BEWARE OF PIRATED EDITIONS OF MODEL KITS!
Info via Gundam.Info
Bandai fights back! Can this type of 'Warning' help fight off pirated gunplas, and discourage folks from buying them?
What is your thoughts on this matter? Leave us a comment below.
in malaysia you can see a lot of these
ReplyDeleteIt's probably why Malaysia (I could be wrong?) doesn't have that many GunPla dedicated stores compared to Japan (definitely), US, and Europe. The fact that so many businesses there (well according to what you've said) sell these fakes probably gives Bandai and Bandai-approved distributors less motivation and confidence to sell genuine GunPla products there.
DeleteYou are incorrect in your statement gunpla is extremely hard too come by and expensive in Europe.
Deletesuiton, u r wrong, malaysia has alot. i am from singapore, singapore has alot, also, isnt it obvioua that no country has as many hobby stores as japan? stop stating the obvious. Also, bandai dont need to approve distribution, all it takes is for me to find a supplier from japan, negotiate a price, then start selling.
Deletehow come its expensive in europe? Here in the Philippines the an HG of the latest Star Build strike only cost 750 pesos, thats roughly 18 Dollar. i dont know about Euros but it seems to me it should be much cheaper in your place.
DeleteThe states well at least in California gunpla is hard to come by at reasonable prices its usually always marked up (10$+ to cover the amount they use to buy from their (usually oversea) supplier) unless at events such as comicon, or fanime where you can by GunPla at a their own booth
DeleteDid someone say that you could buy Gunpla in Europe? >_>
DeleteI don't know about the rest of Europe, but in Ireland THERE IS NOT A SINGLE SHOP THAT SELLS GUNPLA >_<
I'm also in Ireland, and yes there are no shops here that sell gundams. In the late 90s when Gundam wing was on cartoon network you could actually buy gundams in some places here. In the last maybe 10 years all model shops certainly in my county have shut due to the economic strain (not that they had gundams but it would have been the best place to look for them).
DeleteYou can buy them online and import them from japan, which seems cheap enough. But then you have shipping and customs costs on top, which I think is a flat rate on anything above £15 plus a 20% tax charge.
Thank you, Bandai.
ReplyDeletePeople, support this! If you're buying pirated craps, then you'll be decreasing Bandai's funds to make resources available to make new Gunpla. Also, since funds will decrease, Build Fighters season 2 might never be possible! Or any new Gundam series. One day if pirates continue to pirate like this, they will go bankrupt.
You are essentially buying replicated material of lower quality, and says to yourself that you deserve the worse. I'm in Build Fighters mode after watching the finale, and that's why I don't want Gunpla or Gundam to be discontinued if this act continues.
how to support Bandai if they constantly make their products as P-Bandai online exclusive?
Deletethey just make people who like genuine stuff lose interest
There will be no build fighters season 2. It was meant to be a short run
DeleteNONE of the P-Bandai stuff is impossible to get or unique. They are all just slight variations or just straight colour variations.
DeletePlus something like the MG Banshee Norn will likely be released normally but with a green psychoframe.
So again that P-bandai release is just a colour change.
^hello? if just color change I can get the goddamn air brush and fix it
Deletesome kit is not just a recolor like MG Tailgeese II, Crossbone X2/X3, and Banshee Norn have a new weapon equipment if you are too blind to see
I'm anon 10:08 AM btw
He say slight variation isn't it?
Deletecolor variation with more cash to pay from the original one :D, well bootleg help lower class gunpla lovers, who don't have enough cash to afford bandai price.
Delete"You are essentially buying replicated material of lower quality" - sadly dragon momoko shits on this remark..
Deletetheir version of strike are damn better than bandai's :/
Yeah, Dragon Momoko literally pisses bandai counterparts. Their strike can change from the normal form, Deactive form, and Strike rouge form(Kira yamato version). They have this 2.0 sword packs that has not only have one but two anti-ship swords that can combine like a sword impulse or like a greatsword, and the Launcher pack's launchers are so massive it shits full armored unicorn ten times over. And just so you know, they have an Aile + Skygrasper for 1/100 and an Akatsuki with alternate backpacks. Now tell me, DOES BANDAi HAVE ANY OF THOSE?
DeleteAhahah, it's old news. I remember Ngee Khiong once bring up this topic, but then he told us he got backlash from some 'mysterious people' :D
ReplyDeleteKnockoff model kit is good for training, especially if you're new with gunpla. Other than that, steer away.
