Known Zhong Jin Transformers Knockoffs

[Zobovor]

Since we've been talking about the high-quality Chinese bootlegs
lately, I put together a list of the ones I've seen to date. Note
that some of these aren't available on ioffer.com as of this writing,
so I'm relying partly on my memory of what I've seen. Please feel
free to make corrections or additions.

Beachcomber (available in G1 blue or prototype Microchange red
variant)
Beast Box/Squawktalk
Blitzwing
Bombshell
Bonecrusher (carded)
Brawn
Bumblebee (available in yellow, white, or blue; not sure about red)
Cliffjumper (available in red or yellow)
Cosmos
Cyclonus
Defensor (gift set only)
Devastator (available as gift set in regular colors, all white, all
black, yellow G2, or orange G2)
Dial (Japanese cassette)
Dial/Saur/Graphy/Noise gift set (regular colors or all-black redeco)
Frenzy/Laserbeak (in regular colors, all-black, all-white, translucent-
orange, translucent-blue, translucent-purple, or translucent-clear)
Frenzy/Ratbat (not sure on color of weapons)
Grand Slam/Raindance
Graphy (Japanese cassette)
Hook (carded)
Hubcap
Kickback
Long Haul (carded)
Menasor (gift set only)
Mirage (produced in blue, black, red, black-translucent, or clear-
translucent)
Mixmaster (carded)
Noise (Japanese cassette)
Octane
Optimus Prime (regular colors, gold chrome parts, all-clear, or all-
black)
Outback
Powerglide
Red Alert
Reflector (sold in mail order box or in retail-style package)
Rumble/Buzzsaw (yes, Buzzsaw)
Rumble/Ravage
Saur (Japanese cassette)
Scavenger (carded)
Scourge
Scrapper (carded)
Seaspray
Shockwave
Shrapnel
Sideswipe
Slag (regular colors, red Canadian variant, or pink "prototype"
colors)
Sludge
Springer
Sunstreaker
Superion (gift set only)
Swoop (available in regular colors, blue "Diaclone" version, or with
gold chrome instead of silver)
Warpath
Weirdwolf
Wheeljack


Zob

[Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.]

For the sake of differentiation, when did these Zhong Jin knockoffs
start appearing? How long have they been at it?

has anyone found a source for the dinocassettes? as in where can I get
some?

I thought the Weirdwolf also had a Skullcruncher, Chromedome and
Hardhead with em also.

Somewhere there was a reproduction Sixxshot but I don't know if it was
Zhong Jin or not.

[Mathew]

On Mar 20, 8:32 pm, Zobovor <zm...@aol.com> wrote:
> Sludge

I know there is a clear and a pink version of Sludge. I started adding
mention of the ZJ color variants on the Wikialpha pages as "unlicensed
reproductions".

Mathew

[Mathew]

I started a wikialpha page devoted to Zhong Jin reproduction
transformers here:

http://en.wikialpha.org/wiki/Zhong_Jin

It's just a short stub, but I'll add to it as I find pictures of the
toy. I'm particularly interested in the weird color variants.

Anyone who wants to help add more material, please sign up for
Wikialpha and add what you know about them.

Thanks,

Mathew

[Zobovor]

On Mar 20, 9:09 pm, "Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People."

<Ob1ken...@att.net> wrote:

> For the sake of differentiation, when did these Zhong Jin knockoffs
> start appearing? How long have they been at it?

By 2008 I know I had been aware of them for about a year or so. Some
online sources say we've been getting them since 2006. I know the
first ones were Swoop and Gnaw.

> has anyone found a source for the dinocassettes? as in where can I get
> some?

Have you checked iOffer yet?

> I thought the Weirdwolf also had a Skullcruncher, Chromedome and
> Hardhead with em also.

Weirdwolf only just barely came out a few months ago, and to the best
of my knowledge he's currently the only Headmaster. There are third-
party redesigns of some Headmasters characters in the works, though.

> Somewhere there was a reproduction Sixxshot but I don't know if it was
> Zhong Jin or not.

There was an official Takara reissue of Sixshot; you sure that's not
what you're thinking of? There's also the unofficial WST version, of
course. If there's also a full-scale unofficial version, I'm not
aware of it.

