Here we are again, just the usual preamble: These articles are not an ethical debate on knockoffs. They simply exist as a vault to catalogue the differences, should a collector be faced with doubt about a purchase they are about to make. This time I have some differences noted by the very cool Jason Archambault. Let’s start off with a difference in the box art.
Notice the die cut area under Megatron’s arm on the official version. On the knockoff this area has not been cut out, leaving a glossy finish all the way across.
Moving on to the lower-right of the front: The barrel on Megatron’s alt mode is much lighter and clearer than on the knockoff on the right. This is a discrepancy that’s manifested itself in knockoff packaging before.
And finally: This one is a bit harder to notice, but can be a good leading indicator towards Masterpiece legitimacy. Note that the number on the official (left) is softly pressed into the box, all of its edges are delicate and taper out easily from the characters. The number on the knockoff (right) has crisp edges, giving it’s characters a more “cut” appearance.
Once again, thanks to Jason for this awesome information with photos. Hopefully this will exist online for anyone considering a purchase on eBay that they would like to be more certain of.
