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  • Writer's pictureKim

Identifying Bootlegs - Revised Edition

Updated: Mar 21

So it has been awhile since my last post on this subject, and I've been asked if it was possible to do another version on my older post and have a little bit more depth to the piece.


Most of the traffic we get on this website or even on our Facebook group/page tends to be collectors asking if we can check their figures to confirm whether they have purchased a fake or not.


More often than not, they sadly have purchased a fake. One of the key things we hope to achieve with our community is not only raising awareness about upcoming products and their releases. But also to ensure that those both new and old to the collecting world are making sure that they are purchasing from an authorised/reputable retailer.


My aim for this revised document is to do a list of the bootlegs alongside their authentic counter to hopefully educate the reader. I will also aim to keep it updated with each new bootleg that we discover.


The following topics are what we will cover here;

  1. Price

  2. Packaging

  3. Product Quality

  4. How do I report a bootleg product?

  5. Bootleg Vs Genuine product



Price


So you are looking for a good deal on a BISHOUJO, but ever though that the price you are seeing might be too good to be true? For example, current new prices for BISHOUJO are around the USD $119.99 mark (approx 12,000-15,000 JPY), with Limited Editions coming in around USD $130 (approx 14,000 JPY).


However we have seen some bootlegs go for around USD $35.00-80.00 online, and these tend to be a lot of the more popular pieces - this alone should set of red flags. Many of these tend to be shipped directly from China, and primarily use stock photos only or few have been seen on eBay with a different base from the final product.


There are occasions where collectors can be selling older pieces and without their original box, so do check their images and if unsure - ask! You are within your right as a buyer to ask for more images, and this will help you in the long run and also ensure you don't purchase a bootleg.



Packaging


Packaging can often be the first clue as to whether or not you are purchasing a genuine product, or a bootleg.


Kotobukiya will always have their logo on the front of the box, at the top right hand corner above the window. Many bootlegs will show images of the packaging online and it will be missing the logo completely, choosing only to keep the licence logo.


Font can also be changed, as well as the art edited to be off colour to the original. There has however been a very rare occurrence of a bootleg using packaging with the Kotobukiya logo on it - although we have only heard of this happening once.


Below you can view a slideshow with images of packaging for products that contain a bootleg.





Product Quality


The biggest giveaway is the way in which these products look. These knock offs tend to come with poor paint application, warped features and often with a really bad lean. We always recommend checking the official photos posted by Kotobukiya and if it doesn't look right, then don't buy it!


Many bootlegs are also sold with a very plain base or something similar to what is shown in prototype photos (black disc).


List of bootlegs that we are aware of:


  • Lady Deadpool

  • Psylocke V2

  • Chun Li Battle Costume

  • Supergirl Returns

  • Spider Gwen

  • Harley New 52

  • X-23

  • Spider-Woman

  • Tiffany

  • Chucky

  • Freddy Kruger

  • Jason Voorhees

  • Street Fighter Alpha Cammy

  • Michael Myers

  • Domino

  • Pinkie Pie

  • Dark Phoenix (Rebirth)

  • Twilight Sparkle

  • Pennywise

  • Poison Ivy Returns

  • Black Cat Steals Your Heart

  • Pennywise

  • Darkstalkers Morrigan

  • Loki

  • Thor (Jane Foster)

  • Leatherface

  • Leatherface Chainsaw Dance

  • My Little Pony: Princess Luna

  • My Little Pony x Hatsune Miku

  • My Little Pony: Fluttershy

  • Darkstalkers Felicia

  • Darkstalkers Lilith


How do I report a bootleg product?


If you are ever unsure if you have received a bootleg or not, we were previously advised by Kotobukiya to contact them at questions@kotous.com. However, please understand that they cannot provide you with an official product as a replacement for the counterfeit.


You can also let our community know by using one of the links noted at the bottom of the blog post, or even emailing this website. We'd be happy to check if you have photos to confirm whether it is fake or not.


We are here as a resource for our fellow collectors after all!



Bootleg V Genuine product


As promised, below you will find each of the known bootlegs alongside their genuine counterpart. I will ensure the bootleg photos will show first in the slideshow, with the genuine images shown after.




 

Lady Deadpool

The bootleg Lady Deadpool releases tend to have warped faces, for both the original and Limited Edition version.


 

Psylocke V2


The bootleg Psylocke has been discovered with not only different packaging, but a warped face.


 

Chun Li Battle Costume

Please be aware that Chun Li on release has a clear base as with the rest of the Street Fighter figures, images used were of prototype.


