I know in the larger scales recasting is a big problem and a big deal. I am inexperienced in miniatures. What do I look out for or is there very little problem in this field.
Thanks.
Dave

If you see something on eBay...especially I have to say, from China...with a brand name you can’t source from well known makers, retailers...and go down the spec sheet to see others items from the same seller...and those items don’t seem to stick a theme...well, your antenae might start to twitch and the recast detector go off...searching for a deal, or for out of production items is dangerous turf. There is so much quality stuff that’s undoubted, makes little sense to venture towards that dark side of the hobby..with any measure of responsibility that is..

I see a lot of Nuts Planet advertised on eBay. From the prices I would hope they are all genuine. Also a lot of brands I am somewhat familiar with such as Ral Partha but I also see the others from China and such. Prices alone would make me think they couldn’t be anything but recasts.

I just didn’t know if recasting of miniatures was as common as it is in the larger scales but I guess it is.

This is from my old post:

Know what you are buying and from whom you are buying on ebay.
From time to time you can find some real bargains and rarities.

Just beware recasters are from different counties listing on ebay. Just to name a few (no offence) from China, Poland, Russian Federation, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, UK, USA, Hungary, Ukraine, Argentia, Greece and Italy.

If the kit comes in a plain white box with or without a photocopy of the original picture from the original manufacture or no packaging at all, they are mostly recasts. If the listing borrow pictures from the original manufacture or does not show the kit they are selling, they are all recasts.

Here is a sarcastic joke on selling recasts on ebay. But there are some useful points from buyers point of view to spot a recast though.
http://hakomike.blogspot.ca/2012/11/a-guide-for-selling-recasts-on-ebay.html

Recasters Suck

Good question. I don't know how prevalent piracy is in smaller scales, and by smaller scales, I take it you meant 1/72 and smaller. But as the others have noted, the country of origin for the product can be a red flag right from the start. I generally assume that something from Red China is a copy, until I can see information to suggest otherwise. Russia and other Eastern European producers are right behind, along with SE Asia. That's not to say that every single thing coming from an eBay seller, say, or some other vendor located in the Ukraine, for example, is a copy. But I will be suspicious.

Be careful if you consider the price of an item as a means of determining its authenticity. I have seen a trend among Red Chinese eBay sellers to list recasts at prices close to or even greater than that of the original. For example, Brickworks makes 1/20 resin figures that go with the Maschinen Krieger series of model kits. Single figures generally retail for around $30. Now, for a long time, I have seen pirated copies of those figures on eBay, and generally at low prices, seven or eight bucks, say. But starting around a year ago or so, I noticed copies of the latest releases going up on eBay, for over thirty or forty. I think the pirates think that they can fool people who would otherwise turn down a cheap item as an obvious copy, by charging the retail price.

Also, on eBay, many of the sellers are brazen enough to state plainly that the item is a recast. Though, I've noticed some that used to note this are now leaving it out. When I see an auction and the seller states that it's a recast, I report it, and cite the original maker, if I can (eg, include a URL to the maker's website/catalog).

But your question about smaller scales makes me wonder if there is an area of scale, below which it becomes too expensive to copy such figures, compared to the return.

Prost!
Brad

My 1/72nd WW2 figures are pirated more or less continuously by two Ebay sellers from China. I have exhausted all means to stop it. They are selling resin recasts of metal figures, quite blatantly, though of course they don't claim that they are AB. It's fairly apparent that I am not the only victim , since the same sellers list a wide variety of items from other apparent sources.

Dave

Unfortunately it is a problem but as a new member, kudos to you for asking Not complete but here is my two cents worth

1. Generic description of a figure (no company named=FAKE)
2. Country of origin (yellow cat gave a pretty good list)
3. Materials. A 'resin' figure from a company that is known to only produce in metal
4. Use legit companies. Original sources (Romeo/S&K/Pegaso/Andrea/Ellies/MMM/Stormtrooper, etc) or dealers (Red Lancer/S&K/Michigan, etc)
5. Trusted individuals on our sites
6. Photographic proof....hmmm, that casting looks a little rough!
7. If its too good to be true then it usually is! Brand new figure for a giveaway price (unless from a trusted member/individual)
8. If in doubt, post it here. We have no problem telling it like it is

If I can't afford the original then I don't deserve it. I'll be damned if I'd screw a true creator and manufacturer to save a couple of bucks.

Cheers

Paul

Hear, hear. Well said Paul!
Cheers
Chris

Fortunately I was able to pick up several of the old Phoenix Follies and some Verlinden from a local shop at reasonable prices so I am set for a while but I am always looking so it is good to know that the same basic rules I used to pick 1/6 scale figures applies to miniatures. That is one TERRIBLY long sentence.

Do be aware that much of Phoenix' catalog is still in production today. Forty-Third, Ltd, http://www.forty-third.co.uk/index.htm, has much of the 54mm catalog. John Eden Studios, http://johnedenstudios.com/, has some of the Phoenix catalog, too, as well as Russell Gammage's old Rose Miniatures line.

Some of the Phoenix Follies figures are showing up now on eBay from Russian sellers, some as castings, some painted. They're likely unlicensed copies, but I don't know who acquired those molds, when the rest of Phoenix' old stock was bought.

Prost!
Brad

43d Company I knew about. Thanks for John Eden. I found one of the Phoenix line through a link on 43d. I had been looking for the butterfly and found her.

Sure thing! I like Phoenix' Georgian series, and paint them to round out my collection of 18th century subjects. Rose, too, for the same purpose. I buy from John Eden, through his eBay store.

Prost!
Brad

What is his seller identification?

Buy from reputable dealers such as ElGreco, SK Miniatures or Historex Agents for example to name a few . Alternatively source kits direct from the manufacturer such as Mitches Military Models. Many have EBay shops. If the kit is priced up at £50 and one or two dealers have it at £15 it’s generally a recast. There are many good dealers out there, support them. And buy with confidence.

That’s the soundest way to go..try a few makers, sources such as these. And you may even strike up friendships and feel part of the whole making process..there is so much available from the good folks there is no need to muck about with grey market stuff..recasting exists because people buy ..

easy :
roseminiatures

Best