Oh, and I just found out that they're going to be doing Astrotrain
pretty soon. This particularly excites me because the Hasbro reissue
did not match the colors of the domestic G1 toy. It's a fair bet that
they'll produce the knockoff in the correct colors. They might even—
gasp!—do a version in the colors of the eHobby "anime" redeco, which
means I could get one for around $50 instead of upwards of $350! A
fake version would seriously devalue the eHobby toy. I'm excited
about this, since I've got some dosh saved up in my piggy bank but I
was debating whether to blow it on anime Astrotrain or the upcoming
Fort Max reissue. (Astrotrain is such a damn tiny toy that it's
extraordinarily difficult to justify spending that kind of money on
him.)


Zob

[Zobovor]

On Mar 21, 6:31 am, Mathew <mathewignas...@gmail.com> wrote:

> It's just a short stub, but I'll add to it as I find pictures of the
> toy. I'm particularly interested in the weird color variants.

Yay, photos! The page looks good so far. Keep up the great work!


Zob

[...Also Known as Thunder]

Zobovor wrote:
> On Mar 20, 9:09 pm, "Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People."
> <Ob1ken...@att.net> wrote:
Have you checked iOffer yet?
>
>> I thought the Weirdwolf also had a Skullcruncher, Chromedome and
>> Hardhead with em also.
>
> Weirdwolf only just barely came out a few months ago, and to the best
> of my knowledge he's currently the only Headmaster. There are third-
> party redesigns of some Headmasters characters in the works, though.

Weirdwolf was out last April, at least, because that's when I bought one
at a convention.

t.k.

[Travoltron]

On 3/21/2013 8:30 PM, Zobovor wrote:
> They might even�
> gasp!�do a version in the colors of the eHobby "anime" redeco, which

> means I could get one for around $50 instead of upwards of $350!

Is that what they're going for these days?
I have one of those. I really don't like the purple hue Takara used.
It's not the same purple used on the 1985 toy, it's this garish (dare I
say the word) NEON purple.
I wish Zhong Jin would do one up in the "Toei" colors, with the purple
wings and purple head.
The so-called "anime color version" is actually the AKOM color scheme,
which was apparently based on the prototype shown in the 1985 Hasbro
catalog.

[Shin Hibiki]

Zobovor <zm...@aol.com> wrote:

>There are third-
>party redesigns of some Headmasters characters in the works, though.

Chromedome ("Code" by FansProject) came out fairly recently,
and Hardhead ("Hardbone"--again with the suggestive names--by
Toyworld) just came out (mine was just shipped out today). Weirdwolf
and Brainstorm are next up; Minerva is also anticipated at some point.

>If there's also a full-scale unofficial version, I'm not
>aware of it.

Third-party Hexatron (Mastermind Creations) is on the way one
of these days.

- Shin Hibiki

----
The race ain't over yet, baby
It's only just begun
They thought they had it won, baby
But soon we'll have 'em on the run

[Mathew]

I just added three color variants of Mirage. I also found four color
variants of the Devastator gift set to be added next. If anyone else
has any photos of the color variants, let me know so I can add them,
or join and add them yourself, it's an open wiki.

Mathew

[Mathew]

On Mar 22, 12:03 am, Shin Hibiki <shin_hib...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Zobovor <zm...@aol.com> wrote:
> >There are third-
> >party redesigns of some Headmasters characters in the works, though.
>
>         Chromedome ("Code" by FansProject) came out fairly recently,
> and Hardhead ("Hardbone"--again with the suggestive names--by
> Toyworld) just came out (mine was just shipped out today).  Weirdwolf
> and Brainstorm are next up; Minerva is also anticipated at some point.

FansProject also plan a Mindwipe and Skullcruncher. Sadly, all the
FansProject Headmasters are NOT compatable with the head plugs from
the G1 toys. So you can only swap heads from FansProject Headmaster to
OTHER FansProject Headmasters.

Other third party companies making Headmasters include Headrobots,
Junkion Blacksmith and the previously mentioned Toyworld. All those
Headmasters are G1 compatable.

Headrobots made a Hardhead head, and a Fortress Maximus head, and is
making a Highbrow head. They also made a cobra head and are making an
iguana head from the Takara concept art of unreleased Headmaster
Warriors.

Junkion Blacksmith made 7 different Headmaster heads that all are
triple changers and are based on G1 character (Optimus Prime,
Megatron, Soundwave, Blaster, etc).

Toyworld has not teased any other Headmasters other than their
Hardbone/Hardhead. I hope we see more from them. I like their work
more than I like the FansProject toys, which are small and not
compatable.

