I learnt something new today: legit Transformers in China aren't sealed!

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Finding legit Transformers in China is like finding an oasis in the desert. But I found some! Unfortunately they're all figures that have already been released in Australia and that I already have (i.e. movieverse and Generations figures)

Here's a photo:


They did have the ice cream twins on card in robot mode, which I never knew even existed -- the one I got in Australia was packaged in split-vehicle mode, and the ones packaged in robot modes comes with Demolishor and is a redeco. These are the original versions but packaged in robot mode instead of vehicle. They had the vehicle moded ones there too -- if you look at the photo just where United Grapple is standing you can see both versions of the ice cream twins there.

The movie Deluxes are seriously shelfwarming and have been reduced to the equivalent of approx AU$8 each! The Generations Deluxes are about $21 and the Leaders Classes are a bit over $80.

For $8 I was tempted to pick up the robot mode version to keep sealed, but then I noticed that ALL the carded Transformers have already been opened and re-sealed with staples!! I peeked inside the bubble and noticed that there's instruction booklets printed in Chinese right next to the original instructions in English. Evidently Hasbro China opens their Transformers, inserts Chinese language instructions, then staples them back shut. Consequently I lost interest in getting this set to keep MOSC since it's not really MOSC!! This must be a relatively recent practice cos last time I came to China in 2005 I bought a few Cybertron Transformers, and they were all sealed. <shrug>

It must suck for sealed collectors in China... but it was frustrating for me, after searching and searching and passing through store after store, aisle after aisle of knock offs, to find this ONE end cap with legit Transformers to discover that none of it is new, and the one figure that's an interesting variant holds no appeal for me since it's been opened.



Now if only I can find new legit toys!! <sigh>