Q: Original or Bootleg

[ver CO]

Mods, please pardon me if I'm posting this on the wrong thread. Anyway, here goes...

I'm considering to broaden my collection. I'm currently interested in getting figures and various gashas. My question is, how do you spot an original from a fake? I mean, paint job and quality may be easy; but are there any other clues?

For example, I was eyeing a Yuna figure in Divisoria (which may well be a bootleg). It looks okay: painting, detailing, and the box. I cant say though because I am still admittedly a n00b at this. It was for PhP1000.00 only, which I found wierd. I havent checked GT yet but HLJ lists it somewhere around 2.8k. The noticeable thing was the box had some labels not found in HLJ's sample, like this example. There's a label at the lower left hand side; two in fact.

So was the Yuna I found in Divisoria a fake? How can I spot a fake?

Thanks!

[LC]

For one, you can check Yuna's "eyes", the original figure is true to the videogame, and you will notice each eye has a different color...

[no3Ljm]

i don't know if this could help, but you can check the consistency of the colors/paints. like for example, the color of the flesh tones. are they consistent? you can also see some defects on the plastic/resin itself, esp from the molds. 'yung parang usli-usli na materials from the figures'. and the eyes also -- if it's original, it is painted beautifully kahit hindi anime-accurate. if it's bootleg, sablay kaagad yun.

and sometimes, the print on the box are blurry. and the colors are faded. and i think, by instinct, you can really tell if it's bootleg.

[V2]

1. the eyes - bootlegs have horrible eye detail. some are "duling" and "banlag" while others are just too scary for words to describe.

2. cleanliness - check the edges of the fingers, the hair edges and white areas of the figure. original ones are very clean, while bootlegs are not. also some internals of the bootleg boxes have dirt and dust inside of them.

3. smell - the plastic composition of bootlegs have a "more stinkier" smell. although original figures have that "fresh pvc smell" when you take it out of the box it goes away within a few minutes from opening, while the bootleg doesnt.

4. box detail - bootlegs have boxes that have a different shade from the original or has a lot of misprints. while some other figures have VERY good printing and can really fool you a lot, you can check for the final confirmation of it being a bootleg - which is:

5. the foil sticker or distributor notice - most anime figures have that "reflective foil sticker" of their respective company or handling agency (like typemoon, HJapan, etc.). for finalfantasy play arts or bome figures, always check for the DIAMOND DISTRIBUTOR LOGO - they're the official distributor for US versions. as for japanese versions, check for the consistency of the box/blister packaging for printing details, as well as the figure itself.

6. lastly, practice patience and extensive control when you think you've seen a figure at a very cheap price - sure, it looks like a dream with that kind of price, but isnt that what bootlegs are? really cheap price for substandard despicable quality? if you think you've hit the jackpot, think again.

[V2]

here's another fake figure going around alter's 1/8 saber black dress version:

apparently today while i was going around shops in GH i managed to have a close look and compare the original and fake - here are some notable differences to distinguish fake from original:

1. fingertips, hair edges are inconsistent with color and dirty.

2. looking from the package of the original and fake, the placement of the sword is most noticable - for the original the sword's pointed edge SHOULD BE POINTING DIRECTLY DOWN SOUTH. the fake's sword however, points southwest.

3. the original's packaging should have a foil hologram-type sticker with the words "TM" on it.

4. here are some noticable differences from HLJ (original) and a particular seller from ebay.ph (fake):
www.hlj.com/product/ALT20119
www.ebay.ph/viItem?ItemId=110043453804



and another case:

a friend and i noticed some sephiroth FF7AC bootlegs recently at a shop in GH:
- the face ESPECIALLY the eyes were painted badly (duling, banlag, etc). i mean, sephiroth's a psychopath but he's a handsome psychopath!
- the belt buckles on his coat are inconsistent (bad painting)
- dirt and scratches inside the blister packaging / box.
- the box is not glossy as the ones distributed by diamond.

also there are some playarts FFX bootlegs seen in those shops as well - and its been said that the bootleg yuna "looks like a grandma".

[fenrir72]

Try buying at GT. All 100% original.....................(shameless plug..........hehehe)

[V2]

yep. gt sells only original figures - unlike some other shops at shopsville that sells bootlegs and tries to pull them off as original.

[immaterial]

yeah. Its so hard. It's also difficult if you want a statue that only seems that dept stores sell it. >_>

Oh yeah V2. You got pm. Got a question. ^_^

[ver CO]

Thanks for all the advise, minna-san!

fenrir72 said:

Try buying at GT. All 100% original.....................(shameless plug..........hehehe)

:lol: Plug, este, advise noted!

I'll try to check the Yuna that I found. But AFAIK, it was clean and looked crisp. The details were fine, if not exceptional. The eyes though are something I need to look closely into... I'll try to post my findings.

[UchihaItachi]

Don't buy stuff from Divisoria - all bootlegs lolz.

[V2]

and thats the bottom line!!!

uchihaitachi said:

Don't buy stuff from Divisoria - all bootlegs lolz.

[ver CO]

pmoptimusprime said:

Which part of divisoria you saw this? I have some of my collection being sold by my cousin there, except she hasn't actually display them yet.

168 Mall...

[serverus]

the whole COMIC ALLEY store is a bootleg!

[SEELE01]

serverus said:

the whole COMIC ALLEY store is a bootleg!

It's a shame even Hero TV endorses them. GT is far more better to be endorsed by Hero

[ver CO]

serverus said:

the whole COMIC ALLEY store is a bootleg!

...and the items are ridiculously priced!