Mathew

[Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.]

On Mar 21, 10:30 pm, Zobovor <zm...@aol.com> wrote:
> On Mar 20, 9:09 pm, "Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People."
>
> <Ob1ken...@att.net> wrote:
> > For the sake of differentiation, when did these Zhong Jin knockoffs
> > start appearing? How long have they been at it?
>
> By 2008 I know I had been aware of them for about a year or so.  Some
> online sources say we've been getting them since 2006.  I know the
> first ones were Swoop and Gnaw.
>
> > has anyone found a source for the dinocassettes? as in where can I get
> > some?
>
> Have you checked iOffer yet?
>
> > I thought the Weirdwolf also had a Skullcruncher, Chromedome and
> > Hardhead with em also.
>
> Weirdwolf only just barely came out a few months ago, and to the best
> of my knowledge he's currently the only Headmaster.  There are third-
> party redesigns of some Headmasters characters in the works, though.
>
> > Somewhere there was a reproduction Sixxshot but I don't know if it was
> > Zhong Jin or not.
>
> There was an official Takara reissue of Sixshot; you sure that's not
> what you're thinking of?  There's also the unofficial WST version, of
> course.  If there's also a full-scale unofficial version, I'm not
> aware of it.
>

There was a 3rd party company that made a Sixshot that was just like
the G1 version. Same stickers and proportions as well as colors.

> Oh, and I just found out that they're going to be doing Astrotrain
> pretty soon.  This particularly excites me because the Hasbro reissue
> did not match the colors of the domestic G1 toy.  It's a fair bet that
> they'll produce the knockoff in the correct colors.  They might even—
> gasp!—do a version in the colors of the eHobby "anime" redeco, which
> means I could get one for around $50 instead of upwards of $350!  A
> fake version would seriously devalue the eHobby toy.  I'm excited
> about this, since I've got some dosh saved up in my piggy bank but I
> was debating whether to blow it on anime Astrotrain or the upcoming
> Fort Max reissue.  (Astrotrain is such a damn tiny toy that it's
> extraordinarily difficult to justify spending that kind of money on
> him.)
>
> Zob

i kinda wanted Universe Astrotrain and then I got him, and liked the
G1 better.

[Mathew]

On Mar 22, 9:17 am, "Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People."

<Ob1ken...@att.net> wrote:
> There was a 3rd party company that made a Sixshot that was just like
> the G1 version. Same stickers and proportions as well as colors.

Do you mean the Justitoys Solo Assault Group toy? It's the same
colors, and stickers, and the same transformation, but it's been
shrunken down in size.

http://en.wikialpha.org/wiki/Solo_Assault_Group

The Mastermind Creations Terminus Hexatron is the same size as G1
Sixshot, but it's a new, more complicated mold.

http://en.wikialpha.org/wiki/Terminus_Hexatron

I don't recall seeing a high quality reproduction Sixshot thats the
same size as the original.

Mathew

[Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.]

There was a full size G1 styled sixshot KO, and they had a transparent
version too, came out sometime in the last 10 years but I don't know
exactly when or by who.

[Mathew]

On Mar 23, 1:35 am, "Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People."

> exactly when or by who.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Was it just a KO and not a "reproduction" quality toy then? I've seen
those. Somethimes shrunken a little bit, or in slightly off colors.

Look at this picture, the original is in the middle. The slightly
shrunken KO is on the right.

http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/photos/Transformers_KnockOff_KO/G1/Sixshot/DSC01484_Sixshots.jpg

Mathew

[kfahy...@gmail.com]

You can add Abominus and Computron gift sets to the list. I'd really like to see Blurr, Wreck-Gar, and the Battlechargers. Does anyone know if new ones are still being produced or if it's been the status quo for a while?

[Zobovor]

They seem to be moving at a slower pace these days. I got Astrotrain a few months back, and it looks like Skullcruncher and Mindwipe have just recently been released. I've read they're doing Bumper/Bumblejumper as well. Wheelie is one more toy that wasn't on my original list.


Zob (still wants the all-clear version of Mirage)

[jbth...@gmail.com]

Anybody know what happened to the diaclone blue Bluestreak that was supposed to come out back in 2010?

[Zobovor]

On Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 12:32:53 PM UTC-7, jbth...@gmail.com wrote:

> Anybody know what happened to the diaclone blue Bluestreak that was supposed to
> come out back in 2010?

