KO's and Reissues

I recall a few years back when one of the great Transformers collecting debates was people who were wishing for Hasbro/Takara to re-release some Transformer toys versus those who were against it. Fast forward to present day, and as most everyone knows there have been a number of figures reissued, and some that have quality knock-offs made.

It might be a case of be careful what you wish for, you just might get it! In general, I like the idea of reissues so that a new generation of kids and collectors can get into the fun of the TOYS (sometimes we forget that), without paying too high of prices for them. Unfortunately, many of the reissues at Toys 'R Us were $30+, and Japan reissues also above that mark once imported into the US, which made the cost not too different from just buying a vintage loose figure. I would have personally preferred a little more effort going into making the reissue figures/accessories different enough from the vintage ones so they wouldn't be confused (such as using slightly different color hues), but may be in the minority there. There are too many unscrupulous people out there that try to pass those off as vintage that it makes it hard for dealers and collectors to always tell them apart.

If someone has a comprehensive re-issue list, please post it or post a link to it. Most were re-issued at least in two ways - the Takara Japanese reissue and the Hasbro US reissue. Here is a partial list:

Astrotrain
Blitzwing
Bluestreak
Dirge
Galvatron
Grapple
Hot Rod
Hound
Inferno
Insecticons - Kickback, Shrapnel, Bombshell
Ironhide
Jazz
Kup (with Wheelie)
Megatron
Minicars - Cosmos, Powerglide, Bumblebee, Gears, Huffer, Warpath
Optimus Prime
Powermaster Optimus Prime (in the version with the extra trailer)
Perceptor
Predaking
Prowl
Ramjet (limited number)
Ratchet
Sideswipe
Sixshot
Skywarp
Soundwave (with Laserbeak &/or Ravage)
Starscream
Targetmaster Kup with Recoil
Targetmaster HotRod
Thundercracker
Tracks
Ultra Magnus
(Note: Also Brawn, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper, but made as Keychains)


Along with the line of official re-issues, as you are likely aware, there are a number of higher quality knock-offs for sale MISB (Mint in Sealed Boxes). I've struggled a little bit personally on if to buy any of them or not -- on one hand, I probably should have them so I can be better aware of how to distinguish them from authentics, but on the other hand I don't want to financially support what is going on by buying any of those. Some of these are being made in variant colors or clear, which is sort of neat (but again, I hesitate to give them money if this isn't licensed). If anyone has more information on what these are all about, feel free to post it or post a link to a site with info. I am aware of at least the following KO reissues (not counting the ones that are obviously cheap knockoffs):

Bumblebee
Cosmos
Frenzy
Gnaw
Hubcap
Laserbeak
Metroplex
Mirage
Optimus Prime
Powerglide
Ratbat
Ravage
Rumble
Seaspray
Slag
Sludge
Swoop
Warpath
(un-honorable mention - a variety of KO instruction booklets are surfacing, as well)