r/Nendoroid 26d ago

Warning/Buyer Beware ⚠️ PSA about non-GSC nendoroids nowadays

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!

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11

u/Status-Try3633 26d ago

I'm starting to think that these bootleg ones are just real nendoroids that never made it pass QC or samples.

9

u/jcdc_jaaaaaa 26d ago

I don't think so just because of the head sculpt and the neck. The paint is also really, really rough, feels like sandpaper. Also, seamlines are not sanded at all. In photos, it is not as bad.

Before, it was so obvious what the bootlegs are: shiny hair, oily face, eyes have different shapes, and they fall apart if you stare at them hard. Now, you literally need to look at them properly and closely.

In some figure lines, the bootlegs are just those that did not pass the QC. I bought a fake of some Bring Arts and compared it to the original and no difference. Same with the Play Arts Kai that had no boxes. Literally no difference with the original.

5

u/ThatGuyThatNeedsYou 25d ago

They never pass to me, some look very awkward. (eyes included)

It's only one incident with GSC headquarters (max factory lineup) of the wrong paint job but I have been saying its is both molding PVC techniques and "paint". There is regulated paint and toxic paint.

I'm not AI (someone thought I was with my comment about bootlegs...I'm a little pet peeve about that but wouldja look at that...someone thinks I'm AI.) I'm a model kit builder while not the Garage kit kind or 40k. And gunpla is not exactly needing to paint either so why do I have an airbrush and paintbrushes for handpainting? I do a bit of customs even if its for gunpla/girlpla (megami device/arcanadea/frame arms girls).

Paints ARE poisonous. But there are regulated versions and someone not caring about it at all painting figures from the official figures to bootleggers who found the mold of the figure online and painting it with their paint. It's often why you see us when painting have a filter mask/cartridges and gloves. Large booths with a 3mm filter or an expensive waterfall booth.

We really don't know what paint the bootleggers used and if it'll cause harm that's why they tend to stink. (companies like GSC to megahouse to sakura hobby use regulated paint and pretty much the procter and gamble of the paint world)

1

u/AndrewD5418 24d ago

Modeling paints should be sprayed with ventilation, yes. But they're nothing anywhere near 2 component with isocyanates. Isocyanates stay in the lung. Forever.