Acceptance of Repro items?

[Joseph_Y]

Hi guys,
I've been reading a lot here and am wondering a few things about how accepted, it seems that, repros are in the Mego hobby. When compared to the SW hobby that I'm more familiar with, where they are viewed as a scurge and are generally not accepted on any level by serious collectors.

I'm wondering if they're more accepted in Mego collecting because the makers are more ethical, in marking thier product as repro, or in repro boxes doing the flaps opposite of real Mego boxes? Or if people have just accepted that certian things will deterorate and that repro parts just make it easier?

In SW collecting the repro makers overall seem intent on making items as exact to the real thing as possible, and intentionally not marking them as such repro, or with thier company name. I'm sure that's a big reason as to why they're viewed as a deterant in SW collecting.

Also interested in hearing any storys of fakes/repros being passed off as real etc. I'm just trying to learn the lay of the land here,and maybe some hobby history while I'm at it.

Thanks
Joe

[Meule]

You'll find followers of both cases here: people that welcome repros with open arms and people that don't want them in their collection. The main difference with the SW collectors is that most Mego repros are easy to recognize and as such are harder to pass of as genuine articles. Hence they are more accepted

[AAAAA]

You'll find followers of both cases here: people that welcome repros with open arms and people that don't want them in their collection. The main difference with the SW collectors is that most Mego repros are easy to recognize and as such are harder to pass of as genuine articles. Hence they are more accepted

yeah i agree with that. also since almost every character of SW been made 12 different ways till Sunday. customizing is not a big business. With Mego there are just to many Hero's left out of the line up.

[Joseph_Y]

I'm not talking about customizing at all. That's considered fun in both hobbys.
As for SW, I'm only refering to vintage collecting and the general way that repros are viewed by vintage collectors.

I'm talking about the fact that in Mego collecting the main makers of repro items are into helping show the differences in thier products(as shown by them helping w. the Mego accessory guide here), and I'd imagine intentionally making a few things slightly off color wise to make it easier to distinguish from Mego made parts. (Which is commendable in my opinion).

Star Wars repro makers LOVE the fact that when they make an almost indistinguishable item, that they can fool collectors with it. No ethics or caring for the overall hobby at all.

J

[Orion]

People are on both sides of this issue. The positive side of reproduction parts is that it allowed a collector to have a "complete" figure for display purposes while they continued the hunt for the original part. On the down side, the abundance of repro parts allows sellers on eBay to create a level of confusion, especially when you are very new to the hobby. There are a lot of experts on this board who can spot a repro a mile a way. That's part of what makes this community so valuable.

[sauce]

I actually worry about this more now than when I began my adult MEGO collecting adventure. I also see plenty of confusion in sales and some of it is with bad intent.

In my narrow field of Foreign collecting, it is both worse and better for the information is scant on originals and most people don't bother doing custom parts for these figures.

Buying most items here really helped ease my fears.

[cjefferys]

I'm not worried about repro packaging. I have yet to see a repro Mego box that could pass as the real thing on close examination. Even so, the folks here who sell boxes still put identifying marks on them. Personally, I don't use them though, if I can't display my figure with it's original box, I prefer no box over a fake one. Just personal taste I guess.

Accessories are trickier. They aren't always marked, but Dave's fantastic work here on the Accessory check has really helped clear things up. I only have three or four repro accessories in my collection, mostly emblems, but I'd still like to replace them with originals one day.

Overall, it seems that repro stuff is accepted fairly well by this community, as long as a seller isn't trying to fool people of course.

[Boywonder0]

I'd rather have a new great looking China made repro item than an old beaten up original item...

[HardyGirl]

Hey, I like repro stuff! Just ask Doc Mego, I'm always ordering something from him! I'm not in this hobby to make money, I'm in it 'cos I love toys. And I just don't collect them, I play w/ them as well. So if a repro piece completes a figure, or heck, a whole repro figure is gonna be something I like and fun to play with, I'll get it. After all, isn't that what you're supposed to do w/ toys? Have fun playing w/ them?

[palitoy]

While personal philosophies differ from collector to collector, we're more reproduction accepting as a whole. Most of the repro makers are ethical and mark their items and this community serves to fill in during other times.

Another reverse from the SW community would be the overall malaise towards AFA here, the majority of mego collectors don't seem to think grading is all that important.

[drmego]

You give me too much credit - the color is off because I have a simple
palette of colors. Quite frankly, I assume a five foot rule - if you stand
five feet away from figure - will the repro item be noticeable? If its not,
then I did my job.

Repros are more accepted with megos because most of them are loose,
whereas a lot of SW figures are still unopened.

I'd imagine intentionally making a few things slightly off color wise to make it easier to distinguish from Mego made parts.

[Jason73]

I bought a repro knee joint for my Mego 12 inch Hulk from Dr.Mego. I coudn't be happier with the results. I get to keep my childhood Hulk in good working condition. Thanks Doc!

[sauce]

Question just occurred to me--Were there ever any unmarked factory-made MEGO repro clothes/parts/accessories created?

[jimsmegos]

For me the repro's are great! Main reason being that I had no idea some lines even existed until I saw the CTVT Knights, Western, Pirates, Robin Hood and monsters. Also these "reissues" are inexpensive ways to get a modern child tuned in to the Mego goodness of yester year without the worry of damaging a $300 dollar figure.

[Joseph_Y]

While I see the repro vs non repro divide does exist here in the Mego hobby, it's still treated much more relaxed than in the SW community. I personally am not such a fan of repro parts, and I'm mostly going or MIB/MOC pieces. It is still nice to know that the repro makers here do mark thier pieces and even if it's not intentional, there are noticable differences to distinguish them from the real thing.

As for the whole AFA debate, anyone that's a member on the Rebelscum forums has heard my anti AFA stance many times. Short version: I don't need a 3rd party to tell me that my figures are in nice condition.

Cheers
Joe