pre emptive warning

Post by **Time Traveller** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:45 am

Bingo. Shouldn't the jets each have some factory applied decals?

Razorclaw · Post by **Razorclaw** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:55 am

Indeed.But what if someone opens the box,applies all stickers and tries to sell it as MIB?Are there any other noticeable differences on the box and the bots?

Post by **Time Traveller** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:24 pm

yeah. all originals in that nice of shape are probably AFA'd by now

Computron · Post by **Computron** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:36 pm

I got an origional Superion gift set back when they were only $30. I Have most of the parts. Small guns got lost and I had to do some operating on Slingshot due to a broken tail piece. Other then that all is well.
I concur the painted glod was on the Super bot head only. Also with the factory sticker thing.
I would get one if I didn't already have a G1.
Shockwave though I may have to get that one.

Post by **Time Traveller** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:48 pm

at $70, shockwave's disturbingly similar to his original G1 price... If i didn't have one, i'd likely save up and get a verifiable original.

Banzai-Tron · Post by **Banzai-Tron** » Tue May 26, 2009 10:30 pm

Frankly, this is getting disturbing. There's only ONE way that this nonsense could be carrying on... and that's with the express (albeit closeted) consent of Hasbro. They have to be getting kickbacks or something.

You don't see the counterfeiters making exact replicas of Popy/Chogokin (which could be FAR more lucrative!) now, do you?

Banzai-Tron · Post by **Banzai-Tron** » Tue May 26, 2009 10:41 pm

Time Traveller wrote:yeah. all originals in that nice of shape are probably AFA'd by now

Except, of course, that AFA won't touch a Transformer that's NOT MISB.

LD2062 · Post by **LD2062** » Wed May 27, 2009 12:33 am

Banzai-Tron · Post by **Banzai-Tron** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:13 am

LD2062 wrote:AFA?

Action Figure Authority. For an exorbitant fee, they will look at your item, assess it's condition, and then encase it in a lucite prison, never to be touched or enjoyed by human hands again.

For Star Wars and GI Joe, they will grade them loose, or MOSC/MIB.
For anything else, they only grade MISB.

EDIT (While typing this post): HOLY CRAP! They grade loose Transformers now! Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhh.

(Can you see where I stand on the slabbing issue?)

Post by **Time Traveller** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:39 pm

Slabbing makes sense for COINS...

What I meant, btw, that even if someone were to buy superion, heat the tape and sneak him out, apply the factory decals, and reseal it,

any SEALED supe gift set that newish would have been AFA'd.

Banzai-Tron · Post by **Banzai-Tron** » Thu May 28, 2009 3:14 am

Right. And what Razorclaw is saying (which is what actually happened, quite frequently, when these damned KOs were initially released) was to the effect of:

"How will we be able to tell these apart if someone opens them, applies the stickers, and sells them as MIB?"

Your point holds for MISB TT, but for MIB, not so much. No one has ever really tried to pass these off as genuine G1 MISBs before. However they HAVE tried to pass them off as genuine G1 MIBs.

Ironhide · Post by **Ironhide** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:33 am

Would it be correct to assume then, that these KOs are less likely to be passed off as mint loose figures, since there will be (much) less value involved, compared to MIB/MISB?

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Sun May 31, 2009 12:31 am

AFA can also be off the hook. I am aware of other experts (a British auction house) which have approved fakes as rare originals.

As for these KOs I believe they CAN be found for sale as mint loose. Think of somebody trying to recover back some of his/her investment after getting a reproduction box.

It's good to get our brains to work analyzing fakes, but IMO them ones are just too good. From a picture, I wouldn't be able to tell in many cases. Especially if it comes to loose accessories...

Banzai-Tron · Post by **Banzai-Tron** » Sun May 31, 2009 3:53 am

Hound wrote:Would it be correct to assume then, that these KOs are less likely to be passed off as mint loose figures, since there will be (much) less value involved, compared to MIB/MISB?

No. In fact, these are MORE likely to be passed loose! Often, the easiest giveaway to these KOs are variations in the packaging. Remove that, and it becomes nigh impossible (as Jose mentioned) to tell them apart from a mere picture.

Here are two hypothetical (though likely) scenarios:

1) DeadBeatA already has a G1 Shockwave, but no box or styro. He purchases the KO for $90, and puts his G1 Shockwave into it. He then sells his mint (KO!) Shockwave on Ebay for $135. He has cleared $45, AND has a new display case for his Shocky!

2) DeadBeatB wants to make money. He purchases a few various knockoffs, and parts them out.
a. Shockwave $135
b. Shockwave styro $40
c. Shockwave instructions & tech $30
DeadbeatB has just made $115 profit. Maybe less if he has to buy a true G1 barrel (we'll see!) to complete the ruse.

This holds for most of what has been knocked off... you can part it all out, and make a profit in some manner or another

. And this doesn't even account for the insiduous ways this crap filters down into the collecting community. (Like, for instance, when a collector passes on, and his family auctions his belongings.)

LD2062 · Post by **LD2062** » Sun May 31, 2009 5:30 am

Its not just the crooks that are a problem. Its the people who don't know enough to know its fake, which given the quality of them, is most all of us. For most of use what else can we do but check for a manufacturing stamp?

Many ebay sellers even do that. They simply post 1 blurry picture and say they don't know anything about it.

Banzai-Tron · Post by **Banzai-Tron** » Sun May 31, 2009 8:24 pm

On the bright side... it *may* eventually get to the point where our figures with their minor imperfections are at a premium! (A man can dream, can't he?)

Catalyst Prime · Post by **Catalyst Prime** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:43 am

To some (small) extent I prefer my KO Defensor to a original.

My have cheap plastic and poorly applied decals. but at least the Fire truck is red...

Post by **Minerva** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:32 am

Beware all RoTF buyers!
http://www.seibertron.com/news/view.php?id=16088

Kup · Post by **Kup** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:02 am

the old switcheroo

Commander Megatron · Post by **Commander Megatron** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:44 am

What will they think of next!!