It just seems to be an unpainted version of the figure. How do people get hold of prototypes and factory rejects. Don't they get destroyed by the factory or something? Unless the ones on ebay are fakes? Please help, I'm really confused.
If you know the right people and you got the money you can pretty much get your hands on anything.
As for the bootlegs like Darth said there not always bootlegs, they do some times "fall off" the production line or it could be something like there just old stock that hasn't sold due to damaged packaging or something, there are a ton of reasons but like I said with enough money anything is possible.
They're not always bootlegs, some of them "fall off" the production line into employees bags and some are seconds that don't make it through QC. Same story falling into the bags of workers. Some are bootlegs, such as red hulk, Neca TMNT, Sota Revolutions etc. but yeah most were destined for the bin at the factory and some kind souls rescued them.
I'm pretty sure that that's a genuine figure. I've bought auctions like this before,and the figure has been literally the same quality as other real ones. Maybe they just got a while bunch of these figures for cheap? It's often older figures that this happens to.
Sometimes these unpainted hard plastic prototypes are used for product testing in locations around the factory and then the people that signed up to do product testing can often keep the prototypes.
Yeah some of the bootlegs can actually be pretty good, I know the NECA TMNT are supposedly just as goods as the genuine ones, the same with the NECA Terminator ones as well although the faces can be a bit hit and miss.
the only ones that I've come across that were pretty bad were a WWE elite that was made from really cheap plastic, had loose joints and had the articulation missing in the feet. The others were the SOTA Street Fighter Revolution, they come in all the proper packaging and they look genuine but as soon you open the box it's a whole different story, the paint on them is bad, the joints are loose, they break very very easily and you can actually take the entire figure apart without even having to heat it up that's how bad they are.
Really? Cause they're really good bootlegs then lol. Some even came in the original bubble shell ( but not full packaging) I compared some to the real ones and they're identical.
No I guess not as I suppose you would technically be buying stolen goods and as for the cheap figures from some chinese sellers on ebay they are actually bootlegs that have been made using the original molds.
There stolen by factory worker who are just trying to make extra money although sometimes they are just the normal figures that some people have spray painted with primer and pass off as prototypes.
As for the bootlegs like Darth said there not always bootlegs, they do some times "fall off" the production line or it could be something like there just old stock that hasn't sold due to damaged packaging or something, there are a ton of reasons but like I said with enough money anything is possible.
In regard to the bootlegs, the ebay auctions I'm talking about are like these-
http://www.ebay.com/itm/UH7-MARVEL-UNIV ... 35d9790f4d
I'm pretty sure that that's a genuine figure. I've bought auctions like this before,and the figure has been literally the same quality as other real ones. Maybe they just got a while bunch of these figures for cheap? It's often older figures that this happens to.
Btw thanks for all your answers
the only ones that I've come across that were pretty bad were a WWE elite that was made from really cheap plastic, had loose joints and had the articulation missing in the feet. The others were the SOTA Street Fighter Revolution, they come in all the proper packaging and they look genuine but as soon you open the box it's a whole different story, the paint on them is bad, the joints are loose, they break very very easily and you can actually take the entire figure apart without even having to heat it up that's how bad they are.
Btw most prototype figs I've seen are not primer coloured, but in the original plastic colours.