South Korean bootlegs based on G1 toys originally released in the US in 1988 and up

GALAXY RESCUEMAN
This is a rather cheap bootleg of the mold that was sold as Minerva in Japan and Nightbeat everywhere else. It lacks the meter mechanism in the chest, but because it was molded in white, it can pass as Minerva if you don't look too hard. Made back in August of '91, they were still being sold as late as early 1999.

LIGHTFOOT
Made back in September of 1989 by the same company that made Galaxy Rescueman, this is a bootleg of the Japanese Godmaster TF by the same name. Outside of Japan it was named Powermaster Getaway. The engine accessory does not transform, and the Powermaster mechanism is gutted anyways, so although it's removable, the engine doesn't trigger anything.

Galaxy Rescueman and Lightfoot boxes
Galaxy Rescueman and Lightfoot inserts
Lightfoot Instruction sheet

ELECTRIC SHOCK ROBOCAR
This is a bootleg of the Japanese Headmaster Goshooter, aka Headmaster Siren elsewhere. Made back in September of 1989 by the same company that made Lightfoot and Galaxy Rescueman. The robot colors don't match either version, but the vehicle mode is a good match of Goshooter, with black windows on a white body. The only difference is the roof mounted police lights are red instead of blue. In robot mode the tech specs display has been gutted, but a SPD/STR/INT sticker is placed where the meter would go, effectively simulating the readout.

Electric Shock Robocar box (on right)
Electric Shock Robocar insert (on right)
Electric Shock Robocar Instruction sheet
Galaxy Rescueman, Lightfoot, and Electric Shock Robocar in car mode

SKY MONSTER
Occasionally the manufacturers of these unlicensed toys will modify them in strange ways. In this case they oversized the micromaster Storm Cloud, recolored it, and packaged it alongside a generic truck robot. The idea is that placing the jet on the truck makes an additional mode.

Sky Monster box (on right)
Sky Monster insert (on right)

SOUTH KOREAN GINRAI BOOTLEGS
I found more South Korean bootlegs of the Ginrai cab mold than any other Transformer. They all had clear windows and chrome highlights. Each of them had fantastic cheesy original boxart that almost matched the color scheme of the figure inside the box. Most of them came with trailers and accessories that Takara never packaged in the official version. They came with flatbeds and semi trailers and even little cars. Aside from those shown here, I even remember seeing a bootleg Ginrai that had a dumptruck bed attachment!

MYCAL Z-CAR
This first bootleg Ginrai is named Mycal Z-Car, and it has really cool chrome foil decals. There's dual Autobot sigils on his robot chest where the simulated blue windsheild decals are on Ginrai. His head and parts of his legs are molded in yellow, and he comes with a single accessory-a black rifle cast from the same mold as Ginrai's black rifles. His smokestacks are molded in black plastic. He comes with no trailer accessory, unlike other knockoff Ginrai cabs I found. The box is diecut on one side allowing for a partial view of the figure. Beneath the diecut window is artwork of the figure in a battle pose unlike any used for Takara's Ginrai. The other side contains an enlargement of the original artwork. Mycal Z-Car was made in August of 1991.

Mycal Z-Car figure
Mycal Z-Car figure with box
Mycal Z-Car figure with box (other angle)

SUPER TRANS SAVER
Super Trans Saver is a bootleg of the Ginrai cab that comes molded in red, white, and blue. Like Mycal Z-Car, Super Trans Saver has two foil decals of the Cybertron logo on its chest. His smokestacks are chromed plastic. It comes with a green flatbed trailer accessory. Despite having boxart that shows a motorcycle and little car on the flatbed, it does not come with any smaller vehicles. It has two weapons-one is identical to Ginrai's particle beam cannons and the other is a copy of the Godbomber rocket launcher, minus the missiles. One weird thing about the boxart is that a blond cartoon man is pictured, but in the series Ginrai was a black haired guy who looked nothing like this person. Who the blond guy is remains a mystery.

Super Trans Saver figure robot mode with box
Super Trans Saver figure robot mode
Super Trans Saver insert
Super Trans Saver vehicle mode

BLACK LONG PISTON
BLACK LONG PISTON is an oddly named bootleg of Ginrai's cab molded in red, green, and white. His smokestacks are chromed plastic and it has green tinted windshields. The name is strange even for a bootleg. It's borderline pervy! The robot has dual "M" stickers on its chest instead of Cybertron logos as Mycal Z-Car and Super Trans Saver have. Black Long Piston comes with a smaller transformable sandrail robot and a trailer. The trailer is too small for the sandrail to fit inside it. Like Super Trans Saver, Black Long Piston comes with one of Ginrai's particle beam cannons and a Godbomber missile launcher minus any missiles.

Black Long Piston with friend in robot modes
Black Long Piston box (on right)
Black Long Piston with friend vehicle modes
Black Long Piston box with insert
Black Long Piston insert (on left)
Black Long Piston with friend and box

TRANSFORMER
Transformer is the lamest name for a bootleg TF ever, but this toy comes with nice boxart and decent accessories. Transformer has the same red, green, and white color scheme as Black Long Piston and has chromed plastic smokestacks and green tinted windshields. In fact I'd say they're the same toy just in different packages and with different accessories. It comes with a white flatbed trailer and two small nontransformable cars. Like Black Long Piston, Transformer comes with one of Ginrai's particle beam cannons and a Godbomber missile launcher without missiles.

Transformer robot mode
Transformer insert with box
Transformervehicle mode
Transformer insert (on right)
Transformer box (on left)

GOLD CHANGE 5 MAN
"Gold Change Five Man" is without a doubt the coolest looking knockoff I've ever seen. It's a bootleg of the Seacon Snaptrap except it's almost entirely plated in vaccuum metallized gold. It's stunning to look at. Only the head and double cannons aren't plated. It comes with all the accessories needed to form Piranacon, and it is packaged in robot mode with the Piranacon head affixed over Snaptrap's. I never saw any other gold plated Seacons and the packaging gives no hint that any exist. You'll notice that the gestalt hands don't have the little connector port mechanisms built in like the real Piranacon's hands have.

Gold Change Five Man box (on left)
Gold Change Five Maninsert (on right)
Gold Change Five Man beast mode
Beast mode alongside Snaptrap
Gold Change Five Man beast mode (other angle)
Gold Change Five Man robot mode
Robot mode alongside Snaptrap
Gold Change Five Man robot mode with accessories attached
Gold Change Piranacon (sort of)

VICTORY LION
Victory Lion is a full sized bootleg of the original Victory Leo from the Japanese TF show Victory. This was the only South Korean Transformer bootleg I ever found with a company stamping on it. It was produced by toy company Olympus and it has Olympus' company logo stamped on it. It's an awesome bootleg and the box has pictures of it combining with a Star Saber toy. Whether or not Olympus made a Star Saber I do not know because I never found one. My Victory Lion came with a small piece broken off. I think this is because it was used. I suspect that South Korean culture is such that kids take very good care of their toys and return them to their packages, then years later they sell them. I think that's why many of the boxed Korean toys I found had one or two missing accessories or small damage. It's also possible that the toy manufacturers had poor quality control.

Victory Lion box
Victory Lion insert with flap attached
Victory Lion insert
Star Saber cross sell
Victory Lion beast mode
Victory Lion beast mode (other angle)
Victory Lion robot mode