Are these miniatures originals?

[Blue Thunder]

Please gentleman, I was searching novelties on eBay, and these auctions caught my attention:


Nuts Planet recent Templar Knight at Jerusalem:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-9-resin-k...9238?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item4d2004d476


Young Miniatures Hospitalier Knight:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-10-hospit...1096?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item4d2004dbb8


Young Miniatures Roman Standard Bearer:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-10-Roman-...8754?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item4d2004ab82


Life Miniatures German Soldier at Stalingrad:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-10-resin-...6170?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item4d2004a16a


The tittles are not there, which is rather strange, but what caught my attention was the fact that they are all plain grey resin that looks identical in each piece. And the same can not be said about the resin normally used for example by Young.

I don't want to create unfair suspicions, please, any of you can add your feedback?

Thanks!

 

[housecarl]

Recasts I would have thought.
Young's are usually a yellowish resin.

 

[Martin64]

As said - the Young busts should normally be cast in yellowish resin. If you take a look at the shop of this seller you can identify Andrea products that are knock-offs without any doubt. Taesung should take a closer look as this guy is selling also Alpine figures.
Cheers, Martin

 

[Nap]

These are not originals that is for sure , they look good though

Nap

 

[flart1943]

"Without box" is a big turnoff.
Pete

 

[Blue Thunder]

Thanks for all your comments, gentleman!

You see - I have the Life Miniatures German and the figurine presented in the auction is exactly alike! I have to face the truth - The castings appearing in those images are exactly identical to mine.

I, and I'm pretty sure all of us too, already bought second handed figures in all sorts of conditions: With missing parts, without box or instructions, assembled, even partially painted. I am tracking now this one:

Look for it here:

Ray Lamb classic already started!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171372442442?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

How many have already bought miniatures like this: Easy - all of us! I purchased several of them right here!

But I'm having difficulties in accepting that the miniatures I discovered are, as listed, "used". I didn't even noticed in the resin casted Andrea clones some of you pointed out.

What concerns me is: if they are fakes and have a distribution channel identical to an original - how can a brand investing in novelties be in business for long!

 

[Helm]

Couple on there I haven't seen before though http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-10-Medi...l_Kit_US&hash=item4d200516d0&autorefresh=true anybody recognise this ?

 

[Blind Pew]

"Without box" is usually an ebay euphamism for "recast" sadly.

 

[Blue Thunder]

Couple on there I haven't seen before though http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-10-Medi...l_Kit_US&hash=item4d200516d0&autorefresh=true anybody recognise this ?

Well spotted! Helm, thanks! Isn't it some "variant without horns" of Nuts Planet very recent Hospitalier? At least the helmet looks identical.

But if it is - how can Nuts, let's say things as they are, how can Nuts survive? If a clone has a market exposure identical to an original?

"Without box" is usually an ebay euphamism for "recast" sadly.

If that is a, let's say, a tactic - than the existing brands need to be informed. Otherwise they will collapse soon.


eBay, and this forum too, are loaded with good opportunities to trade. Look please:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Verlinden-T...107201275?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item51bf9eb8fb

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIG-PRODUCT...es_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN&hash=item3a92f8d0d7


And, I think we all, want our collections to have a good value. Heck, I'm just wondering if I already bought counterfeits right here on this forum!

There goes the question - are these practices allowed on eBay? Since the beginning I thought it was strictly forbidden to sell let's say for example Lacoste polo shirts, duplicated DVD's, scanned books. and in fact they are - I can't locate on eBay these types of articles.


I'm sorry to say this so frontally Gentlemen, if these articles have this distribution capability, then Young, Life, Nuts and so many others will be soon a memory of the past!

 

[DEL]

The issue is relatively simple, at least from a purchasers point of view.
We can all be occasionally caught out and innocently purchase a piece that turns out to be a re-cast ......but ........ if in doubt simply don't buy it..
If you choose to buy, then you become part of the problem.
Derek

 

[Blue Thunder]

The issue is relatively simple, at least from a purchasers point of view.
We can all be occasionally caught out and innocently purchase a piece that turns out to be a re-cast ......but ........ if in doubt simply don't buy it..
If you choose to buy, then you become part of the problem.
Derek

Exactly Derek! Spot on!

When the opportunity to distribute is exactly identical - price, and nothing else dictates rules!


Just to show in practice what you are saying, look now:

Four people fought for this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-9-resin-k...9238?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item4d2004d476


And no one shows interest in this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NutsPlane...249176802?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item258b332ce2


If this situation becomes a normality I can foresee two things:


First - all these brands, pushing the hobby so high: Young Miniatures, Life Miniatures and NutsPlanet will be gone in short term.
Second - if this proceeds, in a future nearby our collections will not worth hundreds of pounds but hundreds of pennies. It's pretty much a Loss-Loss situation!

