Beware of fake Figures/Figma..
I was hopping a mall yesterday to buy some books,i see a new hobby shop around,they have some cute anime figures to a gruesome monster figures but they have all Bootlegs or i say "Fake" figures.
Example of these 2 figma here (Figma meiya mitsurugi from the eroge "mud-luv" & saber lily)..looks fresh to look but actually those are bootleged but seems wrongly here are the price that look the same price of the original figma price in some other hobby shops (well maybe i try to check it) when they open the box,smelly new paint & the art looks not in a place (check lilie's box).but discounting is the best thing & said "half a price"...Just beware to buy any figures at some malls & hobby shop,they are everywhere!!
I was hopping a mall yesterday to buy some books,i see a new hobby shop around,they have some cute anime figures to a gruesome monster figures but they have all Bootlegs or i say "Fake" figures.
Example of these 2 figma here (Figma meiya mitsurugi from the eroge "mud-luv" & saber lily)..looks fresh to look but actually those are bootleged but seems wrongly here are the price that look the same price of the original figma price in some other hobby shops (well maybe i try to check it) when they open the box,smelly new paint & the art looks not in a place (check lilie's box).but discounting is the best thing & said "half a price"...Just beware to buy any figures at some malls & hobby shop,they are everywhere!!
it look so real...i wouldnt be able to tell which one are fakes
usually it's true whatever original or fake ones also..
Sometimes they make the bootlegs so well it's almost impossible to distinguish them... I try not to but everything from key-chains to rare figures are fakes in most anime stores.
I was a victim myself, I sent my brother to get 3 nendoroids from a local toy store (for the 1st time, because i usually bought mine all online) and only realise that it was bootleg after i opened the 1st package. Not blaming the shop for selling it but was very angry at myself for not being there myself to inspect it before purchasing!
i am a victim to a nendroid..the color is too dark & have some smell too like new paints.
all of those are fake? would you tell us which store it is, so that we here from the PI can stay away from it
Wow, a lot of those figures are fakes? I learned to take extremely close looks with my figures, especially with Nendos, though I don't trust buying those offline, they've always been fake, in my experience.
just wanna ask, becoz I'm so anxious and worried. I bought my first pvc figure and its on the way now. I bought it from hobbyfan. I really don't know if it is a fake or original. if it is authentic, it should be made in Japan in the back of the box not made in china. sorry I'm just new to figure collecting. and I also have a fake hatsune miku nendo. it smells horrible.. smells like toxic..
just wanna ask, becoz I'm so anxious and worried. I bought my first pvc figure and its on the way now. I bought it from hobbyfan. I really don't know if it is a fake or original. if it is authentic, it should be made in Japan in the back of the box not made in china. sorry I'm just new to figure collecting. and I also have a fake hatsune miku nendo. it smells horrible.. smells like toxic..
Avision in tutuban,manila are. (beware of not to go 168 mall).
They got a Jumbo Grade RX-78-2 there for only 3K (around 63$). The girl at the counter doesn't know anything about their stuff and I was trollin' her about their Figmas.
Anyways, not all of those are fakes. Cons wouldn't go so far as to duplicate exact boxes and then sell them for the same price. Those aren't even cheap. Their Fraulein Haruhi costs just as much as they would if Wasabi Toys sold 'em.
Trust me, I've seen their stuff. They're just resells, not bootlegs. Okie, their boxes might not be 100% fine, they're crumpled and usually discolored but that's just because the guys running that place don't care about their merchandise.
Even in ebay have been selling these bootlegs..beware.
I have to ask. How do you know that those two Figmas are bootlegs?
The Saber Lily is being sold in the "limited edition" PS2 box, not a bootleg box. Plus, there are the little plastic bags (pieces of platic?) covering one or more parts and the game is clearly missing. As for the other Figma, the photo is blurry. But what can be seen is that portions of the Figma also have plastic bags (or whatever) protecting the paint job.
Bootlegs do not go into the little details as they tend to overlook the little things - The little plastic bags, copyright symbols, spelling, and more. Plus, they also do not always put any real quality into the packaging, as they tend to cut corners in hopes of make money through pirating.
So yeah... Before you can validate the claims, show us better evidence. Because it's like looking at the fuzzy photo of Bigfoot and say it is a guy in a costume.
Besides... I assume those are cheap because they might be re-sold. So they may be real, just not 100% new. The Zero Saber PVC, however, is missing the Type-Moon sticker. So if it is also missing the "H" sticker(?) on the lower back section by the barcode, that might be a sign some of their more expensive stuff includes bootlegs.
