BACK to the Japanese-European Variants page!

Oh, China....

Land of a thousand knockoffs

Chinese tfs are an interesting problem. Originally, they simply had the same tfs the rest of the world had (sometimes just with a clumsy sticker thrown over the pkg). Later on, it was thought that China simply started producing their own 'lisenced' tfs (properly-stamped toys without authorisation for their own market, circa mid-90s).

Recent evidence, however, has cast serious doubt on that notion; Stein has put forth that despite initial evidence to the contrary, these were in-fact legitimately-produced tfs (japanese aerialbots with copystamps mimicking the chinese ones, for example)

The argument for most people centers around the following: if Ironhide is a 1984 toy, with the box and copystamp that say 1984, yet the toy was produced in china in 1994... it's not acceptable, whether it has a little black sticker or not. I understand the concern (especially when you consider that what currently passes for a 'fake' chinese tf in 2006/2007 has done exactly the same thing...Mirage with a vintage box and 84 copystamp, fake dinobots and cassettes, etc). Further, when you consider that Collector Series reissues and TakaraTomy Encore reissues have updated boxes and copystamps, it's easy to see why people want to put the chinese tfs from the 90's in the same catagory as the 06/07 ones (ie, fake).

Stein's recent article has done a thorough job of identifying the various releases of chinese tfs (from the 90s to today). For follow-up, consider his vintage article (and some of his source material)here.

Granted, China has a very long history of ignoring copyright/patent law in all business/industry, as well as rights of intellectual property. This wasn't widely known for a number of years. In fact, only up until recently have they been taken to task over it(I can reference, among other things, the pertinent Newsweek articles for those who wish it). However, in the case of Hasbro Tfs, whether there is a legitimate lisence issue or not, the issue for people comes down to acceptability. There are those who will simply not accept chinese tfs from the 90's as anything but substandard (then again, there are people who don't feel that the 06/07 Mirages are fake, so take all extremes with a grain of salt).

I suppose it doesn't help that China has (and continues to) produce plenty of knockoffs (for their market; which of course leak into ours)(see knock-offs for the classic chinese knockoffs, and the Korean page for the korean ones).

Fracus first came across this phenomenon back in 1994 (you can read about his information in an article here.) The toys involved, for all intents and purposes, are not all that different from any other tfs. The giveaways (from actual vintage tfs) are the modern-printed packages, and of-course, some minor changes on the toys themselves(on the copystamp, and the stickers, in several cases... for more on packaging issues, go here).

As I said, an interesting problem. Take this, and everything else, with a grain of salt, as always :-) I have noticed that the Dutch seem to get a lot of pollution....they recieved Mexican tfs, and a gaggle of the classic 'evil' chinese tfs. For some reason, they seem to be a dumping grounds...

The most fun of all? China is currently authorized to produce all our legitimate tfs anyways, thanks to our wonderful worldwide open markets :-) With both legitimate, 90's, fakes, and a host of other tfs coming out of their factories, I fully expect that China will continue to be a fun point of discussion for one and all.

One final note: since 1997, HongKong has been a part of China(until that point, it was a protectorate of Britain, as was Macau). So when we talk about HK tfs, we mean chinese tfs, too ;-) Lovely how it all ties together, eh?

To wrap up:
1) Legitimate vintage Tfs with a large ugly chinese 'sticker' on them (Aerialbots, Monsterbots, etc)(properly liscenced from Has/Tak)(presumed Taiwan release)

2) Vintage Tfs produced in the 90s (such as Ironhide) with small black sticker in the corner(usually under contention as fake due to being seen as a knockoff of an 84 toy)(modified/blocked copystamp with sticker and painted detail changes, box changes, etc)(lisc under contention with the Tak part of Has/Tak, apparently)

3) 'Naughty' Tfs made to look like the real thing(such as Beachcomber), but with subtle spelling/manufacturing errors on the toy and the pkg (cheaper feel to the plastic, 'interested' spelled wrong on Beachcomber's biocard, etc)(Like #2 above in that they are properly-stamped toys, but they are currently considered 'fake' by the fan community)

4) Obviously fake tfs (kos, bootlegs, wrong colors, size, pkg, no stamping, etc)(what we don't mind them making these...they're fun.)

Chinese Tfs from the 90's:

These are the ones from 80s, reproduced in the 90's, that cause people the most trouble. When you consider that the cassettes and the minibots, in-particular, have been reproduced again, this makes sorting between vintage, 90's release, and fake a nightmare for many collectors...

1984-1988 US toys reissued in China from1989-1994
Prime, Hound, Jazz, Ironhide, Mirage, Smokescreen, Prowl, Wheeljack
Minibots Bumblebee, Seaspray, Beachcomber, Hubcap
Dinobots Grimlock, Snarl, Sludge
Megatron, Starscream, Ramjet, Soundwave/Buzzsaw
Rumble/Ravage, Ratbat/Frenzy,Squawktalk/Beastbox, Rewind/Steeljaw, Eject/Ramhorn
Cyclonus, Astrotrain, Springer, Broadside, Triggerbots/cons
Aerialbots, Stunticons, Protectobots, Constructicons, Powermasters
Headmasters, Targetmasters, Scorponok, Fortress Maximus, Punch/Counterpunch, the Clones

1989 Japanese Tfs reissued in China in 1995
Multiforce, Brainmasters, Breastforce

Easy tells for these are the abbreviated copyright/trademark on the package, a blocked stamping on the toy itself, a small sticker (sometimes) in the corner of the package, and in later series, a complete redo of the box itself (new chinese characters replacing the japanese ones, the word Takara replacing the docachin Takara symbol, etc) as well as new stickers (more below).

