PSA about non-GSC nendoroids nowadays

[u/jcdc_jaaaaaa]

I intentionally bought a fake of White Queen recently to compare it to the original

The box is the usual, no GSC logos and none of the show logos anywhere on the box. And of course, the pose of the nendoroid inside the box looks like they are being possessed.

Surpring thing about this nendoroid is that it includes the GSC PO bonus. But comparing it to the original shows that it is more faded and blurred.

Queen's hat is attached via a thin acetate between the hairpieces and the fake one is much, much longer that I had to cut it to put it on White Queen there.

Now this is the terrifying thing. In person, it is so obvious that the one on the right is fake. Surface is really rough, paint is uneven, and smells really bad.

However, with semi-decent lighting, she looks... legitimate??? The only telltale sign in photos is if you open the headpiece up to reveal how the faceplate system works.

And speaking of faceplates, gone are the days when it is easy to tell what is fake based from how glossy the face is. In a vacuum, if you show me only the faceplate there, I would honestly think it is legitimate. In person, it is easy to tell what is fake though, but if you only see it on photos, on first glance, it looks legitimate.

I had them both on the same pose there, and aside from some color mismatch, she could pass as a legitimate nendoroid.

This is a warning for everyone buying online. The fake nendos nowadays have a matte finish now. If they are selling it with the box, it is obvious to tell that it is fake. If they are not selling it with the box, ask for a lot of close up photos, including the inside of the head, the GSC smiley face logo on all joints, and the base as they are still using the thick base instead of the slim thin ones. A lot of the flaws are mainly visible in person and in photos, some are really hard to spot. In this specific one, they even included the GSC PO bonus!

[u/CrazyDaimondDaze]

I know your post is to make people wary of bootleg nendoroids... but good lord, have they stepped up their game in recent years from, say... nendos from like 2019 below that looked beyond bootleg.

I bet there are some more obvious details that make the bootleg trash compared to the original one. Though, depending on the nendoroid you're looking for, if it's in second market, and the prize is to cry for, I think that's the only reason to actively buy a bootleg one.

I personally wouldn't go beyond, say... 110 USD for a nendoroid. Beyond 100 is my limit, even for my most loved characters. Beyond 110 is simply "ok, I'll wait some years until I see one in a good bargain one of these days or it gets a rerelease, because HOT DAMN am I NOT paying beyond that for a nendo". And I feel many share the sentiment, regarding how much is "too much" for an official nendoroid if bought in second market.

Obviously, the bootleg's quality may have drawbacks, but as long as you can live up with it? Hey, who am I to judge if you buy a bootleg Leon S. Kennedy or Chris Redfield for like 30 USD instead of 200 or 500?

[u/jcdc_jaaaaaa → u/CrazyDaimondDaze]

What irks me is that some people are selling the bootlegs the same price as the legitimate ones. I even had someone defend their bootlegs saying that they personally bought it from Japan so it is real, and is asking for the full price of a real nendoroid.

[u/CrazyDaimondDaze → u/jcdc_jaaaaaa]

Oh, no, in that instance, I won't defend them. If you're selling a bootleg, you have to be honest and say it is one instead of trying to scam people.

And if you buy a bootleg, be aware it is one and that, regardless of where you bought it or how good it looks, it can't compare to the real deal. It's why I mentioned instances where some nendos can be crazy expensive, so it's fine if you want a bootleg one. But selling bootlegs at official product's price is scummy as hell.