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6/14/14

Bootleg LEGO Batgirl :: ShengYuan Herd Series

I've seen the recent spate of bootleg LEGO superhero minifgures all over the internet over the past few months, usually from bloggers in the orient, or for sale on eBay from Chinese sellers. And while some of them have been tempting, I am hesitant to buy bootleg anything without seeing them in person, since bootlegging isn't an industry that is always known for it's quality control.

Well, the bootlegs have started popping up at my local flea market, and I have been able to assess their quality in person. Most of them are of a low quality and aren't even worth their weight in 'novelty factor,' but this Batgirl, and the series she comes from, are surprisingly nice, good quality minifigures!

The minifigure on the left is the bootleg, and the one on the right is the official LEGO Batgirl minifigure. As you can see, the bootleg has a unique cowl - part of the reason I bought her even though I have the official figure -  but more on that later.

I honestly don't know how to define this bootleg. The base she comes with says 'ShengYuan Herd Series' - I don't know if that means anything in a foreign language or if that's some misinterpretation of English, but I'll call her that until someone corrects me in the comments.

Anyways, unlike other, cheaper bootleg LEGO minifigures, ShengYuan Herd Series minifigures come in a nice quality full-color box. This is already retail quality here, no flimsy cardboard or cheap-o graphics.

As I stated earlier, part of the appeal of Batgirl was her unique cowl. I like the fact that the ShengYuan Herd Series has not only directly ripped off LEGO in their character selection, but they have also come up with some parts (and whole figures) that LEGO did not previous release. I am glad to give LEGO my money, and would never buy one of these figures in place of a LEGO minifigure, but to get something unique - yeah, I can handle that.

What makes Batgirl's cowl unique is the prominent proboscis...

...and the flatter hair. You can also see some excess plastic on the cowl and hair - this is something you would never see on an official LEGO minifigure!

By comparison, the official LEGO Batgirl's hair is much more well defined. And as you can see in the first picture, her nose is much more subtly defined. The ears are also longer/pointier on ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl. These differences help to make ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl not merely a straight-across rip-off, but a unique figure in her own right.

Not only is the quality of the ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl on par with LEGO, but you get a nice base and a mini-build of relatively random pieces, but also a batarang and a gem.

Other figures also include accessories and bases.

ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl also has a different face than LEGO Batgirl, and only on one side (LEGO Batgirl has a happy face and an angry face.)

The cape is of much lower quality than LEGO capes - and a few minutes of play begin to wear heavily on it. The cowl is super-tight - in fact, I doubt I'll ever get her head out of there again! Which kind of pisses me off because I didn't line it up perfectly. D'OH!

But beyond that, you would have a hard time telling the difference - in fact, you probably couldn't. The body paint apps are the same - ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl's are actually brighter...

...and both are painted on the backs, too!

Finally, all the ShengYuan Herd Series minifigures come with a couple cards.

I got Batman and Robin - not sure if there's a variety, or if this is all you can get. The 'stats' look like they should be part of some sort of card game. But look closely - Batman and Robin's stats are exactly the same! MAYBE that's just because this is Damian Wayne Robin - but I doubt it.

ShengYuan Herd Series Batgirl isn't perfect, but she's a great novelty and a good quality toy, and for the price of equivalent LEGO I don't feel ripped off at all. Beware lower quality bootlegs, there is some real crap out there, but I do recommend the ShengYuan Herd Series if you have access to them at a fair price.

Lastly, I can understand that there may be no recourse for LEGO to go after these manufacturers, as they in no way state 'LEGO', but DC (and Marvel etc) MUST be peeved that these are being made and their copyrights are all over them, and there's no money coming in to them. Regardless, I will probably pick up a few more unique minifigures if I continue to find them in the future!

20 comments:

  1. How much do these cost, if you don't mind me asking?

    I have the Lego set she came with already, but I'm a sucker for anything Batgirl related.

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    1. I paid $5 for this one, and she was the only Batgirl he had (that said, I will check in on him again in the future!). You might be able to get it for around that or cheaper on eBay, but the sellers usually say they will mail it sans box. I like having the box, as part of the 'complete package', as it were.

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    2. Yeah, the box is definitely really cool and makes this seem rather unique.

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  2. Holy Knock-Offs Eric she's a really beauty!

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    1. Thanks Jon! She's pretty neat, I'm glad to have found her.

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  3. They meant it to be 'HERO' but you know the proficiency level in terms of the English language is pretty low so the print guy probably couldn't make out what the handwritten form of the word hero and thought it's 'herd'. He probably even spellcheck it and hey, herd looks ok. LOL

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    1. Thanks Jon - I thought that might be the case re: 'Hero' and 'Herd'!

      Also, I wonder if this is a bootleg of an early version of the cowl - before the 'final' sculpt had been made? The hair lines make me think it may have been swiped from an unfinished version. Hmm, we may never know.

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  4. This is the first step into the Dark side. lol I bought some out of fun. I am sure if Lego would sell minifigure alone for DC, more will pay to buy. Thats the reason why this bootleg is successful because of this need.

    The expectations on this bootleg isn't that high too. as long it look decent and price is cheap, parent would buy it. Remember toys are often target on children and cost of toy play a big part.

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    1. I agree, there's clearly a market. And kids are crazy for them - when I bought this one a kid was excitedly digging through them to pick what one he wanted most.

      I think LEGO is getting there - with the success of their Simpsons line of blind bagged figures, it's possible they may do a superhero release in the future. I hope so!

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    2. Thanks for sharing this Eric. I wouldn't support it but then its a cool "concept" to get those figures that are sadly only available in big expensive sets.

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    3. Kim, that was or is the LEGO plan for customer to buy the playset just to get the "rare" toys. As The Joker would put it, "That's all part of the plan".

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    4. I know as far as Star Wars figures go, they can't sell just figures because Hasbro has the market locked down on any kind of figures sold in the US. That's why you get the $10-$15 sets that have a little vehicle and a few figures in them. Likely true for Marvel as well since Hasbro does those figures too.
      But I would love to see blind bagged supers and Star Wars series.

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  5. If anyone's looking for these, search Ebay. I've seen plenty of knockoff minifigs there. Have even considered buying some just to be able to get characters you can't get cheaply anywhere else.

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    1. I may order some off eBay myself now that I know the quality isn't too shabby.

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  6. You beat me to this review! I had her shipped to my parents house a few weeks ago (I get international packages sent there because it's a pain to go to my local PO to sign). I'll get my greedy hands of her when I visit July 4th. I also got a Stargirl and Invisible Woman in the same shipment. Curious to see how they all look.

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  7. Now I have a reason (other than the asada fries) to go! Haven't been there in quite a while, mainly because parking is a pain any time after 8 a.m. Did they also have the Marvel ones? There were a lot at Big WOW! last month, but I didn't pick any up. Regret that now.

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    1. I don't recall any Marvel ones - he mainly had this bat-series, and maybe a couple Superman series. But he said he would be getting more.

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  8. i think the chinese mistook the word hero for herd. btw i paid less than a buck for my bootleg minifigure. check my collection out at http://lotsoflegos.blogspot.com.

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