And i recently managed to get my hands on the headmaster heads….
Afterwhich, i went to get myself a knockoff Lione…reason being i want to see for myself the differences between the KO and the real deal.
and here are the comparison pictures…
Original is the top piece…the view from the right shows not much of a difference…frightening similarities...
From this side, the KO piece showed through the inferior pins...
Front view does not show any significant differences...
Nor does the headmaster face view…but fortunately there are no takara stamping on the KO...
Head mode views are similar...
Closeup of the headmaster face…here you can see the original on the left has a Takara 87 stamping right below the chin whereas the KO does not…solely based on this, one can differentiate.
Some other differences, the KO has an additional flash point whereas the original does not.
I don't really know how many versions of KO are there, so i can't confirm if all the KO does not come with the takara stamping. but if some of them do, then it would be very difficult to tell them apart. Unlike other bigger sized KOs, these headmasters heads have very little differences, even the details, lines, edges are terrifying similar. Just by looking at a KO piece, it is very very difficult to tell.
My suggestion for all those who intend to get these headmasters heads is to get them from a reliable source, try not to get them loose (not foolproof as the KO can be put into a box as decoy) and do a lot of homework before getting them especially off ebay.
My experience, didn't do enough homework and was too lazy to check when getting a set of Vintage Insecticons…a couple of weeks later, after i have the time, i took out the toys and realized that the bubbles were all KO and the toys after checking…seemed KO too…fortunately the seller refunded me after i went through all the evidence with him…it's good luck on my part but i learnt a lesson as well..
As far as I know, all 6 1987 exclusive HMs were KO-ed in colour and in white. For the white KOs, its actually quite easy to tell them apart due to the details and the shade of white.
ReplyDeleteFor the coloured KOs, its very difficult - as you have pointed out. On close inspection and with a genuine piece side by side, you will be able to see that the genuine has finer details which are more distinct (less blurry) and more crisp. But just looking at a KO piece alone, its a lot more difficult to tell (other than the lack of the Takara stamp).
~ heroic_decepticon