Here is a link that will explain how to spot some bootlegs. Helps with these and other items: http://www.goodsmile.info/page/all/jpn/article/category/kaizoku/all/all/all/1.html
And look at the little details I noted, atop of what they note. Because so far, the two you mentioned look real due to some of the factors I mentioned.
There's a good change those figmas are fake. There is a known bootleg of that Saber if you didn't know. If a store is selling so many bootlegs then yes you are at risk. What more evidence do you need?
What proof? Please re-read what I said.
In all cases, you need a keen eye to notice the small pieces of evidence that they may not be bootlegs. And I say a keen eye due to the fact he used a cellphone camera and took the pics from a distance, opposed to looking for further proof to validate the claim.
The first case is the fact that both items have either (or both) a piece of plastic and/or plastic bag. These are added to the authentic figurines to protect the quality (i.e. paint, etc.) of said item. This is one of those minor details that bootleg companies overlook.
The second case is the price cut. This also does not validate anything. It simply states that these are not 100% new, with one on the right looks like it might have been previously opened (maybe for display purposes) due to the small crease on the right. The Lily Saber is the Figma only, which means that the box was opened and the store owner knows that it cannot be sold new.
We will skip the second pic as they are so blurry that I feel like Mr. Magoo.
And with the third pic, there is absolutely no evidence that any of those items are bootlegs. The only one I question is the Zero Saber, as it does not contain the "Type Moon" sticker on the front of the box. But there should be a second seal/sticker on the lower back side. If that is missing and there is a typo on the packaging, then that one is a bootleg.
In all cases, there are a few shops that do sell authentic figurines but get stuck with bootlegs. You just have to consider the idea that they may or may not know that. And the site I mentioned shows the difference between real and bootleg, even though they skipped a few minor details.
You've never been to the Philippines of any other Southeast asian country, I take it? Bootlegs are rife.
If you want, you can go buy them and see for yourself.
Comic Alley? Well if it is, then I guess it's expected they'd pull that stunt.
Quite a lot of shops. Even BestToys and Jebbe's.
There's a lot of these kinds of stores in Shoppesville.
Sidewalk vendors in Monumento even sell some "trading figures" as well as some Western comic character figures
The saber lily have no "PS2" cd & they say it's defected,means good but may have some problems (reject by some assemble or something).No seal & the color of the box is blurring. fox example,these figure are doing in china then when it's perfect,they put in the box to shipping these,(Some chinese manager that) all defectives are taken to fixed again & shipping to the country safe by the customs or i say is "smuggle".
jowy, but if it is a bootleg... Then why would they bother protecting the figure with pieces of plastic? I mean the same kind that used by Max Factory, Good Smile Company, Alter, and more.
In all cases, it's an open package due to the game being defective. Because it sounds like it is the game and not the figure they are referring to. And since it is a limited edition item, it simply cannot be returned or exchanged.
And also, more photos and comparisons are needed. Until then, we have the photos that coffeebug have taken (which puts the bootleg claim into further question). Sorry to break that news. (^_^;; (See below for the link.)
You may have a point and maybe they took out the game and dropped the price, but look at the shoulder joints.
When I finally start buying figures I'm buying them from "Hobby Search" for two reasons.
One: Danny himself lists it as a respectable sight.
Two: I don't know enough about figures to trust my own eyes yet. lol
only a trusted hobby shops have to sell some original figure,but others have some imitations.
It's very easy to tell the original Lily from the fake one. Even though I haven't seen an original Lily yet, you could easily tell that she's fake due to the Dull Colors on her, and the paint job just paints all the way outside the portion it's suppose to paint. Also, for bootlegs, the box arts are blurred. I can't believe there already is a bootleg Meiya! So sad...
I is planning to bring Figmas to the Dinnet I be putting together.
AS A MAN WHO LIVED IN CHINA,I GUESS THEY ARE ALL FAKE.THERE WERE TOO MANY TOY FACTORIES IN GUANGZHOU CHINA,SOME UNDERGROUND FACTORYS ,THEY BUY THE ORIGIN FIGURE AND IMITATE IT,SOME WORKERS MAY WORKED IN THE OEM FACTORY OF GSC.
ONE WAY TO DETECT THE FAKES IS PAINTS,THE FAKE FIGURES PAINTS ARE NOT SO GOOD AS THE ORIGIN,EVEN SOME FAKES HAVE THE BAD WORKMANSHIP.