I used to buy knockoffs gunpla when I was little, because it's cheaper. A LOT cheaper. But after I got a job, and can afford genuine kit, I started to steer away from bootlegs gunpla.
The primary reason is HEALTH concern. Plastic toys from china might contain toxic paint that hazardous to health. Even the genuine one. Bootlegs, could be even worse.
The second reason is precision/ build quality. Building a knockoff gunpla is harder than genuine one, because precision is mostly off.
BEWARE!!
ReplyDeletePirated Gunpla cannot be animated by Plavsky Particle!
I must go to the bathroom now.
DeleteYou got the point. But how about something like MG Tallgeese III from Dragon Momomoko. Can we call it a pirated kit although Bandai hasn't made that kit yet ? I don't like those pirated kit because of their low quality. But I would get something that i couldn't buy from Bandai.
ReplyDeleteSince most of the kit is a direct copy of the MG Tallgeese then yes, its a bootleg.
DeleteCan you not see the bootleggers are trying to create a loophole by just adding a few different parts? (from old HG Tallgeese 3 kit).
It's this a little hypocritical? Since GG has posted images of k.o. Kits. "cough tallgeese 3 cough"
ReplyDeleteWell its not GG stating this anti-bootleg thing. It comes from Bandai's own site.
DeleteBecause everyone outside of Japan is screwed over for part replacements, I have once bought a Chinese V-fin replacement for my MG Epyon, since I would have to spend 60-70$ otherwise just for the one part.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, pirating Gunpla is bad mmmmkay.
What shit hole were you getting replacements parts from that cost $60-70?
DeleteThere was/is no replacement service because Bandai's part replacement does not extend to anyone outside of Japan. The 60 bucks referred to buying a new MG Epyon.
DeleteIf your talking about local purchases in an area outside of Japan than your not wrong. However there are online stores that are licensed bandai gunpla traders that extends the replacement service to those that purchase from their store such as Hobbylink Japan. Couple of months back I brought a MG Jesta from their site but accidentally snapped a part for the head however after 2 days of communicating with HLJ i was able to procure a part within 5 days time at no extra cost. It just depends where you look.
DeleteNow i should say that i buy almost every single kit that bandai makes. Trust me i am not forcing that company into bankrupcy, but what i do appreciate is the variation on a theme. Not all of the bootlegs are direct recasts. sometimes they are completely new molds. While i think that it is dishonest to just copy another kit, i'm sure that if creating your own cast was evil, than most every resin/garage kit out there is just as terrible. I love bandai, but the fact that they've never made a nightengale isn't going to stop me from grabbing one from another source. Ban dai is well within their right to take action, but a smarter move would be for them to beat these other companies to the punch. Just make a nightengale, and a whole suiton list of unmade machines and i don't think they'll have much to fear.
ReplyDeleteThat explain the battle of the Build Fighters Finale. Bootleg against Customize Gunpla haha
ReplyDeleteAll the bootleg gunpla i've seen are made in china. if china would respect and enforce copyright laws of other countries and close down bootleggers in their country then problem solved, but they won't, so screw China. What I think Bandai needs to do is continue their efforts in objecting to bootlegs and more importantly cornering the market that is rightfully theirs. What do I mean by that? One of the main reasons people find bootlegs attractive aren't that there are cheaper copies of Bandai's already produced kits (like that Strike Freedom copy you see in the pic), but bootleggers are making unreleased kits like the nightingale, deepstriker, Hi-Nu (sometimes better version than Bandai IMO) and optional weapons kits that Bandai doesn't/has yet to produce. What Bandai should do is release big name kits they know people want. There have already been polls they made to find out what the most popular yet to be produced kits are, so make em b4 bootleggers. Also, take note of what bootleggers designed with their version AND MAKE IT BETTER. Improve the design of the model, add weapons and special features that will attract the consumer. IMO Bandai has been doing a good job with these additional weapons kits and docking kits they've been producing as of late. But seriously....no nightingale.......and that version of the hi-nu.....come on. They should retcon that design and rerelease it, better than any other bootleg design. Also, release unproduced kits from other gundam series. Windam, Alvaron to name a couple, the list can go on and on. Also, ANY MSV kits from any series would get ate up in a heartbeat by consumers. This won't eliminate bootleggers but it will help corner the market i think.
