Banpresto Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus

 April 16, 2019  Toys

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SERIES DETAILS

The whole Solar System isn’t safe as evil-doers arrived, with an attempt to rule it. While the Dark Kingdom had thought that taking a galaxy is as easy as pie, there are those who protect the universe from evil. They are warriors who shine light upon the crawling shadow and they’re known as the Sailor Soldiers.

The anime series, Sailor Moon, came out at a time when battling galactic beings were popular. As a shojo manga, it would obviously be popular among women, in contrast to many anime back in the 90’s that cater a lot of the male audience. With a team full of teenage girls, these Sailor Soldiers live their life in both sides of the world of fighting evil and sleeping through their high school homework.

Through Banpresto’s Break Time Figure collection, the series receives appreciation as the sole manufacturer made several figures from the anime – Sailor Venus being one of them. The Sailor Moon Break Time Figure collection was released last 2017 and it garnered attention to a wide range of collectors. It just shows how the series is just as timeless as other retro anime. On top of that, Banpresto created these figures with a lot of attention to each character’s detail. There’s just no denying the manufacturer’s renowned skills in handling such figures.

There are those who ridicule hard work, however, as bootleggers openly copy designs and discredit manufacturers such as Banpresto. These people think that they’re praising the art by effortlessly creating imitations and making money out of it, but that’s myriad of miles from just a mere admiration.

ORIGIN OF FAKE

Bought on: AliExpress
Origin: China
Vendor: wildflower
Distribution Area: Worldwide

It’s really mind-blowing that figure pirates are so quick into manufacturing cheap copies. Within a few months of a popular figure release, you’d already be seeing posts from shady websites, even using legitimate photos so that they could bait anyone willing to save a few change for a lousy bootleg.

AliExpress may fall under such websites but the true culprit will be the vendors. Most vendors in this website definitely know what they’re selling, and if it’s going to make at least a handful of cash, then they won’t mind selling bootlegs even if it hurts diligent manufacturers. This vendor known as wildflower surely doesn’t mind listing a lot of fake figures, and vendors alike ruin the image of legitimate merchandise – not just figures.

Bootlegs, without a doubt, make it around the globe, and there’s no questioning about a lot of people who are aware in buying such items. However, if you’ll be one who’d consider in getting a bootleg figure, then be ready to regret it because these figures will definitely be full of flaws. You’d be encountering a lot of defects which destroy the brilliance of authentic figures, and needless to say, your own figure collection. Take a nice look at this fake Break Time Figure: Sailor Mars – sorry, Sailor Venus for example.

DESCRIPTION OF FAKE

Fake figures are usually good in disguising themselves as real ones. As a bootleg that would mask itself, the fake Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus came with a box though you’d be wondering how we already mentioned Sailor Mars earlier. It’s because the box that was sent by the vendor is incorrect, and most likely, it isn’t a mistake.

As you can see, the box contains a dull print of Sailor Mars. Likely, the color of the box looks faded on all sides. The cardboard quality just matches its poor print as it’s thin and sloppy. At the back, you’ll find QR codes and links to Banpresto’s webpage. Though, you should be careful when scanning QR codes especially from a bootleg figure’s box. You’ll never know where it’ll get you, or what might happen to your device.

The real and authentic Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus box would have Sailor Venus as the print obviously. Together with the whole proper print, certain logos are visible which identifies the box as authentic in most cases. These logos are the Banpresto logo, Crane King logo, and the Break Time Figure logo shown as BTF. As a figure that’s licensed by Toei Animation, a sticker of authentication is also found on the box.

At last the figure itself, we have the fake Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus. At a quick glance, the fake figure disguises itself almost perfectly. With a closer observation, however, a handful of flaws could be pointed out branding the figure as a complete mess.

The texture of the fake figure in some areas are definitely rough. The areas namely the front hair, the body, and the hands. What’s odd about the texture is that it’s inconsistent as most parts of the fake figure are smooth as silk. It’s just terrifying though because a quick look at the fake figure would have you in awe because of its spot-on color shading. However, authentic figures don’t have much defects like the fake figure’s odd surface.