I will admit that I've not been following the Zhong Jin releases as closely in recent years due to the way they've significantly slowed down. However, I've never seen their version of blue Bluestreak at all. I'm quite certain I would have gotten one if I'd ever seen it available!


Zob (still kinda waiting for anime Astrotrain, though, now that they've done a regular-colors version... I can dream, right?)

[Steve L.K. Macrocranios]

On Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 5:32:34 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> Since we've been talking about the high-quality Chinese bootlegs
> lately, I put together a list of the ones I've seen to date.

This was a great list and I've seen other high quality knockoffs recently including Jazz and Hound. So I wonder if (despite recent press releases) Hasbro ever cracked down on Zhong Jin at all?

[Zobovor]

On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 1:13:30 PM UTC-6, Steve L.K. Macrocranios wrote:

> This was a great list and I've seen other high quality knockoffs recently including Jazz and Hound. So I wonder if (despite recent press releases) Hasbro ever cracked down on Zhong Jin at all?

In January, Hasbro reportedly cracked down on unlicensed Chinese rip-offs, confiscating them by the thousands and destroying them. Zhong Jin wasn't identified by name, but I can only assume it was their product.

So I did some poking around and it does indeed look like there's a new batch of unlicensed reissues. What's funny is that there are zero Transformers on ioffer.com now, which used to be my go-to place for these guys.

(For the record, Mindwipe and Skullcruncher have been available for a while now, in addition to Weirdwolf, since I don't see them on my list.)

New ones I'm seeing, in addition to the Jazz and Hound that you reported, include Soundwave/Buzzsaw (maybe this has been around a while, not sure), Bumper (we knew this was coming), Optimus Prime (white cab and white trailer), Bluestreak, Smokescreen, and...

...wait for it...

eHobby anime Astrotrain!

I'm going to say it again.

EHOBBY ANIME ASTROTRAIN!!!

Right now you can get Astrotrain for $119, which is an absolute steal. Sadly, for those who own the eHobby toy, the existence knockoff is going to devalue it rather badly. But, I think the price of the knockoff will come down even further, and taper off at around $50 or so. I'm so excited about this. I knew it was an inevitability ever since they did their regular-colors Astrotrain. The cartoon-colored Astrotrain is the one toy I've wanted to own more than any other for, like, the last 15 years. I have never been able to justify spending over $400 for such a tiny toy, though. It's absurd. At that point, it's no longer a toy; it's an investment. I would never be able to open it and enjoy it, because I'd be throwing away so much money just by cutting the box tape and applying stickers to it.

I'm really glad you brought Jazz and Hound to my attention, because I wouldn't have known about this otherwise.


Zob (silence, Thrust! I am in complete control... COMPLETE control!)

[Steve L.K. Macrocranios]

On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 4:14:10 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
>
> ...wait for it...
>
> eHobby anime Astrotrain!
>
> I'm going to say it again.
>
> EHOBBY ANIME ASTROTRAIN!!!
>
> Right now you can get Astrotrain for $119, which is an absolute steal.

HOOO-LEEE CRAP!
I am stunned. I am so tempted to pull the trigger right now. Dang dang dang. I really hope you're right about it going down bit. I guess I've lived this long without it I can wait a few weeks more.

[Zobovor]

On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 5:24:55 PM UTC-6, Steve L.K. Macrocranios wrote:

> I am so tempted to pull the trigger right now.

If you can afford it, do it. I waited on the translucent G1 Mirage, thinking it would always be available, and the supply spontaneously dried up and now I can't find it anywhere.

I may actually do it myself.


Zob (waffling)

[Steve L.K. Macrocranios]

On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 4:51:38 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:

> If you can afford it, do it.

I can't really afford it now after buying a case of Wal-Mart TIE Fighters you tipped me off on. It was a moment of weakness. But the case was just sitting there on the riser at the top and it hadn't been opened! It looked so lonely!

The descriptions seem to hint at Astrotrain being limited. Actually they shout it out.

"TRANSFORMERS G1 Reissue CE Astrotrain brand new very few"

"G1 TRANSFORMERS（CE ASTROTRAIN Limited Edition）TOY K.O/REISSUE VERSION MISB"

That one CE listing where it's 129.99 has been around since March 31st according to the completed listings, but they only had three. Three ain't a lot. I wonder if this really is/was as rare as they are hyping it up as, although I don't know why it would be. Like aren't the bootleggers in this to make money? I thought they had no scruples. Maybe they have fear enough to try to keep this thing super rare. Fear of what, though? E-Hobby?