ReplyDeletePlease, save your racist and stereotype, we have enough of those.
DeleteChina doesn't enforce copyright rules? Get your facts straight dude, that's so 2004, not 2014. Now China has gone into another extreme of protectionism to copyrights. Just check the news.
We have to support the official goods, but no need to insult the entire country.
And for your information, Bandai has an official online store in China, and they let Bandai grabs an amazing amount of cash every year since 2011. And people choose to buy the real and official ones because the quality is good even the price is 2.5X more expensive than Japanese MSRP
The Bandai office is in Hong Kong. Which commercially operates very differently from mainland china (where the bootlegs are produced)
DeleteHey hey~
ReplyDeleteThis is actually very good news indeed! Bandai is finally publicly going after the pirates? I'm surprised that it took them so long.
Sure pirated/bootleg/third party GunPla kits are cheaper, but overall the amount saved is never worth the risk. Aside from the obvious where these companies are cheating out Bandai by blatantly copying licensed material for profits, we really don't know what kinds of plastics that these Chinese knockoff companies are using. They could be using cheaper plastic that is dangerous for your health and could very well contain carcinogenic materials (i.e. cancer causing).
Yea. I wouldn't risk it.
Support Bandai and:
a. you get a superior, high quality product
b. you don't risk potentially carcinogenic plastics
c. you give funds to Bandai to help them develop more GunPla
d. you don't discourage Bandai from continuing to make GunPla
Besides, do you really want to contribute towards Bandai pushing for more online exclusive kits?
I honestly think this is why we've been seeing more and more exclusives. It's to offset (even a little) the loss of sales from these bootleg kits. It wouldn't be so bad if these companies "sold" these kits for free. But the fact that they are profiting off of Bandai's property and products means that they are doing something totally illegal.
Pirating goods is ethically wrong as it is.
But when an individual and or company pirates goods/services and distributes them on a large scale operation and profits, I think that's where the actual people/company that owns the rights to the product should go after them.
Yes. This includes guys like Dragon Momo-something, TT Hongli, and whatever else there are.
If you come to Gundam Guy's blog, then do yourself a HUGE favor and stop buying/don't even think about buying these fakes. Always buy Bandai products. You can search on various places for cheaper prices on Bandai's products like HLJ, GG Infinite, Gundam Planet, Tatsu Hobby, Model Grade, eBay, and Amazon. There are TONS of places to check for authentic Bandai GunPla kits.
Maybe if less and less people buy these fakes, we may get less and less P-Bandai online exclusives and more regularly released kits.
Well, does Bandai did a Geminass-01 and 2 with new HG molds? Does Bandai made Tallgeese II a normal release and Tallgeese III? Did Bandai a decent-look HG Gerbera Tetra?
DeleteAnswer: NOPE.
My Money, My Rules
DeleteReply: wut?
DeleteWtf does.P-Bandai have too do with bootlegs? The only P-Bandai kits that I've seen bootlegs of are the tallgeese 2, nu double fin funnel set, and the 3.0 gundam weapons set. So that right there is not a legitimate argument. Every other bootleg has been made from standard released kits. Also Suiton why are you concerned about carcinogenic plastic? News flash you really shouldn't inhale ANY PLASTIC INTO YOUR LUNGS. Oh one more thing modelers know all about carcinogens since every material used in model building is a carcinogen. But you wouldn't know that.
DeletePeople buying knockoffs is irrelevant to Premium Bandai kits. Those are done for high end collectors who want a kit that wouldn't sell well on retail.
DeleteThe more dangerous types of KO kits are ones that are sold online as a Bandai kit. Vegeta8259 has a video of a 1/144 Sandrock he bought that has it marked as a Bandai product, but the quality of the kit is abysmal, even for a 90s kit.
Those products are still bootlegs. They did not pay the rights to use the designs of geminass 1/2 and tallgeese 3, and gerbera tetra.. No matter how you try to defend them, ONLY Bandai is the one who can use those designs LEGALLY.
DeleteThose designs came from authors/artists from SUNRISE which is I think owned by Bandai. So Bandai has all the rights to them. I made My statement simple so that you can understand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunrise_(company)
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandai
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namco_Bandai
Anonymous March 31, 2014 at 2:03 PM is totally right. I just checked on the Wikipedia entry for Sunrise and indeed Namco Bandai Holdings is the Parent company of Sunrise, which is also the Parent company for Bandai (of course)...the ones that make GunPla.
