KingPixels

Bootleg Super Heroes minifigs - worth it or not?

By KingPixels, in Community

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KCMatze   

KCMatze
Posted

Yep, thats a real problem. I have the feeling that the US sees way more of exclusives and promos. While the Lego group is a european company I do not really see a reason in that...

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agoodfella77   

agoodfella77
Posted

Yep, thats a real problem. I have the feeling that the US sees way more of exclusives and promos. While the Lego group is a european company I do not really see a reason in that...

Yeah, well, think of the folks in other regions like here in Asia... slim pickings for things like polypags.

The whiplash is properly from this

Whiplash_zpsa115beb1.png

It's actually refreshing to see a Whiplash version since no one else has done one (as far as I can remember).

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da6driver   

da6driver
Posted (edited)

Yep, thats a real problem. I have the feeling that the US sees way more of exclusives and promos. While the Lego group is a european company I do not really see a reason in that...

I am in the US, but the release of polybags and exclusives there still doesn't make them easily accessible. I went to TRU to pick up a Rocket Raccoon polybag the day he was released. I couldn't find any on the shelf so I asked a store manager about them. He told me that someone came in first thing and bought the entire stock. Scalpers buy nearly all of these types of releases...so I'm off to search eBay like everyone else.

Edited by da6driver

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Robianco   

Robianco
Posted (edited)

That Whiplash is a copy of the Christo figure. I've got all of those figures except Crossbones so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that at least that one has a decent torso and head print.

With Superboy, Lightning Lad and Trickster getting figures (as well as Plastic Man and Batzarro obviously) the range of DC figures (along with the new winter wave) has really grown... we also know we're getting a summer save too.

This will really start to fill up the roster of characters. As an answer to the Bootleggers I think it's great... whether they've looked at the bootleg figures (or at least those not produced by TLG) as a success with fans and therefore have decided to up their game I'm not sure... it'll give the bootleggers a lot of material to copy (which I'm sure they will) but at least Lego are making it possible to pick these figures up. DVD and polybag releases aren't that hard to track down and once the initial flurry is gone the prices to go to normal levels... that's how I got Plastic Man and Rocket anyway as well as the Superboy figure in the box.

If the Lightning Lad is a figure in another US exclusive box then I'll have to get one shipped to a friend in the US to have it shipped to me in the UK again... hopefully this will be a European exclusive... maybe TRU over here or similar?

Edited by Robianco

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Im a brickmaster.   

Im a brickmaster.
Posted

Dear lord! Just going through a few pages of this thread has given me a migraine! :cry2: Why in the name off all decency would you make a complete rip of Legos 'Falcon?! And the freakin ninja turtles! :enough:

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mnap22   

mnap22
Posted (edited)

I wouldn't mind if Decool or SY would use some of his designs :-D

https://www.flickr.c...in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.c...in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.c...73/16021617761/

for instance

Well, I mind!! Once again these a-holes are just stealing my art. And one of my older, crappier works, so they're welcome to it. You know, I do this for fun (and yes, a small, very small profit), and I put a lot of time into this, but these guys just steal whatever they can. And meanwhile, people who do what I do are the ones who suffer because while we try to provide fans with characters that Lego will most likely never do, and these idiots come along, knock it off and sell it for a 1/4 of the price. And I get it, most people can't afford to buy the actual customs from us, but without us, there would be no customs, and then there would be nothing for those bootleggers to steal from. And the thing is, I wouldn't mind so much if they just asked to use my art, and compensate me for it.

I'm very happy that people like what I do, and I have no problem with people downloading my images and using them for avatars or desktops or whatever. But when you just blatantly steal my stuff it really pisses me off.

