Chinese NECA Rip-offs? (pictures)

[TCRI]

I only rediscovered tmnt a few months ago and I've bought at couple of NECA TMNT.

I only have Mike and Leo, both brand new clamshells. But I really want (obviously) Don and Raph too. I'm being patient for a Don clamshell that isn't £70, more like £20-£30. However, Raph simply cannot be bought for cheap these days. So knowing that I couldn't afford him on clamshell, I opted for a tube.

I paid around £17 for Raphael in a tube from an eBay seller in China. I paid a little extra for a "sturdy box" and insurance when asked by the seller if I was "a collector".

I THINK IT'S A COUNTERFEIT, OR PARTS OF IT ARE. (See pics)

1 - First off, Raph's shell is a completely different colour.
2 - The black detailing on his sais are faint or not even there. Also some of the paint flaked off! I've only had it an hour!
3 - The skin colour is really far off my other two (genuine) figures. I know NECAs have the ability to look a bit patchy, paint-wise using flash photography... but Raph almost looks blue in areas!!
4 - He smells different.... has a very pungent plastic smell, much worse than the clamshells.
5 - His rubbery bits; his bandana, belt, kneepads and chest plate ARE NOT SOFT! They're really stiff! It's not the same rubber, something much harder.
6 - The paint on his bandana is much glossier than the other two (genuine) figures, and it's even a little tacky to the touch... fresh paint??
7 - His chest piece is the wrong colour, much more "yellowy" than the other two (genuine) toys and has less black detailing on it. I actually think it's an improvement, but that's beside the point atm.
8 - Last but certainly not least is his feet.... they arc! What I mean is, they don't stand flat, only the toes and heel do. There is about 3mm gap on both feet where it's been misshaped. Also there is some black line detailing which is wrong.

P.S. That "sturdy box" I paid extra for was just a basic brown cardboard box, which arrived crushed with part of the tube crushed too. I'd hate to think what a regular/unsturdy box would've consisted of? - a paper bag?

I think the recent influx of these TMNT tubes on eBay has something to do with one or two dodgy factories in China. The original toys in 2008 were made there and I wonder if these new ones are made from old bits of the original factory production or even re-used old molds to cast new pieces out of the wrong types of plastic?

Anyway, I've love to know what people think. Or if you have had a similar experience etc. I know a lot of you on here are American (I'm British) so maybe ordering from China isn't on your to-do list.

[Discogod]

I think it's possible that it's a bootleg using the original moulds and tooling from the NECA figures. It's happened with Transformers and SOTA's Streetfighter line, wouldn't surprise me if it's happened to the TMNT figures too.

You might want to try dipping the feet in boiling hot water to soften the plastic enough to straighten them out.

[TCRI]

Cheers, I've cooled off a bit now but it it's still annoying. I suspect it's not legit, it's just about bearable to own (because real ones are so bloody rare now) but not as any kind of investment. Takes the shine off quite a bit.

If I ever sold them, I would have to explain it... I'm contacting the seller try to get my money back but I'm not sending it all the way back to China. They can refund all or part of the cost, because the "secure box" that was just a rip off. I'm surprise Raph arrived in one piece!

Look at the picture below, it's a joke.

[TCRI]

btw, I'll try the water thing

[Discogod]

Might be an idea to give it a light coat of sealer (Humbrol matt acrylic spray works great) too - this'll even out some of the colour discrepancies, and will probably cut down on the smell & stickiness too.

[JaffleMan]

Originally Posted by TCRI

I I paid around £17 for Raphael in a tube from an eBay seller in China. I paid a little extra for a "sturdy box" and insurance when asked by the seller if I was "a collector".

I think we used the same seller. After the purchase they gave you ther option of paying an extra $3 to have it shipped in a box with no mention of this fee in the listing. I ignored it and had a box sent anyway. YAY!

As for the bootleg part i'm not sure... I have a genuine Leo from the tube as well as one packaged from the seller.
I opened a Don from the seller and compared to Leo, they appear to be of the same quality.

Maybe just the clamshells and tubes are different.

[TCRI]

The spray sounds good, I have some liquitex varnish that I use with my airbrush. That's an option.

Also JaffleMan, was there any colour difference? mainly the shells? I don't doubt some of it is genuine, but some bits are just a bit too ropey for me. Mmmm... maybe I just got unlucky... Still the state it arrived in! I like my stuff in mint condition, especially after paying a little extra to ensure that!

The tubes and clamshells may be different, who knows? HA, SOMEONE ON HERE MUST KNOW?!! lol Some NECA aficionado....

[Lordmylar06]

I recently picked up a few from a seller in Hong Kong. I'm going to check thoroughly and make some comparisons of my own. BTW who is your mailman, Ace Ventura?