But, please - if anyone reading this knows, why eBay allows now for this practices? Did they change their policy?

 

[Mark S]

The issue is relatively simple, at least from a purchasers point of view.
We can all be occasionally caught out and innocently purchase a piece that turns out to be a re-cast ......but ........ if in doubt simply don't buy it..
If you choose to buy, then you become part of the problem.
Derek

That's exactly right Del, I'm sorry, but I'll probably be jumped upon and beaten senseless for saying this, but posting the stuff here also becomes part of the problem...this thread seems to be a how and where to get one guide.
The forum has had a section for doubtful pieces for a long time now and it's deliberately separate from the rest of the modelling fora so that these recast pieces are not seen to be promoted within the main section of planetfigure.....http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/report-piracy.55/

 

[Martin64]

I for my part am not worried about the value of my unbuilt kits in the future - I intend to build them all .
Ebay will take action about copyright issues as far as I know but you have to be the owner of the brand as the complainant.

 

[Blue Thunder]

That's exactly right Del, I'm sorry, but I'll probably be jumped upon and beaten senseless for saying this, but posting the stuff here also becomes part of the problem...this thread seems to be a how and where to get one guide.
The forum has had a section for doubtful pieces for a long time now and it's deliberately separate from the rest of the modelling fora so that these recast pieces are not seen to be promoted within the main section of planetfigure.....http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/report-piracy.55/

Mark, as the guy who initiated this thread, I don't see nothing wrong in your attitude. So I won't beat and jump on you, and I sincerely hope no one will find the slightest excuse to do so. In democracy we are all entitled to have different points of views. Salutary divergence is one of the pillars to be named a gentleman. Allow me just to say that I didn't place my thread in that topic simply because, perhaps naively, I refused myself to believe those miniatures were fakes, so I wanted other impressions. Allow me just to disagree with you in this being a buyers guide - no one is promoting those miniatures, in fact everybody is condemning them. And that's the correct attitude - my collection has a market value, so does yours, and I am pretty sure you and I don't want that value to be reduced to dust just because eBay is allowing clones to be marketed. I hope I am being clear as speaking through screens sometimes leaves to misunderstandings.

I for my part am not worried about the value of my unbuilt kits in the future - I intend to build them all .
Ebay will take action about copyright issues as far as I know but you have to be the owner of the brand as the complainant.

And thank you also, Martin. I have almost all the Life Miniatures range: I sent a private message to Sang Eon Lee and I did the same to Nuts Planet. If someone has a contact to Young B. Song please give it to me.


And please believe me - if this distribution tool doesn't stop selling clones: bye-bye brands! I'm pretty sure no one here wants this.

 

[Helm]

In all honersty I can say the one I posted isn't Nuts Teutonic, I've never seen it hence asking I intend to buy it unless someone knows it's a knock off

 

[elanlane13]

The Reheat Alan Shepard figure is definitely a recast, Mike hasn't produced these for many years.
I was at a UK model show earlier this year and a trader had a pair of Reheat 120mm re-boxed figures on his stand. I asked him where the figures were from and he blatantly said they were re-casts. I told him that the owner of Reheat was a good friend of mine and I knew he hadn't given permission for these figures to be cast. The trader's argument was that as they weren't produced any more it was ok. When I explained that he was breaking the law by copying something that he didn't have production rights for and was potentially reducing the commercial potential of the masters he blustered a bit and looked rather shame-faced.
The market is small enough without dishonest traders taking their cut.

 

[Gra30]

Any trader selling recasts should be banned from shows. I would even go as far as to say anyone knowingly buying recasts should be outed. As Robert says, and I fully agree, it is a small market and the pot only goes so far. Truth of the matter is continued purchase of recasts will leave the potential of new releases very limited, which is ok if all you wish to do is see the same figures and busts circulating all the time.
It is no difference than buying fake goods which in the UK the law is pretty hot on.

 

[kidsbday7]

I find it interesting that the welding girl originally done by Industria Mechanika is a different scale than originally made. 1/24 vs 1/20.

 

[theBaron]

For me, the seller is the first red flag. Any time I see something sold by someone in Eastern Europe or Russia, I assume it's a copy until I see indications to the contrary. Same for items sold from Southeast Asia and the People's Republic of China. I see a lot of castings sold by sellers in Russia and the Ukraine, and I see copies of Pegaso and Andrea figures among them.

Prost!
Brad

 

[waterloo1815]

Helm - I don't know about the knight bust you are checking out but, I do know this - here in the US the same seller has listed several figures & busts that all look pirated!! One bust - the Fort Duquense FFL is one of them!! I questioned him about it and he said he was going to stop putting pirated figures on Ebay - That didn't last long!! So be careful what you buy from him!!! Dave