Decool figures review, The trial of the enemy!

[The Joker1]

Hey everyone, I feel it is time to attempt to settle the age old debate of "are fake super-heroes worth it?" , To find out i purchased 4 lots of characters ranging from copies of official figures to SDCC fakes and even fakes of customs in order to provide a ranged view into the figures, now after just a mere month they have arrived in a lovely polystyrene box from china.

Here is my little box of goodness

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

Each figure comes in a little packet with readily assembled Head, torso and legs, It is your job to add accessories, a stand and hair. Unfortunately there were no instructions so after 16 hours and 195 wrong attempts i assembled my first figure.

The figures are more or less the same as lego's with the main difference being the leg assembly

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

The legs will fit into official bodies and vica versa so the unprinted ones i have changed for officials

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

As you can see the connection is the same (i had to do this outside so you could see)

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

And HERE they are! with all those classic accessories such as Mr fantastics chainsaw and the things hammer.... ?

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

To be brutally honest im starting to like these guys..

There is a lot of decent back printing here, they seem to be more generous with printing than Lego themselves.

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

A lot of these guys also have double faces or rear head prints, here are a few random examples.

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

aaaaaaand

Kablamo

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

All the parts interact perfectly well with official lego as shown here...

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

Im not sure if you can tell but the arms are a Tiny bit less angled than official arms, Barely noticable though. And of course the other difference that can be seen here is the minor colour differences, I think they all look reasonable enough though.

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

Before i continue i would like to point out the problems i have encountered in these figures

1- Deadpool's head appears to be attatched to his body so will not budge or move, Meaning his sword holster cannot be attached.

2- Some head designs are c**p, I feel this is just due to shoddy workmanship rather than bad printing (namely the FF)

3- Batman's cowel is tight so once it's on don't expect to get it off easily.

NOW for a test, Without looking at your official Deadpool figure tell me which is the official one, I will reveal it tomorrow

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

I tried this on one person already.... They got it wrong

As this picture shows some are very good copies such as DP and venom, Others, well you can see for yourself...

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

Most however are completely satisfactory and blend into your lego surroundings nicely, Here are some examples.

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

And with minor changes they can look pretty good

Decool review by Legocollecter123, on Flickr

And now for the conclusion, This could ed the war on fakes forever... let this moment be remembered by AFOLs forever, Now im just dragging this out...

PRICE- Ok, so for all 19 of those awesome figures i paid £13.17 including post, Thats under 70p each, Where a normal figure would cost 10x that, Or in a SDCC case 300x that! So i would say these are very good value and provide a reasonable figure for your buck (or pound or yen or euro), so at that price i would grab a few just for the sake of it. 9/10

Quality- Surprisingly these are better than people say, The prints are reasonable, The plastic seems strong and the designs are good, except a couple of slight leg wobbles, Amazingly im going to give these a 6/10

Design, This is difficult seeing as they are all nicked designs, However they have been replicated well (except the FF faces) so i will give this a 7/10

Overall i give these 22/30, These really do fill the hole that lego has dug beneath us so i applaud Decool for there work. The quality is getting quite good now and is constantly improving so these really these will soon be lego standard. If you feel you are missing somthing that these figures provide just get one, Dont look back, its only a few quid after all.

One other thing, It is difficult to pass judgment on the figures as a whole, As my GL is great quality, a great figure and looks awesome. However the Decool cap has a poor head design and looks generally bad. Hard to say people... Hard to say...

I dont want to say these trump lego as they DO NOT, however they are providing what we want at a price we want so thats good enough for me!

If anyone wants extra pics just let me know, Otherwise enjoy your day!

Edited August 5, 2014 by The Joker1

[MAB]

The fake Deadpool is easy to spot due to the sharp lines one the upper torso / shoulders.

But very nice printing job otherwise.

[The Joker1]

The fake Deadpool is easy to spot due to the sharp lines one the upper torso / shoulders.

But very nice printing job otherwise.