> I waited on the translucent G1 Mirage, thinking it would always be
> available, and the supply spontaneously dried up and now I can't find it
> anywhere.

That is odd. Maybe translucent rubber tires are tough to make. I don't know why Astrotrain would follow suit in terms of rarity, though.

[Zobovor]

On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 6:15:02 PM UTC-6, Steve L.K. Macrocranios wrote:

> I can't really afford it now after buying a case of Wal-Mart TIE Fighters you tipped me off on. It was a moment of weakness. But the case was just sitting there on the riser at the top and it hadn't been opened! It looked so lonely!

Hey, I'm glad you got them. What kind of articulation does the TIE Fighter pilot have?

> The descriptions seem to hint at Astrotrain being limited.

It could be that it's a newer release, and sellers don't have many in stock. It could also be that people know it's a facsimile of a very expensive toy, so they're trying to keep the perceived rarity high so as to keep the prices artificially inflated.


Zob (who needs you spineless plasm-heads, anyway? THESE are my troops. But even soldiers need brains. Astrotrain can fix THAT! Soon, you'll have the latest in computer controls...)

[Steve L.K. Macrocranios]

On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 6:07:07 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:

> Hey, I'm glad you got them. What kind of articulation does the TIE Fighter pilot have?

It's beautiful. Pretty much a super articulated figure except no ankle joints. They glued the helmet on and he actually has two belts-one molded into the torso and then the actual one that's a separate piece and has a real holster for the pistol.

Just a beautiful job of painting the thing, too. It has this crazy grey crest shaped area on the forehead with tiny little letters on it and clean imperial circle tampos to each side. There are lots of little grey boxes painted on there and red painted circles and buttons that really pop. It even has like a little comm grid painted on the outside of its wrists. It's amazing how they do these things so small and so accurately nowadays.

It's really great. But I don't have much of a Star Wars collection so I can't compare the pilot or the TIE to other releases. The only other TIE I've ever owned in my life is the 3 3/4 scale TIE Bomber from when it first came out (like around 2009 I think?) and this pilot blows that pilot away in terms of paint apps. And I don't remember TIE Bomber pilot having a pistol.

> > The descriptions seem to hint at Astrotrain being limited.
>
> It could be that it's a newer release, and sellers don't have many in stock.

After looking deeper into it I found a post on the TFW boards from 2017 where a guy bought a KO anime Astrotrain cheap to do a custom prototype Astrotrain. So we may be late to this party, or the KO makers only let them leak out every once in a while.

[Cappeca]

Em quarta-feira, 15 de maio de 2019 20:14:10 UTC-3, Zobovor escreveu:
> On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 1:13:30 PM UTC-6, Steve L.K. Macrocranios wrote:
>
> So I did some poking around and it does indeed look like there's a new batch of unlicensed reissues. What's funny is that there are zero Transformers on ioffer.com now, which used to be my go-to place for these guys.

> New ones I'm seeing

Where? I went to ioffer.com since I need another Grimlock, and couldn't find anything. Where do I find these new ones? Really could use a new Hound as well.


> EHOBBY ANIME ASTROTRAIN!!!
>

This is awesome! All we need now is Blue Bluestreak!

[Zobovor]

On Monday, May 20, 2019 at 12:41:05 PM UTC-6, Cappeca wrote:

> Where? I went to ioffer.com since I need another Grimlock, and couldn't find anything.

Sorry, friend! It looks like ioffer has all dried up. They don't have Transformers of any sort. But, this eBay seller has quite a few.

https://www.ebay.com/usr/zhaxiaohu_4

Good luck!


Zob (told my wife that Astrotrain might make a good Father's Day gift)

[Cappeca]

Em segunda-feira, 20 de maio de 2019 21:34:11 UTC-3, Zobovor escreveu:
> On Monday, May 20, 2019 at 12:41:05 PM UTC-6, Cappeca wrote:
>
> > Where? I went to ioffer.com since I need another Grimlock, and couldn't find anything.
>
> Sorry, friend! It looks like ioffer has all dried up. They don't have Transformers of any sort. But, this eBay seller has quite a few.
>
> https://www.ebay.com/usr/zhaxiaohu_4
>

Thanks! Quite surprisingly, there's a lot of "reissues" on eBay. I thought they moved elsewhere and never bothered to search there. Found Grimlock (on his way!) and Hound (still discussing with my wallet). Between these and the walmart reissues, one can really set up a very nice shelf of boxed G1 fac-similes. Hmmmm...

