Advice on Fake Comic Con Figures

[shinobisgreenshinpads]

Hey folks, I've bought a few of the exclusive figures from Comic Con and the like and it's cost me more money than I'd like to admit. Anyway, I've recently had this feeling of tread about my figures being machine printed elsewhere and not being official lego products. Can anyone here offer advise on how likely and/ or easy this is to do? There are a bunch of custom figures on various sites that look to be of reasonable quality, so that must mean there's a possibility of the more expensive figures being faked. If anyone knows much about machine printing could they tell me if there's any signs I should be looking for to ease my worried head?

Apologies if this has been covered before, but I'd really appreciate some advice on this.

I should point out that I can't see anything obvious on my figures, they all look great. This has all started but going on a youtube clip about the new york yoda figure and seeing loads of comments about how easy it is to fake. I realise if we follow the advise on youtube it's a decent step to crazy town, but now I'm paranoid.

Edited November 18, 2013 by shinobisgreenshinpads

[TheLegoDr]

If think of you buy comic con figures WITH the card that comes with it, you might be in the clear. Not that those would be hard to fake necessary, but to fake both might be more work than it is worth. I've seen good customs before too. Maybe look for a lego stamp somewhere? The custom could put one too, but short of going to the con yourself, there is no guarantee. Just trust that you are buying from reputable dealers that are selling a legitimate product.

[kelvin1980]

Hi, I had found and bought some chinese fake exclusive minifigures that looks like real sdcc 2012 Bizarro and 2013 Black Superman ones. The quality of course, are not the same as legos, but I can imagine that the manufacturers could work that out in the future for their investment for sure and to sell them out worldwide. The print outs on the torso on both are very same like lego. I'm so sad to see these fake legos coming out the market and they making it more.....

[shinobisgreenshinpads]

Thanks for the replies guys, although they don't exactly fill me with confidence! I'm now worried that if the printing is immaculate, then unless it's using a different mould there's no way to be sure unless you go to the con yourself. I'm just going to convince myself mine are fine and move on I think, for my own collecting sanity.

If anyone does come up with any tell tale signs for spotting a fake though I'd really appreciate it (fyi I purchased the toy fair Iron Man and Bucky as well as the Green Arrow from Comic Con so it's those guys I really want to check - at least Green Arrow came in a case and with a card).

[Robianco]

I've actually recreated the artwork for the 2011 and 2012 Comic Con figures which I sell with custom figures although I state clearly that they're custom and repro and definitely NOT the original. The cost is also an indication as to it not being original as it's priced low.

I've seen quite a few customs of the Comic Con figures and it's only Christo's Bizarro and Shazam that use the original design with a pad print that I've seen... I'm thinking they would be difficult to check against an original but they don't come with the card. The printing on the customs has been very different and normally digitally printed rather than pad printed. I have a Green Arrow and you can feel the ink on the figure so it's clearly not pad printed like the original... then again I didn't pay original prices for it and it's very nice for display purposes as it even has the double sided head and the hood isn't painted like some customs.

I've actually had people request blister packaging for the 2013 figures for some of their customs but I've yet to source the blister and I'm reticent to do this anyway in case people pass them off as original later on.

One thing I'd add is people also tend not to use metallic inks on cheaper copies. The cost of short run pad prints means things are prohibitive so if it all looks OK then I think you'd be safe on them.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Robianco

[Kintobor]

Ugh, we've gotten to the point where we need to fake them?

Why hasn't Lego just released the figures in sets? The market is there. The whole debacle last year was not impressive, and this raffle just needs to end.

[shinobisgreenshinpads]

I've actually recreated the artwork for the 2011 and 2012 Comic Con figures which I sell with custom figures although I state clearly that they're custom and repro and definitely NOT the original. The cost is also an indication as to it not being original as it's priced low.

I've seen quite a few customs of the Comic Con figures and it's only Christo's Bizarro and Shazam that use the original design with a pad print that I've seen... I'm thinking they would be difficult to check against an original but they don't come with the card. The printing on the customs has been very different and normally digitally printed rather than pad printed. I have a Green Arrow and you can feel the ink on the figure so it's clearly not pad printed like the original... then again I didn't pay original prices for it and it's very nice for display purposes as it even has the double sided head and the hood isn't painted like some customs.