Anyway, regardless of my comments on the carcinogenic chemicals on lower grade plastic that these bootleg companies are most likely using, the point still stands that these companies do not have the rights to anything Gundam related. It doesn't matter if Bandai hasn't released (for example) MG Tallgeese 3. Dragon Momoko (in this case) has illegally produced a product that they are selling on a mass scale with 0 legal rights to do so. Unless I'm mistaken, they've basically stolen the designs from Bandai's MG Tallgeese EW and remolded parts from the older HG 1/100 Tallgeese 3 using whatever machinery they have to do so.
What companies like TT Hongli, Dragon Momoko, and other similar companies are doing is just simply illegal. They have no rights to the Gundam franchise. They have no rights to be profiting off of it. It should be no surprise that YouTubers like Prime92 are not advertising nor showing any more of these third party products. Everyone is probably aware that Prime92 used to get TT Hongli kits and compared some of them to the actual Bandai ones. Apparently the quality was similar, but a lot of times the parts were not molded quite precisely as Bandai's official products are.
The only thing that really surprises me is how long it has taken Bandai to actually take some noticeable action against these companies. I mean they've been doing this for years and years, and only now Bandai seems to be taking interest in going through legal battles against them? For such a large company, this is quite pitiful, but I guess better late then never, right?
Or maybe Bandai was already dealing with them and only now making some sort of public notification about this. Anyway, hopefully Bandai can get these companies shut down for good and continue to give us more GunPla; maybe less P-Bandai released kits?
I think Momoko's did take some from the MG Tallgeese, but the rest I think was original.
DeleteSuiton,Prime92 can have Bandai Gunpla because he works (or co-operates) with iPlamo,and he did an unboxing and review of the Dragon Momoko Tallgeese III,and if you don't know,I assembled a TT/Gao Gao 0-Gundam,even using my teeth to snap-fit some parts,but I haven't been diagnosed with finger or someotherbodyparts cancer,and I check myself every 3 months.
DeleteThis war will end.When Bandai erradicates P-Bandai,.
ReplyDeleteThey should simple spend hire a group of people to take care international shipping. Third party had proven they are profitable, if I were the CEO I'd do it. There are money to be made and they just shut them outside of it. . Damn eleven.
ReplyDeleteBootlegs are best at stealing parts/repair/kitbash.
Less P-Bandai(or whatever limited)=Less bootlegs
ReplyDeleteWhere do you get that logic?
DeleteMost bootlegs are direct copies of normal kits. They copy a bunch of MGs from the likes of Wing, SEED, UC, 00.
There are other less direct copies like those ugly out of scale nu and hi-nu kits but the engineering on them is shit because those thieves cant design good joints. Now they even rip off resin designs in an attempt to create a loophole for themselves.
I don't see the point in buying direct copies of Bandai's kits, especially that for someone from Europe who has to buy online they aren't cheaper than the originals, anyway. If anything, there are harder to get, and it's not worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteBut when the kit is a thought-out variation of the design - e.g. Dragon Momoko's Gerbera Tetra - well, then, that's not stealing. I don't steal money from Bandai when I buy both theirs and Dragon Momoko's version (and I would gladly buy another one, as neither is perfect). Not to mention things like scaled down recast of MG Sinanju's bazooka, 'cause Bandai didn't bother making the HG version. If a third party company made, say, HG Sinanju Stein, I'd buy it, too (thanks for not making that one, Bandai). There's also many amazing resin kits with a lot of work put into them. Not to mention that we simply won't be seeing Bandai making some designs, such as that beautiful Shanel from that doujinshi, which makes third party companies the only option (hint hint).
I also understand people buying straight copies for kitbashing/repairs, although I wouldn't. Well, okay, maybe I would if I the original one was something extremely expensive/hard to get. Maybe.
Also, nope, Bandai's kits aren't always superior when it comes to the quality. And they should really lessen the amount of exclusives.
Bandai are always superior in terms of quality. All bootlegs have inferior part molding/fitting or the ones based off of resin designs have terribly designed joints.
DeleteBTW there are 2 HG Sinanju bazookas coming soon. One included with HGUC Neo Zeong and another is sold as a weapon set.
