer. So while there are some Masterpiece figures that don't seem worth the price (looking at you MP-44) to say Takara is price gouging is extremely simplistic and inaccurate most of the time. Takara is a largish company that incurs labor, facilities and other expenses plus if they didn't make profits on the products they sold they wouldn't have money to invest in the development of future products. I've bought KOs in the past and still occasionally buy a KO if I can't get an official toy. However it is worth supporting the 1st party companies if you can because without them companies like "Takasa Tony" would not have any new designs to knock off.
Fans Toys are crazy expensive for what you get Jazz & Mirage are way over priced! Tracks looks great for a old figure in both robot & vehicle mode I dont get the hate!
Fanstoys Jazz and Mirage were like $130. Do you think Takara would release them for significantly cheaper? Skids was $90 and he's a much less popular character than Jazz or Mirage.
I have my IT ko Megatron it's my favorite collectible so far. Don't bat an eye at it your talking to some who collects metalbyild Gundam and I like these quite a bit. I'm budgeting now for collecting not worth it to pay 300 to 400 price for my Gundam and transformers. Even shf dbz I use to collect are not worth 100 bucks plus.
As bad as it might sound, I pretty much prefer the KOs when it comes to Takara MPs, but I'd never buy an FT KO (as I pretty much would like to keep supporting 3rd party brands). I do believe price is an issue for some, but when I buy a Takara MP, I don't feel like I've bought a $100 item, but FT looks and feels like I've bought a $150 - $200 one (at least for my sensibilities). At the end of the day, you buy what you like and are happy with. The Sideswipe+ was already knocked off, I don't know about the rest.
As a returning TF fan on a budget, being able to find a good quality MP KO is a huge boon. These are figures I wouldn't have touched with a ten foot pole at their retail release price, but, as you said, the lower cost of the KO allowed for a purchase. I'm not going to scoff at a fan with a shelf of KO figures - everyone deserves a chance to join in on a fandom, and a lowered point of entry is a good thing.
Yea no 100%, before the kos became more prominent, and I didn’t really know much about them, I was thinking I would never have a masterpiece collection, the prices just couldn’t be justified in my mind, it was rather upsetting cause they look fantastic but $250 for mp-36 Im not paying that
Totally agree
All my MPs are KOs and like you were saying I would've never experienced a MP figure if KOs weren't available because of price. I like that they can fix issues of the original and end up even better for it. I'm still waiting to hear about a Skids KO and any info would be appreciated if anyone heard anything about it. Now that Fanstoys is KO'd I'll finally be able to experience their designs. This is great video on the ins and outs of KOs.
You're gonna love the FT stuff.
@@totalrobot that's what I'm afraid of 😂
The only KO i had an issue with was the KO of Takara's Soundwave. It has really fumbly hips and unsteady legs. And a portion of it's mouth shield is missing. The rest are pretty decent.
Yes! I agree with this. The 4rth party hurts them a little bit, but it definitely has way more positives than negative. Let's face it! Just like you said, some of the people that are buying the KO's wouldn't have bought the original to begin with. Not to mention the officials are still selling out. So the company is still making there money. Does it Devalue the market? ..of course it does, but companies already made there money and the only real time they would be affected is if they re-issue there products. But imo, no one should be buying toys as investments. Great video Mike!
I became a resurrected collector last year (2022) and out the gate, I purchased a Takara Smokescreen and Bumblebee. I paid around $100 each and I wasn't impressed in the slightest with the quality. In fact, I broke Smokescreen within an hour of opening. Then I tried the KO version of him at a fraction of cost and I was surprised at how much better he was. So....I jumped the KO bandwagon and I haven't t regretted it one bit. Buying KO has allowed me to grow my collection where I'd still be at 3 or 4 of Takara versions. Truth be told, between reseller greed and, let's face it, plastic toys are just cheaply made, I can't justify the price. Even KOs can be a little much. All in all, I'm happy with the KO line and hopefully soon, I will finish my collection. As far as Skyfire goes, I think the demand for a KO version might actually drive the KO makers and designers to cash in quicker.