I've actually had people request blister packaging for the 2013 figures for some of their customs but I've yet to source the blister and I'm reticent to do this anyway in case people pass them off as original later on.

One thing I'd add is people also tend not to use metallic inks on cheaper copies. The cost of short run pad prints means things are prohibitive so if it all looks OK then I think you'd be safe on them.

This is has given me the most hope so far as it does suggest a slight difference in quality that should (hopefully) be discernible to the keen eye. When you say metallic inks, is that exactly as it sounds?! I mean are you talking about inks that resemble metal surfaces?

[Robianco]

Yeah... The Iron Man figures are a good example. The gold areas on those are metallic so the ink is shiny.

There's only Christo I've seen use metallic inks on his pad customs. The new Chinese fakes use metallic inks but the printing looks very poor and I think you'd notice those... They also don't use actual Lego so you can tell by the plastic.

I've also never seen anyone custom those particular Iron Man and Bucky figures so they'd be news to me,

[Spider-Man]

I know for the Black Spider-Man all the official LEGO ones have a small bit of the white missing from the eye print up close to where the head starts rounding up towards the stud. Custom ones are solid all the way through, and frankly look a little better because of it.

[shinobisgreenshinpads]

Robianco, does Christo also do Green Arrow? As I think I'm looking at his version and it doesn't seem to have metallic ink on the belt (which ties in with what you said about the metallic ink), whereas mine definitely has a gold style buckle...

[Robianco]

Robianco, does Christo also do Green Arrow? As I think I'm looking at his version and it doesn't seem to have metallic ink on the belt (which ties in with what you said about the metallic ink), whereas mine definitely has a gold style buckle...

Christo will soon have a Green Arrow available but it's not been listed on his eBay count yet. If you have a link to it I'd definitely like to see it.

There are two Green Arrow that I've seen that are direct copies of the Comic Con version:

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3cd8722df3

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item5400eef072

I have the first one... the facial print is closer to the original in design and has white printing for the teeth etc... the print is sharp but it's not pad printed and the ink is raised slightly. Neither of these uses metallic ink so the buckle will be very different.

The photograph has been brightened up a little too much on the shot on there and the colours are a little darker and richer on the actual figure... it's not too bad at all.

Adding an extra colour is the same cost whether it's a complete coverage or a small area so having a whole new plate just for a small gold buckle is expensive hence people don't tend to do it.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Robianco

[shinobisgreenshinpads]

Christo will soon have a Green Arrow available but it's not been listed on his eBay count yet. If you have a link to it I'd definitely like to see it.

There are two Green Arrow that I've seen that are direct copies of the Comic Con version:

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3cd8722df3

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item5400eef072

I have the first one... the facial print is closer to the original in design and has white printing for the teeth etc... the print is sharp but it's not pad printed and the ink is raised slightly. Neither of these uses metallic ink so the buckle will be very different.

The photograph has been brightened up a little too much on the shot on there and the colours are a little darker and richer on the actual figure... it's not too bad at all.

Adding an extra colour is the same cost whether it's a complete coverage or a small area so having a whole new plate just for a small gold buckle is expensive hence people don't tend to do it.

Thanks, you've been a great help, it was actually that first ebay link I was thinking of (I didn't know which account was Christo's!).

So with a metallic buckle, original card and blister I'm starting to think it's less likely to be a fake, would you say that's a safe assumption? As for Cap and Bucky if you're saying you haven't seen any of those, I'm just going to assume they're fine and move on!!

On another note, do you know why so many people have all 4 of the 2013 minifigures? I'm guessing it would be particularly hard to counterfeit all 4 figures (I think Superman has metallic torso also, and I'm pretty sure the Spider-man has a special pattern with his eyes), so I'm tempted to buy all four from someone, but I just wondered why so many people have all four - is that part of the reason why the allocation received a lot of criticism?

[Robianco]

I'd say having all those things in one package is pretty hard to fake on the 2013 items.