[Steve L.K. Macrocranios]

ebay seller ryanstradingpost has high quality KO Combaticons up. I am not sure if these are new Zhong Jin. Here are the auction numbers I've found so far:

323914781627 carded minis
323914638985 Onslaught

The carded ones have easy tells like "Combaticom" on the text and they have the iron on patch promo blurb but it doesn't look like they've got the patches. Onslaught is pretty tough to distinguish from original for me so far just based on the pics.

[Zobovor]

On Wednesday, September 18, 2019 at 12:17:22 AM UTC-6, Steve L.K. Macrocranios wrote:

> ebay seller ryanstradingpost has high quality KO Combaticons up. I am not sure if these are new Zhong Jin.

I believe they are. They're the die-cast metal editions, which might be appealing for fans who already have the all-plastic Takara reissues.

I wonder if Onslaught has a working ramp launcher or not?


Zob (these are the questions that keep me up at night... that and too much Mountain Dew Voltage before bed)

[Joseph Bardsley]

Now this is tempting! I love the metal Combaticons, and wonder why they are so rare. (Though, some of them - Swindle, namely - do NOT age well in terms of the die-cast flaking off and looking awful.

Objectively speaking, I do wonder - is there any real variance in terms of quality with these guys vs. the Hasbro originals?

JB

[Zobovor]

On Sunday, September 22, 2019 at 7:00:12 PM UTC-6, Joseph Bardsley wrote:

> Objectively speaking, I do wonder - is there any real variance in terms of quality with these guys vs. the Hasbro originals?

Nothing is going to be better than authentic G1 toys. Even authentic reissues of the G1 Combaticons have flaws that didn't exist on the original editions.

However, I have pretty much all the Zhong Jin releases that don't exist as official Hasbro or Takara releases, and they're almost uniformly amazing. They've had problems with metal pins in the past (toys that depend on pins, like Wheeljack or Scrapper or Long Haul, have issues) and there's been one case of some truly shoddy workmanship (Grand Slam and Raindance), but aside from that they're truly excellent reproductions. I don't have their editons of the Combaticons, but I have every confidence that they would be as high-quality as their other releases.


Zob (and I'm rather picky, as some of you may have noticed)

[Zobovor]

On Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 6:32:34 PM UTC-6, Zobovor wrote:

> Since we've been talking about the high-quality Chinese bootlegs
> lately, I put together a list of the ones I've seen to date.

This list is now about ten years old, and while there have been some new releases since I made this list, they certainly haven't been producing as many as they did during the glory days of unlicensed reproductions. At first, they seemed to be filling in the gaps created by the missing Takara reissues (Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, etc.) but in recent years they seem to have done almost all the Diaclone 1984-85 Autobot Cars, even ones with official Hasbro/Takara reissue equivalents, with Skids being conspicuously absent.

Anyway, for the sake of sharing information, here's an updated list! New additions are denoted with an (*) asterisk.

