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These were questions that popped up before we found physical carded specimens of all the Steeljaw variants...with small Chinese/HK stickers on the package corner. :-) It's hard to make people believe you unless you provide physical proof. Luckily, we provide that on the previous page. If you've clicked here, you may as well click back, because this argument is long over. I keep the page merly to entertain myself. :-) |
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This cassette should not be in America. My initial assumption is that someone scooped this up in their travels to another land, or perhaps in a bulk-purchase from Ebay or Yahoo Japan. Here's the deal: It's a Macau stamped Steeljaw cassette. It has sticker details. That puts it firmly in the same catagory as the piece that comes with the Twincast figure (remolded Blaster in Japan). This one has no 'weakspot' sticker. However, those can peel off...and who's to say that the regular late-carded releases in Japan didn't also come in this version? In America, no matter the variant (gold or silver weapons,) Steeljaw and Ramhorn have always been stamped 'Japan'. Macau versions of these cassettes came out in other countries after the run was finished in the USA (Steeljaw with Twincast, etc). This particular fellow has silver guns. Maybe it's right, maybe not. Boy, we sure have a lot of questions, eh? :-) But bear with me: if this cassette was somehow released in America, it implies a heretofore unknown, very-late remold/release of the Steeljaw cassette (and an unknown, but presumed late-release of the cassettes in the American two-pack). While I accept that this could have come from Japan, and been the regular release (hence no weakness sticker) I'm somewhat against the idea that this was an American piece. It simply doesn't fit the facts. I do not want to dis anyone who says otherwise, but come on, why have no other Macau stamped Steeljaws shown up before now? :-) We have tons of them stamped Macau with Rewind and Eject...but none (up until now) for Steeljaw (and still none for Ramhorn). Why? I have the unit in question pictured below with the two Japan-stamped American variants (gold and silver) and later on with the Macau-stamped Japanese Twincast version. One thing of note: the Macau-stamped versions come with light-yellow feet and tails, as opposed to the uniform dark-yellow color of other releases. It is theorised that some of this may be due to plastic degradation; however, it is clear that these are different colors. ;-) I might be inclined to believe that the light plastic will eventually turn dark, but not in my lifetime. ;-) Different plastic colors (and thus, an easy way to tell the variants) it is, then.
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One other interesting cassette found in the UK: A painted-details Steeljaw. This one is from the later-issue Chinese cassette runs (usually referred to as 'Hong Kong' TFs). It is said that some came packaged in USA-packaging, but the boxes/cards were stickered over (and sometimes not stickered over, just cheaply made, thus giving away what was done) which points to this unit, while possibly considered in the loosest sense to having an, 'American package', yet not having been released in America at all (more details on the schenigans of China can be read here). It's quite fun to seperate out the Chinese versions from the UK versions, and even more fun to separate the legal from the illegal ones. :-) Who would have thought the brave and noble lion would be such trouble?
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This was at first thought to be a knockoff, until it was pointed out that it has official Hasbro-Takara markings. :-) It was scooped off of ebay. Speculation ran from it being a really naughty knockoff, to an improperly painted one, to possibly a Korean one. Turns out -you guessed it- that it's another Chinese cassette. Gotta love those guys. :-) More details on Chinese cassette variants can be found here. It's not just Steeljaw that gets changed (though he's the most obvious customer).
  
GMS provides additional info: "I got mine off Ebay from a seller in the UK. My current theory is that this is a Hong Kong/Chinese version produced on an offical mold, unoffically. (Editor's Note: He's correct.) :-) I suspect its the Twincast mold (because of the lack of rubsign hole). What I find most interesting in the stamping is its similarlity to what I broadly call "Universe 5 in 1" cassettes (the brightly colored really cheap oversized plastic cassettes sold in dollar stores a little while back) that all have 5 in 1 stamped on them. Much of the stamping is very similar to what they do (placement of the 60 and A, the black rings around the reel holes) so I am wondering if there is any connection there." Needless to say, we were happy to finally provide some answers. :-) As for fake cassettes...well, we have a page on them, too. ;-)
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