One factor of a bootleg being cheap is that it’s not supported by the manufacturer. Whatever you get is as is. There’s not even a chance of returning it to the vendor if it’s just buyer’s remorse. You’ll be spending more than just buying the authentic figure if you try to return it.

On the other hand, buying authentic figures is a sort of investment besides eyeing for quality. If you receive a figure that has a slight defect, the manufacturer definitely covers for its repair, or even exchanges it to a brand new figure. The resale value of authentic figures also matter as it’s part of collecting.

While the fake Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus has an awful, inconsistent texture, there are more flaws worthy of pointing out as plastic bits openly ruin the hair of the Sailor Venus figure. The inaccurate paint job could also be distinguished if you will look closely at certain areas of the fake figure. A noticeable damage found on its arms can be a big turn off especially for a renowned collection like Sailor Moon. Evidently, these defects are not supported by Banpresto for obvious reasons.

It’s possible that this fake Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus did not pass the manufacturer’s standards throwing it out from the batch of the Sailor Moon collection. However, that does not make the figure authentic. Because of a lot of its recognizable flaws, Banpresto might suffer a loss from returns, repairs, and exchanges. As an esteemed manufacturer, they’d bring out the best for each figure that they make.

Looking at the authentic Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus, you’ll be able to appreciate the character for its elegant design. The real figure looks smooth, and unlike the fake figure, it’s consistent with its texture. You’ll be able to notice that there’s no gap on the figure’s hair line. Aside from that, the bows are covered with glossy paint that just shines out. It’s the perfect figure indeed. Enough to be displayed on your desks, or even in your glass cases. And believe it or not, such figures aren’t even that expensive. You could say that it’ll be worth your time buying the real figure instead.

PRICE

As a quality figure made by Banpresto, a $30 price tag for the real Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus isn’t so bad. For one, it’s a perfectly-made figure with a guarantee on the side. And if you’re buying it as a gift, the price just goes around the ideal range for a present.

A dollar or two won’t even cut it for the fake figure, and more, if it would cost you around $8. An almost third of the whole pie if you’ll compare it to the real figure’s price, but of course, there’s a lot to pay when it comes to the fake’s awful quality.

WHERE TO GET THE REAL BANPRESTO SAILOR VENUS BREAK TIME FIGURE

As a figure that’s released back in 2017, collectors have an upper hand in getting the authentic Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus in their collection.

We first encountered the real figure in this trusted website, the BigBadToyStore. This is where we can find it the most affordable, and for the price of $29.99, they’ve gotten the stocks to sell out like pancakes. Sadly, we won’t be able to get the figure from this website as the collection is already sold out. Looking at the bright side, a lot of fans are mostly into the authentic figure as it looks like.

Don’t throw in the towel just yet as there’s another place where we can get the Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus by Banpresto.

Though for a bit raise in the price tag, the real figure can be found on Ninoma for $34.16. In addition to manufacturer’s guarantee, the website also has a customer protection for purchases. And from the looks of it, the figure also ships fast if you’re going express, plus it’s insured to guarantee the safety of your purchase.

While the real Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus is still very much accessible in the year of 2019, there’s no doubt that the bootleggers are also competing for accessibility. Nevertheless, you should be careful whenever shopping online for figures. Make sure that the website is well-reviewed and makes a bit of a buzz in online reading boards. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

OUR VERDICT

We cannot feel more depressed for the fake Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus. It didn’t even have the right packaging to begin with. The details are just sloppy when it comes to the paint job. Even more, there’s a lot of lumps and dents found in the figure. Aside from that, the texture as mentioned isn’t consistent branding the fake figure a total waste of your time and money. Better move on with authentic figures instead as we’ll give this bootleg an 80% terrible rating!

Watch how we unboxed this fake Break Time Figure: Sailor Venus and be more wary about bootlegs on our Youtube channel. Don’t forget to leave a like, comment, and to subscribe!

Alex out!