Meet ... the bootlegs!

TO PROVE THE non-chronology of this blog and, well, irresponsible nature of me as a blogger, my first post ever will not be about real Gormiti but about the bootlegs!  

When you look at the sheer amount of different Gormiti bootlegs or ‘knock-off’s’, if you like, it shows just how massively popular Gormiti was back in the day.

In this post I will look at some of the different types – not all of them – and yes, I sort of collect the bootlegs too.  

Some of the most common are the ones pictured below. The paint is not as glossy as the real deal, often quite sloppily done and they don’t have the number or, obviously, the Giochi stamp under the foot. The sculpts are similar to the genuine Gormiti, but are a bit smaller with less detail. This is probably due to the fact the manufacturer just bought some real Gormiti and created the mold after these.

Some are very ease to spot as fakes. Like these. 

Armageddon is all bent out of shape, his head looks like it's melting and the colors on the others are just grotesque. As said, easy to spot. 

But what about these?

The same type, but these are oddly well made. Paint job is pretty close to the original, the gloss is even there. Especially the people of the forest are hard to spot. In fact, I had Oakbeast together with my series 3 for six months before realizing my bad.

This same type also comes in transparent COLORFUL versions.

I really like these. They look like little pieces of candy - you almost want to eat them!

I particularly like this guy. He can't stand on his own, but just look at those crazy colors!

Another line of interesting bootlegs are the ones from the Cyprus-based company Afancon. They made their own sculpts, ehh ... 'inspired' by the official Gormiti line.

Below you can see the real series 2 and their bootleg counterparts. You decide who's who! It's a tough one.

A funny detail here is the error they made with Multiplop. The 'bootleggers' mistook the tentacles going down on his chest for one big mouth and they even added some giant horse-looking teeth - it makes him look absolutely grotesque. I love it!

And just look at the amazing details on Quarry's face. Wow!!

 

Only kidding! He looks like some sick nightmarish thing that lives in a cave underwater and needs no eyes to see. Truly the stuff of nightmares! Imagine being attacked by this thing late at night.

Afancon also did some Atomic figures (seen below). I think it's fair to say that, once again, a bit got lost in translation.

The bootleg below I know absolutely nothing about. It looks like Supreme Eclipse Nick in the newsstand edition, but look at the impossible pose here. Who thought of this? Is it cool ...? I don't know. But I'm happy to own it. (EDITED 27-08-2020 - just found out the guy below ISN'T a bootleg but a driver from a Gormiti car - perhaps not Giochi Preziosis finest hour?)

The last thing I want to show is not from my own collection, but something I saw on a polish website selling clothes and apparently also ... fake Gormitis??

Just WHAT is going on here?

"Atomic" it says. Well, yes ... okay ... but then we have another logo from series 3, an illustration from the Cartoon series, pictures of Energheia figures AND Final Evolution. So we have elements from FIVE different Gormiti series in one glorious pack. The confusion is total. 

When we take a closer look at the cards, it get's even more confusing. 

   

Polypus (who, despite the lame elephant-looking sculpt, looks really cool in crystal clear) comes with a card for Fiery Hammer (Cartoon series) and for some reason they dyed him yellow and presents him as being part of People of the Earth (even though the card is volcano-red, ehhh ...). 

The other visible card here is Steelback also from the Cartoon series, but he is presented as being from the People of the Volcano. On a blue card. 

Man, would I like one of these sets!