I am loyal only to quality...whoever has the best quality review gets my money...period
Funny how we still see production runs of 5+ year old MP's but a KO of a plus version I have still never seen
Been watching you for a while and this is my first time commenting. You put out a lot of great content man. Just wanted to say thank you and keep up the good work. It is appreciated by the community.
I agree 💯. The market wasn't ready for the original targetmasters. We definitely need a reissue. Only problem, no sureshot or crosshairs.
Love kos.. keep em coming.. Great vid ✨️😀
My first MP was a KO and I never would have gotten into MP collecting without them. Now I buy official if it's a figure I really want, and a KO if it's a figure I wouldn't normally get. So I don't feel bad about buying KO's cause I wouldn't have bought the official anyway.
I can't really argue with this video after all. Though I personally don't approve of or condone KOs overall, in this particular market there is some value to be found in them.
I just refuse to pay Takaras pricing, I mean their raiden is a joke for crying out loud, and that’ll be a $1000 combiner, for something that doesn’t even look or scale good with the actual masterpiece line, I was able to pick up a ko mp36 (the infinite transformation one) for $60 awhile back
Thanks for the details on these figures. Interesting info about BumbleBee, thanks.
Got KOs of MP Tracks, MP-13 Soundwave (my very first purchase) and MPP10 among a few others. Wouldn't trade them for anything. I also have official figures (awaiting my MP-57 Skyfire as we speak). Some of us actually collect them because of our childhood memories. I couldn't care less about reselling or what other markets/collectors will think. Scalpers who hoard and sell these at a ridiculous price are the bane of my existence. You won't get a cent from me.
MMP10 was/is brilliant, hey what about Lewins MP10?
Imagine if they scale up StudioCell's (not) Unicron :O
I remember seeing FT Quietus being sold for as much as $400 on eBay. I just kept waiting until FT released him again & bought mine.
The first round of knockoffs is almost always factory seconds. I don't know if Takara sanctions the sale of the defective toys, allegedly they're supposed to be destroyed. However just because Takara marks them down as destroyed doesn't mean they go to the grinder and not into the back of a van.
I'm still bummed that we didn't get MP+ KOs. I really wanted Megatron and Shockwave but the cost is prohibitive.
Same.....Artfire!
Nice points made on both sides! Regarding specific characters, I feel the exact same about Hot Rod: Takara for Alt mode and FansToys for Bot.
I never got my 6 inch MP-10....
MP10-V is a good toy but I always wanted my pocket MP-10.
Yes Model...there's one thing that shoots a hole in the theory of any relation to Maketoys: the Seekers. Yes Model did the MP11 KOs with the same improvement as the KuBianBao MP11 mold Seekers (a longer tab made of diecast to hold the torso in place better), but where KuBianBao did the Hasbro color schemes, Yes Model did the Takara color schemes...the Yes Model Skywarp looks infinitely better than the Hasbro Skywarp color scheme & layout of the KuBianBao Skywarp.
As for me, the vast majority of my MPs are KOs, which it was gonna be anyway. But make no mistake, some of these ARE creeping way up in price. For instance:
• MP39 Sunstreaker KO...typically runs $60-$70 vs. $30-$35 for KO MP Carbots; ShowZ has it for $55, I got mine for $41 and change thanks to a huge chunk of points I had accumulated.
• MP36 Megatron KO...yeah, this was always gonna be triple digits regardless of what you went with; I got the Infinite Transformation one from TF-Direct for $115 because at the time, the Toy House Factory one and its unusual $95 price tag was out of stock with only the fugly transparent plastic "Crystal Version" available for $100.
