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The purpose of this guide is to differentiate between the original 1980's G1 releases and the recent 2005+ knockoffs that look very similar.  These subsequent releases usually look just like the original releases and are often confused with them.  Even AFA often has not been able to tell the difference in the past.  For example, they've graded counterfeit Beachcombers as originals.

1. Introduction

In 2005 a company called Zhong Jin in China started manufacturing counterfeit G1 Transformers.  These often appeared on Ebay with ambiguous descriptions, like "China Reissues" or "KO Reissues", obscuring the fact that they were unlicensed counterfeits.  Since then, a slew of counterfeit G1 toys have been released, and a second company, Kidi Toys, started making them as well.  Recent copyright and tradermark enforcement attempts by Hasbro seemed to have begun to force the counterfeiters to decrease their activity.  However, Zhong Jin just released 3 new counterfeits: Scourge, Cyclonus, and Wheeljack, and apparently they still have plans to make other counterfeits as well, including Sunstreaker.

Many Zhong Jin counterfeits have also been made in several different unique color variants, like various clear versions, black versions, white versions, chrome versions, etc.  Here are examples, a red Mirage and a clear black Mirage:

Here is a list of what's been released by Zhong Jin:

• Optimus Prime
• Autobot Cars: Mirage, Sunstreaker (box and bubble only),  Wheeljack
• Dinobots: Swoop, Slag, Sludge, Grimlock, Snarl
• Soundwave/Buzzsaw (box only)
• Cassettes: Frenzy/Laserbeak, Rumble/Buzzsaw (on Frenzy/Laserbeak card), Rumble/Ravage, Frenzy/Ratbat
• Minibots: Beachcomber, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper (red), Cliffjumper (yellow), Hubcap, Warpath, Seaspray, Powerglide, Cosmos, Brawn, Outback
• Devastator giftset
• Gnaw
• Insecticons: All three of them.
• Reflector in mail-away box
• Cyclonus
• Scourge

And here's a list of what Kiditoys has released:

• Metroplex
• Metrotitan (in Metroplex Poster Box with red "Emulational Robot" sticker on it)
• Devastator (different from Zhong Jin version--very poorly made and comes in somewhat different box)

It's important to note that Zhong Jin has also made many counterfeit accessories, sticker sheets, and instruction sheets.  For example, they have made Aerialbot guns, Dinobot swords, Fort Max stickers, Omega Supreme stickers, Omega Supreme instructions, and Bruticus instructions, just to name a fraction of what they've conterfeited.

2. Comprehensive ID Guide

Telling the differences between the counterfeits and the real things is fairly difficult.  There is no one thing that all the 2005+ counterfeits have in common.  Thus, each potentional counterfeited toy must be looked at individually for differences from the original.  Where available, I simply link to e3nine's ID guides, which are an excellent, detailed resource for telling the counterfeits apart from the originals.

• Optimus Prime:
• See e3nine's guide. 
• The grey showing above the trailer's window is probably the most obvious tell.
• The earliest run said "Made in France" on the trailer, while later runs said "Made in Japan" instead.
• There is also a black version counterfeit and a gold-instead-of-silver version counterfeit, which imitate expensive limited edition Japanese reissue releases.  Of course, the originals did not come in U.S. boxes, so that is one obvious tell for the counterfeit.  Also, the gold-instead-of-silver counterfeit does not have the gold stickers of the original.
• The red paint on the diecast chips very easily.
• Autobot Cars:
• Mirage:
• See e3nine's guide.
• The misalignment of the artwork with the side of the box (there is a slight space) is probably the most obvious tell.
• The tampoed details on his arms are non-pre-applied stickers on the original.
• Sunstreaker (box and bubble only):
• The counterfeit has "Ages. 5 & Up" instead of "Ages: 5 & Up" on front of box--it uses a period instead of a colan.  This is the same difference as on Mirage and Wheeljack's boxes.
• Wheeljack:
• See e3nine's guide for box differences.
• The toy is missing its the factory applied stickers, including the obvious "539" sticker on the door.
• See coolyooyu's toy and accessories ID guide.
• Prowl:
• See this ID guide:

• See coolyooyu's toy and accessories ID guide.

