Miscelleneous PVC Figures

Miscellaneous PVC Figures

I created this page to include some other information related to PVC figures that don't fall directly under any specific ACT within the PVC line. There are three items as of August 2003 that I'm referring to which are:

Bootleg/Clone PVC's
Metalforce Prime Bootleg
Skywarp Exclusive

I have a couple of bootleg PVC's but NOT the Skywarp PVC. I'm just putting out some information concerning this exclusive and that is all. I wish I had this PVC, but that's not the case.

Bootleg/Clone PVC's

Metallic Convoy, clear-colored Megatron & Convoy

I received a few bootleg PVC figures from Paul Lorphanpaibul as a gift back in January 2002, which are the clear-colored Convoy and Megatron, as well as a Metallic Convoy.

A lot of information was released by Takara back in May 2001 concerning the circulation of bootleg PVC's. Doug Dlin provided the translations and posted them on the alt.toys.transformers newsgroup on 25 May 2001. The gist of the Takara's page stated that these PVC clones were manufactured and sold illegally as it violates the copyrights and trademarks of Takara, Inc. Takara also provided comparisons of their Convoy & Megatron to the bootlegs which are listed below. Several bootleg variations of Convoy & Megatron have surfaced over the past year and I don't even know if I have a conclusive list, but I'll post what I know so far.

Bootleg Convoy Features:	Bootleg Megatron Features:
Cybertron emblem is slightly smaller Plastic color is clear vice white Metallic color is an imitation of the original Paint layers are thin Differences in parting line at hand section Clear-colored version was never sold No projector pin marks on sole of the foot Gate cut marks on back of hands Smaller in size & softer plastic was used	Destron emblem is slightly smaller Metallic color is an imitation of the original (Grey colors on legs are brighter) Cannon on back is loose (easy to remove) Differences in parting line at hand section Clear-colored version was never sold (2 types--Pearl flakes added, weapon attached) Gate cut marks on back of hands Smaller in size & softer plastic was used

List of Bootleg PVC's:
Clear-colored Convoy with Gun Clear-colored Convoy with Axe Metallic Convoy with Gun Metallic Convoy with Axe Regular-Colored Convoy with Gun Regular-Colored Convoy with Axe Metallic Battle Damaged Convoy with Gun Metallic Battle Damaged Convoy with Axe	Clear-colored Megatron Clear-colored Megatron with Mace Metallic Megatron Metallic Megatron with Mace Regular-Colored Megatron Regular-Colored Megatron with Mace Re-incarnated Megatron Re-incarnated Megatron with Mace

*** NOTE: If you know of any other fake SCF PVC figures from that are not on the list above, please send me an e-mail with the URL or photo.

*** UPDATE: Received additional information from "Pomeroy" on 20 Dec 02 concerning the total number of PVC bootlegs to date (16). Thanks in advance!

The bootleg figures I received from Paul came in a vinyl bag without any stands. The photo on the left shows the clear-colored Convoy with Axe and clear-colored Megatron with Mace.

Metallic Convoy Clone

This is the Metallic Convoy based on the ACT-1 chase Convoy minus the Axe. There are some flaws to this figure compared to the official PVC figure as shown in the photo below.

You can see the grille is somewhat warped in the photo and I don't know if all of the "unofficial" Convoy's have this flaw, but it is clearly visible. There are also some sections with paint overspray, but overall isn't that bad.

Clone PVC Takara PVC

Here is a good example of the major flaws of the clone versus the official PVC from Takara. You can really tell the differences between the two, especially the overspray and soft plastic which really produces a sub-standard figure.

Clear-Colored Convoy Clone

This is the clear-colored Convoy which is not based on any SCF figure since it was never produced by Takara. I believe the bootleggers took the idea of the clear PVC's and just added some color.

The only real problem that I see is the paint job. If you look at the photo on the left, you can see that the grille is Pink in color. This is caused by bleed over from the Red paint. A few more layers of White paint would fix the problem.

Clear-Colored Megatron Clone

This is clear-colored Megatron with Mace. This figure isn't based upon any SCF figure since it too was never produced by Takara. It's basically a clear Megatron with some paint applied to it. I think a few more coats of paint would make this fake look quite sharp!