The images of the 2011 and 2012 cards are pretty readily available in quite high resolution and my recreation of the artwork is pretty accurate but the blister bubble actually stops creation of the 2013 card without access to one. The blister itself is a pain to source. it's quite specific but as it's a short run there's a good chance it's an off the shelf item from one supplier or another rather than a custom mould for just this event.

I'm not sure why so many people have all four plus Azog although those people that bought it for $1500 are probably feeling quite foolish right now.

I've actually found a Chinese eBayer who has some of the 'new' fake Lego figures that includes Bizarro, Black Superman and the Toy Fair Iron Man... They're custom moulded plastic and the moulds don't look that sharp so you'd spot that a mile off but for £10 you pretty much get 20 figures and I'm tempted even if just for the Iron Man and the Superman torso so I can use Zod's legs and the other parts of the new Superman... it might look rubbish but for a small amount it may be worth it for display purposes.

Hand on heart I'd say if those figures you have are pad printed with the full range of colours with cards and blister then you're safe... I've priced up pad printing for some custom designs and it'd cost around £1000 for 50 figures with 4 colours front and back of torso. You have a figure with 2 sided head, torso and leg printing in around 4 colours on each place... WITH a printed card... WITH a blister. Nobody is going to that much trouble to fake it.

[Captain Nemo]

Hand on heart I'd say if those figures you have are pad printed with the full range of colours with cards and blister then you're safe... I've priced up pad printing for some custom designs and it'd cost around £1000 for 50 figures with 4 colours front and back of torso. You have a figure with 2 sided head, torso and leg printing in around 4 colours on each place... WITH a printed card... WITH a blister. Nobody is going to that much trouble to fake it.

Well if they sell one fake figure for 150-200+ then I think it's very possible there could be fakes. The instant loss would easily be made up for.

---

You should however be able to tell if it's a fake figure or not by simply touching it. You should be able to tell the difference between an offical Lego product by the way it's printed, ergo it will be completley flat and feel completely smooth on the figure (Best way to check is to slide your finger across the torso). On a custom figure however, you will feel slight bumps and slight "height" changes on the print, caused by a print being placed on the torso. Even the best pad printeres out there, such as Christo (Who I have bought various figures from), cannot seem to make perfectly "flat" prints.

[Robianco]

Well if they sell one fake figure for 150-200+ then I think it's very possible there could be fakes. The instant loss would easily be made up for.

---

You should however be able to tell if it's a fake figure or not by simply touching it. You should be able to tell the difference between an offical Lego product by the way it's printed, ergo it will be completley flat and feel completely smooth on the figure (Best way to check is to slide your finger across the torso). On a custom figure however, you will feel slight bumps and slight "height" changes on the print, caused by a print being placed on the torso. Even the best pad printeres out there, such as Christo (Who I have bought various figures from), cannot seem to make perfectly "flat" prints.

That's true enough... I've just not seen a customiser go to so much trouble before.

It's normally the ink that's the giveaway though, as you said.

[Deathleech]

This reminds me of that movie comercial where the guy tells the other guy the Van Gogh painting they are lookig at is a fake, but everyone believes it's real so it pretty much accepted as such. Obviously to want to know if your exclusive minifigures are real, but if you can't even tell the difference then what does it really matter?

Edited November 19, 2013 by Deathleech

[TheLegoDr]

^ good point. I think the main problem is resale value. If you believe you own an authentic figure and try to resell it later, but it is actually a fake and someone figures it out (but you didn't) then that may cause some problems.

But if you are just a collector and like looking at them, then it might not be a big deal. I have seen some of those custom lots of 10-15 super heroes and have considered it, but at the same time I can't bring myself to spend money on non lego since that money can go to actual lego.

[Robianco]

Precicely how I feel about it. My Shazam is pad printed and besides it not having double sided head print it looks great. My Bizarro is also a custom and looks really nice and they both cost me £25 for the pair... I've recreated the cards and had them printed so they look pretty much spot on.

The printing on those Chinese things look absolutely terrible on some of the photos though... like it was done with potatoes. I'm still tempted to get a *fingers crossed* half decent Black Supes torso and the Toy Fair Iron Man. For £10 it might be worth a punt.