• MP43 BW Megatron KO...this runs $120, I got mine for $125 because I dropped the additional five bucks for expedited shipping. 🤷🏽♂️
• MP44 Convoy v3 KO/MP49 Black Convoy KO...a Benjamin a pop. Didn't mind that at all, for Optimus that's already less than ¼ of the original price of MP44, and for Nemesis, that's just under ½ the price of MP49. That modified backpack and altered transformation on my copy of Nemesis sucks, though...truck mode refuses to cooperate at all, unlike Optimus, whose truck mode just has the typical MP44 issues.
• MPM3 Bumblebee KO...the Legendary Toys LTS03C Wasp version ran me about $70 or so on eBay...*FAR* more than it probably should've, but I think that version was a limited version compared to their LT01 Wasp version, idk.
• MPM4 Optimus Prime KO...that Legendary Toys LT02 ran $70 on eBay back in 2020. WAY too much considering that the legit MPM4 was about $100, but definitely cheaper than other KOs of that size.
I don't see the MP57 Skyfire KO is gonna being less than a Benjamin. Not for something that's bigger in size than MP13/36/43/44/49/52. Bare minimum $135. 🤷🏽♂️
Really great points and thoroughly described. One more to add might be that not all sellers identify what they are selling is KO, leaving the buyer to feel and be swindled. It's happened to me. Always need to use reputable places to buy and that doesn't necessarily include anyone on eBay with a high rating.
I got the K.O . Bluestreak for 20 pounds in the U.K.
Masterpiece, KO's, and 3rd party.
Good to have options.
Price was Just a Killer for the official. I still Love all my KOs...only way I could get so many in the past and They are great, solid etc.. I only have 2 original ones that just Costs too much for what they are. Just waiting on one specific one now, the last one I'm wanting. Mirage!
I just got into collecting a few years back. I will pick up the fanstoys xtransbots, takara originals but have been collecting the KO carbots because like you said takara doesn't release reissues so now that I'm at a point to afford them without paying through the roof the only other option is KO
I have a KO of MP36. Picked it up off Amazon for around $80. It’s pretty spot on to the real one. Packaging, accessories etc. But I really want to track down a MP36+ KO.
No one ever made a KO of MP-36+
MP-36+ didn't sell very well when it was released. It took forever to sell out most places because it looked kind of weird and didn't fit in with anyone's Masterpiece shelf since Takara hasn't done any other "toy versions" of their Masterpiece figures.
Yeah and I bought an official MP36 and he’s so loose and floppy it’s not even funny. Worse than my KO I had before him. Also I don’t think the best way to operate like with the Fanstoys knock off thing that it’s just true until it’s proven otherwise haha. We’d be in a messed up world if we operated that way. But awesome video as always Mike 🙏(oh and my official MP-44 is more floppy as well) And yeah only KO plus made was the MP-12 Plus
i think the only officials masterpiece i own is the Hasbro mp09 and Japanese mpm12 and the rest are ko's out of at least 25 or 30 bots!
I really hope someone ko undersizes megatank monocrat down a couple inches because it's just too damn big!
I really like the Magten Megatron. That’s the one I have. I remember I bought the last one at Terrys Fan Club site.
KO’s are the only way new collectors will be able to get some of the figures. I hate the fact that companies only make figures for a certain amount of time and then just stop, KO is just as good and in some cases even better.
I buy the official, but with the cars it got to a point where i bought a couple of KOs because I had the same vehicle mold like 3 or 4 times already and they were limited versions like Tigertracks and Streak. I would do the same in regards to a KO of MP 36+ and MP 29+ because I already have the official one and spending more for the same mold seems crazy. I will admit though that MP 29+ if you bought if for the original price that is like half of what people are selling it for now on the secondary market. I never thought about buying KOs to have another mode for display as I've never displayed mine that way. Interesting topic. I dont' have an issue with the KO's when they upscale it, fix the issues with the original design and make it with better material instead of having to settle for whatever Hasbro chooses to make and for a better price. Great example of this is before FT made Grinder we all wanted an upscaled MP Grimlock, but Takara kept putting that mold out in the same scale and for way more than it should have been by just adding a crown or a throne in a new style box. There are other examples like Wei-Jeng that upscaled MP-10 which goes nicely with my Alternators / Binaltech collection.