• Dinobots:
• Swoop:
• See this ID guide:

• Also, for loose Swoops, here are some helpful differences:
• Factory applied stickers are not applied.  They come on a sticker sheet instead.
• Toy itself is relatively low quality.  Soft plastic was used, the toy doesn't fit together well, and it's generally lose.
• The red paint on the diecast chips very easily.
• The head it comes assembled with is not painted.  Subsequent runs included an extra painted head in the package that can be swapped out with the unpainted head.
• Some of the initial run comes with Grimlock's sword instead of Swoop's sword.
• The launchers do not fit on one of the wings.
• Slag
• On the original, it says "TRANSFORMERS" above Slag's name on the front of the box.  The counterfeit is missing this.
• Slag's mouth is gold on the counterfeit instead of silver.
• Slag's dino face is completely translucent on the counterfeit, whereas the original is very slightly opaque.
• See coolyooyu's toy and accessories ID guide.
• Sludge:
• See e3nine's guide.
• See coolyooyu's toy and accessories ID guide.
• Grimlock:
• Front of box says "Bommander" instead of "Commander" on it.
• See coolyooyu's toy and accessories ID guide.
• Snarl (box only)
• On the counterfeit's box, the black bar above his name is not long enough--the real one lines up with the bottom yellow box.
• The clear plastic on the counterfeit is too dark.
• Soundwave (box only): See e3nine's guide.
• Cassettes:
• Rumble/Ravage:
• See my in-depth counterfeit Rumble/Ravage ID guide
• Frenzy/Laserbeak:
• See my in-depth counterfeit Frenzy/Laserbeak ID guide
• Note that there are TWO versions of the counterfeit Frenzy/Laserbeak card, so be careful.
• Rumble/Buzzsaw on Frenzy/Laserbeak card:
• Obviously, Rumble and Buzzsaw were never released by Hasbro on a Frenzy/Laserbeak card.
• Also, these had Rumble/Ravage instructions and tech specs on the back of the card, despite the Frenzy/Laserbeak front.
• Frenzy/Ratbat:
• There is no assortment number, etc. in the lower right of the card on the counterfeit.  This is very easy to spot.
• The screws/rivots in Rumble's arms are flat and shiny on the counterfeit, instead of dark and with a hole in the center.  See the Rumble/Ravage or Frenzy/Laserbeak ID guides for more information on this.
• On the counterfeit, Ratbat is the painted details version with silver weapons.  The painted version is supposed to come with gold weapons.  It's *possible* there are some real Ratbats with painted details and silver weapons out there, though, so check the other two tells as well.
• Note that real Frenzys in real Frenzy/Ratbat sets *only* comes with dark hips, so the trick with dark hips from the Frenzy/Laserbeak guide does not work with Frenzy/Ratbat.

• Minibots:
• Generally:
• All Minibots, except Bumblebee: Holepunch is in center, but original's holepunch is shifted toward the right.  This is easiest way to tell that the Minibots are fakes.
• All Minibots, except Brawn and Outback: Bubble is too far away from edge.  Original release's edge of bubble touched edge of card.
• Most Minibots: Have abbreviated copyright info on the back of the card, like the Chinese release--i.e., "manufactured in (Country) under license from Takara" is missing on the back of the card.
• Beachcomber:
• Has wrong sticker on his chest.
• Has typo on back of card.
• Bumblebee:
• Since Bumblebee's holepunch isn't centered (an obvious giveaway for the other Minibots), look for the abbreviated copyright info on the back of the card.  That's a clear giveaway.
• Sometimes has Decepticon rubsign on his chest.  Rubsign is sometimes up-side-down.
• Hubcap: See e3nine's guide.
• Cosmos:
• Arms assembled up-side-down.
• Devastator giftset (Zhong Jin):
• See e3nine's guide.
• See coolyooyu's comprehensive box, toy, and accessories ID guide.
• Gnaw
• The purple background is too red on the counterfeit.
• The sun burst behind the character art does not fade right.
• On the counterfeit, the grid lines blend together with the sun burst, making them hard to see.
• Some come with the golden sticker of the Japanese mail-in version.  Others do not.
• Gnaw's face is not painted on the counterfeit.

• Insecticons: All three of them.
• The coloring of the box is a little off.  The purple is too saturated and the fade to the glowing yellow is too abrupt.
• On the counterfeit, the toys are too far too the right in their boxes compared to the originals.
• Reflector in mail-away box
• Almost impossible to distinguish from the original MISB.
• Does not come with factory stickers applied.  They are on a seperate sticker sheet.
• The missiles of the original come attached on a 4-sided rectangular plastic tree.  On the counterfeit, the tree is missing its left side.
• Cyclonus, Scourge
• See these ID guides:

• Also, see e3nine's Cyclonus ID guide
• Also, see e3nine's Scourge ID guide
• See coolyooyu's comprehensive Scourge box, toy, and accessories ID guide.
• Shockwave
• See joopsta's Counterfeit Shockwave comparison
• Springer
• (Box ID guide wanted...)
• See coolyooyu's toy and accessories ID guide.
• Octane
• (Box ID guide wanted...)
• Metroplex
• See my in-depth counterfeit Metroplex ID guide
• Metrotitan
• Comes in counterfeit Metroplex box with the sticker "Emulational Robot" on it, so use the Metroplex guide for the box.
• The red plastic is much pinker on the counterfeit.
• The counterfeit does not come with Metrobomb (the Micromaster) or the docking piece to connect Metrotitan to the other Micromaster bases.
• Devastator giftset (Kidi Toys)
• See these two ID guides:

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