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Bootleg Super Heroes minifigs - worth it or not?

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After all, the main aim of customisers is to create characters that Lego don't, not to make money. The money side is surely just to cover time and costs. If that's not the case then the customisers are really no different (or even worse) than Decool or Sheng Yuan as they have no licences either. Is making these figures in China actually breaking any laws (Chinese not EU/US or 'morals')?

I'm sure customisers need to make some profit in what they do... even if just to fund the next figures... but as in all things I'm sure there's not a completely altruistic motive in creating them... and why should there be?

I've also stated my opinion on similarities between creating customs of Lego designed figures (game designs etc) and printing the figures to sell and what the Chinese companies are doing. I'm not going into the details here as it was getting tiring in the first place! ;)

People making plastic figures isn't illegal... It's the patent to Lego's mini figure design that would be being violated. Everyone from Kreo to Megabloks has the same dimensions to their figures... the size of the brick and the stud is identical so accessories fit across the ranges. Whether the small differences in Decool's figures (shoulder angle and bladed hip joint) are sufficient to not violate the copyright I'm not so sure. There's then also the intellectual property and licensing issues of printing designs that belong to Lego or Marvel/DC... even likenesses.

China is well known for flaunting licensing and copyright laws... just look at the mass produced blatant copies of BMW cars that the government just laughed off.

I don't think the production is being driven by the western market though... so even if all the Lego fans in UK, USA and Europe decided not to buy them they'd still be being produced and sold across Asia where there primary market is... so it's not going to stop.

What we CAN do though is support customisers and buy their products... yes they're more expensive... but that's what pad printing costs and the figures are excellent. Use Decool and SY (even Lele) for those figures that are either priced way out of reach or unavailable.

That way we get what we want and the customisers are also able to keep producing their figures and offering excellent products while having a very cheap alternative readily available.

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With my FF Thing bigfig I'm going to try and paint his jumpsuit on. Im going to have trouble with drawing the designs on his chest because he's so bumpy.

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With my FF Thing bigfig I'm going to try and paint his jumpsuit on. Im going to have trouble with drawing the designs on his chest because he's so bumpy.

You mean like in the Marvel Video game? http://i1.ytimg.com/...xresdefault.jpg

Would like to see the results of that! :thumbup:

You might need to sand down his chest area first, or else it'll look a bit odd.

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Anyone spotted the decool punisher set out yet, i heard from a ebay seller they due late July

Judging by the change in numbering for those sets it looked like that set had been dropped.

The next in line is apparently the Future Foundation set but we'll see what Decool have planned.

Edited by Robianco

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You might need to sand down his chest area first, or else it'll look a bit odd.

Will I be able to get it smooth after sanding it?

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Hi. I'm a longtime lurker to this thread, huge fan of Decool and SY and I own a couple of the figures. Just wanted to let you know that the Decool Future Foundation wave is on eBay now. I bought it, it felt a bit pricey at 13.99 USD about $5 more than the previous Fantastic four wave, but I lack the patience to wait until the price drops.

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Hi. I'm a longtime lurker to this thread, huge fan of Decool and SY and I own a couple of the figures. Just wanted to let you know that the Decool Future Foundation wave is on eBay now. I bought it, it felt a bit pricey at 13.99 USD about $5 more than the previous Fantastic four wave, but I lack the patience to wait until the price drops.

Nice spot! Although that is pricey. Adds an extra $2 for shipping for me too. The original Fantastic Four wave can be picked up for a couple of dollars.

So do we know what customs these designs are taken from?

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Thanks! with the 2$ shipping that comes in at 4$ a figure. I will most likely wait for a cheaper option : )

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I'm going to have fire on these until they drop a bit.

I'd also wait until someone has photos of them that aren't Photoshopped and cropped from a previous image of the leaflet. Not that I think they don't have them... but they may not have them in hand... they're getting in quick as the first seller to charge a premium.

One thing from the box artwork... I think they've coped Christo's Black Widow head for the Invisible Girl... it's identical to his design... interested to see how good the print is on these. I think it's the first time they've done their own copies from a Lego game. If they get the design and print right then these could actually be quite good.

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Nice find! Will order in a while (just like you guys i'll wait for the price to drop).

I'm also curious to see what will be on the new leaflet. Will it be Punisher again this time?

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It is strange that the Future Foundation comes with the Human Torch and not the Thing (given the comic story line). I am really happy that there is a flaming human torch minifigure. This set gives the big Thing in the white shorts a 'team' to hang with.

I also hope that Decool releases a Punisher. It could also be the Iron Man armor suits previously pictured.

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Just to spoil the fun, the big Thing in the white shorts doesn't have the correct outfit to match the new FF figures though :-)

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Doh! But it is pretty close : ) Just need a different shirt... and pants... and boots. : (

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I'm not a fan of these whatsoever; both because I don't support counterfeit products, and because a few of my Flickr friends have had their designs stolen and used on DeCool "figures".

I agree... I wouldn't want to support the counterfeit brands as this is what they want you to do.

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I like the fact that I can get Comi-con exclusive figures without being forced to pay hundreds of dollars on the second-hand market. I like the fact I can avoid having to buy expensive sets to get exclusive figures, in what seems like a very cynical marketing strategy to extract every penny possible from what should be a 'children's toy' by one of the most profitable toy manufacturers in the world. Unfortunately laws are just the pick and choose ethics and morals of those already with power and money. If you choose to release a prestige brand then the 'value' end of the market is bound to be filled sooner or later for those who can't buy in to your product.

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I only hope that in the leaflet that comes with the set it'll show that the Punisher wave was delayed and not dropped. I was really looking forward to Punisher and Bullseye.

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One thing from the box artwork... I think they've coped Christo's Black Widow head for the Invisible Girl... it's identical to his design...

You're correct. The only difference I see is that the eyebrows are lighter in color. A female head with blonde eyebrows is actually kind of rare. Depending on the quality of the printing I might have to grab a set of these.

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It is strange that the Future Foundation comes with the Human Torch and not the Thing (given the comic story line). I am really happy that there is a flaming human torch minifigure. This set gives the big Thing in the white shorts a 'team' to hang with.

I also hope that Decool releases a Punisher. It could also be the Iron Man armor suits previously pictured.

IMO the flaming human torch minifigure is the best in the set, just needs a good hairpiece and its perfect

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