I have a mixture of official MP, MPKOS. and 3rd party i do my research if the figure is a great looking ko i will go for it kos add another dimension to collecting. My decepticon seekers and coneheads are official the kos ain't up to much just research the ko figure you want.
Bro I want that FT-Scourge, Yeah!
I bought KOs of all the Beast Wars figures bc Takara is charging so much for them.
Where is a good place for someone to start shopping KO's? My first guess was Amazon because I'm familiar enough with it amd the free shipping doesn't hurt as well. But I want to broaden my scope of trusted websites.
I've mostly bought the Original Takara's, but when their prices started to get blown out of proportion (like carbots getting more and more expensive) then i've resorted to getting a KO, for me to get a 180$ figure, I have to calculate the cost of shipping and customs (upto 33% here) which makes it just not worth buying. I also don't like buying the same figure twice just cause repainted, so I buy one original and the repaint as a KO.
While I love FansToys designs, I usually pick the XTransbots alternative, cause they overcharge for their figures. Like their MiniBots cost in most cases, more then a Prime sized figure and that's just going overboard. I managed to get two of their MiniBots (SeaSpray/Beachcomber) cause they were on drastic sale and with a coupon and other discounts, I got them for 60$ a piece which is more respectable.
I think Takara and FansToys will get less KO'd if they charge appropriately and not like they do now...
Im one who whole heartly REFUSES to buy Fans Toys.
I love my IT and straight KO MP36. Masterpiece Transformers is the one area that I gravitate mostly towards 3rd party or the KO version if I buy new. Used is usually how I get the official.
I love the oversized MPP figures offered by WeiJiang, I've been collecting as many as possible, ending up with 6 autobots and 3 decepticons. They make my hands seem tiny like when I was a kid lol
Do you happen to know a company called EEASSA? I think she also makes KO MASTERPICE but I don't know if they are the same size as TAKARA
I buy a lot of OSKO but that doesn't mean I have to hate the main line as I collect several official Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime figures.
I got one of the Megatron KOs. If it wasn't for them, I don't think I would have gotten the Takara version because of the price and I didn't like how the back looked. The KO was less than $100 and it came with a piece to cover up the back.
well hello I have the megatron mp-36 + KO, the transformers if I have an opinion and well there is just a slight defect in the chrome paint easily recoverable with a chrome color mark, it has good articulation , I found it in a convention in France (japan expo) I paid quite a lot for it, the seller informed me that he had bought it in Shanghai 6 months ago, he told me that it was official.
The crazy thing is none of them authentic are worth the money. Let’s be 💯.
Sometimes the kos are almost the same quality . Just have to weigh up whether or not you want the official or not .
But when official is Reaching 200-300 for a carbot , KOs are a better option .
Scalping has ruined the hobby
I want contactshot but he to expensive on ebay
Sobre o FT29 e o F29T, eles representam o mesmo personagem ou são diferentes?
Não conheço toda a história do G1e G2.
If I'm correct, F29T is more cartoon accurate but, they're the same figure. It's just one has a darker color scheme to make it more toon accurate.
$250 wasn't worth it... Ahh those were innocent times... 🤣
*It was a real DICK move* when toy companies starting releasing very limited runs. Instead of making them inexpensive enough for mass appeal and making revenue through quantity, rather than markup, all they did is enable scalping and thus created a bubble economy.
KO's are often great for value (for the buyer), but they are a nightmare for a 2nd hand seller or buyer, because go scratch your brain which one is a KO and which one is 'legit' .
I don't have a MP Prowl for example .
I don't know where to get a Takara release, and honestly, if I were to turn to the boards or eBay to get one, I'm not sure if what's on offer is really a Takara or a KO .
I'm not even sure that the would be seller knows .
And with the improvements in KO quality, I'm not sure I could tell myself ... -- and I would be sure to go onto the boards and reviews and try an dig out the truth , as some KO's have tell signs .