Thats true, That really is one of the only factors though, To the untrained eye they would look the same.

[LuxorV]

This are not official LEGO products and, as there already is a Bootleg topic in the MCW, I'm moving the topic.

[1974]

This is not LEGO, what is this freakin' crap is this doing at EB?

[Dharkan]

It doesn't matter to me how good they are. They are not Lego. They are infringing patents. And I'd not have felt satisfied as a LEGO collector to have those figures in my collections because they simply are not LEGO.

[The Joker1]

well those reactions were more negative than expected. I know these will never be Lego but we are being offered figures that normally only a select few can obtain for £400 or more in an easy bundle for 70p each. In my eyes that's like saying you can have a Ferrari for £400,000 or an almost identical copy for £1000, It will never be the same but i will sure as heck take one.

Just the way i see things, Thanks for the responses anyway .

[1974]

You can actually get a chinese ripoff Ferrari, but no way I'm gonna push that p.o.s to +250km/h

I guess you're okay with anyone ripping you off your work then?

This is not EB material, imho that is

And I'm positive that is not doing anything good for the EB/TLG love affair either

[The Joker1]

You can actually get a chinese ripoff Ferrari, but no way I'm gonna push that p.o.s to +250km/h

I guess you're okay with anyone ripping you off your work then?

This is not EB material, imho that is

And I'm positive that is not doing anything good for the EB/TLG love affair either

Im not trying to defend them, Im just trying to show an unbiased review of the figures. For those who cant afford £400 on a Pheonix this is a good solution.

[LuxorV]

Please stop futile debate on these figures. These are partly clones of existing figs, and partly products that do not appear in the LEGO palette (as of now, anyway).

While the first may deserve a severer judgement, the latter can be interesting as customs.

If people are not interested in or dislike them, they can certainly state so, but then just leave this topic. No need to fume on something you explicitly say you're not interested into.

Thanks all for the understanding and co-operation.

[KingPixels]

It doesn't matter to me how good they are. They are not Lego. They are infringing patents. And I'd not have felt satisfied as a LEGO collector to have those figures in my collections because they simply are not LEGO.

You can actually get a chinese ripoff Ferrari, but no way I'm gonna push that p.o.s to +250km/h

I guess you're okay with anyone ripping you off your work then?

This is not EB material, imho that is

And I'm positive that is not doing anything good for the EB/TLG love affair either

There is a lot of mindless hate going on in this thread. Have you guys considered that not everyone can afford the $300+ SDCC exclusives?

[The Joker1]

Thanks KP, What i am trying to say is if we could get a official pheonix for £10 or so i would burn this one to a plasticy soup, But for now i like to see the best option i can get in a positive light . Being a purist is just a matter of perspective that cannot be achieved by all.

Edited August 5, 2014 by The Joker1

[Brickmamba]

Not sure why the need for this post, these figures are old and the whole bootleg/replica debacle is already covered in another thread 23 pages long

[phanstasm]

Thanks for the great review, Joker1. The other thread is a lot to wade through at this point to get a concise review and detailed pictures (front and back printing, etc.)

For SDCC figures like Phoenix, I can see why people are turning to the bootleggers. Some of the unique designs like Odin are interesting too. It's tempting for me to buy Phoenix, which probably has no chance of being reproduced for the general public (with that design, anyway). Still, for myself, I think I have to agree with Dharkan that it wouldn't feel right to have these in my collection.

I really do want those characters. And I would love to see all of Lego's SDCC exclusive minifigures offered this way, since Lego doesn't seem willing to offer them to the general public themselves (even with different prints). Even so, I don't think I want to support a bootleg product.

[The Joker1]

Thanks for the great review, Joker1. The other thread is a lot to wade through at this point to get a concise review and detailed pictures (front and back printing, etc.)