Abominus (gift set)
*Afterburner (carded, no Decoy)
*Air Raid (carded)
*Astrotrain (G1 toy colors or eHobby anime colors)
Beachcomber (blue or red)
Beast Box/Squawktalk
*Blades (carded, die-cast)
*Blast Off (carded, die-cast)
Blitzwing
*Blot (carded, no Decoy)
*Bluestreak (silver G1 toy colors)
Bombshell
Bonecrusher (carded, G1 colors or G2 orange on G1 card)
*Brawl (carded, die-cast)
*Brawn (G1 version or many crazy color variants including Outback colors, all-black, etc, with or with Outback gun)
*Breakdown (carded)
Bumblebee (yellow, black, red, blue, white)
*Bumper/Bumblejumper (on Cliffjumper card)
Cliffjumper (red or yellow)
Computron (gift set)
Cosmos
*Cutthroat (carded, no Decoy)
Cyclonus
*Dead End (carded)
Defensor (gift set)
Devastator (green, white, black, yellow, or orange)
Dial (Japanese cassette)
Dial/Saur/Graphy/Noise gift set (regular colors or all-black redeco)
*Drag Strip (carded)
*Eject/Ramhorn (silver guns)
*Fireflight (carded)
*First Aid (carded, die-cast)
Frenzy/Laserbeak (in regular colors, all-black, all-white, translucent-orange, translucent-blue, translucent-purple, or translucent-clear)
Frenzy/Ratbat (silver guns)
*Gears
Grand Slam/Raindance
Graphy (Japanese cassette)
*Grapple
*Groove (carded, die-cast)
*Hoist
Hook (carded, G1 colors or G2 orange on G1 card)
*Hot Spot (die-cast)
*Hound
Hubcap
*Huffer
*Hun-Gurrr
*Inferno
*Jazz
Kickback
*Lightspeed (carded, no Decoy)
Long Haul (carded, G1 colors or G2 orange on G1 card)
Menasor (gift set)
*Metroplex (rubber tires)
*Mindwipe
Mirage (blue, black, red, black-translucent, or clear-translucent)
Mixmaster (carded, G1 colors or G2 orange on G1 card)
*Motormaster
Noise (Japanese cassette)
*Nosecone (carded, no Decoy)
Octane
*Onslaught (die-cast)
Optimus Prime (G1 colors, gold chrome parts, white, clear, or black)
*Outback (G1 colors or many color variants, including Brawn colors, reverse G1 colors, black, etc.)
*Pipes
Powerglide
*Prowl
Red Alert
Reflector (sold in mail order box or in retail-style package)
*Rewind/Steeljaw (silver guns)
*Rippersnapper (carded, no Decoy)
Rumble/Buzzsaw (yes, Buzzsaw)
Rumble/Ravage
Saur (Japanese cassette)
*Scattershot
Scavenger (carded, G1 colors or G2 orange on G1 card)
Scourge
Scrapper (carded, G1 colors or G2 orange on G1 card)
Seaspray
Shockwave
Shrapnel
Sideswipe
*Sinnertwin (carded, no Decoy)
*Silverbolt
*Sixshot
*Skullcruncher
*Skydive (carded)
Slag (G1 toy colors, red Canadian variant, Diaclone blue, or pink "prototype" colors)
*Slingshot (carded)
Sludge
*Smokescreen
Springer
*Strafe (carded, no Decoy)
*Streetwise (carded)
Sunstreaker
Superion (gift set only)
*Swerve
*Swindle (carded, die-cast purple chest)
Swoop (G1 toy colors, blue "Diaclone" version, or with gold chrome instead of silver)
*Tailgate
*Tracks
*Trailbreaker
*Vortex (carded, die-cast)
Warpath
Weirdwolf
*Wheelie
Wheeljack
*Wildrider (carded)
*Windcharger


Zob (is made of die-cast parts and rubber tires)

[Codigo Postal]

There a number of these for sale at ShowZ (https://showzstore.com/search/?Keyword=4th+party+transformers+g1), though they can be found slightly more cheaply on AliExpress.

I picked up a Cyclonus KO for about $40 - all things considered, I'm fairly happy with it, although the limitations of the mold are apparent compared to the Kingdom Voyager.

The G1 Springer KO is starting to look good, and has some decent reviews (https://youtu.be/RZYR6DXc8pg)

Sadly, the new Metroplex KO is receiving mildly negative reviews; it's been a longtime grail for me, but I may just wait til another Encore Reissue.

[Zobovor]

On Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 12:58:05 PM UTC-6, Codigo Postal wrote:

> I picked up a Cyclonus KO for about $40 - all things considered, I'm fairly happy with it, although the limitations of the mold are apparent compared to the Kingdom Voyager.

The G1 toys were produced during such a different time that it's almost uncharitable to compare them to modern releases. There are probably no G1 toys in existence that are going to come anywhere close to neo-G1, except maybe G1 Jetfire.

I had issues with the folding nosecone on the unlicensed Cyclonus. It kept getting stuck in the chest cavity, and didn't perform as smoothly as it did on the authentic G1 version.

> The G1 Springer KO is starting to look good, and has some decent reviews (https://youtu.be/RZYR6DXc8pg)

I had a problem with Springer's gun being super fragile. The peg just came off and got stuck in his hand. I wonder if applying the vac-metal chrome made the peg too thick for his fist peg-hole, or something. (Also, my Octane has chrome pieces that used to be green, so they were obviously mold-mates with the chrome Springer parts. This isn't a reflection on the Springer toy per se, but it irrationally bothers me!)

> Sadly, the new Metroplex KO is receiving mildly negative reviews; it's been a longtime grail for me, but I may just wait til another Encore Reissue.