ALSO THE REJECTS OF ORIGIN FACTORY,THE QTY IS VERY SMALL,SO IF YOU COULD GET ONE ,YOU R A LUCKY DOG.
my ears...they bleed
YES, I OFTEN HEARD THE NEWS THAT THE NEWS THAT THE FAKE SUPPLYER SEND COUNTERS OF GOODS OVERSEAS.
I HOPE YOU DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE
He was referring to your affinity of having your caps lock on. Please turn them off as it is not necessary, thanks.
MY ADVISE IS GETING YOUR LOOTS FROM BIG STORES OR THE STORE YOU TRUST.
AND IN MOST OF TIME YOU KNOW:a penny worth its value!
We get your advise but you don't need to post your messages in All Capital letters.
Use the CAPS sparingly ;) Peace~! :)
Nuuuuuuuuuuuuu theres a ryogi shiki bootleg?!? O_O
I hope i dun have a bootleg figma.
About the Saber Lily figma, coffeebugg posted a while back about possible Saber Lily bootlegs from GreatToys and Jebbs hobby store because they were listed for the same price and they also didn't have the game. Turns out, they were the real thing and really didn't have the game. I can't really say if the figmas are legit or not, because the photo is a bit blurry for me. Saber Lily *seems* legit because she still has some of the packaging plastic wrapped on her and the box itself is okay when I compared mine to the one on the photo.
The mass of "trading figures" that don't have boxes, definitely not authentic merch.
Can't say the same thing about the scaled figures because they aren't very visible in the photo.
I do agree with Ninja Poe Bear that there should be more evidences before you completely say that all the figures sold there are fake merchandise. They *might* be selling a mix of originals and fakes (although it's not really likely).
Can't believe that they'd let you open figures you had no intention of buying yet though. I think that says a lot about that particular store when it comes to their merchandise.
Here is the link to the topic/photos you mentioned: http://www.figure.fm/post/en/209/A+quick+look+at+Figma+Saber+Lily.html
Also, yeah... I had encountered two shops like that. Both sold authentic figurines with bootleg DVDs. And one I questioned a few of their items but seem to have gotten rid of them.
This is one time when I'm really ashamed to be living in the Philippines... bootleg capital of the world
well bootlegs could be seen anywhere ~ :) not just in the phils
o/` The Phils are alive with the sound of bootlegs... o/`
anyone wouldn't happen to know if wasabitoys sell's bootleg figure? that's where i order my stuff's via net and have it ship to me coz i live in the province of bacolod
Wasabi Toys doesn't sell any bootlegs. I also bought most of my figures from there. :) They're pretty great IMO.
You might think their nendoroids are possible bootlegs because they don't have the stickers like those that are pointed out in "How to spot bootleg figures" tutorials, but that's because stickers for figures aren't placed if they're intended to be sold overseas (as compared to those who buy them from Japan, then sell on eBay).
yey! i was a bit worried that someone might say they sell bootlegs coz i've never been to their store before
Actually, their store kinda looks like a warehouse ^^; but they're great. They have great service too! :D once, they shipped me Nendo Kureha instead of Nagi, and after I told them, they asked me to ship it back to them and they shouldered the cost :D
That reminds me of comic alley..
Maybe some of those could really be Factory rejects but point is, If those figures are not officially approved for public sale, they're still bootlegs.
Victim of getting a fake Miku Nendoroid right here. At first it looked just like the real thing but when I got it out the box I noticed the paint job looked a lot "shinier" like it had some sort of gloss finish. It didn't match with my Konata and Kagami Nendo's I got from Akihabara (genuine for sure). So after looking at a few articles online I found that I got ripped off, which made me a sad panda ;-;
Another way you could tell if a figure is fake would be the quality of the print on the box. If you know what a bad JPEG file is, you'll notice that there are pixels showing on the box. Another way would be if the print is a bit darker. When I went to the Philippines, there were a mixture of real and rake figures. It was so frustrating!
where can i get bootleg 1/7 PVC GSC saber lily?
i need to dissect it, and change it to shana in lily armor....
I've experienced this kind of thing very much back then, so I have a little bit sense when I'm looking around.
I also got 4 Haruhi series figure, with a very cheap price; only 800 yen, and you get all of 4. First, of course, I see it pretty well-made, but then again, I see it back, I said to myself, no wonder why did they gave it a very cheap price; right beside the 3500 yen Peace@Pieces figure!
Ah, yes, since you've got that bootleg, then I'll help you on some things you should know. First to remember, barcodes aren't supposed to be flashy(referring to the Saber Lily), but it's usually right under the box, or on the backside, as long as it isn't flashy, that's the first basic rule.