Note: if you're starting to notice a similarity between blocked-copyright toys from china, and those from the classics releases in the UK, you might be onto something ;-)

+++

Soundwave. To quote Himawari: "Most HK versions were similar to the euro boxs in having 4 languages on them with a small "hong kong" sticker in the corner. Most people have tried taking that sticker off and sell them as a euro soundwave, but the only problem with that is the cassette is different. So if a person takes off the sticker, you could still tell it comes from HK. When someones says HK cassettes, immediatly I am reminded of painted detail. Painted versions come from HK. Thanks."-Himawari (editor's note: HongKong belongs to China now :-) It is, and historically has been, the perfect 'outlet' for reasons many people probably already understand....pic2 pic3 Maz adds: Large techspecs, no text on top left corner of box front, multilingual...I have seen these available in HK and China before, especially Soundwave(so it's a good idea to keep an eye out for sticker residue in the corner :-)" pic

Cassettes: turns out that, though these tfs came in 'american packaging' (albeit with a sticker slapped over the label), they actually originated as a late-run run in Hk/china. Units that don't exist in the US(such as painted-details Steeljaw and Frenzy) originated in this market(See soundwave and painted-details buzzsaw, above). More...

Minibots 1: (chinese sticker over legitimate cardback)(in-process)

Dinobots: In the 90's, they are the same molds as the euro classic dinobots which came after the macau mold and before the G2 mold. The euro classic dinobots were available in 1990 and then later in 92 as a mail order for Japan but in regular US style boxes. (which are apparently *not* to be confused with the 2006/2007 Dinobots, with glossier boxes, wider tape, and a cheaper feel)More...

Ironhide and Inferno: Pkg style looks eerily similar, but check out that little sticker in the corner :-) That's the givaway. For some reason, apparently they came in cases; a single tf would be all the pieces in a case(comparison of us vs hk box here. Case-pics are here: 1 2 3).

The Clones, and Punch/Counterpunch. Instead of their specialized(their secret mode) rubsigns, they got faction stickers. The rest seems to have remained unchanged. Same for pcp; no secret rubs, just plain stickers. So much for his disguise...

Pretender Monsters: To illustrate again the american packaging, and the chinese sticker that got slapped on it for the local market(Remember, Macau is also a colony located near China:-)

LioKaiser. Their manufacturer-stampings on their sets are of the later-version used on the remolded Rescueforce members, oddly enough. So basically you go from Japanese version, to chinese version, to 2 versions of Rescueforce. More...

Landcross. In addition to a later copystamp, the stickers and paintapps were altered. The chinese version of the mold was later used for the reissue (pic of japanese vs chinese box).

NOTE: The Netherlands(and the UK in-general) seems to have been a dumping grounds for both Mexican and Chinese Tfs. We're not sure why. But pieces found in HongKong, etc show up in NL :-)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chinese Tfs 2005 to Current: The ones *NOT* accepted as Real :

Steins article divides the recent spate of fake Tfs into two specific companies/catagories(Zhong Jin and Kidi Toys). The confusion and concern, again, is that these toys do come with has/tak manufacturing stamping, vintage-looking boxes, and overlap much of what is considered the legitimate 90's chinese tf market.

Zhong Jin counterfeits Optimus Prime, Mirage Dinobots Swoop, Slag, Sludge, Grimlock
Cassettes: Frenzy/Laserbeak, Rumble/Buzzsaw on Frenzy/Laserbeak card, Rumble/Ravage, Frenzy/Ratbat
Minibots: Beachcomber, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper (red), Cliffjumper (yellow), Hubcap, Warpath, Seaspray, Powerglide, Cosmos, Brawn, Outback
Devastator giftset, Gnaw,Insecticons, Reflector in mail-away box
(Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, Soundwave, Snarl: box and bubble only, no toy so far)

Kidi Toys counterfeits Metroplex, Metrotitan(in Metroplex Poster Box with red "Emulational Robot" sticker on it), and Devastator Giftset (different from Zhong Jin version--less expensive with less obvious box differences)

(note: Many Zhong Jin counterfeits have also been made in several different unique color variants, like various clear versions, black versions, white versions, chrome versions, etc. The clear versions cross over into the argument about the Lunchtime Specials from a few years back, thus muddying the waters even further).

++++

Mirage, Wheeljack, Sunstreaker: Subtle package/molding clues give them away. Mirage came in red, blue, black, and clear versions. Boxes are much shinier, have subtle 'tells', and of course the toys themselves have a 'cheaper' feel to them. The boxes are glossier, and have wide tape (as opposed to narrow) on them. In an unrelated article, here's a blurb about repo'd inserts...

Optimus Prime: The KO seems to be taken from the 'french' molding of the toy first found in the 90's. Details include no silver torso stickers, loose joints, and more (more...)

Minibots 2: started out legitimately enough. Similar to the clones, they had different stickers, altered stampings, and no rubsigns to speak of(such as Cliffjumper- Pic). However, the more recent spate of minibots has been questioned. Like Ironhide, this Beachcomber was supposedly found in caselots(the same minibot packed in one case). Though interestingly, Beachcomber may have seen an even more recent run....and he's got some errors on him :-) Dunno how they slipped by afa(ok, yes I do, they don't care, I imagine). (more on beachcomber...).

Dinobots (round 2): Glossier boxes, wider tape, and they come in clear versions. Includes (in-process). More...

(see also: Lunchtime Specials.)

(for a listing of things released in China in the 90's: See Fracus' List!)

(see also: stein's article and stein's original article)

BACK to the Japanese-European Variants page.

(see also: knock-offs)