For SDCC figures like Phoenix, I can see why people are turning to the bootleggers. Some of the unique designs like Odin are interesting too. It's tempting for me to buy Phoenix, which probably has no chance of being reproduced for the general public (with that design, anyway). Still, for myself, I think I have to agree with Dharkan that it wouldn't feel right to have these in my collection.

I really do want those characters. And I would love to see all of Lego's SDCC exclusive minifigures offered this way, since Lego doesn't seem willing to offer them to the general public themselves (even with different prints). Even so, I don't think I want to support a bootleg product.

Thanks phanstasm, even helping one person has made doing this worthwhile for me . I agree that these fakes are fast becoming the only option for people wanting certian figures, I bet even in 10 years from now we wont have an Odin figure, So this is really the only choice. However it does feel a little unfaithful owning them so it is really down to each person if they want to accept fakes and have an unpurist collection or stay true to lego but never have certain figures. I guess everyone will have there own view on that one .

Not sure why the need for this post, these figures are old and the whole bootleg/replica debacle is already covered in another thread 23 pages long

Well suit yourself and rummage through 23 pages then, Posting that comment seems like waste of your time to me.

[cold_fuzion]

I don't like buying knocks-offs of anything. If I like something, I prefer to give my money to the people that made that thing. There are some cases, however, where the people that produce the thing I love have decided that instead of giving me an opportunity to give them money they would rather create a pointless scarcity to reward people for going to a convention that should be fun enough on it's own and not need special "rewards." So instead of dropping more money than I can afford to buy the thing from someone that did nothing more than wait in a line (or apparently steal a bag full of something), I'll spend a whole lot less and buy the perfectly acceptable knock-off.

[squirtlepower]

What a lot of people fail to understand is a VERY simple concept of "supply and demand". Lego can't keep their supply up with the demand for these figures and there was a gap in the market that a couple of smart companies went after. Spending $5 on 6-8 minifigures isn't going to send Lego out of business.The love for customs and hate on bootlegs is extremely hypocritical. I guess everyone just pretends these "customizers" aren't taking the likeness from trade mark characters and using Lego's product to make themselves money. But it's ok right? Because guys like Christo do these by hand and sell a tiny piece of $2 plastic for $40-$60?

[LuxorV]

I see this topic is going nowhere useful. It's just a sterile extension of old debates.

I'll close it.

[LuxorV]

Hoping this pause has allowed everyone to cool down and concentrate on the figs instead of sterile polemics, I'm opening this topic again.

I'm also moving it to Community, where all non-LEGO and non-custom brands will be from now on.

[MAB]

I don't like buying knocks-offs of anything. If I like something, I prefer to give my money to the people that made that thing. There are some cases, however, where the people that produce the thing I love have decided that instead of giving me an opportunity to give them money they would rather create a pointless scarcity to reward people for going to a convention that should be fun enough on it's own and not need special "rewards." So instead of dropping more money than I can afford to buy the thing from someone that did nothing more than wait in a line (or apparently steal a bag full of something), I'll spend a whole lot less and buy the perfectly acceptable knock-off.

The same argument also works for regular minifigs. So someone may say that they prefer to give my money to the original creator, but why pay $20 for a set with one minifig when I can buy a perfectly acceptable fake for $1.

If fakes are perfectly acceptable for $500 figures, then with the same logic they should also be perfectly acceptable for $10 ones. The quality is just the same between the fake $500 fig and the fake $10 fig.

I'm also glad that the topics have been moved to community rather than in the main themes and interests categories. After all, eurobricks is a lego site, not a fake lego site.

Edited August 8, 2014 by MAB

[KingPixels]

The same argument also works for regular minifigs. So someone may say that they prefer to give my money to the original creator, but why pay $20 for a set with one minifig when I can buy a perfectly acceptable fake for $1.

If fakes are perfectly acceptable for $500 figures, then with the same logic they should also be perfectly acceptable for $10 ones. The quality is just the same between the fake $500 fig and the fake $10 fig.

I'm also glad that the topics have been moved to community rather than in the main themes and interests categories. After all, eurobricks is a lego site, not a fake lego site.

