The Official Bootleg thread

[rickwj324]

Not sure if these are bootlegs or just leftovers from the Chinese factories, but I've been seeing a lot of them pop up on ebay, usually for around $8. It's the SDCC Leonardo without the base:



I really didn't have an interest in that SDCC leonardo, but for $7.95 I figured what the hell and just bought one from an ebay seller that I trust. I'll post pics once it's in hand.

Rick

[Powder]

Ooooh, that might warrant a purchase from me down the line...

[rickwj324]

Originally Posted by Powder

Ooooh, that might warrant a purchase from me down the line...

I see a few sellers with them. SinoDolls is one that I've purchased from many many times and never had a problem.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SDCC-Night-S...item56659a31cb

[Spidergreg]

I already bought that.
And i don't know how many times i gotta defend, but you guys keep calling things from china bootlegs. It came to a point that i just give up.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Spidergreg

I already bought that.
And i don't know how many times i gotta defend, but you guys keep calling things from china bootlegs. It came to a point that i just give up.

Bootlegs are items sold illegally, thus, these are all bootlegs. Period.

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by Powder

Bootlegs are items sold illegally, thus, these are all bootlegs. Period.

No, not at all. Bootlegs in the case of merchandise (versus say, alcohol or audio recordings) refers to how it was manufactured, not how it is sold or distributed. Defects from the factory are just that; a bootleg would refer to an outright counterfeit item.

[Powder]

Google says otherwise- "made, distributed, or sold illegally." Items sold off the back of the truck may come factory fresh, but they're being sold illegally, that makes them bootlegs.

[Spidergreg]

Originally Posted by Powder

Google says otherwise- "made, distributed, or sold illegally." Items sold off the back of the truck may come factory fresh, but they're being sold illegally, that makes them bootlegs.

The only thing you proved is that bootleg is a very vague term.

And i don't know how is this being sold "illegally" when it is sold out of packaging, used.
If it were fakes, why are the accessories missing? And the release of these "bootlegs" coincide with the launch of figures in south east asia.
We don't have kirby bat, mutagen man, casey jones and squirelanoid here yet, that's why these china sellers don't have it too. Continue calling it fakes if it pleases you.

[Powder]

Broad, maybe. I wouldn't say vague. I mean, the fact of the matter is, if those turtle toys are factory rejects, extras, stolen, whatever, the point is that they're being sold without Playmates' knowledge or permission, which makes them bootlegged goods. Official merch, yes, but not officially released. I guess there is some grey area there, but bootlegs come in many varieties. Doesn't just mean fake or whatever.

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by Powder

Google says otherwise- "made, distributed, or sold illegally." Items sold off the back of the truck may come factory fresh, but they're being sold illegally, that makes them bootlegs.

Whoever wrote that definition obviously hasn't worked in anti-fraud for eight years.

[BMo]

Originally Posted by Spidergreg

Seriously, are these real or fake?
http://i.imgur.com/43a7bI3.jpg
Please help me make an educated guess instead of just quickly dismissing it as bootlegs just because of the price or my location.

If i touch the front shell, i can feel the soft plastic shell covering over a hole... if u know what i mean, are yours this way too? Bottom of feet says 2006, mirage studios, playmates toys, made in china.

Originally Posted by Phelous

I got a couple of those 2007 turtles from China and I think they might be bootleg. There is definitely something odd about them.

http://www.phelous.com/pics/tmnt07-1.JPG

I've seen several sets from China with this same weapon set and I seen once again they came with that golden dagger with your's, Spidergreg.

http://www.phelous.com/pics/tmnt07-2.JPG

The big thing that stands out is the belts. I got a legit Mikey to right to compare. They are slightly darker and longer in the front.

http://www.phelous.com/pics/tmnt07-3.JPG

And they don't have any weapon holders. Just a generic belt.

http://www.phelous.com/pics/tmnt07-5.JPG

They don't unfasten like the real belts and look to be completely glued around the turtle's waist.

http://www.phelous.com/pics/tmnt07-4.JPG

The numbering on the feet seem inconsistent too with Raph missing any at all. The real Mikey is on the right again.

If they aren't bootleg maybe they were rejects or something and they made these generic belts to slap on them to sell cheap.

I know this is a late response, but these are fake. I have got a few in for customs because they are cheap, but well made. You can easily tell because of the belts. The bootlegs don't have places for the weapons to attach while the original/legit ones do. So for Raph he would have his Sai holders on the sides of his belt, Leo would have the shoulder strap and katana holder (or at least a hole where it should have gone, and Donny would have his Bo Staff holder.

