Bootleg Saber, Sunday Cleaner
Figured the last time I took the girls out for a spin, there was snow. Now it’s like 32C/90F on a sunny and humid Sunday. I totally didn’t realize this until after the fact. I write no figure blog, but I do like figures…when they fit my twisted definition of worth-buying.
I love this picture (below) because the mop goes exactly where you think it should go.
So I realized it’s been ages since I dusted the depths of my figure collection, so I took out the vacuum cleaner and air compressor. A damp cloth might have done the same job (and direct sunlight is not good for your typical acrylic paint job), but it was a nice day out, if a bit too warm. It was a reminder that I lack the proper fixture to host these relatively expensive artifacts.
What I want to bring people to attention is the presence of bootleg PVC figures on eBay. Hardly a surprise, right? I’m a careful shopper on the whole but the reckless streak in me (for hot American arms & thighs in equally hot french maid apparel) made it possible that I fall victim of such deception from time to time.
But what do you get in a bootleg figure that you don’t get with a licensed one? Royalties, for one. But it was not really convincing to hear that regarding a figure that you know has gone out of production and is now hard to find. The secondary market was where any hope of obtaining it remained.
And it isn’t really any sort of secret that just about every mass produced PVC kit comes from China, so what’s the harm if the exact same factory and works produced your kit as the ones you would’ve paid for if you are an anime figure early bird? I’m not saying this particular Saber figure is such a thing, but it makes a lot of sense for some enterprising Chinese folks to undercut the middleman. After all, it’s not like no one over there is doing it. For high-demand English thighs, I would like to call it “market adjustment.”
Heck, it’s even an alternate color scheme.
It seemed that I had to learn it the hard way with bootlegs. For starters, this kit was (probably) made of a lower quality PVC–or should I say, the material is harder and more brittle. The packaging is pretty shoddy (foam), and there was very little after-production cleanup. I had to wipe it down, minor sanding, and fitting of some of the parts. And yeah, there was also some more assembly than you would expect (here’s the original packing for your reference). Personally none of those are a huge deal as I’m not 100% unfamiliar with the process of cleaning and fixing figures, but it’s a nuisance.
The paint job is definitely not as good compared to pictures I’ve seen. And for some that might be the killer right there, even if it’s not easy to tell unless you spot one in real life.
What is amusing is that this Saber figure came with a solid wood base with a reflective surface. It’s brilliant. And even more so is the protective cover that makes a nice filter in combination of a crappy digital camera.
If I was a big fan of this kit, I would probably pick up every bootleg version as well as the original, because they do have some standalone value. But I’m not, so color me disappointed. Let’s say while I might not leave negative feedback, I probably won’t recommend it to others. Don’t buy bootleg kids! At least, don’t support acts of deception; if you know what you’re doing, go right ahead.
You should be ashamed - the only acceptable bootleg Saber figure is Sader.
: O I never would have taken you for a figure collector.. or such a huge tsundere fan XD
That Saber figure is perfect for a mirror base.
I had a long paragraph talking about the base but I trimmed it since it sounded too patronizing :) You are right–this is a perfect match.
digitalboy: I’m not sure how big of a tsundere fan I am, but I probably could have pulled out a row of tsundere character figures as opposed to a semi-random row of figures.
>>You should be ashamed - the only acceptable bootleg Saber figure is Sader.
Agreed with Kransom
I thought Sader was sorta “official”? Oh wait…that was MOS-KOS. XD