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View Poll Results: Has there been a change in your TF purchasing pattern due to recent influx of KOs?
No change 26 78.79%
More cautious. I wait around before committing to purchasing "originals" 7 21.21%
Voters: 33. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 04-17-2017, 06:03 PM   #1
elintseeker
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KOs and your purchase pattern

I would like to start a poll to see if the increasing prevalence of high-quality knock-offs are changing people's purchase patterns. We all know that these KOs are able to undercut the original manufacturer, be it Hasbro/Takara or other third party companies, because they don't have to invest in the R&D, which is arguably the riskiest and most expensive part of rolling out a product. They also have the benefit of picking and choosing items that are well-received, again lowering risk of their ventures.

On one hand, some people argue that the "original" products are way over-prized. However, if we all shift our purchase to KOs we'll soon stifle innovation and new product development.

What do you think about this issue? Do you wait longer now before purchasing a figure to see if a high-quality KO will be produced?
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Old 04-17-2017, 06:30 PM   #2
icantbelieveit
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Re: KOs and your purchase pattern

The only change for me is that I will pre-order from Japan now to ensure I got authentic ones.
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Old 04-17-2017, 06:49 PM   #3
GotBot
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Re: KOs and your purchase pattern

This is an excellent question. Very well thought out and I agree...to an extent. I always opt official if I feel I can. I have gotten an add on set or two and do custom work. I would rather do that to official product if I can.

It might also depend on the line. Maybe a ko offers something you cannot otherwise get, like a different size class. For example, Alcee is basically an MP scaled ko of the deluxe Arcee mold. Someone into both lines, say, might get official and non for different purposes. Or, maybe you can't really get a figure otherwise, like I have the KO AOE Nemesis, I know there is an official, but have never seen it and hear it is 80 bucks US.

If we are talking specifically say MP Megs, never in ten billion years would I remotely consider paying 300 for it. Either I would wait for the ko OR opt for a comparable 3p. Despotron is very impressive and a good hundred bucks less I do believe, and he has impressive engineering R and D, so it can certainly be done for less.
Excellent question, very thought provoking.

Last edited by GotBot; 04-17-2017 at 06:51 PM.
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Old 04-17-2017, 07:23 PM   #4
Mikformer
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Re: KOs and your purchase pattern

it depends on the budget for me.
I max out at about $150.
Megatron at $300+ is goddamn ridiculous. I can buy someone's collection of another series.

MPs that are $50-70 or large MPs for $100-$150 sure.
Otherwise it will be KO.
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Old 04-17-2017, 07:24 PM   #5
positivelyken
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Re: KOs and your purchase pattern

As a rule I don't buy KOs of Masterpiece figures. MPs do tend to be expensive, but getting in on preorders through Japanese etailers, and taking advantage of a 30% discount, goes a long way to mitigate the cost. I believe in supporting an official product when it's possible.

The one exception in my collection is a KO MP Ratbat, which I bought because I wanted all the Decepticon cassettes but I didn't want to buy MP Soundblaster to get it. If the official version had been available to buy separately, though, I would've gone with the official one.
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Old 04-17-2017, 07:40 PM   #6
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Re: KOs and your purchase pattern

Generally, I only buy KOs of figures I already have or have no intention of buying otherwise. High quality KOs aren't perfect replicas. In some cases they're better, but most times, they have imperfections added to the imperfections that are already on the original.
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Old 04-17-2017, 09:08 PM   #7
wervenom
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Re: KOs and your purchase pattern

Depends on price. love of character and purpose. The OS KO Warbotron serves as a great figure for an MP sized Bruticus. Also the price being 1/3 and 1.5 times the size of the original works well for a budget. KO MP's - not so much although I did buy a Red Alert a few years back when his price sky rocketed on the original. Didn't love the character enough to justify the cost at the time.
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Old 04-18-2017, 12:02 AM   #8
79transam
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Re: KOs and your purchase pattern

I used to be official only.
But lately I feel like brand loyalty is being used as a reason to jack prices and lower quality.

It's not my responsibility to make sure companies make it or break it. It's the companies best interest to keep me happy and coming back. And as of late- they have failed to do that.

I buy all KO and 3P now because I'm sick of feeling ripped off every time I buy a 150 dollar plastic toy that is basically no different than one you get at walmart for 30 or 40 bucks, except for a bit of engineering and an incredibly wasteful giant box wrapped around it.
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Old 04-18-2017, 12:49 AM   #9
elintseeker
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Re: KOs and your purchase pattern

The main issue I'm having is diminishing incentive to become an "early adopter" with the original products. Case in point is the OS Warbotron figure set and the OS Throttlebot set. These new sets are bigger, (arguably) better or equivalent in quality, and considerably cheaper. Now the resale value of these figures have plummeted. It's great for the late adopters, but the owners of the original sets suffered because of the KOs.

I think the original Takara/Hasbro Masterpiece can continue hold their value, but with the proliferation of these KOs it can be difficult to justify the higher value 3P offerings.

At the end of the day, if companies that creates original products struggle because of this changing market forces, we might find ourselves out of arguably the most innovative period of TF toy offerings.
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Old 04-18-2017, 01:10 AM   #10
79transam
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Re: KOs and your purchase pattern

I see your point, but I disagree with the feared outcome. I see people who design transformers on Instagram just for their own amusement. 3P and KO companies have infrastructure already established.
If official shut their doors forever, it wouldnt change the fact that the market exists and there's always going to be someone vying to earn that money.

Official product companies are not the end all be all regarding innovation. From my perspective, they have been what's held innovation back so long and we are just now beginning to see their grip on a monopoly crumble.

Collecting has never been as good as it is now that 3P and KO products gave us something actually viable both financially and quality wise.

Official product holding value has been diminished by their own companies with countless reissues. Availability is what determines value. And they (official) burned that bridge for collectors, not anyone else. Now it's nothing but a free for all.

Last edited by 79transam; 04-18-2017 at 01:14 AM.
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