Fakery Returns: More Realistic Than Ever

This week's blog post is all about the fakes.

RedBubble recently exposed its true color...the color of bootleg.
What was first thought of as a parody shirt site, turned out to be like a Cafe Press sort of place where just anyone could upload anything & sell it. However, without the 'copyright police' that means everyone just started stealing any art they could get ahold of and plastering it onto redbubble merch to make a fast buck.
Everything from stealing art from the fans to just ripping off Sega gets a green light at redbubble.

This is disappointing too, because the people who WERE making legitimate type ACTUAL parodies were doing a good job. The SS SSS (Super Sonic Search Smash...etc) Scratch Grounder "caricature" was a wacky in-joke, the Hedgehog-Plumbers w/e, & the zone "logos" which didn't steal art were pretty creative too. However, since it's just a free-for-all now, submissions had to be closed because literally any/every Sonic art on the web can now be plastered onto there. Too much site-wrecking potential.

I also own my 3rd fake Sonic thing!
(Bleh) After ordering a Nendoroid off of ebay, I was warned (too late) that the site was rife with fakes. Of course, I had inspected every inch of the photo for signs of bogusness. So, to turn this into a lesson that can help others, here is a check list of what I watched out for

1. All accessories are present (usually fakes are stripped down for cheapness)
2. Box looks the same and is present (fakes can appear 'loose' because they dont want to replicate the box
3. Figure looks the same, no paint errors or visible flaws (shoddiness is a hallmark of fakery)
4. Interior packaging is the same (that clear stuff that holds pieces in place)

EVERY single thing checked out.
Then, the additional hands on detail of the GoodSmile , which is the happyface on the ball-joints was ALSO there. The figure & accessories AND even the box was identical to the real thing in every single way.

So what gave it away?
There were no "Licensed by Sega" stickers on the box. Otherwise it was a perfect replica. After handling it, using the acc's, swapping the pieces it even acts & feels real. There's no cheapness or hidden flaws to the figure, accessories or the box. So, look for those stickers!

What are the other 2 fakes?
1. A watch that was a gift from someone fooled by a faker online
2. A "hot topic" tee that someone claimed "wasnt their size" from the store but that turned out to be a rubbish iron-on design (not asking to see the tag ruined this one...it was a mistake)

Funko Figures - Scary or Good?
Well Funko Pop has a unique style, which is simplified design and little-bigheads-look for their figures. This can be sort of cute with a human character, because the proportions are so different. It looks "wacky/mini" for them, but with characters who already had similar proportions...they just get to looking a little weirder. Sonic's all-white eyes make him sort of 'zombie like', at least so far. The color image may still be prototype-ish, but I can't really see the finals looking much different. I guess those guys are really in the eye of the beholder...

Where is...
Yeah so where is SBK Knuckles already? Apparently the figures/accessories are also having a sparse release. Nobody's seen SBK Knuckles at ALL, whereas some people have found just a few figures/acc's. Also the SBK Sonic/Shadow apparently sell out like hotcakes wherever they appear. Rightly so too, because really those are the most exciting figures JW has done in quite some time. Accessorized nicely, good price, and no forced re-buy to turn people off.

Next week:
Got to try to get ready for that Megaman/Sonic crossover coming thing...