At $10 a figure, I can afford to buy it from the original source. Since I'm a LEGO collector, official figures are preferable to fake figures. At $500 a figure, it's out of the question for me to buy the original, so I buy the next best thing. The knockoff.

[Stash2Sixx]

If you choose to spend your money on these, that is of course entirely up to you. What I don't like about these is the fact that many of these designs are clearly stolen from other people who are out there creating custom figures. Many people put quality time into their work and I hate to see others taking credit for work that isn't theirs. Criminal in my opinion.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Stash2Sixx
too many overly sensitive people on the forum so I decided to remove my previous statment.

[Agent Fusion]

These look to be of surprising quality, but I would still hesitate to buy these.

[wilson3a10]

deleted

Edited August 9, 2014 by wilson3a10

[Robianco]

I've avoided posting in this thread but one thing I'd probably stick my neck out to point out is whether a figure of a game designed figure... such as the Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider etc... is released by a Chinese bootlegger or a customiser then it's stolen.

The licenses are held by Lego on release from Marvel or DC and as such the right to replicate those characters either in hard plastic form or digitally in a game belongs to Lego.

I've had my work as a designer copied... I've had it stolen from a pitch and used by a client... so I know how that feels. These were things that were entirely unique... entirely my thought process. That act is sickening... literally... it makes you feel physically sick.

There are a lot of game designed figures released by customisers and those of us who like custom figures, as I know some people prefer to be purist, are glad of this service... and we pay our money for our figures... whether they be pad printed, machine printed... whatever... and they range in costs. But ultimately those designs are stolen as they're been created by Lego designers for use in a Lego game. Whether the artwork for these is then recreated by a customiser or then replicated by a bootlegger there isn't a great deal of difference. Some customisers don't replicate game figures at all... Phoenix Customs for example.. their designs are completely original and therefore are not replicating and existing Lego held designs... you could argue that the reproduction of those likenesses still breaks some kind of copyright law but I don't think it's the kind of scale that would see Marvel, DC or Lego asking them to stop... besides... I see the real skill in creating those designs are there's real intricacy involved... just look at the Winter Soldier figure for example.

The Lego designed muscle torso is generally a generic base to any superhero design and as such once it's drawn it's easy to copy a game design and as long as you have a good printer then off you go.

There are very well respected customisers who have copied game designs as well as create their own designs. They've also created their own moulds for parts which add to the unique nature of their figures... but that in itself means that the figure you're buying isn't genuine Lego... another thing that's thrown at the Chinese bootlegs. I can even think or examples where an actual Lego figure has been copied to the exact detail of facial expression lines but people have still argued that the minutely different curve of a moustache means it's their own design rather than a clone of an already release Lego figure. That's a hard thing for me to understand... There's no difference in that example and the Chinese bootleggers making clones of figures.

I own a lot of customs and my genuine Lego will never be replaced by clone brands or bootleggers. I for one wouldn't be happy with a bootleg of a figure if a genuine Lego variant was available... at a reasonable cost. That brings me onto the SDCC figures... I've had people say that if you're a genuine Lego fan that you'd want the original SDCC figure... I think we all would... but then again we all have budgets we work to... some larger than others and if you can pick up a clone of an SDCC figure with a quality that's perfectly reasonable... if not excellent (depending on the QC of the maker) then why give money to a profiteer or scalper for it? Not when you can pick up genuine Lego sets and put your money back into Lego... or even pick up some good quality custom figures on genuine Lego pieces if that's what you want. But I see no reason that paying £200 to a scalper for an SDCC figure is in some way more noble and beneficial to Lego than paying £2 to a bootlegger and spending the other £198 on Lego at a Lego store.

If people want to stop buying Lego sets and pick up bootlegs just to get the figures then that's up to them... but that's not for me. But if I can't get certain figures that AREN'T available and someone is going to make a set of 8 available for the price of 2 CMF bags then I'll pick them up.