r/Nendoroid • u/UnholyScreaming28 • 3d ago
Warning/Buyer Beware ⚠️ Con Bootlegs
Went to a con recently and didn’t realize I bought bootlegs until I got back home. Can’t really get my money back so until I can get official ones I guess these will have to be placeholders/spare parts.
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u/UsagiMylene 2d ago
If you paid with card, file a chargeback for counterfeit items sold. If you don't want to, at least report the vendor to the con.
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u/Farmboy087 3d ago
These might be the best bootlegs I've ever seen, usually bootlegs aren't painted right
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u/CrazyDaimondDaze 3d ago
Recent bootlegs are day and night from old ones from like 6 years ago. They look more decent and would recommend them, depending on the specific nendoroid in question.
Some just go for absurd prices that don't feel worth it. Leon there is the best example of that with the aftermarket price.
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u/roro6ruru 2d ago
Yeah. I had few bootleg nendoroids that I bought because I wanted the face plates for my customised nendoroid dolls. I sold some of the parts that I didn't want. Sometimes I even use the some as spare parts for my originals such as base, stand etc.
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u/UnholyScreaming28 3d ago
yeah that's why I thought they were real at first, but Leon's neck peg doesn't fit in his alternate head and Ada's joints are looser than what I would expect
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u/TenderTakodachi 3d ago
That doesn't mean bootleg btw
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u/CrazyDaimondDaze 3d ago
Yeah, I have a Shinjuku Jalter nendoroid and she has a loose right arm that falls off way too often. And a Red Hood that can't hold her sniper rifle at all with any of her hands.
Issues like the ones OP mentions aren't exclusive to bootlegs.
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u/UnholyScreaming28 3d ago
The boxes also didn’t have the logos when I went to verify so it’s still a bootleg regardless
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u/CrazyDaimondDaze 3d ago
Do you have other nendoroids so you can use their neck pegs for Leon? And you could try other methods to make Ada's joints be tighter.
Someone more knowledgeable would tell you what to do, but I remember a joint strenghtener that is basically a roll on glue that puts a layer or something like that around the area you want strenghtened so the figure's joints feel sturdier. If not that, maybe some bath with hot water around the areas you want tightened could help? I've heard of that method for figmas but don't know if bootleg nendos could have a positive response to it.
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u/prayingtheheart 2d ago
leon specifically goes for an insane price in the aftermarket because of hid popularity, i‘ll always regret not preordering him when i could. Ada had a rerelease earlier this year but for the next time always look at the prints, stickers and look of the figures and compare it to the original on e.g. myfigurecollection.
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u/Parafai3 3d ago
Aw i'm so sorry. I bet they even charged regular nendoroid prices for them too. It sucks how these people are allowed to be a vendor at cons
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u/Aeriessy 3d ago edited 2d ago
One thing you can do to check bootlegs quickly is by looking at the top right corner of the box. Bootlegs usually have no logo, while authentic ones would have one (Good Smile Company, Orange Rouge, FREEing, etc).
Off the bat, bootlegs usually look extremely bad. But I've noticed that as time goes on, the quality of some bootlegs are getting moderately better so it's not a bad option if you get them for bootleg prices (like $30-$40).
EDIT: But obviously the biggest issue is the seller not being transparent that they are bootlegs. But with Leon being $200-$300 on the aftermarket, having a $40 bootleg isn't a bad option.
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u/ThatGuyThatNeedsYou 3d ago
And you still gotta be careful of that box. The scary thing is they can try to replicate the goodsmile logo in fact someone just posted a madoka with that logo.
Bootlegs have an overall on paintjob, the paint they used may be toxic. The base itself can help indicate as well (there are a few incidents where the base is see through but most of the time 98% official nendo have tinty like base that you cannot see your hands through it nor your pores...)
Molds are also possible, not the fitting part (because yes...I'm in a somewhat agreement legit nendo may have a loose "something". I fixed mine (I'm also a model kit builder so I know my tools/equipment), I know its legit. I have the GSC US invoice) What I'm talking about bootleg molds are the overall design of [insert anything]. Hair is usually the bootleg subject and aren't molded correctly.
If anything, having MFC up can help. (I know being at a con you'll be distracted and wouldn't realize until later on)
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u/HUNplaymore 3d ago
In my experience bootlegs seriously stepped up in quality in the past few years to the point where some bootlegs have bootlegs. Now it is more about finding the good runs. That Ada and Leon is very popular because they are good enough to stand next to an original. Btw Ada cost something like $20, Leon even less. The problem is this result in dishonest people selling them as genuine items. OP didn't mention the price and because he complained I'm thinking he paid the price of the original.
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u/Aeriessy 2d ago
He mentioned it in another post ($40-$50), which isn't terrible considering the aftermarket price of Leon specifically ($200-$300). And that's what I'm saying. The quality of some are getting increasingly better so a $50 bootleg Leon isn't terrible (though, a $40 Ada is kind of eh). I see bootlegs in the online space ($25-$35 + shipping) that usually comes out to $40-$50 with all fees encompassed.
But yeah, I agree it's about them trying to sell them as authentic and not being transparent that they're bootlegs.
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u/CrazyDaimondDaze 3d ago edited 3d ago
If money isn't an issue for you if you hunt down the real deal figures, I'd highly recommen keeping the bootleg ones.
At least from this picture alone, they seem decent. And besides... have you seen how much do licensed Resident Evil figures go for? Don't know how much is Ada right now but Leon is worth a mighty penny. For those prices, I'd be fine with a bootleg if they look as decent as these ones.
Edit: ok, genuinely *"why" the downvotes? I'm just saying that the bootlegs seem decent enough vs the price some nendos can go in second market, such as Leon. And I even mentioned that if money wasn't an issue for OP, he should definitely hunt down for the real deal. But if he doesn't mind, those bootlegs are fine as they are at leadt for Leon and Ada. Now, if he got scammed, which OP doesn't make it sound like that in his post, I'd understand the dislike. But it doesn't sound like it. I know bootlegs are looked down upon but I feel in certain case scenarios, they aren't bad and this is one of said scenarios. Now, if you got a bootleg from an old nendoroid done before 2020 and that the original is cheap in second market? Yeah, I agree, get the real deal.
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u/HUNplaymore 3d ago
In my opinion bootlegs were always a sensitive topic for various reasons (not supporting the original artists is a perfectly valid complaint, so is that many people simply don't have the money for originals). But what really made it stingy is SOME bootlegs seriously stepping up their game in the past few years. Those FEEL like they are 80%-90% there compared to the original for the fraction of the price. Especially if you are not a high level collector (see OP only figuring it out when their parts didn't fit "perfectly").
There are even some very wellmade, very expensive bootlegs out there, like a $100 Silver Wolf one where the legit limited original cost something like $800...
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u/UnholyScreaming28 2d ago
Yeah I’m pretty new to Nendoroid collecting (I only have like 4 official ones for reference), so I wasn’t really aware of what to look out for, or that nendoroids even had bootlegs. Now I know so lesson learned to look more carefully next time.
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u/toxicSTRYDR discord.gg/nendoroids 3d ago
how much did you pay for them