THE KNOCK OFF TRANSFORMERS THREAD
- Thread starter PrimalxConvoy
- Start date
They're definitely a bit below Transformers or Gobots, more in line with Converters, but they have a certain charm to them. I've actually started to really love these "lesser" transforming robot lines over the last few years.
He's giving me both barrels!
And my Ohio Day 2 finds. I was supposed to be going home today, but FedEx failed to deliver some parts that I was waiting on, so here I am for another night. But, since none of these are Transformers, this thread seems to still be the place to put them.
Found me a Dinotron Stegatron (now only missing a Rextron to have the full set in Easter colors), a couple of Zybots, and a really good condition Leader 1. I have a Super Gobots Leader 1, but it's in much rougher shape. Other than 1 floppy wing joint, this one feels practically mint. Nice stickers, good stiff joints, no plastic discoloration. Pretty happy with it.
Found me a Dinotron Stegatron (now only missing a Rextron to have the full set in Easter colors), a couple of Zybots, and a really good condition Leader 1. I have a Super Gobots Leader 1, but it's in much rougher shape. Other than 1 floppy wing joint, this one feels practically mint. Nice stickers, good stiff joints, no plastic discoloration. Pretty happy with it.
Oh! And an honorable mention:
This one I wanted, but didn't quite $50 want. Dinosaur headed Jumpstarter knockoff:
This one I wanted, but didn't quite $50 want. Dinosaur headed Jumpstarter knockoff:
A Jumpstarter with the head and tail of a Zoids Gojulas. That's an interesting mashup.
The one laying down looks like the head of a Zoids Dark Horn, minus the nose horn.
The one laying down looks like the head of a Zoids Dark Horn, minus the nose horn.
Discovered these yesterday on ebay. There seem to be several online. Loving this oversized, simplified Ramhorn remolded to be a....cow? Pretty sure cow. A cowsette, if you will.
Dammit! Now I need a Paul Bunyon Crossover! Maybe an Optimus Prime with paint apps to make his torso look like flannel, a new bearded head, and the energon axe in a more traditional steel-with-red-paint color scheme?
Just add flannel lines to Animated Prime.
Dammit, you're right. Can't believe I forgot about him. He's perfect.
I've seen the tank in two different colors. It's based on Combiner Wars Brawl, complete with vestigial combiner peg sticking out despite nothing to actually combine with. I think the helicopter is partly based on Battleslash, mixed with more Starscream.
They also had some really bad Dinozaurs knockoffs. Also not worth the five bucks.
They also had some really bad Dinozaurs knockoffs. Also not worth the five bucks.
I grabbed a helicopter and a jet out of curiosity. They're definitely cheap feeling, shampoo-bottle plastic, but the molding and paint aren't bad. and the weapons are decent. For $5 each, if you were trying to fill in the background of a battle scene with generics, it wouldn't be a bad way to go. There almost do seem to be provisions for combining that don't seem to be completely vestigial? The pegs aren't Combiner Wars style, and there are ports in the feet where a hand could go. Almost wonder if there is a torso bot mold out there somewhere along with hands/feet. May never come to Five Below, though.
Speaking for myself here, most of the more memorable KOs and such I saw as a kid were based on things I'd never heard of before. Like, I still have a neon-colored Liokaiser and a bunch of Brave stuff that never saw release in the US. So it's not that they were KOs, so much as that they were new. Now I recognize all of this stuff, so I can see how things were cheapened out, so it's just not very impressive.
IDK, I have a bizarre fondness for knockoffs that transcends issues with quality; from vintage Convertors, Convertabots, Zybots, and the like (which aren't ALL strictly KOs, but some are) to the sets of KO Protectobots, Constructions, and Machine Robo Rescue Bots that were sold at Shopko, Big Lots, and Walmart, to modern Dollar Store oddities, I have a hard time passing up even the cheapest-looking robot that turns into something else. I'll have to keep an eye out for these Five Below Bots, they look just different enough to be interesting!