Knock-off figures - general discussion

[SBell]

Well i won one on ebay for $4.00. Was nervous near the end of the bidding. Lol i got the one i wanted the bird one. Forget the name. Lol i am not worried if its a knock off. Got plenty of chinasaurs. they are special to me.

Other than the fact that these companies are ripping off some of our favorite brands and their hard working sculptors. By all means, support the thieves.

These aren't chinasaurs, which are just (usually) poorly made figures of animals. These are ripoffs, which steal design and style from better sculptors and companies.

Not that I have strong opinions on things like this  .

[Hynerpeton]

I'm not supporting anything. I am just buying one figure. I bid on one i wanted and finally got it. Probably would of had to pay $15 for one figure or so. so i got lucky then.

[tyrantqueen]

I'm not supporting anything. I am just buying one figure. I bid on one i wanted and finally got it. Probably would of had to pay $15 for one figure or so. so i got lucky then.

You are supporting them. You paid the money, that by definition is supporting them.

[SBell]

I'm not supporting anything. I am just buying one figure. I bid on one i wanted and finally got it. Probably would of had to pay $15 for one figure or so. so i got lucky then.

As consumers, we express ourselves with our wallets. So when we buy obvious ripoffs, we are telling these companies that it's okay. And it's not okay. $15 for a good version of the original figure is not that bad of a price. Depending on what it is (which you haven't said). Unless you mean cheaper than the Amazon store price, in which case, those ones seem to be about the same or more as the respected, original versions.

[tyrantqueen]

I'm not supporting anything. I am just buying one figure. I bid on one i wanted and finally got it. Probably would of had to pay $15 for one figure or so. so i got lucky then.

As consumers, we express ourselves with our wallets. So when we buy obvious ripoffs, we are telling these companies that it's okay. And it's not okay. $15 for a good version of the original figure is not that bad of a price. Depending on what it is (which you haven't said). Unless you mean cheaper than the Amazon store price, in which case, those ones seem to be about the same or more as the respected, original versions.

I believe it was the Geoworld Caudipteryx knock off.

[Yutyrannus]

I'm not supporting anything. I am just buying one figure. I bid on one i wanted and finally got it. Probably would of had to pay $15 for one figure or so. so i got lucky then.

If you buy the figures, than you are supporting them.

[Invicta Hunter]

I personally like buying knock off figures.
I think they display well along side the original ones.
Some knock offs become quite collectable over time like the Chick Yuet Entelodont and Hyaenodon.
Also the Salvat figures were proper rips but still their very collectable these days and most of the
Laramie figures were copies of Invicta but yet again their in most of our collections. 

I imagine most companies make back their money plus extra before Chinese factories even start
to produce the knock off figures and then a lot of the time it's pretty hard to even find the fakes for sale.
I can half understand about the sculptor getting upset but then if i was one i don't think
I would mind if my work was copied. True fans of the sculptor or company know which figures are real and will buy them.
Anyone else who buys one of these fakes and doesn't know it because they aren't fanatics like we are can still enjoy it for what it is
at the end of the day, a dinosaur toy.

But that's just my thoughts on the subject 

[tyrantqueen]

I can half understand about the sculptor getting upset but then if i was one i don't think
I would mind if my work was copied.

I would.

[Invicta Hunter]

I wouldn't, all i would care about is the pay cheque from the company after i had finished the sculpture.

[tyrantqueen]

I wouldn't, all i would care about is the pay cheque from the company after i had finished the sculpture.

I doubt you'll find artists who'll completely agree with that statement. Most artists do not pursue their chosen craft with the intention of making a lot of money. In fact, making a living from art is a notoriously difficult thing.

We have lots of artists on the forum here. Let me ask one of you this question: would you be upset if you made a sculpture and a company ripped it off and starting making from it without your permission? I know Shane Foulkes has a lot of problems with people illegally recasting his kits.

[Ultimatedinoking]

Hey! Go easy on predino! If he/she wants to buy it (or did) that's his/her choice, not yours.

[tyrantqueen]

Hey! Go easy on predino! If he/she wants to buy it (or did) that's his/her choice, not yours.

That wasn't what we were discussing. Predino made a statement that was incorrect (saying that buying from the company wasn't supporting them), and I was just correcting it. Then the topic shifted to discussing whether people are okay with supporting bootleggers or not. No-one was discussing Predino's choice.

[Ultimatedinoking]

Hey! Go easy on predino! If he/she wants to buy it (or did) that's his/her choice, not yours.

That wasn't what we were discussing. Predino made a statement that was incorrect (saying that buying from the company wasn't supporting them), and I was just correcting it. Then the topic shifted to discussing whether people are okay with supporting bootleggers or not. No-one was discussing Predino's choice.

Well supporting a knockoff company would be going "woo! Go knockoff company!".

Predino found a figure almost identical to one that would have cost $15, for only $4! He/she can use that saved $11 to get more dinosaurs. And besides, many high brand dinosaurs can be crazy expensive.

[Invicta Hunter]

I wouldn't, all i would care about is the pay cheque from the company after i had finished the sculpture.

I doubt you'll find artists who'll completely agree with that statement. Most artists do not pursue their chosen craft with the intention of making a lot of money. In fact, making a living from art is a notoriously difficult thing.

We have lots of artists on the forum here. Let me ask one of you this question: would you be upset if you made a sculpture and a company ripped it off and starting making from it without your permission? I know Shane Foulkes has a lot of problems with people illegally recasting his kits.

If i owned the copyrights to the sculpture and i was producing them for sale then obviously i would care but if i was commissioned by a company like Papo to make them a figure i wouldn't really mind because they would own the copyrights to it.

[tyrantqueen]

Well supporting a knockoff company would be going "woo! Go knockoff company!".

No, only in a literal sense.

[Patrx]

Well supporting a knockoff company would be going "woo! Go knockoff company!".

Well, in a way, that's true. But saying nice things about a company, supporting them verbally, doesn't really mean anything to them unless it somehow translates into more sales (as in advertising). As Sbell pointed out, we vote with our wallets, not our voices.

If i owned the copyrights to the sculpture and i was producing them for sale then obviously i would care but if i was commissioned by a company like Papo to make them a figure i wouldn't really mind because they would own the copyrights to it.

I see what you're getting at here, but I've yet to meet an artist that wouldn't be insulted or at least annoyed by someone duplicating their work, even if it had no effect on their own profits. For most people who do this sort of work, it's an issue of personal pride and propriety, not a legal or financial issue. Perhaps some artists would feel the same way you do on the matter, but I don't think most would.

[Ultimatedinoking]

Well supporting a knockoff company would be going "woo! Go knockoff company!".

No, only in a literal sense.

Maybe, but would you rather pay $15 for a dinosaur, when you can find the exact same on for $4?

[tyrantqueen]

Well supporting a knockoff company would be going "woo! Go knockoff company!".

No, only in a literal sense.

Maybe, but would you rather pay $15 for a dinosaur, when you can find the exact same on for $4?

It's not the "exact same". The bootleggers take a toy and they put it in a mold. They're literally making a copy of a copy. That means a loss of detail. The paint application is often poor as well. And there is no safety testing. See here: http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=2134.msg56813#msg56813

I would rather the $15 because I know what I'm getting.

[CityRaptor]

Maybe, but would you rather pay $15 for a dinosaur, when you can find the exact same on for $4?

Expect that it is not the same. As someone who owned bootlegs and the original of something before, I can tell you that it is not the same.

[Ultimatedinoking]

I can think of name brands who's paint apps are worse than knockoffs.

But not everyone has $ to throw around for name brands.