I owned a new Sludge, and one of the things I remember is it really took a lot of strength to transform. It never occurred to me before, but shouldn't a brontosaurus be considerably larger than the others? Swoop wasn't available in the UK for some reason. But a slag will always be a slag and never a slug.
I remember that the "big" transformers such as Optimus, Megatron, Soundwave or Starscream, would come in a styrofoam receptacle, whereas the "medium size" ones would do it in a bubble. Great video, BTW.c
In the G1 cartoon it was explained that their lack of intelligence was due to them being created on Earth and not having the proper material and tech to build them "right". Like the aerial bots and combatacons which were mindless until Victor Sigma gave them personality components. (well starscream stole or broke out of "jail" the combaticoms...) anyway, due to the dinos not getting a proper upgrade from Vector Sigma they lacked the proper intellegence. Much like in Grimlock's new Brain The technobots were dumb until Grimlock upgraded them by giving them his new intelligence..
Great video. The Diaclone versions came with a polystyrene insert but the North American ones were packed like the ones you have here. Keep up the great work. I’m a huge fan of vintage Transformers. Cheers
It's weird that these KOs exist, because it is my understanding that Hasbro determined the molds for these no longer exist. Obviously, the KO folks have at least similar molds if not the original molds. I wonder what the backstory in here, because I'm sure there is one.
My G1 Swoop has a 3 point landing system. Besides the landing gear in his chest, his dinosaur feet pivot down to become the rear landing gear. The rear landing gear have no moving wheels like the chest. They are a simple molded simulation.
In the comic book its explained he is very Intelligent his speech is due to damage done to his voice processor. He also pretends to be a lot dumber than he is to keep people off guard. This causes people to underestimate him and not consider him as big of a threat as he really is.
Great review. I picked up a set of these knock-offs myself at a convention a few years ago and they are pretty great for the most part. Like yours, my Snarl also had issues with the red die-cast torso part. You didn't mention it in your review but I could see that, like mine, the two halves don't really fit together well causing a minor gap in the crotch. Also the red paint is not applied very well particularly on the inner edges along the sides of the diaclone pilot hatch. My copy also has a stiff waste rotation that I always fear will snap or shear off. The other issue with my set is that I think the chrome paint on my Swoop's wings was applied a little too thick and thus the launchers will not peg into his wings. Otherwise these are pretty great and the only way to get minty fresh "reissues" as I have read that Takara/Tomy no longer has viable versions of the molds for these guys.
I wish you would have touched a bit on the branding, that's what separates the knock offs/reissues from G1. Just to make out a tangible difference. I have all the Dinibots and all say Takara Japan with the year. I wanted to know what the ones that were shown had branded. 🤷♂️
The Dinobots WERE NOT DEFEATED BY SHOCKWAVE. They were ALL BURIED WITH HIM. That's a stalemate, pal. It was pure luck that the probe only re-activated only Shockwave in 1985.
My KO Grimlock.... the "pilot seat" could not be opened. I had to pry quite hard with a flathead screwdriver to open it. But the moment I close it, it stucks again. Does anyone have the same issue as mine?
My only G1 dinobot was Snarl i get him in my bithday frome my dad and they break him in same day because a relatives kids was jealous that was the last time i allowed anyone touch my transformers
Yeah, Swoop never came to the UK, so with these pirate Re-issues I can finally complete my collection at a reasonable price. (and he was my favourite Dinobot too).
i see this on our local online shop here and there are many reissue/replica transformers the biggest item is scorpinok and some combiner. and thanks to this review now I'm think to get some in the future.
First time viewer, great review. Thx. I notice on eBay they are selling red faced slag and cartoon accurate versions of swoop. I bought snarl and overall its very much almost identical to the original.
Toy “Gateway Drug” Spotlite - I’ve just bought the three KO Dinos still available on ShowZ (my go-to plastic pusher), and just wish I’d snapped up the other two when available (and Shockwave, and loads of others, but hey). Needless to say, I’m loving these 4P KOs! Have you seen the Reflector?! Highly recommended
I have these . all great but snarls head is hard to get out. and grimlock chest came of the screw was to small I had to glue is together. it looks great now
I don't mean to be a downer, I really don't. I just thought I'd share my experience with these figures, or more of a buyer beware, when it comes to purchasing KO Transformers. Quality can be hit or miss from figure to figure. I have all the knock-off versions of the Dinobots. In fact, they're the reason why I ended up buying the originals for my collection. I don't know for certain if there are variants as far as quality is concerned, but all 5 of the KO Dinobots I have are in questionable shape, to say the least. The weapons and any red plastic parts on the figures, were made of softer and more flexible plastic. The decals became faded and worn, only after a few times of handling the toys. The parts that were transparent plastic (or rather, intended to be), came *greenish,* instead of the intended *yellow-gold,* *clear* and in quite a few cases *solid black.* The molding on some of the parts were either too small or too big, making some of the transformations misaligned or not fit properly in place. All this becomes obvious when comparing them to the originals....But hey, at least from far away, in robot-mode, they make nice display pieces.