Bandai cant make everything at once, each kit takes months to design and new series takes release priority over older designs. All things eventually appear such as the long awaited MG Gundam X or Turn X.
Except I was talking from experience. I've built and handled quite an amount of both. And from my experience third party kits are either similar or of better quality than Bandai's, not to mention all the details. Of course, the price tag is different, too. Again, I'm NOT talking about straight copies. I've heard that those are slightly inferior at best, although some of them come with extra accessories (e.g. that kit from Age... Spallow, IIRC).
DeleteSure it's not as clear-cut situation as it is with, say, third party Transformers toys, where nowadays almost all of them are of vastly superior quality (and price...), and most are original designs. But treating cheap, straight copies and kits like, say, MC Model in the same way is a misguided kind of vigilantism.
Assuming that Bandai will eventually make everything is just wishful thinking. It simply won't happen, for variety of reasons, starting with Bandai not having rights to every MS, for example.
As to bazookas - I'm not going to pay 25k for that monstrous bullshit just to get the bazooka. I'll buy the weapon set, of course, though I don't remember seeing news about it.
I'm pretty sure most gunpla fans know very well which is a pirate kit vs genuine bandai kit by the price alone. The folks who can't afford the actual kits need to get their priorities straight and get a job or learn to save money better.
ReplyDeleteThis! Is all I can think of.
DeleteWe don't own a fu***ng Hobby shop,neither are 18 years,neither are North-American residents,so a bootleg is all that somebody can afford.
DeleteYou guys may all rip on Premium Bandai, but you all know what you really want: A P-Bandai site for America/Europe.
ReplyDeleteYep, P-Bandai itself is not harm, it's service which only for Japan market which hurt most non-Japan consumer. But please not only for America/Europe, Asia need their service too, especially for replacement parts.
DeleteThey just need to make their site international. They are going slowly there with Build fighter and gundaminfo events. Non Japan/HK fans are willing to pay for shipping, but not mark up + shipping + 5% paypal fee + more, those really add up.
DeleteWhile on discussion of kits quality, Bandai's plastic is way superior. While that is true, they are also cutting corners on Plated/chrome parts. Back in the 90s, chrome, clear, glittered marks weren't premium, all the BB kits have them as BASIC runner, not to mention fully gold plated BB100 and it only costed 1000 yens. Now they won't even put an extra tiny gold plate for the higher price MG like Banshee/Astray Red when those are over 5000 yens.
and you know what, KO fix'ed those. DM is great at providing what fans wanted. Price isn't in the question for me, I bought a Tallgeese III just for the red glow heatrod(yes it glows under blue LED/blacklight)
Im with you man. But what's really funny about this is the fact that these idiots think the P-Bandai kits are the cause of bootleg bandai kits. They are too dumb to realize the are maybe 3 or 4 P-Bandai design kits with bootleg copies and the rest are regular release kits. They don't even understand that any Kit weather it's a direct copy, resin Kit, resin conversion or none existing Kit. If it is made from made from a design that bandai owns it's technically a bootleg. So if they go after companies like Daiban they will probably go after companies like ako or g-systems as well. If they are making a gundam related product with out bandais permission.
DeleteIm not going to lie, now im buying a lot more of Chinese bootlegs (TT, Momoko, etc); why?
ReplyDeleteBecause they are like 1/3 of the price,97% the same of the original and some of them corrects some defects of the Bandai models; and if you are lucky you can get premium parts that bandai havent included in their model kits (like the sandrock MG cape).
Im not stealing money from bandai, just using the best option in terms of price/quality because its obvious that all the bootlegs sales combines aren even the 2% of total bandai sales of gunpla; buying bootlegs is no going to make them bankrup.
Of course i want some models like the MG Gundam X and im willing to buy one from bandai (i also have plety of bandai models but now i prefer the chinese ones) or wait for the bootlegers to make one, like the just released Nu Gundam ver Ka that comes with 5 new premium parts.
You forgot that it comes with the Double Fin Funnel System,or whatever the name is,but you surely understand.
DeleteIn Indonesia it's just a way to get a gunpla with lower price. it's like "student gunpla" because of the price.
