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Modeling => Painting => Topic started by: Tilara on July 12, 2005, 02:54:54 AM

Title: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: Tilara on July 12, 2005, 02:54:54 AM
Not sure if painting forum is best spot for this...

How can you tell if a figure you buy has been recast? I picked up a few from eBay and I wonder if they're authentic or copies. Overall they look fine and the detail depth and quality looks the same as my others, but there's some bad mould lines in places... same place on nearly all the figures, and the tabs on bottom were somewhat mangled. Also, it hadn't really occured to me at first, but as I was cleaning the mould lines off and wondering if they were recast I thought about how based weren't included and another little red flag went off.

Now, I in no way condone recasting figures, even overpriced GW ones. I've got badly cast figures straight out of sealed GW boxes before, so for all I know these could have just come from a bad batch. One time I'd even returned a box as defective to the store they were so badly cast. I just don't know if these are copies or not... but I really don't like the idea of having 'illegal' figures if they are... so does anyone know any telltail warning signs or other good ways to tell for sure?
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: The Blighter on July 12, 2005, 04:20:30 AM
It'll be easier for us to tell if you could post a pic of the model...
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: adamdodici on July 12, 2005, 10:36:28 AM
I've actually returned models to GW because the casting was so bad.  I had some LOTR Wood Elf archers which had mold lines and just extra slabs of metal on their faces that obscured the detail.

I was not aware that models could be recast.  I would think that would be a more expensive process than buying directly from GW.
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: Patrick Bateman on July 12, 2005, 10:48:16 AM
Recasting figures is easy to do. It is also alot cheaper. This is why it is illegal to recast models. Its sort of like buying bootleg videos.

On the bottom, where you fit the model to go on a base, does it say games workshop on it?
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: Rafi on July 12, 2005, 02:19:33 PM
Easiest way is to check and see if there are two sets of mold lines, or any flash that wasn't properly cleaned off before they molded the original that has transfered to the recast. Any marks/scuffs that are repeated on multiple copies of the same model are a good sign as well.

If the caster is good tho there's no way to tell (which is why collecting 'rare' miniatures is a fool's errand). There was a fellow on Ebay who was selling some Orks that seemed suspiciously like recasts tho. 25 old metal Kommandos with only 4 of the 6 poses. I bid on it and lost then he gave me the option of buying them for my maximum bid (which I did not do), which means he could have been selling multiple copies of the same lot (ie, 4 sets of the 25 Kommandos to the 4 different bidders). But I have no proof. ;)
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: Tilara on July 12, 2005, 04:09:27 PM
On the bottom, where you fit the model to go on a base, does it say games workshop on it?

Yeah, the tabs have model name on one side and a GW copyright on the other, but that could have been cast too, no?
I only see one mould line around them and no hint of there ever being another... maybe they were just a bad batch. I'd already filed most all of the mould lines, but here's a stormbolter that kinda shows what I mean:

Hah. Well nevermind, that answers that. I couldn't see it till I took the pic and zoomed it in.
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg339.imageshack.us%2Fimg339%2F1510%2Fstormbolter7ut.jpg&hash=78dbbadb6c7fc6c03d97221e31aaa8104dbbe9f8)

I'd actually been talking about that kinda deep cut along the mould line, but now I can see a second little one in that picture. I'd been filing them down to smooth it out, but I'd not finished that one for whatever reason. Oh well. =(
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: Rafi on July 12, 2005, 08:15:59 PM
Hmm. See that:

(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi3.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy88%2FRafi89%2Fstormbolter7ut.jpg&hash=3dd2a1c4e4119ad0fa41c9d37314733ca538f227)

1 looks like a GW mold line. 2 looks like a crappy RTV drop-cast mold line. Plus you have to consider the model in question. Terminators are in high demand, have a high cost from GW, and have metal GW alternatives. That makes them an excellent candidate for counterfeiting. Did you get them primed white as well? Or are they just really really shiny-white?
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: Tilara on July 12, 2005, 09:53:10 PM
They were primed, the shiny bit you see is where I'd done filing. Ya, as soon as I looked at the photo I could see the 2nd line because the photo magnified it. Looking back, I assume the primer is there to help mask the copy job from casual inspection.
The part you marked "2" is like the edges that were on parts of the legs, but other than those legplates the bodies looked fine and I compaired them to another termi fresh out of a blister and the mould lines are in same spot. I guess this person was just more sloppy on the arms.
Now the moral dilema sets in. I'll probably just finish cleaning them up and paint them anyway... I mean, I can't PROVE their copies (but it seems kinda obvious now), but I've learned that a red flag checklist for eBay figures is:
- primered only
- no bases
- 'bigger ticket' ones

Guess I'll stick to blisters that people are offloading at 40%-50% off.
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: Rafi on July 13, 2005, 01:59:39 AM
If I remember correctly GW offers free exchanges of new minis for counterfeit ones. They'll prolly want some info on where ya got em tho. ;)
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: Tilara on July 13, 2005, 02:10:54 AM
If I remember correctly GW offers free exchanges of new minis for counterfeit ones. They'll prolly want some info on where ya got em tho. ;)

Is that true? Where could I find out more about that?
Title: Re: Recast figures... how can you tell?
Post by: Rafi on July 13, 2005, 09:20:05 AM
I'd just call up GW and be prepared to spend a bit of time before they transfer you to the right folks. ;)