Next, have a look at the package. Most of the authentic item have a seal on the lid(like in Revoltechs, there's a kind of tape that seal the lid). It'll be better if you know how the seals are supposed to be looked like, because in here, some bootlegs are 'sealed' with a normal tape, to make it more 'authentic'.
Also, some hobby shops like that allows the customer to have a look around first(even for hours, in here), so have a deep look on some of those loots that you're going to take. Like you said before, the figures paints' smells pretty new, it could meant two; it's an authentic newly arrived figure, or it's really a bootleg. A bootleg usually smells awful, but the good ones smells like... Paint. Well, like your new goodies when they're just arrived. So have a sniff on the item when the owner don't see you, that is if you don't really close with the owner(in here, the store owner is pretty close to me).
THere's also alot more ways to figure out bootlegs in a minimum inspection(because if you do it too far, you'll get kicked by the owner of course), but most of it came from your own learning, because sometimes, I can't divide the bootleg and the real ones ><
Just a little bit of info about Saber Lily. The side with the figma shown is actually the backside and not the front. So you can't really call it "flashy". Remember, the item is actually a PS2 game WITH a limited edition figma and not the other way around... although I have to admit, a lot of people have bought or want to buy the game for the figma and not the game
Well, that's my point, actually...
Barcodes=backside of the box ^^;
And yes, figure owners would love to buy the game for the figure, of course, so if this bootleg came from a local hobby shop, then we could confirm our doubt by asking "Didn't I get the game by buying this?".
Some stores, also usually have their own copy, and copied the game(such a jerky one) illegally.
In here, game shops allow their customers to have a try to the game that they're going to buy, to see if it's authentic or not, in good condition or not. I still don't know how's it in hobby shops, but I think they'll have to do the same, or they wont get their tricks done.
im a victim of purchasing a fake figma mikuru ( cheerleader version) was enjoying my day at an anime convention and saw a very cheap priced figma. without a care and was enjoying my day, i bought that figma for a price which was too good to be true. and when i got home, i realized i bought an inferior one.
Whats wrong with bootlegs? If its a good looking figure, and it looks like it would be fun to play with, buy it.
Because I don't want to be cheated of my money.
I don't mind bootleg figures as long as I KNOW they are bootlegs. Some people want to do so because they will customize them or just want one.
But as a collector I really want to make sure I get my money's worth.
All of that talk over fake anime merchandise is enough to make my a little scared of shopping outside of my normal circle of where I usually shop.
the saber lily is a fake with all the white outlines and wrong side of the hair stand
http://pasu2k.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/bootleg/
Oh btw, I got their calling card here and they got Marvel, Kotobukiya, NECA, McFarlane Toys, DC, Mattel, Hasbro, Sota Toys, Max Factory, and Good Smile at the back. So I'm guessing the owner, Mr. Co, ain't rippin' you or any of us off. They just happen to sell hobby merchandise that aren't taken care off that well.
Its not a surprise that theres fake Figures in the PI. Ive lived there for a good 8 years and fake merchandise is rampant especially in places like green hills and Devasoria/168. Beware when buying at those places. Do some research before you go off on a spending spree there.
There is a new hobby shop in my local mall.
I stumbled upon a Haruhi Nendroid.
The SECOND I saw it, I was yelling at the people for carrying fake figures.
They immidietly took it off the shelf and apologized.
I sat there for about 20 mins pointing out EVERYTHING that gave it away.
I have a Meiya Figma, I dunno why this one looks fake, the smell of new paint came on my Meiya box, and also, she looks really normal to me.
Well I bought mine on Amiami for 2,000 yen... Meiya is cheap because isn't selling. Lilly should be expensive, but you can find it very cheap on used stores in Akihabara.
I'll try find out more about these two, I spotted a lot of differences betwen original and bootleg figures, but these two (by looking at this photo) doesn't looks like bootleg.
lol, last time I bought a fake figure, I just took it out and just chewed on the head and spit it out at the local merchant as to being fooled into buying it.
As to who the merchant was, that shall remain a mystery.
bootleg meiya mitsurugi's do not exist yet
even in my country much many more fake but is cheap right?but bad quality!
please open all !!!
good luck & nice selection :*)
- and how about Figma archetype he/she..
are in these figures sort fakes too ?
i don't think arch type he/she has a fake version yet.
Out of curiosity, where did you see this?
Where did you find this store? in greenhills?
Hm...well it doesn't look so bad, I could fix it and make some arrangements. I think that I would have bought it.