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Bootleg Figures


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#1 Morgan

Morgan

    I can stop I just don't want to.

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Posted 28 August 2022 - 06:34 PM

If you thought that the Star Trek lineup escaped the bootleg experience, here is a look at some rare examples of 6-inch First Contact figures done by a less than licensed manufacturer.
 
These are indeed the 6-inch figures, which would have been released in fine retail establishments (not great, just fine), and for the most part they are slightly simplified recasts of the real thing, with paint processes that are in the very general ball park of the licensed versions.
 
Where there are some differences are out back, as the less-than-licensed manufacturer here opted for screws instead of a more complex structure within the torso that could be glued reliably.
 
I think this was done because the torsos are not hollow inside, with more complex joining rods to hold the two halves together, but are actually solid plastic with just enough space for the arm and leg joints. Gluing those together could have been difficult because the glue would not be flattened but would sort of compressed and could get into the arm and leg joints, and they'd be frozen in place. Turning the legs and arms and using them for leverage could pop open the two halves pretty easily. 
 
trek-300.jpg
 
 
On the other hand, with a glueless approach using a single metal screw one doesn't really even have to construct a housing for that screw on the front part of the torso, as it can just be driven in.
 
Either that, or the torsos could just have more simplified interiors where there aren't any joining rods that could be glued together, or just a single one for the screw.
 
The paint processes are obviously more simplified here, especially when it comes to the eyes, but the hair details also appear to be rougher and straighter overall. So Riker's hair seems kind of gelled and slicked back, instead of the more nuanced original sculpt.
 
 
trek-302.jpg
 
 
 
Unfortunately we don't have images of the packaging for these, but if Star Wars figures of the time are anything to go by, the cards and blisters may have been some simplified version of the original FC with some kind of generic front and back not unique to the figures. But, we don't have photos of them, so that's just a supposition. Mexican Star Wars figures of the time are much more readily findable for same these days, in their cards and blisters.
 
It is not known if the entire FC figure run was available as part of this bootleg series, but it seems unlikely, as there was Picard with a helmet to worry about, and that's kind of a more complex thing to produce.
 
I haven't seen any examples of bootleg 4.5-inch figures, but I wouldn't rule out such things existing. 
 
 
trek-301.jpg

 






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