The one thing I didn't receive with this figure is the scope which attaches to his right arm. This was left out prior to sealing the vinyl bag--an error by the bootleggers! The weapon attachment is a replica of ACT-1's chase Megatron which introduced the Mace.

Metallic Megatron Clone

I recently purchased an item from Maybang's Collectibles and received two bootleg PVC figures as gifts.

These figures are Metallic Convoy & Megatron. I wasn't expecting to receive these gifts but I'm glad to have them since I didn't own Metallic Megatron. This figure is based on the ACT-1 Megatron chase figure minus his Mace. This bootleg is quite nice, but the problem I've noticed is that the connections are somewhat loose. Thanks to Maybang for the figures!

Overall, I like the bootleg PVC's due to the variation (clear-color) and availability. There are several collectors, such as myself, who don't have many chase figures and would like to add them to their collection without paying an outrageous amount of money for it. And I think this is one good reason why they want the fakes.

I don't see many of these figures on e-Bay anymore, but I'm sure there are some collector's that are still selling them. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the rest of them because I really like the PVC's! I received these figures as a gift so I need to say "thanks Paul!" one more time.

Metalforce Prime Bootleg

I won this bootleg of Metalforce Prime on e-Bay back in July 2003. This PVC figure was packaged in a baggy as do all bootlegs. He comes with an additional right-fist and gun and stands at 11" tall.

The first thing I noticed was that his pipes were inverted. I thought that it would be an easy fix by putting them on correctly, but I had to cut some of the connecting parts so that it would slide down the rail.

Another thing I noticed after comparing it to photos online were the windows on his torso which should have been clear Blue tint. The plastic used is definitely not clear. The Autobot emblem on his shoulder is slightly pinkish and is probably caused by the lack of White layers.

Prime leans forward due to the weak plastic. His gun also curves up slightly and is painted with flat Black vice glossy. The tip of the barrel opening isn't painted too.

The photo above has the torso removed which reveals the Matrix. This part was actually glued in place, but I used an exacto knife to remove it which was fairly easy. The original Prime also came with a Matrix cover which was not included with this bootleg.

You can also see that his eyes are painted Yellow vice Blue. The outer part of the torso still shows some Silver paint which should be Metallic-Red. You can really see the molding flaw where the grille meets the torso...kind of skewed if you ask me.

The above photo just shows some of the molding flaws and the rounded edges. The grille should be flush with the bottom of the torso and there shouldn't be any gaps between the torso and waist part which is shadowed above.

The bottom photo shows more gaps in the molding...typical of bootlegs.

Overall, the paint application isn't that bad but some parts could use a little more. I've seen better bootlegs, particularly with the SCF PVC's, but I really can't complain. The original Masterforce Prime is what I'd love to own, but I just can't see myself paying hundreds of dollars for it.

"Lucky Draw" Skywarp PVC
Transformers: Generations (TFG) Book Lucky Draw

Select scans for
larger photo

Scan from Transformers: Generations book

Scan from Figure King Magazine #47 (30 Sep 01)

Takara created yet another "Lucky Draw" campaign for exclusive Transformers which was held from 30 July to 20 August 2001. The scan on the left is an advertisement which was found within the inner cover of the Transformers: Generations book printed by Keibunsha.

The first place prize was a "Secret Color" Starscream in which 5 were produced. The second place prize was the Skywarp PVC where 200 were produced.

To enter this campaign, you needed to cut out the coupon from the advertisement, affix it to a postcard and send it to the address provided. You either needed to live in Japan (have a current Japanese mailing address) or know someone in Japan who would help out in mailing in the postcard for you.

I don't recall ever seeing the prize Skywarp on e-Bay, but I wouldn't doubt it was auctioned a few times or even sold through advertisements on alt.toys.transformers newsgroup. But since there were only 200 produced and quite difficult to find, my guess is that it sold for a pretty penny (few hundred dollars).

There are a few sites which actually show photos of Skywarp, either alone or compared to the U.S. version of Skywarp in the Heroes of Cybertron (HOC) line. Here are some links:

I sure is a nice figure and would love to add him to my collection...as would everyone else. I think the closest I'll ever get to owning one is if I repainted my Starscream in Skywarp's colors.