MP Tracks has two signs, one is the rubber wheels, the other (if you get it boxed) -- the toy came unusually ... oily for some reason (I have 3 KO's + a Takara , as Tracks was my first TF, so I wanted to display him in all 3 modes + I wanted an original) .
So anyway, there's the question of what you buy when you want something from the secondary market years down the line -- not from an ideological point, but from a practical point of view . The rest of the stuff -- better pricing & occasional improvement you already mentioned .
Good vid . I'm sure that wether we want it or not, the KO Question will hunt us for years to come . Cheers .
To add to the problem, Ebay will pull a listing if you get noticed putting 'KO' in the description.
I like to have an official Takara, but like to buy a KO version so that I can display both modes simultaneously.
Sobre Sowndwave, o KO dele descasca na pintura e há muitas reclamações sobre isso.
Esperava que o preço do original fosse mais em conta, mas totalmente proibitivo para mim.
E até hoje não temos um KO do Bumblebee V2 da MP. Ao menos, não encontro no AliExpress.
takara price most of us out the market on a lot of their figures by charging crazy prices for them that when the knock offs come out its really the only way most of us will ever get a hold of one . they dont do themselves any favours by over charging . but i guess they did the research and it must be more profitable to charge more but sell less , than charge less sell more !. it seems the days are gone where i would wait for the hasbro version that would always be much cheaper , i dont believe that happens now right ? ive been away from the scene a while
I wish we could get a MP20+ KO. Cause it's literally impossible to find one nowadays and it sucks cause he's one of my favorite G1 characters and Takara will probably never reissue it nit just because of making thr value higher but because they need to buy licensing rights to make anither run so they don't have a lot of incentive
my ko wheel jack is going brown lol
Fans toys are not worth anything on eBay now because market saturation.
When I started collecting MPs, I was very careful to not get KOs. Just because I wanted the full quality item, not a half assed copy. The only exception was MP10 and MP36, because they scaled them down, and I wanted versions tthat were to scale with MP01, so I got the WeiJiang oversized versions. Now Takara MPs are just too expensive for me, so I collect FansToys instead.
Fans Toys isn't cheap either and I think they're more expensive. The good thing about Fans Toys is they make figures Takara Tomy doesn't. Some Takara Tomy doesn't touch while others they simply can't because of licensing issues.
@@saysoun752 I prefer FT over Takara MPs because they always have diecast parts, rubber tires, gorgeous paint, and they usually keep the kibble to a minimum. (And the cartoon accuracy is spot on.) The same could be said for my first MP (MP01), but after that, the quality lowered. For example, the design of Wheeljack was great, but he was all plastic with slick plastic tires. A good figure, but short of what I'd describe as a "Masterpiece".
And now the price of Takara MPs has shot through the roof. I stopped buying them around the time of Sunstreaker which was $120 (I was used to paying about $70 for an Autobot car), and then there was Hound at $160, then Optimus 3.0 at $400.. It just got ridiculous.
My most expensive FTs were about $180, which is a lot of dough, but I consider it reasonable for the product (and that's for the bigger characters like Galvatron or Sixshot).
Now I'm pretty much a FT collector. They just do everything I want from a premium Transformer.
@@drewlovelyhell4892 I have Fans Toys but I'll still support Takara Tomy because without them, there's no Transformers. Takara Tomy is also a legit company that has to follow international laws and regulations, which isn't the case for third party Transformers, which is from China. For example, there's a reason why there's no Masterpiece Jazz as Takara Tomy doesn't have the license from Porsche, which isn't the case fort other third party as there's plenty of Jazz out there.
Realmente, figuras com preços de 200, 300 ou mais dólares tornam-se inacessíveis em muitos casos.
I bought the KO bluesteak… wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t the toy quality it was the toy design. I’m so glad I didn’t buy the official. Red alert wasn’t that much better. There are gaps in the inside legs like a mainstream toy. No metal. So I’m going to have to rethink my involvement, because takara seems way behind on design skills. For that reason I’m pro KO, OFFICIAL ISNT WORTH THE PRICE.