[robuko]

I just picked up an iron man figure by Sheng Yuan, the copy of the NYCC version, as I was struck by the same paranoia on mine. You have nothing to worry about on this one! The plastic is very different, there is no back print on the head, the head printing does not extend above the curve, and the print on the back is different. The legs are a different mould entirely and so is the torso. Having said all that, the print quality is good, the metallic gold is very similar, the printing is not bumpy, and for hk$10 I spent on it is a pretty good deal compared to what I paid for the real one! Iron patriot is also part of the range of 8 iron men.

[Robianco]

I was tempted to pick up the Sheng Yuan figures simply for the Iron Man figure and the Black Superman. I was wondering how noticeable the difference would be if using the Chinese fake torso with official Zod legs? Those angled toes on the Chinese figures are distracting!

[gedren_y]

If you want to own actual specially released figs, the advice above about printing differences is good.

Personally I don't see the appeal. I'm a builder, not a collector.

I'm willing to buy custom figures on the cheap (for my own uses) but only if the torsos, heads and legs are actual Lego parts with well laid designs. If you know the base figure is made out of inferior product, I suggest not bothering. If someone who knows the difference between real and fake spots it in your collection, you're the one who runs the risk of being embarrassed.

If you know someone is selling non-Lego/customs as completely official Lego products, please report them.

[Robianco]

I agree... I've seen some customs that have potential to be decent figures... ie... the subject matter is good but it's either let down by the design or the printing quality.

It's why I only have customs from one or two people. It's their quality I trust.

I'm both a collector and a builder... although the building side is coming along... I spent a looooooooong time in the dark ages and my childhood wasn't very Lego focused so I'm coming at this from a relatively fresh AFOL perspective.

I'm thinking the poster's fears are unwarranted on this as I've said. If they look like the real thing then they probably are.

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

Sorry to bump this thread, but I recently acquired a Comic-Con Bizarro, and I have similar questions to the OP. Compared to the only other Bizarro I've ever seen, it's printing has a little "texture" to it. There are little bumps pretty much throughout all the printing, and they reflect the light. This happens with both the head and the torso. I ran my finger through the torso as suggested above, and it does feel less smooth than the other Bizarro.

The Bizarro with the texture does have the Lego copyright letters everywhere it should have. Does anyone know if some of these had more texture than the others, or am I looking at a custom? How does Christo's Bizarro feel like? Is there any further examination I can do to further determine whether the figure is a custom or not? It did come with a card.

Edited September 6, 2016 by BrickHat

[vstat05]

1473197587[/url]' post='2652553']

Sorry to bump this thread, but I recently acquired a Comic-Con Bizarro, and I have similar questions to the OP. Compared to the only other Bizarro I've ever seen, it's printing has a little "texture" to it. There are little bumps pretty much throughout all the printing, and they reflect the light. This happens with both the head and the torso. I ran my finger through the torso as suggested above, and it does feel less smooth than the other Bizarro.

The Bizarro with the texture does have the Lego copyright letters everywhere it should have. Does anyone know if some of these had more texture than the others, or am I looking at a custom? How does Christo's Bizarro feel like? Is there any further examination I can do to further determine whether the figure is a custom or not? It did come with a card.

You might have a custom Bizarro printed by onlinesailin. I have one and its a near identical match to the actual thing except the muscle print is a different, older design. It is also machine printed, so it has that texture and reflection to it as you said yours does. This version is the only machine printed custom I've seen that could be passed off as the real thing if not looked at closely.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Raptor of Vengeance

[HyperOnion]

That's true enough... I've just not seen a customiser go to so much trouble before.

It's normally the ink that's the giveaway though, as you said.

Apparently they are now--I've been checking for a decent looking knockoff of the most recent SDCC Captain America (anyone who has a heads up on one, lemme know!) and there's at least one listing with the backing card up there. And that seller's got previous year's items with fake cards too..

That said, the ink is still a dead giveaway like Robianco mentioned. You can pick it out even in the thumbnail.