Back in March I went to NYC for a weekend. I was in Chinatown when I found some original Transformers from 1986. These guys looked legit ... sealed, manufacturer stamped, a bit worn ... this fits the description of a great find for any nerd. There were only 2 on the shelf, so I grabbed what I saw ... gave the lady $20,went on my way, and flew back to Chicago with a smile on my face.

Here's an image of what I purchased while on vacation:

(note the 2 on the upper left)


On another message board, somebody runs into the same store I was at (all by coincidence) and realizes something can't be right.

Here's what he saw:

(note the idential orange price tags)

When I went there was only 2 ... when he went, the shelves were FULL. There's no possible way this is legit. After a bunch of fact checking, it turns out a former Hasbro plant in China never disposed of their toy molds. These are toys produced without Hasbro's concent, using 2nd rate plastic, and near identical paper.