@@ToySpotlite .......everything i've bought from that ebay seller has been good quality.... I think some people just tend to pick things to pieces for the sake of argument.
@@williamwilkinson8735 I can assure you, I am not picking things apart for the sake of argument. As I mentioned in my first comment, that's a gamble you take with KO Transformers. The Dinobots I purchased were in very bad shape. I have other Transformers Knock Offs in my collection, and none of them were in the shape or quality as these figures were. Some are made better than others... Dare I say it, some are made of better materials than the originals. The G1 Hound KO I have is a perfect example of this. On the other hand, there was this KO G1 Bumblebee I acquired, and the roof of the car was FLAT. That's just the way it goes, when it comes to purchasing Knock Offs. So, I'm not really upset, because I knew what I was getting myself into. On another note, It's also a cheap way of getting boxes for your G1 Figures.
That's definitely one reason. He also had a tendency to break pretty easily. Broken beaks and wings galore. I'll be doing a third party review of a set of "Dinobots" that will come out next week. I could see that Swoop being more fragile as well.
A guy on youtube bought the Original set sealed from a family who add no idea of price , i am unsure of the year purchased i think around 2017-19 , but he payed approx 600.00 U.S - Around this time period would this price be literally daylight robbery?
Nice review, thank you very much. My vintage 80s dinobots are all pretty beat up and lacking in accessories so I'm looking into getting these guys. Based on your review they seem pretty spot on to the originals. Is there any way to tell them apart just by looking at the toys themselves? Are their weapons exactly like the originals? Thanks.
I haven't seen anything on them, once you put the rub signs on, to indicate they are any different than the originals. But I no longer own the originals to compare them to. The weapons look identical. The sword plastic is definitely G1 style, not the softer G2.
@Toy Spotlite ok good to know thanks I will be watching I'm going to order when I can my favorites none others broke except sunstreaker arm last he's one those knock off as well
what's with the jarring 2 second takes all the time? Do you cut it to become like that to achieve a robotic effect or are the edited takes just really that short?
@@ToySpotlite Sorry, not trying to be mean or anything, but the way the editing is done makes it noticeable that each shot lasts just about a few seconds, if even that. It's in all your videos I watched. The content is really fun and informative, it's just so choppy to watch. I'm not talking about actual camera zooms or perspectives, just the short cuts that are visible because your hands and head just jump to slightly different positions. And it's not my internet, or PC, I tested it elaborately 🙂. Anyway, I thought maybe it was deliberate and served a purpose I was not aware of.
i think its unfair to complain about the little "looseness" of these KO ,its not TERRIBLY loose like some bad KO and lets be honest ,most OG g1 transformers suffer from some form of looseness now.
Don't think of it as a complaint. It's an observation. I would be remiss if I didn't mention it. And while it might be common with even used originals, it doesn't mean it's ideal.
I owned a new Sludge, and one of the things I remember is it really took a lot of strength to transform. It never occurred to me before, but shouldn't a brontosaurus be considerably larger than the others? Swoop wasn't available in the UK for some reason. But a slag will always be a slag and never a slug.
I remember that the "big" transformers such as Optimus, Megatron, Soundwave or Starscream, would come in a styrofoam receptacle, whereas the "medium size" ones would do it in a bubble. Great video, BTW.c
If I had a 3rd party company I'd make a G1 Scorn. It would look as if it was released next to the others in the 80's :)
Scorn and Slash (from Bayverse).
In the G1 cartoon it was explained that their lack of intelligence was due to them being created on Earth and not having the proper material and tech to build them "right". Like the aerial bots and combatacons which were mindless until Victor Sigma gave them personality components. (well starscream stole or broke out of "jail" the combaticoms...) anyway, due to the dinos not getting a proper upgrade from Vector Sigma they lacked the proper intellegence. Much like in Grimlock's new Brain The technobots were dumb until Grimlock upgraded them by giving them his new intelligence..
8:09 the little “woohoo” had me dying laughing.
Great video. The Diaclone versions came with a polystyrene insert but the North American ones were packed like the ones you have here. Keep up the great work. I’m a huge fan of vintage Transformers. Cheers
Thanks! I used to have a Diaclone Jazz and Sideswipe and they definitely had Styrofoam.