Yeah, Takara had primarily gone away from the diecast as of MP10. They brought it back for a split second with MP13 Soundwave (his feet are primarily diecast) and its repaints (Takara's MP13B Soundblaster and Hasbro's Year of the Goat Soundwave and his Minions).
Ko Rule
Tracks mold is horrible. 3rd party needs to make 1
30% of my MP collection is KO
I like how the counterfeiters are getting counterfeited. A good taste of their own medicine. All those toys are overpriced anyways.
What should be noted, is if 3P can re create and in many cases IMPROVE upon the Original, at a much Much Lower Price Point, that the PRICE GOUGING by TT is Astronomical. The Majority of that Difference in Price, is PROFIT.
I have many KOs because it allowed me to get into the Masterpiece Market after it was already going and flesh out my Characters.
YES! You can easily buy 2, one for each mode, for less than the Original. That alone is AWESOME!
I am still waiting for a 3P to do the Autobots with Blue Windshields, they do have a nice look to them.
Thanks for the thoughts
Have a Great Weekend
Umm.... no.
For one thing, most KOs do not improve on the quality of the original. Most KOs are lesser quality than the official toy which might be hard to see if you only have the KO but usually becomes very obvious if you can compare them side by side.
Quality control with KOs is very hit or miss, and some toys will be great while others will have missing hardware, or bad paint, or joints that have been accidentally glued/painted together. Takara would weed most of those defective toys out but KO companies by and large just ship them and leave the retailer to deal with any problems.
Second, Takara pays industrial designers to develop the Masterpiece toy which is a process that can takes months or even years and involves several rounds of prototyping and revision. The KO guys usually get a copy of the final toy, take it apart and recreate it in CAD to create their own molds so while there is effort and time involved 90% of the work has been done for them already because they're starting from a finalized toy design.
Likewise most of the time the box art and instructions design has been done for them as they just copy an original Takara box and instructions sheet. It doesn't seem like much but this is likely at least a month or two worth of work for a graphic designer.
So while there are some Masterpiece figures that don't seem worth the price (looking at you MP-44) to say Takara is price gouging is extremely simplistic and inaccurate most of the time. Takara is a largish company that incurs labor, facilities and other expenses plus if they didn't make profits on the products they sold they wouldn't have money to invest in the development of future products.
I've bought KOs in the past and still occasionally buy a KO if I can't get an official toy. However it is worth supporting the 1st party companies if you can because without them companies like "Takasa Tony" would not have any new designs to knock off.
Fans Toys are crazy expensive for what you get Jazz & Mirage are way over priced! Tracks looks great for a old figure in both robot & vehicle mode I dont get the hate!
Fanstoys Jazz and Mirage were like $130. Do you think Takara would release them for significantly cheaper? Skids was $90 and he's a much less popular character than Jazz or Mirage.
@@jon9550 Mirage was $140 & yes it should be cheaper, good luck finding one at that price aftermarket prices are double that
I have my IT ko Megatron it's my favorite collectible so far. Don't bat an eye at it your talking to some who collects metalbyild Gundam and I like these quite a bit. I'm budgeting now for collecting not worth it to pay 300 to 400 price for my Gundam and transformers. Even shf dbz I use to collect are not worth 100 bucks plus.
Great video and points. I still buy only official MPs and no 3rd Party either. That’s my preference
As bad as it might sound, I pretty much prefer the KOs when it comes to Takara MPs, but I'd never buy an FT KO (as I pretty much would like to keep supporting 3rd party brands). I do believe price is an issue for some, but when I buy a Takara MP, I don't feel like I've bought a $100 item, but FT looks and feels like I've bought a $150 - $200 one (at least for my sensibilities). At the end of the day, you buy what you like and are happy with. The Sideswipe+ was already knocked off, I don't know about the rest.