Unofficial Plastic Model Kits (Knockoff/Bootlegs)

[Shawn]

While searching for a knockoff toy, I ran across some interesting model kits, thought I'd share the finds here!
Feel free to add more!

 

 

 

 

 

That Sally Tek above...is literally a Takatoku 1/100 toy?! I have to find this! See the comparison against the Takatoku Max VF-1J below.
This one comes with a Gunpod...so it is better than the Takatoku ever could be (ha) 

 

https://bbs.ruliweb.com/family/232/board/300080/read/30125679

 

[Bolt]

Wow. Even using some of the same artwork.. the Super Mc-Roid is a hilarious name.

So would the Revell models of the 80's be considered  "knock offs"? Or  because of the R word, not ?

Edited February 4, 2023 by Bolt

[Shawn]

[Shawn]

The Revell kits were official in the fact that the were from Imai or Arii, but these are all new molds and interpretations.

They are pretty wild!

[Bolt]

7 minutes ago, Shawn said:

The Revell kits were official in the fact that the were from Imai or Arii, but these are all new molds and interpretations.

Got it 👍🏼
 

 

8 minutes ago, Shawn said:

They are pretty wild!

Sally Robo Tek !

[Shawn]

I would say that the Super McRoid and the Super Spartan are direct copies or import of the original Japanese kits-so it might have similar to the Revell Robotech situation...interesting!

 

[Shawn]

Wow-nice collection! Multiple scales too

 

[Shawn]

SDF-1, Nice box art

 

[nightmareB4macross]

I have been looking for that 1/100 VF-1 model kit. I have only seen it once before then lost track of it.

Fantastic finds!!

[nightmareB4macross]

.😜
 

Found a fully built Space Gandam V kit all built up.

http://gsr.seesaa.net/article/100136676.html

Edited February 4, 2023 by nightmareB4macross

[nightmareB4macross]

Found an interesting story on FB.

Not my story.

“I remember seeing the Space Gandam V movie poster and associated model kits and toys when we were stationed in Korea, and thinking to myself,  "What The Actual F**k Is This?"

I bought a unassembled 1/55 Takatoku knock off VF-1J sold as a Space Gandam V "model kit" for like $3 at a local market off base.

All die cast parts were replaced with plastic pieces, but it included springs and screws for assembly.  Everything was on plastic sprues, with some plastic parts in separate bags.

The gun pod could even fire missiles from it.

I wish I still had the stupid thing.😏”

I wonder if he meant the 1/100 kit instead, but he goes on to mention firing bullets like the 1/55.

I wonder if this is the box for it since it very similar to the 1/55 versions.

The hunt continues.

Edited February 4, 2023 by nightmareB4macross

[Big s]

Sally Robot Tek sounds like a mistranslation of an apology to harmony gold.

[sketchley]

18 hours ago, Big s said:

Sally Robot Tek sounds like a mistranslation of an apology to harmony gold.

In Korean it says "출격로보트텍".  Literally "Sally (or Sortie) Robot Tech".  So, it's not a mistranslation, just a (too) literal one.

 

A couple of the kits says SBS-TV방영 (aired on SBS-TV).  Digging a little deeper, I found something intriguing on this link about the voice actors for the South Korean version of Hikaru Ichijo: https://namu.wiki/w/이치죠 히카루

Quote

(85년 삼부비디오) - 김창기/유재옥

(Sambu Video in 1985) - Kim Chang-ki/Yoo Jae-ok

 

(사랑을 기억하시나요? 91년 정우씨네마 비디오) - 김환진

(Do you remember love? Jungwoo Cinema video in 1991) - Hwanjin Kim

 

(SBS 방영판 출격 로보텍) - 손원일

(Sally Robotech [Robot Tech] on the SBS aired version) - Son Won-il

(DVD 미방영판) - 김장

(DVD unaired version) - Kimjang

Apparently there were 3 versions of SDFM released in South Korea, and the "Sally Robot Tech" was the domestic name for the SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) version.*

* "Robot Tech" (as per the kits) seems to have been simplified to "Robotech" over the years (as per the Namu Wiki).