I have zero experience with the Zhong Jin version of Metroplex, since I already own the Takara reissue and have no need for another. They don't seem to do the larger toys as well as the smaller toys, though, since I had some quality control issues with Scorponok.

An authentic vintage G1 Metroplex would not be difficult to track down, but the problem would be to get all the little parts and accessories he's supposed to come with (like 22 of them, I think). I imagine if you really wanted to, you could get a stripped-down vintage Metroplex in good shape, and then buy the unlicensed version to get all his little pieces, and you might come out spending less money than hunting down all vintage parts. That's if they're all interchangeable and compatible, of course!


Zob (it boggles the mind that in one year's time, we'll be describing Energon toys as "vintage")

[Irrellius Spamticon]

I have like 3 or 4 vintage G1 Metroplex, the one in the display case now is only missing the missiles, a scamper arm, and scamper handgun. People just kept bringing in parts, and I sold the better more complete ones. They take a lot of space so a lot of people don't have space, even though they only take slightly more space than Ultra Magnus.

Someone brought in a Wie Jang Armed Cannon, that's just a movie leader Brawl they took the electronics out of an greatly improved the transformation and paintjob. If I'm going to buy a 3rd party I want it to be noticeably better than the original. I can find enough parts to complete a G1 if I try hard enough. I just saw a G1 Hound Spare tire the first time two weeks ago, the last piece I needed to complete Hound.

Of course I haven't seen a G1 Mirage since someone told me the history of the Mirage mold. I used to find them all the time Sure, sometimes cracked in half but I'd at least see them.

[Codigo Postal]

On Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 12:25:50 AM UTC-4, Irrellius Spamticon wrote:
> On Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 7:13:27 PM UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> > On Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 12:58:05 PM UTC-6, Codigo Postal wrote:
> >
> > > I picked up a Cyclonus KO for about $40 - all things considered, I'm fairly happy with it, although the limitations of the mold are apparent compared to the Kingdom Voyager.
> > The G1 toys were produced during such a different time that it's almost uncharitable to compare them to modern releases. There are probably no G1 toys in existence that are going to come anywhere close to neo-G1, except maybe G1 Jetfire.
> >
> > I had issues with the folding nosecone on the unlicensed Cyclonus. It kept getting stuck in the chest cavity, and didn't perform as smoothly as it did on the authentic G1 version.
> > > The G1 Springer KO is starting to look good, and has some decent reviews (https://youtu.be/RZYR6DXc8pg)
> > I had a problem with Springer's gun being super fragile. The peg just came off and got stuck in his hand. I wonder if applying the vac-metal chrome made the peg too thick for his fist peg-hole, or something. (Also, my Octane has chrome pieces that used to be green, so they were obviously mold-mates with the chrome Springer parts. This isn't a reflection on the Springer toy per se, but it irrationally bothers me!)

Are you referring to the original, or the KO Springer?

> > > Sadly, the new Metroplex KO is receiving mildly negative reviews; it's been a longtime grail for me, but I may just wait til another Encore Reissue.
> > I have zero experience with the Zhong Jin version of Metroplex, since I already own the Takara reissue and have no need for another. They don't seem to do the larger toys as well as the smaller toys, though, since I had some quality control issues with Scorponok.
> >
> > An authentic vintage G1 Metroplex would not be difficult to track down, but the problem would be to get all the little parts and accessories he's supposed to come with (like 22 of them, I think). I imagine if you really wanted to, you could get a stripped-down vintage Metroplex in good shape, and then buy the unlicensed version to get all his little pieces, and you might come out spending less money than hunting down all vintage parts. That's if they're all interchangeable and compatible, of course!
> >

New life goal unlocked!

> >
> > Zob (it boggles the mind that in one year's time, we'll be describing Energon toys as "vintage")

No. Please, no.

[Zobovor]

On Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 5:07:58 AM UTC-6, Codigo Postal wrote:

> Are you referring to the original, or the KO Springer?

Sorry, I meant the knockoff. I do have an original G1 Springer, which I got at BotCon '95, sans accessories, for like five bucks. I never owned a complete Springer until I got the unlicensed version. It's very nice quality, except for the aforementioned problems with the rifle.

> New life goal unlocked!

I have no idea what specific problems people are having with the Metroplex knock-off, but I am assuming the issues are with the robot itself and not the various peripheral pieces. But, I could be wrong.


Zob (has only been wrong six times in my life... wait, damn it, that's wrong... so, seven)