 

Supergirl Returns

Supergirl has been found to have a warped face, and also poor quality sculpt of the body.



 

Spider Gwen

Overall poor sculpt, and warped face.



 

Harley Quinn New 52

Harley has poor sculpting on the hair and face. Colouring is different and the statue has a really bad lean.




 

X-23

X-23 has been found to have an extremely poor face sculpt and the base is also wrong on bootlegs. Photos of genuine piece were provided by one of our community for reference purposes.


 

Spider Woman

Packaging and base is wrong, and again warped face.


 

Tiffany

Tiffany has been spotted with a really bad lean and extremely poor paint job, primarily noticeable with her hair. A side by side image was taken by one of our fellow collectors, after I reached out to him years ago about his bootleg - which he didn't know was fake at the time.


He was then lucky enough to buy the official product and provided us with a side by side comparison for our records.



 

Chucky

Bootleg has warped face and also incorrect packaging and base in comparison to original release.




 

Freddy Kruger

Freddy bootlegs have been shown with poor sculpting and paint jobs, as well as the base being different from the official releases.


 

Jason Voorhees

The Jason bootleg has very flat paint job and very different base from the genuine statue.




 

Street Fighter Alpha Cammy

Cammy had a somewhat warped face and poor paint job for the bootleg, with the colouring being very flat in comparison to the genuine piece.



 

Michael Myers

Myers bootleg is depicted with a poor sculpt and paint job and a warped face.



 

Domino

Domino was an odd situation, as the bootleg was actually available before the actual statue had released. This ended up having different colouring to the genuine product, so its pretty obvious that it is a bootleg.





Dark Phoenix (Rebirth)

Face is warped and overall poor sculpt.


 

Pinkie Pie

Pinkie Pie bootleg is very poorly sculpted and with a very bad lean on the statue. Packaging can look very close to the genuine release but of course missing the all important logo.



 

Twilight Sparkle

A collector actually reached out to me via Instagram about this one, where the statue they received had slight differences to the genuine statue that they thought they ordered. Mainly the hair was a bit of a giveaway as it would flow differently from the genuine piece. The pony was also very flimsy and came away from the base.



 


Mary Marvel (Shazam!)

Face is warped on bootleg, and also incorrect packaging with typos.


 

Poison Ivy Returns


Face is warped and hair does not match official release sculpting. Body proportions are also wrong in comparison to genuine product.



 

Black Cat Steals Your Heart


As with other statues, the face is warped on this one as you can clearly see my the messy sculpt of the mask. From the images it looks like it could have a really bad leaning issue as well.



 

Pennywise

Pennywise has also been spotted on eBay, and like many bootlegs it can be seen with a low price and coming from China. The obvious difference with Pennywise is the face paint application, it is very simple with a lack of shading in comparison to the real statue.



 

Darkstalkers Morrigan


Morrigan was spotted on eBay recently by a few of our Facebook community. A visible bootleg photo has since been found and shows that the eyes and expression are somewhat warped.



 

Loki

Bootleg of the second edition of Loki was found online. As you can see from the photos below, there is an obvious difference between the two.



 

Thor


Same with Loki, there is a massive difference in quality between the bootleg and the authentic version.



 

Leatherface Chainsaw Dance


Leatherface can be seen with a poor face sculpt, poor print quality and the chainsaw is also curved which isn't the case with the authentic piece.



 

Leatherface


Leatherface can be seen with a poor face sculpt and very bad paint application which is more so noticeable with the bloodstains on the apron. The extra mask accessory is different from the authentic statue.



 

My Little Pony: Princess Luna


Bootlegs of Princess Luna have been spotted online, however we only have the one image so far. Many of the listings use the stock images, so please be aware of this.



 

My Little Pony x Hatsune Miku


Poor material quality version, as well as overall cheap look.



 

My Little Pony: Fluttershy


Proportions for Fluttershy's face are off, as well as incorrect foot stand colours. Figure is also on a really bad tilt.



 

Darkstalkers Felicia

Quality of the face does not match that of the original release. Photos aren't very clear but from what can be seen the sculpt is certainly off on the face most of all. Box has the telltale signs of a bootleg by missing the logos.




 

Darkstalkers Lilith

Lilith's sculpt proportions are off in comparison to the original, as well as the face being different.



 

Join in with our community for all the latest news and discussion! You can find us via one of the following links: Facebook page: https://bit.ly/2xieTot Facebook group: https://bit.ly/2YxyQmM Instagram: https://bit.ly/2WRGeJ8


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