[Spidergreg]

Originally Posted by BMo

I know this is a late response, but these are fake. I have got a few in for customs because they are cheap, but well made. You can easily tell because of the belts. The bootlegs don't have places for the weapons to attach while the original/legit ones do. So for Raph he would have his Sai holders on the sides of his belt, Leo would have the shoulder strap and katana holder (or at least a hole where it should have gone, and Donny would have his Bo Staff holder.

[BMo]

Originally Posted by Spidergreg

http://www.gifsforum.com/images/imag...d/brbusing.jpg

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=2007+tmnt+turtle+toys

And since it seems like you might need the additional help, make sure you click on the Images tab towards the top

[Spidergreg]

Originally Posted by BMo

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=2007+tmnt+turtle+toys

And since it seems like you might need the additional help, make sure you click on the Images tab towards the top

Oh wow, 'cos i've never seen "2007+tmnt+turtle+toys" before.
If you're not gonna contribute, then don't.

No one wants your half ass effort and remarks here.

[BMo]

Originally Posted by Spidergreg

Oh wow, 'cos i've never seen "2007+tmnt+turtle+toys" before.
If you're not gonna contribute, then don't.

No one wants your half ass effort and remarks here.

I don't understand your problem? I told you they are fake and why, I'm sorry I don't have time to do a photo expose on them, but you can easily look up pictures of the official toys to verify my claims. I did in fact contribute, you however want to post silly "memes" because you think I owe you something for some unknown reason.

You purchased bootlegs, believe me or not, that's up to you, I don't care.

[LeonardosBane]

Originally Posted by Powder

Broad, maybe. I wouldn't say vague. I mean, the fact of the matter is, if those turtle toys are factory rejects, extras, stolen, whatever, the point is that they're being sold without Playmates' knowledge or permission, which makes them bootlegged goods. Official merch, yes, but not officially released. I guess there is some grey area there, but bootlegs come in many varieties. Doesn't just mean fake or whatever.

Nobody calls these factory seconds/test shots bootlegs. "Bootlegs" in the toy world have a very specific meaning. Anyone that has encountered figure for long enough knows inherently what a bootleg is. They have a long and storied history in the action figure realm. It means items that were produced by a third party, with the intention of imitating an existing toy. No one refers to items made in the official factory as bootlegs (whether or not they were acquired legally).

[Powder]

Just because toy people use the term for something specific, exclusively, does not change the meaning of the word, or the fact that these items are bootlegged goods.

[alpaca witch]

Someone mentioned the ebay store "sinodolls" earlier and I just wanted to mention that I can personally vouch for them, rather, at least for their mousers. A friend of mine bought some recently and when compared to my store bought mousers there weren't any differences I could notice. I'm pretty sure Sinodolls somehow gets surplus/rejects/leftovers/etc for dirt cheap and sells them cheap to make an easy profit. Not sure how legal the entire process is but they're still up and running, and the prices can't be beat so as far as I'm concerned? Go for it.

Some general guidelines I go by for bootlegs though:

• If you even have the slightest doubt of an item's quality, skip it
  
• If there's a generic stock photo instead of a unique photo, probably better to skip
• If you're buying an obvious bootleg for humour's sake, lower your expectations exponentially to be safe
• If you're like me and you obsess over authenticity for some reason, but really want that bootleg item that looks legit, just pass on it. In my experience it feels like displaying a fake trophy and eventually the "it's not even real" anxiety will annoy you to no end.

I think that's about it. These all stem from my personal experiences+always having very little money to spend. If you have a huge amount of disposable income and don't stress over authenticity then go wild! I envy you haha

[LeonardosBane]

Originally Posted by Powder

Just because toy people use the term for something specific, exclusively, does not change the meaning of the word, or the fact that these items are bootlegged goods.

A word's meaning is what people ascribe it to be. In this thread, we are talking about bootleg toys, so the fact that toy people are using the term to mean something specific is the only thing that matters. In the case of toys, calling anything other than an imitation toy produced by a third party a "bootleg" is simply incorrect, sorry.

[rickwj324]

Originally Posted by alpaca witch

Someone mentioned the ebay store "sinodolls" earlier and I just wanted to mention that I can personally vouch for them, rather, at least for their mousers

Yeah, I've dealt with Sinodolls for a couple of years now on ebay. I started out buying Justice League Unlimited figures from them and later DC Imaginext items. Everything I ever received from them were perfect. He also ships to the USA pretty quickly as well.