@@ToySpotlite I’m looking forward to checking out your other content.
The original Dinobots' instructions did not have the drawn picture on the front. It was a replication of the picture from the front of the box.
@@toejamandearl8110 Interesting. Thanks for the information.
It's weird that these KOs exist, because it is my understanding that Hasbro determined the molds for these no longer exist. Obviously, the KO folks have at least similar molds if not the original molds. I wonder what the backstory in here, because I'm sure there is one.
I always liked how in the show Sludge was kind of a rival to Rumble because he could also make the ground shake which somehow messed up Rumble.
My G1 Swoop has a 3 point landing system. Besides the landing gear in his chest, his dinosaur feet pivot down to become the rear landing gear. The rear landing gear have no moving wheels like the chest. They are a simple molded simulation.
In the comic book its explained he is very Intelligent his speech is due to damage done to his voice processor. He also pretends to be a lot dumber than he is to keep people off guard. This causes people to underestimate him and not consider him as big of a threat as he really is.
Great review. I picked up a set of these knock-offs myself at a convention a few years ago and they are pretty great for the most part.
Like yours, my Snarl also had issues with the red die-cast torso part. You didn't mention it in your review but I could see that, like mine, the two halves don't really fit together well causing a minor gap in the crotch. Also the red paint is not applied very well particularly on the inner edges along the sides of the diaclone pilot hatch. My copy also has a stiff waste rotation that I always fear will snap or shear off.
The other issue with my set is that I think the chrome paint on my Swoop's wings was applied a little too thick and thus the launchers will not peg into his wings.
Otherwise these are pretty great and the only way to get minty fresh "reissues" as I have read that Takara/Tomy no longer has viable versions of the molds for these guys.
I wish you would have touched a bit on the branding, that's what separates the knock offs/reissues from G1. Just to make out a tangible difference. I have all the Dinibots and all say Takara Japan with the year. I wanted to know what the ones that were shown had branded. 🤷♂️
the original one's were stiff when new too. Then after a little bit of play time they became extremely loose.
The Dinobots WERE NOT DEFEATED BY SHOCKWAVE. They were ALL BURIED WITH HIM. That's a stalemate, pal.
It was pure luck that the probe only re-activated only Shockwave in 1985.
My KO Grimlock.... the "pilot seat" could not be opened. I had to pry quite hard with a flathead screwdriver to open it. But the moment I close it, it stucks again.
Does anyone have the same issue as mine?
My only G1 dinobot was Snarl i get him in my bithday frome my dad and they break him in same day because a relatives kids was jealous that was the last time i allowed anyone touch my transformers
I was always curious with these. Glad they are on the whole pretty good!
Yeah, Swoop never came to the UK, so with these pirate Re-issues I can finally complete my collection at a reasonable price. (and he was my favourite Dinobot too).
i see this on our local online shop here and there are many reissue/replica transformers the biggest item is scorpinok and some combiner. and thanks to this review now I'm think to get some in the future.
First time viewer, great review. Thx. I notice on eBay they are selling red faced slag and cartoon accurate versions of swoop. I bought snarl and overall its very much almost identical to the original.
Toy “Gateway Drug” Spotlite - I’ve just bought the three KO Dinos still available on ShowZ (my go-to plastic pusher), and just wish I’d snapped up the other two when available (and Shockwave, and loads of others, but hey). Needless to say, I’m loving these 4P KOs! Have you seen the Reflector?! Highly recommended
ua-cam.com/video/3zrvez2F5-Q/v-deo.html Here's Reflector
I have a Grimlock KO from the late 2000s, says Bommander instead of Commander lol, quality is great.
The biggest differences I noticed was the clear plastic parts are more smokey than clear.
They came in that same bubble packaging insert as you see here.
Thanks!
@@ToySpotlite You're welcome!
I have these . all great but snarls head is hard to get out. and grimlock chest came of the screw was to small I had to glue is together. it looks great now
Wow the beak didn't snap off swoop mine did unfortunately its great your reviewing them
Where is Swoop Diaclon storage area?
They came on the internal card.
I don't mean to be a downer, I really don't. I just thought I'd share my experience with these figures, or more of a buyer beware, when it comes to purchasing KO Transformers. Quality can be hit or miss from figure to figure. I have all the knock-off versions of the Dinobots. In fact, they're the reason why I ended up buying the originals for my collection. I don't know for certain if there are variants as far as quality is concerned, but all 5 of the KO Dinobots I have are in questionable shape, to say the least. The weapons and any red plastic parts on the figures, were made of softer and more flexible plastic. The decals became faded and worn, only after a few times of handling the toys. The parts that were transparent plastic (or rather, intended to be), came *greenish,* instead of the intended *yellow-gold,* *clear* and in quite a few cases *solid black.* The molding on some of the parts were either too small or too big, making some of the transformations misaligned or not fit properly in place. All this becomes obvious when comparing them to the originals....But hey, at least from far away, in robot-mode, they make nice display pieces.
