I thought it’d be interesting to take a look at some bootleg kits from Daban. They go for a fraction of the price of the originals so are they worth the savings? None withstanding the ethics of getting bootlegs, it’s a mixed bag.
They look OK from a distance but up close, flaws do appear particularly the Jegan ECOAS.
- Clear parts aren’t really clear like the originals. They aren’t as shiny either.
- Parts generally have a a light oily feel
- Polycaps are harder and not as maleable which makes it difficult to pose the kit
- Molding/detail of the parts are not as sharp in general
- Instructions come in Chinese although there are still Japanese here and there. They are also folded without a proper crease
- Sprues come in 1 big bag and most of the parts are scratched
- The plastic feels more brittle
- Some inconsistent fitting issues. I ended up trimming off many of the male connectors to ease fitting
The fitting issues are more prominent on the Jegan with major gaps even after trimming the connectors. The neck also flops around.
The Base Jabber on the other hand, fits very well and is pretty much trouble-free.
Obviously, 2 kits aren’t big enough of a sample size to draw any concrete conclusions. But the Jegan will definitely require some elbow grease to fix the issues so I don’t think it’s worth the savings. On the other hand the Base Jabber is quite problem-free. I’m not planning to buy another Jegan kit just to see if the fit issues are different but it’s probably safe to say that problems depend on the kits you buy. Bootlegs are definitely an affordable option to use as parts for a diorama/vignette and perhaps for kitbashing though. So, YMMV.
