Knock-off figures - general discussion

[CityRaptor]

Indeed, if you look at the prices, they are not much cheaper than the originals and they are likely not safety tested and toxic. And general of worse quality.
As someone who owned bootleg Godzillas at one point, I'm telling you, those did not feel right. Something about them felt off.

There is ofcourse also the moral issue with bootlegs.

[pylraster]

Yeah. You may save a few bucks at first but there's always the possibility of getting cancer from these fake toys.

[stargatedalek]

Not a huge risk unless you plan on eating them.

[tyrantqueen]

Not a huge risk unless you plan on eating them.

Young children like to put things in their mouths.

[alexeratops]

Not a huge risk unless you plan on eating them.

Young children like to put things in their mouths.

"Hey parents! Buy these cheap knockoffs of perfectly good models amazing original models that your kids can first choke on, and then die from the radioactivity of the paint if they survive a T. rex going down their throat!"

[Rain]

Not a huge risk unless you plan on eating them.

Young children like to put things in their mouths.

"Hey parents! Buy these cheap knockoffs of perfectly good models amazing original models that your kids can first choke on, and then die from the radioactivity of the paint if they survive a T. rex going down their throat!"

Totally worth saving 10 bucks for!

[stargatedalek]

As someone who doesn't live with kids or put things in their mouths it may not be worth saving 10 bucks, but I'm pretty sure you'd save more than that rather than buying a REBOR product which while made from better materials doesn't exactly come with any guarantee of better quality control.

[Rain]

Yes, my comment ignores the knock off Rebors. You're saving 20-50 with those. But I still don't see that justifying the purchase. You buy a Rebor because of it's quality/attention to detail or whatever you want to call it. These knock offs are straight up ugly. Sure you're saving 50 or so bucks, but you're still wasting 15 on the knockoff at the end of the day

[stargatedalek]

Ignoring the fact that one is a bootleg and just comparing the models themselves, I don't see any huge drop in sculpt quality. The material is a lot cheaper and the paint app is not as good but the latter is easy to fix. When it comes down to it I can't really blame someone for buying one of those instead of the real deal, as bootlegs go they are pretty well made.

I wouldn't bother ordering a bootleg online, it's weird but for me that's where I draw a moral line. I don't feel bad buying a bootleg out of opportunity if I stumble across one for cheap, but actively searching for them bugs me.

[SuperFunReviews]

I would rather have one proper Dinosaur than 3 fakes. I guess it is what you can afford as well. I think there is enough traditional Dinosaur lovers out there that the main Dinosaur makers will still have plenty of business

[Rain]

Ignoring the fact that one is a bootleg and just comparing the models themselves, I don't see any huge drop in sculpt quality. The material is a lot cheaper and the paint app is not as good but the latter is easy to fix. When it comes down to it I can't really blame someone for buying one of those instead of the real deal, as bootlegs go they are pretty well made.

I wouldn't bother ordering a bootleg online, it's weird but for me that's where I draw a moral line. I don't feel bad buying a bootleg out of opportunity if I stumble across one for cheap, but actively searching for them bugs me.

It isn't a huge drop, but still a significant one. I don't think I'd ever buy a bootleg no matter how good it is or how cheap. To each their own I suppose

I would rather have one proper Dinosaur than 3 fakes. I guess it is what you can afford as well. I think there is enough traditional Dinosaur lovers out there that the main Dinosaur makers will still have plenty of business

Maybe, I also don't think bootlegs would hugely impact a dinosaur company but who knows. I just find it morally wrong

[tyrantqueen]

The biggest issue for me is the ripping off of artists' work. It's like giving a middle finger to the artist. I am not really a Rebor fan, but even I do not think their artist should have his work plagiarised. I would prefer to support the people who are giving us these sculpts (yes, if you buy these bootlegs you are supporting them. You're supplying them with funds to keep their business going).

The quality of the original is always going to be better. A bootleg is a copy of a copy, and thus will have less detail.

And if someone is concerned about money, they shouldn't be in this hobby anyway. You need to have a least some disposable income to be a collector.

[TJ_Terrorsaur]

Found these two at Target

[EarthboundEiniosaurus]

Seriously, what's up with Target? They sell Battat, which is awesome, and then they have stuff like this. I'd expect as much from Wal-mart, but come on Target, you're better than this!

Thanks,

EarthboundEiniosaurus

[LophoLeeVT]

wow there are like 90% t rex and giganotosaurus schleich knockoffs in this world!

[sauroid]

And if someone is concerned about money, they shouldn't be in this hobby anyway. You need to have a least some disposable income to be a collector.

exactly! serious figures collecting is expensive if you buy by the dozens on a regular basis even if their individual price is just a few dollars. heavy/addicted collectors usually spend a few hundred dollars a month.
*EDIT: this also applies to non-prehistoric figures*

[CityRaptor]

Which is also one of the reasons why a serious collector should stick to one or at best two themes. Space is another.

Speaking of moral imlications: Didn't bootlegged modelkits cause the ruin of one company?

[Bucklander]

The simple truth is, if you buy a bootleg, you're buying stolen goods! As an artist with my own website, I wouldn't mind if a million individual people downloaded my art or my music FOR THEMSELVES for free. But if one person (or a small group of people) were to download something of mine, then mass produce it and sell a million copies, with not one cent of the proceeds coming back to me, I'd wanna kill the M.F.(s). Just think of "The Phantom of the Opera".

Being an artist, of whatever medium, is tough going. The only stance to take against bootlegs is to boycott them. (That being said, I have bought 3 bootlegs myself, but only because I had no idea at the time, that they were in fact bootlegs  ).

[tyrantqueen]

Which is also one of the reasons why a serious collector should stick to one or at best two themes. Space is another.

Speaking of moral imlications: Didn't bootlegged modelkits cause the ruin of one company?

Yes, Horizon.

[Dilopho]

It's not a figure and I'm not entirely sure if it's a bootleg or not, but look at this shirt I bought: