Chinese NECA Rip-offs? (pictures)

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by Jester

Ahh, so what are the odds they have the April and Foot/Shredder molds?

Not good, probably. Since the figures were never produced, final molds might never have actually been made. Or, if they were, they wouldn't have ever been supplied to a factory.

[TCRI]

What are people going on about? They're not THAT cheap especially compared to retail price and the clamshells I got on eBay for only £5 more... anyway.

I bought a figure that arrived damaged, deformed/badly molded and turned out to be a bootleg. They said it was brand new and official so therefore I feel a bit annoyed. I'm not on an anti-bootleg haunt, I just want more than a £2 refund (that's all he offered btw) considering I insured the thing.... It's a matter of principle.

I doubt we'll get Shredder and the S2 ones, because they have nothing to copy from! Does anyone actually own one of the S2 figures? If a few are out there then maybe... but it might be too risky for them to produce something which was never made.

[daviscfad]

well personally i am glad i didnt buy them. I mean I dont want bootleg anything. I am a coin collector also and counterfeit coins is a BIG no no. I feel the same way about anything i collect. If these come from anyone other than the original manufacturer they are counterfeit and useless IMO. but to each is own. The problem i have though is a lot of people want know there bootlegs and pass them off as the real deal.

edit: This could also be what we need for neca to see to show them how they messed up not making the other s2

[Discogod]

Originally Posted by TCRI

What are people going on about? They're not THAT cheap especially compared to retail price and the clamshells I got on eBay for only £5 more... anyway.

I bought a figure that arrived damaged, deformed/badly molded and turned out to be a bootleg. They said it was brand new and official so therefore I feel a bit annoyed. I'm not on an anti-bootleg haunt, I just want more than a £2 refund (that's all he offered btw) considering I insured the thing.... It's a matter of principle.

I doubt we'll get Shredder and the S2 ones, because they have nothing to copy from! Does anyone actually own one of the S2 figures? If a few are out there then maybe... but it might be too risky for them to produce something which was never made.

AFAIK, the only copies are the original sculpts and painted protos that were shown - there were no tools made for S2. That's why we won't see bootlegs of them.

[daviscfad]

does the bootleg edition have 2008 mirage studios inc. NECA 2008 made in china stamped on the bottom of the foot?

[JaffleMan]

If they are bootlegs, yes... they do have the 2008 stamp date. And I can vouch that the plastron is indeed a lot harder on the ones showing up than on the previous tubed turtles. So this is more evidence that somthing isn't right here.

And for the record I do aknowledge that all the evidence is pointing that these are bootlegs but I'm not going to refer to them as such until I see some solid proof.

The seller saying they were produced this year isn't enough for me... In my experience too may people don't know anything about the product they are selling.

I'm not dismissing anyone here or trying to argue that these are genuine, if anything them being bootlegged makes perfect sense to me, but I just feel we need some solid proof or word from Neca or some definitive source before we label them as such.

[TCRI]

I agree, we need SOLID proof, for all we know these are seconds (a big batch of seconds). But China are good at copies. They have several phony Apple Stores selling nothing but counterfeit iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macs etc...

They DO have the "2008 mirage studios inc. NECA 2008 made in china" on the foot, I just checked.

If the correct soft plastic was used and paint I wouldn't even question the authenticity of these, they're so damn near perfect.

[Shreddhead]

I just received my Mike from ebay seller cool1199, unfortunately i discovered this thread today after it arrived and i began to question its authenticity due the intense plasticy smell when opened. As far as i can tell, the figure mirrors all the little changes that you guys have listed on here, unfortunately this is my first Neca turtle so i cannot compare it side by side.

Have you received any conformation from Neca yet?

Also, i have to agree that these figures look amazing for bootlegs if thats what they are, i would never have known had it not been for this thread- although i had my reservations when ordering from Hong Kong.

The worst thing about it, imo, is the stickyness. What do you guys recomend spraying it with to help secure the paint and alleviate this?

[Cryomancer]

I'd be fine with bootlegs if they were at least cheap. Could make even more interesting customs happen then.

[King Suck]

Ebay reports are cumulative. A few complaints about bootleging wont result in them taking it down but a bunch will get the sellers account red flagged.

I will say Ive filed a formal complaint with Ebay over something a Hong Kong seller sent me before through ebay resolution and they refunded my money and asked me to destroy the item.

The fact that the seller claimed it was made in 2011 is all the proof you need. Play it by the book and you will get your money plus shipping back and be asked by ebay to destroy the figures/get to keep them for yourself.

1. Make a formal claim to the seller through ebay messaging that you have confirmed they are bootleg and request a full refund + shipping. Don't mention shipping them back at all.

2. He will either get nervous about being exposed and issue you a refund outright or get dodgy and try and get them back before he issues a refund.

3. If he demands you ship them back immediately file a claim though ebay dispute resolution. You will have to prove your case but its not to hard. His own comments should be enough. Tell Ebay you can provide pic comparisons as proof (I told them that but they never asked for them).

4. Don't mention sending them back though dispute resolution either. If ebay finds in your favor (which they will) they will refund you and ask you to destroy the items in question.

They decided in my favor and refunded my money less than 2 hours after i opened the case. I offered to provide mounds of proof in my initial complaint and they pretty much just took me at my word and gave me my money back.

The seller then left positive feedback for me but claimed I was a scammer in the notes section and I reported that as well and Ebay permanently suspended the sellers account and removed the comments and left the positive feedback.

[kepamash]

The worst thing about it, imo, is the stickyness. What do you guys recomend spraying it with to help secure the paint and alleviate this?[/QUOTE]

i tryed spraying mine with a few things but they did nothing i had given up all hope untill someone mentioned wd 40 so i decided to give it a try, i sprayed it on the sticky parts and rubbed it well with a rough cloth/towel and IT WORKED the paint is still intact they are now perfect

[Ch'rell]

I only have the two boxsets (one the Con boxet set with all the extra weapons and one the regular boxset with only the basics) and there IS a difference beyond the extra weapons. Most obviously, the colors are different. The set without extra weapons I bought from Mirage and it has darker colors than the extra weapons set. Furthermore, there's mold differences. The set without extra weapons the wrists do not accept the varying hands from the extra weapon set as they are a different mold. (FWIW the Mousers that come with April and the Mouser three pack are also separate molds, you can't swap heads. The ball on the neck for the ball and socket joint is a much different size.) Are you sure it's a bootleg and not just different versions? NECA TMNT has spotty quality control. One of my Turtles (from the set I got from Mirage directly) has a jacked up knee pad, one has a paint smear on his eye.

[I'm-a-charging my laser]

Glad I came across this thread. I was planning on buying some of these on eBay and didn't think someone would counterfeit the NECA figures, since I thought to myself turtles are somewhat niche.

However I'm always wary of anything from Chinese sellers on eBay. That's not a criticism on the country or its people, but counterfeit products are a big problem there.

Oh well, I'll just have to live without them...

[arkangel]

I had to laugh when I came across this thread.
I was lucky enough to purchase a loose set of all 4 turtles complete with stands/accessories from someone that obviously purchased them separately in the original square packaging or as an exclusive 2008 comic-con set. I'm absolutely thrilled with the condition they're in and how nice they display. For the 110US I paid, I feel I got a great deal.

I then decided to pick up a spare Mikey for a diorama I'm working on and found one for 25US shipped on ebay from a seller in China. My initial thought that it might be a bootleg quickly vanished when it arrived nicely packaged with official NECA logos on the tube. Upon reading this thread, however, I took a closer look and here are the differences on mine.
- the bandana, belt, pads and chest plate are made of a stiffer plastic. My originals are very soft and rubbery.
- the chest plate is more yellow.
- the red paint was still tacky
- the shell is much more bluish/green and has almost no black paint in the recessed lines, but the skin color looks bang on.
- the feet stand just fine, but there is definitely some material missing above the ankle joint creating a gap thats a few mm wider than on my originals. This may also be due to slightly misaligned/misplaced ankle pins creating a less than ideal fit.

So in conclusion, it sounds like my spare Mikey is from another mother. I'm surprised that they can get away with using Neca logos on the packaging but all in all I feel the quality of these bootlegs is exceptional. How to discern whether a potential ebay purchase is official or bootleg may be almost impossible if you're buying them packaged, however.
This may not sound like the most ethical stand on the issue, but considering that Neca is out of the turtle business, I would be hesitant to blow the whistle on these. They fill a void in the collector arena by allowing people access to what is without a doubt, some of the best TMNT figs to date.

[46pǝqqoɹʇoƃsodxƎ]

Originally Posted by King Suck

Ebay reports are cumulative. A few complaints about bootleging wont result in them taking it down but a bunch will get the sellers account red flagged.

I will say Ive filed a formal complaint with Ebay over something a Hong Kong seller sent me before through ebay resolution and they refunded my money and asked me to destroy the item.

The fact that the seller claimed it was made in 2011 is all the proof you need. Play it by the book and you will get your money plus shipping back and be asked by ebay to destroy the figures/get to keep them for yourself.

1. Make a formal claim to the seller through ebay messaging that you have confirmed they are bootleg and request a full refund + shipping. Don't mention shipping them back at all.

2. He will either get nervous about being exposed and issue you a refund outright or get dodgy and try and get them back before he issues a refund.

3. If he demands you ship them back immediately file a claim though ebay dispute resolution. You will have to prove your case but its not to hard. His own comments should be enough. Tell Ebay you can provide pic comparisons as proof (I told them that but they never asked for them).

4. Don't mention sending them back though dispute resolution either. If ebay finds in your favor (which they will) they will refund you and ask you to destroy the items in question.

They decided in my favor and refunded my money less than 2 hours after i opened the case. I offered to provide mounds of proof in my initial complaint and they pretty much just took me at my word and gave me my money back.

The seller then left positive feedback for me but claimed I was a scammer in the notes section and I reported that as well and Ebay permanently suspended the sellers account and removed the comments and left the positive feedback.

Did you actually destroy them?

[tmnt transformer]

Bootlegs will always exist........ as long as there is a real version.

[Threat]

Here's a FULL video comparing both sets. This shows NO DOUBT what set you'll have if all previous posts weren't enough. From the front shells and bandannas being harder and unmovable to the different paint schemes and more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxpU7SY9nj4

[Jay $tarkiller]

This video helps a lot. That way I just figured out, that the 4 loose green Neca Turtles I own, are bootlegs. I bought one loose b/w Raphael from Malaysia for cheap and surprisingly this one turns out to be an original

I agree with the guy in the video, assuming that those bootlegs are just official Neca toys without the quality control. So it's alright with me.

However there are chinese sellers on ebay who sell all 4 Turtles in the long Neca Box. So according to the guy in the video this should be originals?! Well, I just bought a Mike in clamshell packaging, so I'm safe on that one. And from now on I'll try to look out only for the real boxes to get me a colored and b/w spare set to display.

[Threat]

Originally Posted by Threat

Here's a FULL video comparing both sets. This shows NO DOUBT what set you'll have if all previous posts weren't enough. From the front shells and bandannas being harder and unmovable to the different paint schemes and more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxpU7SY9nj4

I just got my set from actionnate and he bought them from someone else who said they got them from the US, but they lied to him. Without opening them I can tell they are in fact bootlegs

Paint application on front shell; black overlaps at top left of Leo & Mikey:





Same Bandana as shown in comparison video:



Blueish shells on all:



And blown out ball sockets, as shown in video:

[Jay $tarkiller]

I guess it's just safer to not buy those tubes and stick with the clamshell or long boxes. It's more expensiv, but you can be 100% sure that you got the real deal.