ReplyDeleteNot trying to justify bootlegs but they're usually used for a quick fix.. as modellers would be familiar with, this hobby is a drug and a bootleg HG or two is just something to assemble and mess around with some kitbashing and the like
ReplyDeleteI support bandai all the same, and most bootlegs are some redesigns that look damned good, designs bandai could not be bothered with, or a MS i particularly like and do not mind duplicates of
Before i get bashed or anything, bootlegs here are easy to get, and sadly i have been supporting them during my studies since i do not have to stable income.. now that i do, however, i support bandai as well.. i even support some p-bandai and gft exclusives (rg exia r1 and mg norn is on pre-order)
A true gunpla fan will still support bandai no matter what.. plus the feel of bandai kits are far superior and i thoroughly enjoy the hobby more when it comes to bandai brand, but as a modeller, i'm neutral towards bootleg as they're cheaper and more challenging in the way that it requires more work to complete
To be honest, people have money can do what the hell we want.
ReplyDeleteKnock off or third party brand, they delivered for people who really want their favorite Gundam to become a real model, BANDAI don't listen and make crap like online limited for example Tallgese II and upcoming Banshee Norm, while the third party brand make not so limited and mass product for consumer to buy and cheaper, even they improve the texture of BANDAI also they make Tallgese III, did BANDAI make it, nope, Geminass I/II, nope, Hi-Nu Evolve, nope. Any way so nope, I want to spend money on what the hell I want, I can buy a ton MG Zaku with cheap price and can do any shit I want with the cheap Zaku, or I can buy a large amount MG Zaku to make an army.
So, um. Why are bootlegs made with different box art? If you're ripping off the kit then surely you'd just copy the boxes too? This seems so silly to me lol
ReplyDelete- Have terrible quality
ReplyDelete- Awful build experience
- Hurt your mind and your finger when build it
- Doesnt looks appealing to display
- Crock joint
- Keep failing apart even when you not touch it
- Bad details
- Guilt feeling
- Terrible box quality, this breaking apart on shipping
If you embrace those thing, you may buy bootlegs for half of bandai price. I already build one, its awful experience overall. Its go straight to trash bin.
LOL exactly, you got the idea. Bootlegs kits are harder to assemble than Bandai one, I had those nightmare too.
DeleteBUT, if you succeed to assemble bootleg kit with good result
(plus maybe some numb finger, scars, or even stich... or a dozen sandpapers, some broken knifes and clampers, lol) , then
then when you switch to Bandai kit, it will be a piece of cake.
Yeah seriously, piece of cake.
I used to build bootlegs kit, then when I switch to Bandai kit, wow wow, it's like HEaven! Godsent paradise! Everything fit perfectly! You build faster with Bandai kit no kidding!
for all you asses talking bout dont get the tthongly or model comprehend here is the thing you have to remember not everyone can adored a 200 plus kit not everyone wants to pay that money and them possible fuck up at customizing the kit that cost so much sure the plastic is a bit worse with some but for instance i am a big char suit fanboy have an entier cas of many of his suits and that one that was always eluding me was my fave the nightingale im not going to pay 300 plus for resin that i will never be able to paint perfectly so i had to go the way of KO in the form of a sd MC nightingale and yes the parts are a bit more fragile and a bit thinner in places but as far as im concerned i love it and the sd has more heft than any of my sd untill the neo zeong comes outand bythe way for thoes that want some kits that are not avalible in plastick like the deep striker or other oneoff check out model comprehend you will see most of thier designed are based of the bandi resin kits and some are originally theirs but they are gundooms not gundams technically
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I don't support bootlegs is because of the induced trauma from the abysmal fittings. I still wake up from nightmares when trying to assemble my MC Model Nu Gundoom. I wet the bed everytime the thought of TT Hongli Psyco Gundam comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I also wish to state that Bandai has failed to announce/release hugely anticipated and popular kits, like HGUC Deep Striker (A pirated copy being released soon), HGUC Nightingale (Versions of resins and other brand makes released) and HGUC Xi Gundam (Resins and upcoming knockoff model kit).
The lack of model kits for these major units are especially frustrating when there's other renditions of them, such as RD Gundam MK-V, GFF and RD Xi Gundam, GFF Deep Striker, GFF Gundam MK-III, GFF Z-II Gundam and GFF and RD Wing Gundam Ver Ka.
It's hard to predict what will come out but whenever these kits come out, I'm sure it's popular. This is demonstrated by the release of HGUC Byarlant Custom, HGUC Victory/X/F91 series and the upcoming Turn A and Crossbone series.