 

Alas, my Korean isn't good enough to clarify if these kits are official or knockoffs/bootlegs.

 

Anyhow, this link has the assembly and transformation instructions for one of the kits: https://bbs.ruliweb.com/family/232/board/300080/read/30125679

Here's another kit with instructions and sprues in yellow and neon green(!!!🤮) :  http://totoy.com/product/신성과학-출격로보텍-프라모델/6795/

Edited February 5, 2023 by sketchley

[Shawn]

Thanks for the all the stories and info! I was dumb enough to not make the connection between 'Robot Tek'and 'Robotech'...of course!

I found another pic of the 1/100 Takatoku model kit. I think this was the one your friend was describing, maybe just a mis-remembering of the gunpod firing since it was so long ago and there were probably other 1/55s they had

http://wooroemae.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=menu_03_bbs&page=50&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=vote&desc=asc&no=818&PHPSESSID=84be942dd9704564a65e6e184ab143e6

 

 

[Shawn]

Woah...these are actually Nichimo kits! Gotta find some of those.

 

 

[transjet]

SPACE GANDAM 1/100 VF-1A model kit.
The box says SPACE GANDAM, but the accompanying instructions and the box of the finished product show SPACE FIGHTER.

 

[nightmareB4macross]

5 hours ago, transjet said:

SPACE GANDAM 1/100 VF-1A model kit.
The box says SPACE GANDAM, but the accompanying instructions and the box of the finished product show SPACE FIGHTER.

 

Very cool find. Space Gandam box is a model kit and Space Fighter is for a fully built toy.

Here is the 1/55 version of the multicolored Space Fighter.

[jvmacross]

[pengbuzz]

[nightmareB4macross]

3 hours ago, jvmacross said:

Good Lord!!!

There are so many to collect.

[jvmacross]

1 hour ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Good Lord!!!

There are so many to collect.

 

[transjet]

This is a catalog image from the manufacturer who made SPACE GANDAM. The large yellow box is the 1/55 model kit version, and the smaller one is a copy of the 1/144 kit from Imai.
SUPER-McROID and others are also elaborately made, but they are all unlicensed copies, not the OEM like Revell.
This manufacturer is called Popye Corporation(뽀빠이과학), which sometimes changes its name to JOON'S or CLOVER TOYS when exporting toys to the U.S., and has several different logos.

Popye_1980s_Catalog.pdf

[transjet]

On 2/4/2023 at 3:57 PM, nightmareB4macross said:

Found an interesting story on FB.

Not my story.

“I remember seeing the Space Gandam V movie poster and associated model kits and toys when we were stationed in Korea, and thinking to myself,  "What The Actual F**k Is This?"

I bought a unassembled 1/55 Takatoku knock off VF-1J sold as a Space Gandam V "model kit" for like $3 at a local market off base.

All die cast parts were replaced with plastic pieces, but it included springs and screws for assembly.  Everything was on plastic sprues, with some plastic parts in separate bags.

The gun pod could even fire missiles from it.

I wish I still had the stupid thing.😏”

I wonder if he meant the 1/100 kit instead, but he goes on to mention firing bullets like the 1/55.

I wonder if this is the box for it since it very similar to the 1/55 versions.

The hunt continues.

This box art is fan made.
http://wooroemae.com/zeroboard/view.php?id=collection02&page=5&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc& no=74
It was written in Korean that it was self-made.

Image data
http://wooroemae.com/zeroboard/view.php?id=collection02&page=5&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc& no=82

Edited February 25, 2023 by transjet

[nightmareB4macross]

@tranjet awesome share.

Thank you.

[nightmareB4macross]

I often looked for information about Clover and could never find who actually manufactured it. I guessed Joons but could never confirm it. There is also another version of that same Clover box but the “Made for Clover Toys US”, logo, and brand are not printed on there and the title of the product is now Space Fighter.

