The Force Awakens: The Bootlegs!

darth_sidious · Feb 23, 2016

I thought it would be interesting to start a thread to compile all the TFA bootleg action figures out there. These are pretty common across the globe, especially in countries that don't have retail access to Hasbro products, and generally as a alternative to them, considering the higher price in many locations. I found a carded lot and a loose lot on ebay for a set of figures that aren't based on any Hasbro sculpts:

I'm not much of a bootleg collector myself, though I find them very interesting - both vintage and modern. I'm curious if anyone has purchased these or found anything else on the web or on their travels that they'd like to share.

Teedo · Feb 23, 2016

I can't tell these from the Hasbro line :grin: All kidding aside, that's a neat concept using the stormtrooper body with FO, clone, and prototype Fett interchangeable heads. Cool find!

Darth_Sceptaurus · Feb 23, 2016

Arrrrgh! My eyes!

rciruelas · Feb 23, 2016

Watch out for the Stromtroopers. LOL

The_Zayne · Feb 23, 2016

Man the bootleggers made a Rey design Hasbro still hasnt. At Hasbro's rate the bootlegs will eventually be the superior product

Utinniii · Feb 23, 2016

Rey should not have stolen from the God of many Faces.

I wonder if any are good fodder for customs?

That Yoda freaks me out!!!

Winsto · Feb 24, 2016

These are some of the most creative bootlegs I've ever seen. They're hideous,but insane and ballsy at the same time. So crazy.

Lady_Macbeth · Feb 24, 2016

Yoda is so abnormally large. Plus, he's freaking me out too. Chewie looks like the illegitimate love child of Chewbacca and an ape character from the 1968 Planet of the Apes. And it appears that Rey has spent the summer indoors and then just started a tanning regime with spray-on tan.

However, I do like the interchangeable FO Stormtrooper. Neat concept. It's action figure multi-tasking.

GNT · Feb 24, 2016

Very horrible bootlegs.

HothHan · Feb 24, 2016

Just gonna put this here...kinda off topic. This is the movie synopsis from the back of a bootleg Guardians of the Galaxy figure set:

Hopefully we get a Force Awakens synopsis off one of these bootleg sets where our heroes save the entire Department of the Milky Way...

darth_sidious · Feb 24, 2016

Winsto said:
These are some of the most creative bootlegs I've ever seen. They're hideous,but insane and ballsy at the same time. So crazy.

I agree, often we'll only see ripoffs of Kenner and Hasbro sculpts, these were made with some effort at least. I think its pretty ballsy as well for some individual in Asia to create these from scratch, so we should give them some credit - they're better than some customs I have seen. My favorite is Vader, it's almost like one of the strange EU comic designs.

The_Kilted_Fett · Feb 24, 2016

Hasbro should take note of the Artoo/BB-8 on one card...

Also... pack-in pauldrons for F.O. Troopers in all three colors. (instead of the helmets)

DarkArtist · Feb 24, 2016

rciruelas said:
Watch out for the Stromtroopers. LOL

I actually like the look of that Stormtrooper or Stromtrooper lol on the end with the orange markings. I'd snag a few of these if the price was decent. wish I could find bootlegs like these in NJ.

sinkie · Feb 24, 2016

Spoiler alert!!! Poe has a lightsaber!

DarkArtist · Feb 24, 2016

I wonder if it's a highbred of both Luke and Poe??? I mean after all they have Vader in the mix.

Cramer · Feb 24, 2016

Oh China. Don't ever change.

HothHan · Feb 24, 2016

DarkArtist said:
I actually like the look of that Stormtrooper or Stromtrooper lol on the end with the orange markings. I'd snag a few of these if the price was decent. wish I could find bootlegs like these in NJ.

One of the major bootleg "companies" has a warehouse in Fairfield NJ

Utinniii · Feb 24, 2016

If the price was right, I'd buy a few of them. Stormmies and Growda. Size matters!

DarkArtist · Feb 25, 2016

Utinniii said:
If the price was right, I'd buy a few of them. Stormmies and Growda. Size matters!

hahah Growda lol I love it

a friend of mine overseas just hooked me up with a set of the Stormtroopers and the TFA bootlegs. so soon I'll have my very own Growda !

Utinniii · Feb 25, 2016

DarkArtist said:
hahah Growda lol I love it

a friend of mine overseas just hooked me up with a set of the Stormtroopers and the TFA bootlegs. so soon I'll have my very own Growda !

Let us know how they compare with real figures. Could one actually army build with them or are they off scale (Growda excepted of course).
I may have to check out fleamarkets and china town if they work.

DarkArtist · Feb 25, 2016

I will . it might take awhile to post pictures of them as he is shipping them from China. took about 2 weeks to get the Ackbar wave that he sent me.

Utinniii · Feb 25, 2016

Actually, the droid pack might also be good for fodder/smashed droids for dioramas and the Rey figure could easily be the scavenger chasing after the downed TIE or a background Jakku character.

They might also be good testers for anyone that wants to try their hand at customizing but doesn't want to ruin a good figure.

Utinniii · Feb 25, 2016

Crusher was toting 3 R2-like droids in his sledge and mash up a BB-8/Vader for BB-H8!

Nighthawk · Feb 25, 2016

DarkArtist said:
I actually like the look of that Stormtrooper or Stromtrooper lol on the end with the orange markings. I'd snag a few of these if the price was decent. wish I could find bootlegs like these in NJ.

Like the Avengers bootlegs I've seen, these Stormtroopers have LEDs on their chests too.

darth_sidious · Mar 20, 2016

Here is a shot of a multipack. I have a spare set loose / bagged, if anyone is interested in them.

Lak_Sivrak · Mar 20, 2016

I'm actually tempted... Haha. Those are glorious.

Utinniii · Mar 20, 2016

darth_sidious said:
Here is a shot of a multipack. I have a spare set loose / bagged, if anyone is interested in them.

Give us a review! I'd like to know how the droids compare to the Hasbro ones (for customizing)
A pic of them with their real counterparts would also be nice.

Utinniii · Mar 20, 2016

Do the legs move?
Looking at them again, they are growing on me (and not just the green one). The only dud figure is Poe (but would easily be made cool with an alien head). Rey might just need a repaint. Otherwise, they would all make good backgrounders.

Utinniii · Mar 20, 2016

Sigh... it looks like they are 2 cm too big.

saddestmoon · Mar 21, 2016

I doooooo love me some bootlegs!!!!

As the quote goes: 'Imitation is the sincerest form of Flattery' - and these are some real beauties!

In regards to SW figures, bootlegs for me become something of an EU-extension (which is a good thing, in my books): they can provide good background fodder in the expanded galactic mythos.

The more quirky, the better as well - as they remind me of some of my childhood toys (from the mid 1970s), thus the golden age of Kenner SW collecting.

Also - the pricepoint is often a great incentive, especially for budget reasons - and being at the cheaper end of the spectrum, making SW (and it's unofficial iterations) accessible to all kids / collectors on low incomes.

There's a charm about them, that's for sure! B)