Bootleg S.H. Figuarts Dragon Ball Z

I'm not much of an anime fan but I have always been a huge fan of Dragon Ball Z. I always enjoyed the fast pace action and the humorous stories that the Dragon Ball anime series always brought to our TV sets. I've got a couple of Dragon Ball action figure collections, mostly the Bandai Super Battle Collection and the Irwin Dragon Ball action figures. But that entry will be for another time. What I do want to share in this entry is one of the most fantastic bootleg toys that I've ever laid my hands on, the bootleg version of S.H. Figuarts' Dragon Ball Z action figures. The original version of this toy line is to date the best Dragon Ball action figure ever created. Stands at an average of 6 inch, this toy line is packed with extra head, hands, and accessories that makes them standout in your Dragon Ball toy collection. The action figures also boasts an assortment of articulation that rivals Hasbro's Marvel Legends and Mattel's DC Universe Classics. The bootleg versions however would sport lesser points of articulation. The bootleg version also comes with a couple of extra accessories, but not as complete as the original ones. Will be doing a figure by figure review below.

     Perfect Cell: Dragon Ball Z's main baddie.

The Perfect Cell bootleg action figure boasts nicely detailed sculpts. It's clear from here that the bootleggers made use of the original mold of this figure to come up with a bootleg version. The paint is also well applied that you wouldn't think that this is a bootleg action figure. This actually looks nice as a display piece if you are a Dragon Ball junkie who couldn't afford the more pricey authentic ones.

The Perfect Cell bootleg figure also comes with an extra face and hands that can be used alternately on the figure. This nice little gimmick for a bootleg action figure is really a nice touch as it tries to be more at par (in terms of playability) with the authentic ones.

The figure boasts an impressive points of articulation despite being a bootleg figure. It sports a ball jointed neck, swivel arms, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, ball jointed hips, double hinged knees, and ball jointed ankles. This is quite close to the original and too many for a bootleg action figure.

Piccolo: Namekian adversary turned ally

The bootleg Piccolo action figure also borrowed from the original mold. The details that can be found from the original can also be found here. Starting from the costume's creases down to the defined muscles of Piccolo. The figure had some minor paint slops though, which is natural for a bootleg action figure.

The Piccolo figure also comes with an alternate head and hands. The alternate head features his turban, the signature Piccolo headwear he uses in the anime series. His cape is also removable, giving it maximum playability for those who wants their Piccolo in his fighting form.

Piccolo without his cape

Piccolo's articulation is the same with that of the Perfect Cell figure. My complain for this figure is that its ankles are made of rubbery plastic. The weight of the figure deforms that weak rubbery plastic material in his ankle, making him hard to stand. I think the authentic ones are made with hard plastics. The bootleggers must have scrimped on the plastic material.

Vegeta: Saiyan Prince, Son Goku's former enemy turned ally

I think Vegeta is the weakest in this set. The paint used in painting his head is that of those cheap quality glossy paints used in most bootleg acton figures. The armor's paint is also very weak. These weak paint applications makes this Vegeta action figure look very much different from the authentic ones. You could easily surmise that this figure is a bootleg one. The exact original sculpt of the authentic one used for this figure could not even save this figure.

Vegeta also comes with an extra face and hands. It would have been nicer if we were given a non Super Saiyan extra head as the alternate one. It would have made this figure's playability more desirable.

Again, the articulation on this figure is pretty much the same with the other ones. His larger set of feet helps the displaying stability of the figure as compared to Piccolo's.

Trunks: Vegeta's son from the future

Trunks is one of my favorites in this set. His clean paint applications mirrors that of the original. The only problem with this figure is that it couldn't quite capture the minute details of the original's intricate sculpts, particularly on his belt and his sword. I'm not sure if those came from the original molds as both looks like they were just lazily sculpted on the figure.

Just like the Perfect Cell figure, Trunks also comes with an extra face and hands. But it would have been more cooler if we were given a Super Saiyan Trunks extra head instead. And also, a removable sword would have been a great addition to the figure.

Removable jacket but non removable sword

Trunks sports the same articulation with that of the others. He also shares the same problem with Piccolo in terms of its displaying stability. But nevertheless, it's one of the best figure in this set.

Son Gohan: Son Goku's son and Piccolo's apprentice

For those who are not familiar with Dragon Ball Z, you might be wondering why Son Gohan is garbed in Piccolo's signature suit instead of his father's. The reason for this is that Piccolo trained Gohan when Goku died. Again Gohan's sculpt is an exact carbon copy with that of the original. It even captures the intricate details of his suit's crease lines. The paint applications are also nicely done for a bootleg action figure. I think Gohan is my favorite in this set.

Gohan also comes with an extra face and hands. His cape is also removable, just like that of Piccolo's. I would have wanted a non Super Saiyan Gohan extra head as the alternate head for this figure, too bad the bootleggers didn't do that, but instead stuck with what the authentic one came with.

The removable cape helps Gohan maximize his articulation

Although Gohan also shares the same articulation with that of the others, there are some parts in his body that hampers the articulation. The hip articulation is restricted and his legs can't be moved upwards. Gohan also shares the same displaying stability problem with that of Piccolo. Something which shouldn't be too surprising considering they wear the same type of shoes.

Son Goku: The main protagonist of Dragon Ball Z

I could have easily said that this was the best action figure in this set, but unfortunately a painting error prevents me from treating it as such. Goku's shoulder shouldn't have been colored blue, as that color should have been painted on his upper biceps, signifying the sleeves of his inner shirt. But nevertheless, the sculpting remains faithful with that of the original. I also particularly like the detailed facial expressions which included some facial lines to give it a maximum expression. The face, I could say, looks exactly the same as the original ones.

Again, Goku comes with an extra face and hands. While both facial expressions are of my liking, I still would have preferred a non Super Saiyan Goku alternated head. That would have made this figure the best among this set. But I think Figuarts is releasing that non Super Saiyan Goku as a separate figure from this Super Saiyan version. The bootleggers I guess stuck with the Super Saiyan Goku release. Still not bad for a bootleg figure.

The articulation are the same with that of the others. Goku's larger boots also gives him better displaying stability compared to the others. Goku's facial expressions still are the best among this set. Should be one of the top two figures in this set.

P.S. These are not the Benda ones as the Benda ones are composed of a more hollow plastic. Benda's Goku looks better paint wise (the inner sleeves), but Benda's Trunks and Vegeta looks inferior compared to these ones. These came without boxes compared to the Benda ones.