Edited February 25, 2023 by nightmareB4macross

[transjet]

SPACE FIGHTER and SPACE GANDAM, which were made by Popye Corporation for export around 1983, are a mixture of those with the CLOVER TOYS logo and brand printed on them and those without.
Perhaps the designs were not stable since these were early products in the export market.
After that, the name of the export products was changed to MACROSS, the brand was changed to JOON'S, and KOREA PAT NO. 58872 was printed in the lower left corner.
This number is common with products made by Popye Corporation for the Korean market.
Finally, production continued until around 1997.

[Shawn]

On 2/24/2023 at 4:47 PM, transjet said:

This box art is fan made.
http://wooroemae.com/zeroboard/view.php?id=collection02&page=5&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc& no=74
It was written in Korean that it was self-made.

Image data
http://wooroemae.com/zeroboard/view.php?id=collection02&page=5&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc& no=82

Thank you for clarifying that! I found the website difficult to navigate in google translate and entirely missed that it was fan made...very cool  work they did! 

 

[Shawn]

@transjet....would you happen to know anything about these Korean Joke Machine toys?
They are pretty wild!

(the website I downloaded the images from now says 404)

 

[jenius]

Wow, never seen that before!

[Shawn]

On 2/24/2023 at 10:16 AM, jvmacross said:

 

A live(?) shopping site with some other angle pics
The website is tricky to navigate around...sometimes it sends you to the m. mobile site-so you need to remove the m. prefix to get the enhanced pics

http://totoy.com/product/detail.html?product_no=281&cate_no=1&display_group=3

[Shawn]

Wow that catalog is awesome, thank you for posting it!

I would love to find these kits!! So crazy.

[transjet]

6 hours ago, Shawn said:

@transjet ..これらの韓国のジョーク マシンのおもちゃについて何か知っていますか?
彼らはかなりワイルドです！

（私が画像をダウンロードしたウェブサイトには404と表示されています）

 

This toy is a copy of the HICOMICAL MODEL series produced by BANDAI.
At that time, Korean toy manufacturers were still in their infancy in terms of toy design technology, so it was common for them to disassemble and copy toys made in Japan.
In addition, because of strict restrictions on the influx of Japanese culture, Japanese manufacturers could not sell their toys in Korea, and it was difficult to sue for copies.
As a result, a wide variety of copies were created by Korean manufacturers.
Even if the original toy that was copied was the same, the name was sometimes changed and released by each manufacturer, so there are many variations.

[transjet]

2 時間前、ショーンは次のように述べています。

うわー、そのカタログは素晴らしいです、それを掲載してくれてありがとう!

私はこれらのキットを見つけたいです!! 狂ってる。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peZHaNDFr0A

This is a video of a Korean toy store in the 80's.

SPACE GANDAM can be seen in places.

[Shawn]

Wow-I love seeing these old Hobby Store videos!
Thank you for posting that!!

 

[Shawn]

@transjet - you seem to very knowledgeable on the items-what do you think of this information on this site? (it is in one of the messages)

https://www.etoland.co.kr/plugin/mobile/board.php?bo_table=etohumor02&wr_id=118937

 

참고로 이 표절작을 만든 건 바로 스폰서 때문이다. 전작인 꼬마어사 똘이가 그다지 흥행에 성공하지 못해 낭패를 겪던 김청기에게 뽀빠이과학이란 업체에서 일본의 프라모델, 그러니까 바로 발키리 모형을 보여주며 이거 나오는 로봇 애니메이션 만들면 제작비를 대주겠다고 하여 만들게 된 것. 뽀빠이과학이 만든 이 짝퉁 모형이 파이터, 가워크 및 배틀로이드로의 완전변형은 물론, 어떤 형태에서도 스탠드의 도움 없이도 자세를 유지하는 등 당시 작품이라는 것이 믿기지 않을 정도로 품질이 우수하였고 이에 감탄(?)한 일본 반다이가 표절을 문제시하지 않기로 합의하였다...는 썰이 있다. 그리고 뽀빠이과학은 짝퉁으로 만들던 제품을 당당하게 JOON's라는 상표를 달고 발키리 제품으로 하청 수출까지 해냈다(...). 당시 구매한 이들은 어처구니없게도 일제보다 이 짝퉁판이 품질이 좋았다는 평을 남길 정도였다.