[Samhain]

I mentioned this in this thread,

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=34576

I thought soomething was fishy bout all those.

[Lordmylar06]

I think we have bootlegs. Samhain I'll agree with you, it is fishy when a hard to find item is in abundance all of a sudden, but I don't think they're defects. These were probably bootlegs made from the original molds. Here are some of my photos.


There is a color difference between the "legit" and "bootlegs" in the skintones (Original on left, supposed bogus on the right)


Mine also has the warped left foot. Again, the original on the left, the "bogus" on the right.


The rear shell color difference I can only really notice when I look at them side by side.


Fresh out of the tube I had some paint rub on my thumb from the figure.

Also I'll vouch for the fact that the parts such as the head bandanna, and the kneepads are now harder plastic, NOT the rubbery material they were made of in the originals. The same goes for the front brighter yellow shell. It's not rubbery and pliable like the original. Also, the cheap plastic smell upon opening the tube was horrendous.

All said, I actually want to know if these were only differences between the clamshell Necas, and the tube Necas, or if these are actually bootlegs.

[Samhain]

Well look at it this way, they were cheap. And now you can start your bootleg toy collection.

[Lordmylar06]

Originally Posted by Samhain

Well look at it this way, they were cheap. And now you can start your bootleg toy collection.

Indeed. It's kinda growing on me... like a tumor.

[Powder]

For bootlegs, especially of such a quality figure, they're pretty nice. I may pick some up just to customize or something.

[Samhain]

Originally Posted by Powder

For bootlegs, especially of such a quality figure, they're pretty nice. I may pick some up just to customize or something.

Agreed. I mean to the untrained eye, you wouldn't even question it. They look to be great quality for bootleg.

[TCRI]

Originally Posted by Samhain

I mentioned this in this thread,

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=34576

I thought soomething was fishy bout all those.

You were spot on mate!

Originally Posted by Lordmylar06

I think we have bootlegs. Samhain I'll agree with you, it is fishy when a hard to find item is in abundance all of a sudden, but I don't think they're defects. These were probably bootlegs made from the original molds. Here are some of my photos.

Also I'll vouch for the fact that the parts such as the head bandanna, and the kneepads are now harder plastic, NOT the rubbery material they were made of in the originals. The same goes for the front brighter yellow shell. It's not rubbery and pliable like the original. Also, the cheap plastic smell upon opening the tube was horrendous.

All said, I actually want to know if these were only differences between the clamshell Necas, and the tube Necas, or if these are actually bootlegs.

Thanks for posting your pictures. I hate to say it but I think we have bootlegs. The best kind of bootlegs though... made from the same molds as the originals but without the quality control!

Since my last post I rubbed the bandana with my finger and EXACTLY THE SAME THING HAPPENED I got black paint on my finger and it had completely rubbed off. I didn't even do it hard, at all!!

I think the pictures speak for themselves, to my eyes the bootleg has a blue/grey tinge to it and THOSE FEET are just terrible.... It's hard to believe they get away with it.

I reckon the molds got sold in some dodgy business move and this is the reason why.

For a fake they look amazing(ish) but they're still that... a FAKE and it does take the shine of them considerably.... I may have to stand "Raph" away from the other two... lol

It's so annoying because several months ago I had the oportunity to buy the whole set in clams for £40... now just Raph goes for £45+ Makes me annoyed...

Thanks again.

[sdp]

Something similar happened to SOTA's Street Fighter line, the factory stole the original molds and then made more figures, there was virtually no difference between both of them sans very specific details making them very difficult to differentiate.

[Lordmylar06]

This is pure speculation, but I'm just going to throw it out there... recently Neca re-released "best of player select" figures.
I collect the Neca Street Fighter stuff as well so I did notice a change in quality in these repacked figures. The ORIGINAL karate gi that Ken wears is similar in texture to the bandannas/kneepads of the Neca TMNT.
That being said the recent release featured a cheaper feeling plastic. This is reaching I know, but what if these were intended to be re-released by Neca again but never made the sales floor?

[TCRI]

You bloody Americans! You get on here late! It's 4am in UK.... lol

I heard about the Street Fighter ones too, makes you wonder.

Lordmylar06, that is kind of the reasoning I had prior to buying. I thought for some reason, they had surplus stock over there and only now found it worthwhile enough to (illegally) sell them now NECA have washed their hands of TMNT.

But things like tacky/sticky paint etc is just not up to a salable standard really. The Chinese tubes are seconds at the very best, surely?

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by TCRI

You bloody Americans! You get on here late! It's 4am in UK.... lol

And what's that say about you right now?

[JaffleMan]

Did you buy off this guy?

http://shop.ebay.com/cool1199/m.html...&_trksid=p3686

It's where I got mine.

He seems to have tonnes of neca stuff.... :/

Has anything else that he has been selling been bootlegged?