My thoughts is... If Bandai have a limited number of release annually, better make sure it's not another recolor or over-saturated release. There's only so much Strike/RX-78-2/Zeta/Exia releases that people wanna buy.
>There's only so much Strike/RX-78-2/Zeta/Exia releases that people wanna buy.
DeleteAnd yet they didn't even make all the Zetas from Evolve...
for those that are worried that the "EEEEEVIL" bootlegs are going to kill the gundam hobby:
ReplyDeletei don't think the hobby will die if bandai stops making gunpla, now the "Bootleggers" started to use resin kits as a base to make new model kits without the need of the bandai gunpla at all.
my point is that bootlegs are going to continue making gundam kits even if bandai stops making gunpla, they wouldn't care at all, they will just go buy a resin kit as a base model, 3d scan it, modify the 3d model to convert it from block of plastic to snap fit, make the sprues in the program, 3d print a few prototypes, make an epoxy mold inside an aluminum base mold good enough for a few plastic injection shots and finally the finished product.
with the tech nowdays even a baby can make a "gunpla kit" in his basement, with a manual benchtop injection molding machine, 3d printer for prototypes, knowledge on how to make an epoxy mold for the plastic injection machine, blender and a resin model or if you want to antagonize these people more a bandai kit as a base model.
now we have a 1/144 s gundam deep striker thanks to ACE models, that bandai will never release
because they are too closed minded about paperwork and that silly copyright stuff going on with sentinel gundam, hell maybe i will try my hand at making a 1/144 Nero or convert the AOZ resin kits to snap fit models or join forces with DM(i make the prototypes and i pay them so they make the finished product).
so... i just have an open mind about hobby in general and everything else, just like a friend said:
"you can assemble a model out of everything, even out of mud or paper".
that Kawaguchi chink is just a self entitled douchebag thinking that gundam hobby in general will just die without him and his "gunpla", as long as there is gundam fans, the hobby will still live, even without his easy to assemble "Lego" style kits.
Sooo... you guys in general need to stop being so fucking brand loyal, that is really bad for your health, just like being loyal to Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, MLP or Coca Cola only.
PS:
the gundam hobby will never die even if bandai goes to the inner depths of hell, because the fans will always be there making scale models in general and thank god for the 3d printers, so leave the other guys alone and mind your own business if you don't like them.
yeah totally right, I don't give a shit, where it came from. As long as it's a gunpla, i'm happy.
DeleteAgreed..my money my rules..like the guy above me said..lol
DeleteBootlegs are like shits for the birds , I happen to own three and I'm nowhere near impressed. And bootlegs had been around since the beginning of time , I can't think of a more crude way to make a toy or anything in particular.
ReplyDeleteAnd guess what? When a bootleg company closes down , they open up another company and start another FUCKING PRODUCTION OF PRODUCTS!!
I Think Bandai's staff should consider that gunpla is international thing and not only for Japan, and hear some opinions of gundam fans. But, Japan is ignorance while they have many professional staff to make something that they don't make yet but bootleg have.
ReplyDeleteand for P-Bandai, I think they should think carefully about what kit should be released in P-Bandai or regular release, like banshee norn
who wants to fabricate bootleg gunpla on my garage?, i have all the equipment there, even the 3d printer.
ReplyDeleteI think the difference in currency prices standard of living and tariff taxes are the cause of piracy of gundam for example the salary in japan is way higher than the salary in the philippines. Also the production cost of a japanese original is way higher than a chinese bootleg because of the cheap labor in china. Now of course if the salary in the philippines, malaysia those other countries and if the tariffs are not that high I think why wouldn't non japan based gundam fans buy the original
ReplyDeleteI mostly buy Bandai... except for two from MC Model... I opposed direct bootlegging like most of the products in the market right now.... heck even though I'm short of money, I didn't use that excuse to justify my reason to buy bootlegs..... I still buy BANDAI and always will.... but if there are no official release from Bandai itself (Like Xi Gundam) I will opt for MC Model...
ReplyDeleteIn Taiwan, RG wing zero 8xx pesos.
ReplyDeleteIn Philippines it is 1400 (Discounted, if original price more expensive.)
so......
Why buy bootleg?
Because Bandai price is not affordable.....
