A look at the knockoffs from a far away land
New feature to the blog! There is no shortage of knockoffs out there and everyone always wonders what these cheap alternatives are like in comparison to the real deal. Wonder no more.
The first edition is focused on the TMNT Lego minifigures. Generally you need to buy the full price sets to nab yourself a minifigure of the TMNT variety but some sellers in China are offering up a set of the four Turtles, Shredder, and Splinter for the low price of $10 shipped free. Hard to say no to less than $2 a figure.
First off Leonardo:
Leonardo Knockoff
Similarities
- Size, scale, and form
- Weapon look
- Paint color
Differences
- Decals are a bit different in places
- Facial features
- Paint is more glossy (see mask)
- Shell is an off color and a bit wider
- Cheaper plastic
- Front of shell an odd yellow
- Hands are bit more edged and larger
Overall the Leonardo minifigure is rather close to its legitimate counterpart. Some corner cutting in the quality department is the biggest difference.
Raphael Knockoff
Similarities
- Size, scale, and form
- Sai accessories
- Included skateboard identical
- Facial features almost the same
- Body decal design
Differences
- Paint color
- Paint gloss (much more glossy)
- Shell
- Body decal color (front shell)
- Quality control on paint app
- Cheaper plastic
Raphael has his issues mostly in the paint and quality control areas. His face is a little rough looking and the amount of glass in the paint is a bummer.
Knockoff Shredder
Similarities
- Size and scale
- Face details
- Body decals
- Helmet color and shape
- Claw shape
Differences
- Rather significant color difference overall
- Armor and claw color
- Armor shape
- Cape material
Shredder falls short in the color department. His overall look is almost identical as far as decals go but some bad paint, fabric cape, and mismatched colored armor make it fall short.
Overall
For $10 I feel like you get what you paid for. I didn’t review all of the included minifigures but I believe you can sense a trend for the most part. Bad color and quality control are what you are faced with in the end. If you are into the minifigures but want to save yourself about $150 then yeah these are for you if you can look past the shortfalls. If you want the very best quality then you may want to fork over the dough for the real deal.
I would rate these at about a 6/10 overall
Want to buy the real deal? Use this link and support the crooked cause!