그런데 이 짝퉁완구에는 엄청난 비화가 있다. 사실 마크로스 VF-1J 완구의 원래 제작사는 일본의 타카토쿠사 인데 몇년 뒤 미국에 마크로스 애니를 로보텍으로 개명후 방영을 하였다. 로보텍 애니가 현지에서 엄청나게 인기를 끌어서 완구를 현지에 판매하기 위해 재생산을 하려 했으나 하필이면 완구 제조사인 타카토쿠가 부도가 나서 공중분해된 지 오래라 완구 판매가 불가능하여 이 때문에 마크로스 제작사가 그야말로 초비상이 걸렸다. 그러나 시기가 적절하게도 뽀빠이과학이 짝퉁을 만들어서 판매한다는 사실을 알게 되었고 관계자들이 한국으로 급파되어 현지상황을 확인한 후 표절건에 대해서는 묵인한다는 조건 하에 뽀빠이과학이 이후 직접 정식 라이센스를 얻고 로보텍이라는 이름으로 완구를 수출하게 되었다. 로보텍 이후 생산된 물량 중 내수용은 스페이스 간담V 라는 이름을 사용해도 무방하다는 마크로스 제작사의 답변이 있던 것인지 90년도 초반까지 생산된 물량은 <스페이스 간담V>라는 이름으로 계속 생산이 되었었다. 이후 SBS에서 <출격!로보텍>이 방영되었을 땐 스페이스 간담V라는 이름을 버리고 미국에 수출했던 로보텍이란 이름과 포장으로 그대로 국내에서 판매하게 되었다.

 

For reference, it is the sponsor who made this plagiarism. To Kim Cheong-gi, who had suffered a frustration because his previous work, Little Eosaurus, was not successful, Popeye Science showed a Japanese plastic model, that is, a Valkyrie model, and said that he would pay the production cost to make a robot animation. This fake model made by Popeye Science was incredibly excellent in quality and admired that it was a work at the time, including complete transformation into Fighter, Gawwork, and Battle Lloyd, as well as maintaining a posture without the aid of a stand in any form. There is a low tide that a Japanese Bandai has agreed not to question plagiarism... And Popeye Science proudly put the brand of JOON's on the product it used to be a counterfeit, and even exported it to the subcontractor as a Valkyrie product (...). Those who bought it at the time were ridiculously enough to leave a comment that the quality of this fake plate was better than that made in Japan.

However, there is a tremendous secret story about this fake toy. In fact, the original maker of the Macross VF-1J toy was Takatokusa in Japan, and a few years later, Macross Annie was renamed as Robotec and aired. Robotec Annie was incredibly popular locally and tried to reproduce toys to sell them locally, but it was a long time since toy maker Takatoku went bankrupt and decomposed into the air. . However, it was learned that Popeye Sciences made and sold counterfeits in a timely manner, and under the condition that the officials were dispatched to Korea to confirm the local situation and tolerate plagiarism, Popeye Sciences later directly obtained a formal license and acquired a toy under the name of Robotec. Was exported. Among the quantities produced after Robotec, there was a response from the Macross maker that it was okay to use the name Space Gandam V for domestic use, and the quantity produced until the early 1990s was continuously produced under the name <Space Gandam V>. Later, when <Sort!Robotech> was aired on SBS, the name Space Gandam V was discarded, and it was sold in Korea under the name and packaging of Robotec, which was exported to the United States.