Hi im from indo, i wanted to bought a mg zaku ii ms 06j . I found a lot of fake gunpla here ( jakarta ) . But finally I found the cheapest one (rp.370.000 ) its more cheap rp.130.000 than another online shop. I scared if the seller switch the real box. Maybe the real box containing the fake gunpla . What should I do ? Cash on delivery ?
ReplyDeleteWho cares. If Bandai offer a replacement or a Bandai hobby center outsidee Japan then I won't support bootlegs. As you know, getting replacement parts for kits you have purchased outside Japan is impossible. Bandai only support Japanese people and doesn't respect people outside Japan. So why respect Bandai in this case?
ReplyDeleteI'll say this here. I'll continue supporting bootleg gunplas for my replacement need.
Bootleg's? I needed more plastic
ReplyDeleteBootleg's? I could use the plastic
ReplyDeleteThe rationale why people buy these bootlegs are because they simply cant find the original Bandai products within reasonable price or simply unaffordable with their earnings. In my Country the original Bandai plamos cost up to 2-2.5 times the original price while bootleg only cost 1/6 of these marked up price. But even a 4000 Yen original MG, an average person in my country would need 1/3 of their monthly wage to afford which is why bootleg becomes appealing choices.
ReplyDeleteIt is not merely matter of choice when people get bootlegs but also because of circumstances one of them is economic inequality. On top of that Bandai are quite a douche to people outside Japan
Lol. Poor southeast Asians.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I've just re-discovered the existence of these fake Gunpla models from China. As early as 2000 though, I remember some really awful Gundam models that came out of Taiwan that were so bad you needed two kits to make one. Missing parts, undershot moldings, etc. But I gather that the latest offerings from China are really good. Rancor aside, what's really driving this bootleg stuff is the shear cost of a plastic model from Japan. Back in 1983, when the dollar was strong in relation to the yen, a 3,000 yen kit was $30.00 US in an American hobby shop. That allowed for shipping, wholesale distribution and mark up. Everyone was happy. At the same time, few kits where as expensive as they are now coming out of Bandai. Never really saw anything more than 2500 yen for a Master Grade kit until recent years. Oil, the chief ingredient for styrene bead plastic, is more expensive than 30 years ago, so that could explain why the kits have jumped in price domestically. Another reason could be that Bandai simply got greedy. Gundam is it's best property right now, and
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of bothered by that because their anime plamodel line used to be more diverse. I talking Space Cruiser Yamato, Captain Harlock, Macross, and other mecha based anime kits they made or still have the molds for from the 1980s. But I digress. The exchange rate relative to the yen and most currencies make importing Bandai Gunpla into some Asian countries (European too for that matter)prohibitively expensive when you factor in shipping and duties. So these cheaper knock offs are fulfilling a demand for people who want the kits but cant afford the prices. They are hugely popular in the Philippines, where even the knock offs are out of reach to kids and adults with no steady income.
That being said, if Bandai really wanted to stop the flood of knock off models in SE Asia, they could do so by easily setting up shops in say, Manila, and making the prices affordable. They did this in Korea, where there are official outlets and made Academy one of their official distributors. Before this, Academy unabashedly produced Gundam kits that were of good quality and supremely affordable thanks to the won exchange rate of the day. This is not case today. Same for Taiwan.
On the legal front, Bandai is a big enough corporation to send in the lawyers IF they really wanted to protect their copyright. It's not enough to excite the modelers to stand with their product and shame others from buying boots. But to a Filipino teen, with 3000 pesos from Tito, it's off to Divisoria to buy four kits instead of one :-)
Yell as you might, these kits will be around for a while until the next big thing. And I find the allegation that Chinese plastic might be cancerous is rather spurious. Reminds me of the tag line about SM CDs supporting child prostitution and the triads.
Just build em and have fun guys....
Well; I bought my Gundam at a Comic Convention and it had the Bandai Logo on it, so I know it's legit!
ReplyDeleteThere is one Gundam kit that Bandai does not make and that is the "MC RX-93-2 Hi-Nu Wu Yu-dong" from Model Comprehend. The detail is amazing. Believe me, if Bandai released a kit of that I'd get the Bandai one. Anyone know where I can pick up 2?
ReplyDeleteThe quality difference for pirated kits and original kits is enormous as also the price for both(about 50% less). I had bought a pirated kits a few years ago and after a while the joints cracked and you'll never be able to pose your gunpla which means that it will end in the thrash bin.
ReplyDelete