KOToys- FORT,BRAVE,GRAND Max KOS

[5FDP]

I was wondering how long it would take before this thread turned into your normal 'KO makers are evil' discussion

Zhong Jin and Kidi Toys have been making them for so long now and Hasbro / TakTom know where their factories are. If they cared, they would've shut them down by now. The truth is, they don't and they won't.

I'm yet to hear of anyone being hauled off to jail for purchasing KO Transformers as well.

[Burn]

I don't own Fortress Maximus, I do however own a Brave Maximus.

I would like to own Fortress Maximus however, but I will not pay ANY amount of money for a KO.

Sorry, but it's just my personal opinion, but I want the real deals in my collection, and i'm happy to bide my time, save up, and find the genuine article.

[GoktimusPrime]

It's highly unlikely that TT will ever re issue him, due to the fact that the larger transformers are shelf warmers, imagine a toy the size of Fort Max.

Yeah... apparently toys like reissue Omega Supreme and Metroplex shelf-warmed... and Fortress Maximus DWARFS those toys, so I don't blame TOMY for not wanting to reissue Fort Max.

What I really love about this though, is the people who already have a Fort Max are vehemently against this K/O, where as the people who don't have it are welcoming of the news, elitism anyone?

I'm against unlicensed toys period - doesn't matter if I own it or not. I don't have Dreadwind. I've seen KO Dreadwinds on sale in Asian stores before, which I just passed on since I knew they were fakes. I still don't have a G1 Dreadwind (yet). When I do get one, I want it to be real.

I was wondering how long it would take before this thread turned into your normal 'KO makers are evil' discussion

Zhong Jin and Kidi Toys have been making them for so long now and Hasbro / TakTom know where their factories are. If they cared, they would've shut them down by now. The truth is, they don't and they won't.

I'm yet to hear of anyone being hauled off to jail for purchasing KO Transformers as well.

Just because nobody's doing anything about it doesn't necessarily make it right. That's kinda like saying if I steal something but the storekeeper can't be bothered to stop me, then it's okay.

Anyway, "good" and "evil" are matters of perspective. I never said that what they were doing was good or bad, just not something I would personally subscribe to or support. But that's just me... if other people wanna go buy KOs then that's their prerogative.

I think the most important thing is that people are AWARE of which toys have been counterfeited and sellers should be up front and honest if the toy they're selling is fake, thus allowing consumers to make an informed choice. If you know a toy is fake but you still want to buy it because you believe it's cheaper and more convenient than buying an original - okay, that's your call. What annoys me more is when collectors are deceived into thinking a counterfeit is real... they think it's legit, pay for it, only later to find out it's fake.

[bruticus]

Zhong Jin and Kidi Toys have been making them for so long now and Hasbro / TakTom know where their factories are. If they cared, they would've shut them down by now. The truth is, they don't and they won't.

hmm...i was just imagining how it would be really funny(?) if hastaktom were the ones who actually supplied the old/used moulds and QC/QA rejects to KO makers or even own the KO factories themselves! lol.
that way, they would then have their grubby fingers dipped in the pockets of both the legit and the non legit TF buyers...
ka-ching!!! full market domination!

i currently own the legit versions, but im still glad that an affordable version will be available for everyone else.
its an awesome figure and i reckon every G1 fan should own him (KO or not)!

I'm also looking forward to the upcoming custom projects that will be built using these KO's . im sure F_R and his buddies will have a good crack at it now thats its affordable.

[Verno]

Yeah... apparently toys like reissue Omega Supreme and Metroplex shelf-warmed... and Fortress Maximus DWARFS those toys, so I don't blame TOMY for not wanting to reissue Fort Max.

When did those re-issues come out? Because the Transformers landscape as changed dramatically in the past 4 years.

Plus every man and his dog has got an Omega Supreme and Metroplex, so why would they buy a reissue on mass? Fort Max is a completely different kettle of fish and in a completely different time in Transformers history.

[GoktimusPrime]

They came out in mid to late 2008.

[reillyd]

To name but a few, Metroplex, Prowl, Red Alert, Sideswipe, Frenzy, Rumble, Laserbeak, Ratbat, Buzzsaw, Ravage, Bombshell, Kickback, Shrapnel, Cosmos, Hubcap, Outback, Powerglide, Warpath, Brawn, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper are all existing TakaraTomy G1 moulds that have been 'accurately' knocked off. (Not to mention Optimus Prime.)

Yes but those, all of those, were KO -after- the Encore and TFC releases, and unlikely to affect sales.

What I actually said, and I may still be wrong, is that it is a KO release which might jeopardise sales of a toy where TT are known to have a mold.
If you bought, say Metroplex instead of the superior TT version well one might be a little dim, and its unlikely to affect sales.

But a Fortress Maximus at a $300 price point, well that could seriously jeopardise sales of what might be eventually released. That seems a real moral dillemma that might not be present with say a Constructicons release or Dinobots since TT clearly doesn't have the molds.

In my heart of hearts, I know I would buy an Encore release. If I found it cheap enough, I'd buy the Korean TT release even. Would I buy it AFTER paying for a KO..... probably not.

[jaydisc]

In many of the above cases, the KO was first, including Metroplex, Frenzy & Rumble.

[5FDP]

My memory may be fading with age, but I know 100% that a KO version of Ratbat was released before the encore set came out with him in it. That's why I stayed away from buying a loose Ratbat on eBay.

What annoys me more is when collectors are deceived into thinking a counterfeit is real... they think it's legit, pay for it, only later to find out it's fake.

^ This is the real problem with KO's.

[griffin]

That's my problem as well.
Ultimately I don't care too much if *vintage* TFs are knocked off, because there are collectors who can't afford the real thing, but would still be content with a 'stand in'.
As long as the KO can be identified as a KO, and doesn't get passed off as the real thing to unsuspecting buyers who are only wanting the real thing, it wouldn't be so bad... but unfortunately those things happen, cheating a lot of people out of more money than a KO is worth.