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Chinese KO Binaltech Review


elburrito

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First of all, I will salute Tony from Chimungmung toys. There was a time when the phrase "cheap knock-off" applied to items copied by manufacturers other than the original. I am pleased to say that this is not the case here. These toys are 90% the quality of the originals and 10% the price. While "inexpensive knock-offs" may apply, "cheap" is not at all appropriate.

 

Tony sold exactly what his website promised, he got it here in less than one week. The sticker sheets he provided are perfect and, once applied, I doubt that the uninitiated could tell the difference between an original out of the box and the A&L product. That said, these toys are not Binaltech Transformers. They are knock offs, just extremely good ones. I've read people suggest that they may be okay for kitbashing...forget that. These are a kit basher's dream!

 

Nonetheless, a consumer who has his or her heart set on Binaltech Transformers should go find some of those. A person who is interested in an action figure that transforms into an alternate mode, is highly articulable, of high quality and generally looks awesome will not be dissapointed. (In fact, the person with their heart set on Binaltech Transformers would likely only bit a little bit dissapointed).

 

THE GOOD

 

Same proportion of diecast metal to plastic as the originals

- toy weight is very similar (not noticeably different without a scale and even then appears to have variances not significantly different as between the originals)

 

Toys articulate and transform in nearly identical manner to the originals

- "Streak" articulates and transforms identically to "KO Streak"

- "Jazz" has tabs on the shoulder that "KO Jazz" does not, otherwise the same.

 

Toys are about $10-$20 instead of $100 - $200

 

THE BAD

 

Without exception, all of the items I ordered (by G1'ish names: Jazz, Cop Jazz, Racing Jazz, Shockwave, Dead End, Streak, Trailbreaker (Hummer)) were still "weeping" i.e., the plastic was not completely dry out of the box

 

Many of the joints were too tight. Combined with the above BAD, this means that a person who is excited is far more likely to break one of these than the original toy. This is mitigated by the fact that the plastic is strong and a little bit of lube can cure much.

 

The paint jobs are not as good as the originals. While the detail is the same, one is more likely to find runs, buildup overpaint etc. although the differences are not noticeable unless looking quite closely, they are differences

 

The head mold on Trailbreaker is reminiscent of Hannibal Lector's "no-bite" mask from the Silence of the Lambs and Streak has the Smokescreen head mold rather than the Streak head mold. Of course from Takara, we don't even get a Trailbreaker (just the head on Swindle)

 

THE UGLY

 

All in all, bang for buck, these toys are better than the Binaltech ever could be. What I mean by that is, you pay $100 for a toy, you get it, it's cool, you are out $100 and probably thinking about where the $100 for the next one will come from. On the other hand, you spend $100 and get 10 toys that are just as cool and you need not worry about the next one, because you already got them all. Better yet, when you break one of those toys, the application of glue is not nearly as agonizing, because let's face it. Replacement value is minimal.

 

An avid Transformer fan since 1984 (an before considering that Transformers themselves are really just KOs of Diaclone albeit made by the same manufacturer my advice

 

(1) to the collector (i.e., the person who has them all in unopened boxes on the wall) 1st open the boxes, paint the little devils and make some stop motion, but if you must have the future market value then stick with the originals.

 

(2) to the hobby-er (i.e., the person who has transformers on the shelf that no-one else will ever have unless the hobby-er shares) you will have a lot of fun with these puppies. Let's face it, they are 90%+ the same and 10-15 bucks a pop.

 

(3) to the person who just wants to play with the toys, don't bother with the name brands. These are all but identical and it is easier to get more when you break them.

 

El Burrito

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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An avid Transformer fan since 1984 (an before considering that Transformers themselves are really just KOs of Diaclone albeit made by the same manufacturer my advice

No they're not. Hasbro legally acquired the rights to use Diaclone, Microman and other Japanese transforming robot toys as Transformers. They're not knockoffs. A knockoff (aka Counterfeit Consumer Good) are defined as "an unauthorised copy or imitation", and a counterfeit is "a fraudulent imitation of something else".

 

I'm not here to start another KO debate, but to refer to Transformers as "knockoffs" of Diaclone (and other Pre-TFs) is absolutely false.

 

jaam_shoulders.gif :tdown :tdown :tdown :tdown :tdown Hotrod-facepalm-uk187.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...

Really not after controversy. Was merely saying that the early toys we knew in 1984, were actually around in the previous years under a different name i.e., a rose by any other name...

 

Also, Mirriam-Webster has this to say re knock-offs:

 

Main Entry: knock·off

Pronunciation: \ˈnäk-ˌȯf\

Function: noun

Date: 1966

: a copy that sells for less than the original; broadly : a copy or imitation of someone or something popular

 

So lore aside, I say the reference is fair.

 

By the way. I had Jazz mixed up with Wheeljack re the shoulder pegs. The BT Jazz and KO Jazz are all but identical.

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