Nendoroid Guide! 10 steps to differentiate between real and fakes!

Been buying nendos for quite some time now, thought I like to do a guide. I’ll basically be using my BRS nendoroid (real) and my Hatsune Miku nendoroid (fake) as references. Sorry, can’t do a real miku and bootleg miku comparison cause I’m a poorfag. ;(

So, how do you spot a fake nendoroid?

I’ll start first saying how to spot a fake from the outside first, because that’s what you want to do, how to know its a fake first by checking all the stuff on the box first. OK, here goes.

1: The price. Read this from somewhere: If something is too good to be true, then something is too good to be true. Based on my experience, bootleg (fake) nendos usually cost around $20-$30. I saw one of these before at a convention, so if you guys think that if getting your stuff is a convention is safe, then think again. Very rarely (I have never seen it before in my whole life) will a real nendoroid cost less than $40. Genuine ones will cost $40-$50+++, depending on the rarity, character and whether it is limited edition or not. Its better to pay more to ensure a genuine stuff then get scammed unknowingly. Speaking of which, I got my bootleg Miku for $10. The shop was clearing its stock, plus, it was quite cheap for a fake one (as I said, fake ones usually cost $20-$30) so I bought it.

2: The very first thing to check is whether they have the round sticker to secure the cover of the box. This is a standard for all GSC nendos.

There, that. Fake nendos use the normal scotch tape. You should be able to feel it at least, since its transparent. If its a second hand nendoroid, then you must look for other signs, too bad.

3: Very poor quality. For example, signs, such as a bad paint job, limbs/head fallen out while in the box. For example, this is my miku nendo:

You can notice two things from this. Firstly, the limbs that dropped out. GSC also pride quality in its nendos, so if you see it like that then its most likely a fake. Secondly, if you look closer, you can see this:

Paint on Miku’s side of hair. Another sign of poor quality. So most likely its a fake. (Although I even encountered this problem with my kudryavka nendo, there was a small thin black stroke on her cap, but nevermind)

4:Distorted facial expression/ colours are slightly off. You know at sight that that shana nendoroid is fake if her hair is orange instead of red. Or that meiko when her hair is yellow instead of brown. Unfortunately, for some nendoroids, this isn’t quite obvious. In my case, miku’s colours are slightly off. It looks as though as shes sunburned. Her skin is far too dark and her hair looks dirty.

Another thing you can notice is that her eyes… don’t look that right. It seems out of place. This is what a real miku nendoroid should look like (image is not mine):

Taken from the GSC website. You’ll notice differences between these two. rule of thumb is, if you’re gonna get a nendoroid, its better to look up some reference pictures first at the GSC website before buying one.

5: The box. The boxes of real nendoroids are slightly more glossy then those of the fake nendos. Unfortunately, for first time buyers, its very hard for you to know this yet. Basically, this skill will be acquired somehow, naturally after some buying experience. After buying like 3 or 4 nendos you should already have the feel of telling a fake one apart from a real one already. Nevertheless, try to understand whatever I’m gonna say. =.=

Compare the two boxes. My BRS box is more glossy than my miku’s box. That is the first thing. Second thing is that you will feel that something is not right about the paint used in miku’s box. It is sort of pale, compared to the black rock shooter nendoroid box. Unfortunately for those who cannot notice the difference, its ok. This skill can be unlocked by buying more nendoroids. You can rely on the three other signs above to differentiate between real and bootlegs.

I guess thats about it for how to see if a nendoroid is bootleg from the outside. Let’s go on deeper now, to the nendo itself.

6:Very very loose parts. I’m serious about this. VERY VERY LOOSE parts. One side of my miku’s twintail keeps dropping, god knows why.

Derp.

7: Oh CRAP MIKU DOESN’T HAVE A HOLE IN HER BACK! That means her stand is useless!

Basically, a nendoroid is suppose to have some sort of a small hole on its back so that it can be fitted in a stand and be put for display. Nendoroids themselves have big heads and small bodies which makes their centre of gravity high and make them tilt over easily. I can’t believe it when I saw it first. Why the hell did the box come with a stand, then? =.=

8: The joints. Look at this picture:

Compare the colour of the miku joint to the brs joint. Miku’s joint is yellowish and pales whle brs’s is in a healthy colour. Another sign of poor quality.

9: The stand. This is probably quite obvious.

It says “made in china”. Real nendoroids, the stands that come with it should also have the words “good smile company” or something like that. I’m not sure about the words, but if its only ” made in china written there on the stand, then there’s a high probability its a fake. Also, too bad you won’t know this if you’re a first time nendoroid buyer without doing some pre-reading up on the internet first.

10: Other signs of crappy quality.

Real GSC nendos don’t have these.

That’s about it. 10 steps to differentiate a real and fake.

I’m going to throw in some tips on how ensure the nendoroid you get isn’t bootleg too.

1: If you’re getting your nendo from a convention, make sure the wholeseller is reliable. better yet, if there’s a GSC booth, its best to get your nendo there. I highly doubt (unless they’re stupid or some random person came and exchange real ones for fake ones) that they’re gonna sell fake ones.

2: Local shops. I’m not saying ALL local shops do not sell bootlegs. If you’re gonna get your nendo from a local shop, get it from a good shop. You should lurk around in the otaku forums more and see which shops are good. Or know a good shop by people talking about it. In my case, I live in singapore, so a good shop will be kknm. http://www.theanimehouse.com/ They’re a good shop. I heard from a friend that he saw a bootleg figma once in la tendo before, I have never see it before as i rarely get my stuff from la tendo (its too damn far away I live in the north). But however they have nice people over the counter so if you want to buy from them its okay.

3:If you’re getting it online. I strongly dissuade you from getting it from ebay or some second hand reseller unless you’re gonna meet up and check the condition of the nendo. I’ve read alot of cases of people getting scammed online by the second hand resellers. Most likely if you’re gonna buy it from ebay you’re gonna get a fake. If you’re going to get it online, go to trusted wholesellers. Like, http://www.1999.co.jp/ .

I guess that’s about it. I’ve imparted all my knowledge of nendos to this blog post. Good luck with your buying spree.