I am sorry you had such a bad experience. Knock offs can be bad quality. So far these seem good. I think it may depend on who is making them.
@@ToySpotlite .......everything i've bought from that ebay seller has been good quality.... I think some people just tend to pick things to pieces for the sake of argument.
@@williamwilkinson8735
I can assure you, I am not picking things apart for the sake of argument. As I mentioned in my first comment, that's a gamble you take with KO Transformers. The Dinobots I purchased were in very bad shape. I have other Transformers Knock Offs in my collection, and none of them were in the shape or quality as these figures were. Some are made better than others... Dare I say it, some are made of better materials than the originals. The G1 Hound KO I have is a perfect example of this. On the other hand, there was this KO G1 Bumblebee I acquired, and the roof of the car was FLAT. That's just the way it goes, when it comes to purchasing Knock Offs. So, I'm not really upset, because I knew what I was getting myself into. On another note, It's also a cheap way of getting boxes for your G1 Figures.
Does the stamp on the KO say 1980- 1984 takara japan?
Yep. Checked Swoop and one wing has Takara and the other Hasbro.
Where can I get these? What is the KO brand?
Swoop is (arguably?) "rarer" than the other Dinobots, as he was never released in the UK...
That's definitely one reason. He also had a tendency to break pretty easily. Broken beaks and wings galore. I'll be doing a third party review of a set of "Dinobots" that will come out next week. I could see that Swoop being more fragile as well.
A guy on youtube bought the Original set sealed from a family who add no idea of price , i am unsure of the year purchased i think around 2017-19 , but he payed approx 600.00 U.S - Around this time period would this price be literally daylight robbery?
Great video. Would love those!
Fascinating.
Nice review, thank you very much. My vintage 80s dinobots are all pretty beat up and lacking in accessories so I'm looking into getting these guys. Based on your review they seem pretty spot on to the originals. Is there any way to tell them apart just by looking at the toys themselves? Are their weapons exactly like the originals? Thanks.
I haven't seen anything on them, once you put the rub signs on, to indicate they are any different than the originals. But I no longer own the originals to compare them to. The weapons look identical. The sword plastic is definitely G1 style, not the softer G2.
Did you get trademark stamps on your dinos?
I have all 5 of those myself swoop is fragile the beak snapped off mine
I'm sorry to hear that. Swoop's beak has always been a fragile point. That's why I am very careful with Swoop figures, especially counterfeits.
@Toy Spotlite ok good to know thanks I will be watching I'm going to order when I can my favorites none others broke except sunstreaker arm last he's one those knock off as well
@Toy Spotlite all others are good just swoop the beak and sunstreaker 1 of the arms the others I have no problems there limbs are just very tight
Brilliam baloni!
what's with the jarring 2 second takes all the time? Do you cut it to become like that to achieve a robotic effect or are the edited takes just really that short?
Honestly, not sure what you mean.
@@ToySpotlite Sorry, not trying to be mean or anything, but the way the editing is done makes it noticeable that each shot lasts just about a few seconds, if even that. It's in all your videos I watched. The content is really fun and informative, it's just so choppy to watch. I'm not talking about actual camera zooms or perspectives, just the short cuts that are visible because your hands and head just jump to slightly different positions. And it's not my internet, or PC, I tested it elaborately 🙂. Anyway, I thought maybe it was deliberate and served a purpose I was not aware of.
Ah. Well, since I don't script the reviews, sometimes I pause a bit, and the editor chops those out. So you see some jump cuts. Sorry.
@@ToySpotliteI see what he means. Mostly between 4:40 and 4:50
Whoops, wait a minute...it does it a lot more after that too.
Well, it was either jump cuts or awkward pauses. I went for jump cuts.
Me Grimlock save universe.
i think its unfair to complain about the little "looseness" of these KO ,its not TERRIBLY loose like some bad KO and lets be honest ,most OG g1 transformers suffer from some form of looseness now.
Don't think of it as a complaint. It's an observation. I would be remiss if I didn't mention it. And while it might be common with even used originals, it doesn't mean it's ideal.
@@ToySpotlite fair
ive ordered all 4 main combiners and metroplex from china,hope i get the versions you did !
I love G1s, the transformers they put out today looks hideous.