Edited by mnap22

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Swifty118247   

Swifty118247
Posted

I wish a group of people got together and posted designs that they WANTED the bootlegers to get a hold of!! If we could get them to see it then we could possibly get them to make figures that we actually want and it allows people, like me that can't afford to professionaly print figures to get a chance of people seeing and using my designs or of course ones from the video game

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bitbang   

bitbang
Posted

I have used a few myself so I don't have an issue with them. They aren't horrible to use and I am not against them when they are used properly :p

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Super Goblin   

Super Goblin
Posted

Well, I mind!! Once again these a-holes are just stealing my art. And one of my older, crappier works, so they're welcome to it. You know, I do this for fun (and yes, a small, very small profit), and I put a lot of time into this, but these guys just steal whatever they can. And meanwhile, people who do what I do are the ones who suffer because while we try to provide fans with characters that Lego will most likely never do, and these idiots come along, knock it off and sell it for a 1/4 of the price. And I get it, most people can't afford to buy the actual customs from us, but without us, there would be no customs, and then there would be nothing for those bootleggers to steal from. And the thing is, I wouldn't mind so much if they just asked to use my art, and compensate me for it.

I'm very happy that people like what I do, and I have no problem with people downloading my images and using them for avatars or desktops or whatever. But when you just blatantly steal my stuff it really pisses me off.

So do you make custom figures and sell them? Of Marvel and/or DC characters? If so you are doing the same thing as bootleggers, making a profit off of someone elses property without paying a licensing fee.

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wilson3a10   

wilson3a10
Posted (edited)

Well, I mind!! Once again these a-holes are just stealing my art. And one of my older, crappier works, so they're welcome to it. You know, I do this for fun (and yes, a small, very small profit), and I put a lot of time into this, but these guys just steal whatever they can. And meanwhile, people who do what I do are the ones who suffer because while we try to provide fans with characters that Lego will most likely never do, and these idiots come along, knock it off and sell it for a 1/4 of the price. And I get it, most people can't afford to buy the actual customs from us, but without us, there would be no customs, and then there would be nothing for those bootleggers to steal from. And the thing is, I wouldn't mind so much if they just asked to use my art, and compensate me for it.

I'm very happy that people like what I do, and I have no problem with people downloading my images and using them for avatars or desktops or whatever. But when you just blatantly steal my stuff it really pisses me off.

So the most ppl you have to blame on are those chinese. But sadly the british and american would very fond of making friends with them.

Edited by wilson3a10

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agoodfella77   

agoodfella77
Posted

So do you make custom figures and sell them? Of Marvel and/or DC characters? If so you are doing the same thing as bootleggers, making a profit off of someone elses property without paying a licensing fee.

There's making a profit off of intellectual property and there's completely ripping off an artists work. I guess you could technically put them in the same camp...

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Borex   

Borex
Posted

I understand Mnaps feelings. When you design something, even if those designs are based of designs from marvel or dc or whatever it feels like steeling. Though you could debate about who stole in the first place, the people who customize are imo just fanboys (making a little profit to sustain their hobby) and thus harmless in a way (you could debate about that too).

My guess is that plenty of fanboys/customisers would try to design for a bootleg company if we're just asked to. Kinda what Swifty said. But those bootleg companies are very hard to approach.

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Robianco   

Robianco
Posted

Technically we know and understand that ANY custom figure of a licensed character are illegal... But rightly or wrongly I don't think Lego are interested in stopping them... Whether Marvel, DC or any of the licensees would be more keen I'm not sure. Haven't they issued some cease and desist orders on some Deviantart users?

The problem Mike has had is Bootleggers actually taking his renders from his Flickr pages and using them on packaging and promotion of their figures without any credit. Mike has designed figures too... These things aren't just for profit... It's a creative process that ultimately may lead to a poster or similar from the render. If someone asks to buy these renders as a poster would any of us say no?

Believe me... I've been involved in a lengthy debate on one of Mike's threads about the production of custom figures from small sellers to bootleggers essentially being no different. Pad printing is ridiculously expensive... No ones making huge money from selling them. If anything they get a start on the next figure but I think given a chance we all like the idea of even breaking even to get a figure we want... We just need up to £1000 to get 100 or so figures printed and away we go!

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kid   

kid
Posted

OMG~~!!! I LOVE SY~~!!!

WOW!!!! Must. Order. Figures!!! Ant Man! Galactus! Beast! Dare Devil!!!

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