List of Godzilla bootlegs

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This is a list of bootlegs of Godzilla media. A bootleg is an illegal copy of a product, which can be anything from a film to merchandise such as figurines. Bootlegs are usually the result of stolen work, such as film footage or a figure mold, being reused, and often cheaply made and sold for a lower price. This list attempts to document known bootlegs of Godzilla media and merchandise; however, due to the large number of them, such a list of bootlegs may not be comprehensive.

Toys

Uncanny Embryo

The Uncanny Embryo is a bootleg of the 1996 DX Battery Operated Mothra Larva figure by Bandai Japan. There is a brown variation, a peach-pink variation and a green variation. The box art features a Xenomorph from the Alien film series.

Godzilla: High Grade bootlegs

Bootleg markings (top), actual Bandai markings (bottom)

Starting in the summer of 2000, bootlegs of the Set 4 HG Series figures began appearing on the Internet, and remain common on sites such as eBay and Amazon to this day, often marketed as 'cake toppers,' 'keychains' or 'Trendmasters figurines,' depending on the listing. Though at first glance it may be difficult to spot the differences between the real figures and the bootlegs, there are some notable differences. The bootleg figures are generally smaller and feature sloppier paint jobs. They also lack the marking on their tails that lists the copyright date and "BANDAI CHINA," instead simply listing the word "CHINA." Bootlegs of the Burning Godzilla specifically will often featured alternate paint jobs, recoloring the burning patches with different colors. Below are pictures comparing the actual figures and their bootlegs.

12-inch Bandai America figure bootlegs

Bootlegs of the 12-inch figures of Godzilla 2004 and Kiryu by Bandai America exist.

Bootleg Bandai America figures

Bootlegs for the Bandai America Godzilla 2000, King Caesar, Godzilla 1954, and Atomic Roar Godzilla 2014 first appeared on the Chinese auction site Alibaba in 2014. Unlike their official counterparts, the figures stand at over 12 inches tall. In 2018, a bootleg of the Bandai Creation Burning Godzilla appeared on Amazon.

Godzilla 2014 Bandai America action figure bootlegs

Bootlegs of the "Smash Strike" and "Tail Strike" Godzilla 2014 Bandai America figures The bootlegs removed the "gimmicks" of the two figures and had poor paint jobs. In 2017, a variant of the Smash Strike bootleg appeared on the Thai bidding site ThaiElectricToy.

Novel Style Godzilla

The Novel Style Godzilla is a bootleg of Bandai America's Godzilla 2000 figure distributed in China. The figure has been remolded and repainted to somewhat resemble Godzilla 2014 and supports batteries which light up a chest light and his dorsal fins.

Jakks Pacific Godzilla bootleg

A bootleg of the Giant Size Godzilla has been distributed in China. Differences between it and the original include white dorsal fins, much larger eyes, and removed articulation of the mouth, hands and feet (not the arms and legs, though), in addition to some miscellaneous paint job differences along the belly and back.

Godzilland bootlegs

Bootlegs of Bandai's 1984 Godzilland merchandise are known to exist. The bootlegged merchandise is distinguishable from legitimate Godzilland merchandise due to inconsistencies in the illustrations of the kaiju; for example, Godzilla has a horn on his head, the Mothra Larva has antennae and more pronounced legs and feet, and Hedorah has claws.

Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars bootlegs

Bootlegs of the four kaiju figures packaged with the board game Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars first appeared on eBay in 2014. The Gigan figure is particularly unusual, featuring eyes below his visor and elongated hands instead of curved hooks.

Bandai Movie Monster Series Godzilla 2016 and SpaceGodzilla bootlegs

Bootlegs of the Bandai Movie Monster Series Godzilla 2016 and SpaceGodzilla figures first appeared on eBay in 2017. The bootleg Godzilla 2016 figure can be distinguished from its official counterpart, as it has a darker paint job with fused hands and an uneven tail.

Bandai Godzilla 1984 bootlegs

Bootlegs of the Bandai Godzilla 50th Anniversary Memorial Box Godzilla 1984 appeared on eBay in 2016. The bootleg figures usually have pale golden eyes and poorly painted dorsal fins.

Trendmasters Ultimate Godzilla bootlegs

Bootlegs of the Trendmasters Ultimate Godzilla figure exist. There are two variants, a grey version and a brown version.

Bandai Movie Monster Series Godzilla 2003 bootlegs

In China, several bootlegs of the Bandai Movie Monster Series Godzilla 2003 started appearing in 2003. The figures can be distinguished from the official figures by the lack of a tag.

Bandai King Ghidorah 1964 bootlegs

Bootlegs of the Bandai The Godzilla Collection King Ghidorah 1964 exist. The figures come in two variants, a pink version and a green version.

Bandai Movie Monster Series Burning Godzilla and Godzilla 1993 bootlegs

Bootlegs of the Bandai Movie Monster Series Burning Godzilla and Godzilla 1993 exist.

Big Fella

Big Fella was a bootleg Godzilla wind-up figure that first appeared in the 1990s.

Godzilla vs. Jesus playset

Godzilla vs. Jesus was a bootleg playset produced by Forked Tongue Toys. The set comes with several military vehicles and figures for Godzilla and Jesus.

Bootleg Godzilla 1998 figure

This Godzilla 1998 bootleg figure has a custom sculpt and stands at 9 inches tall. There are only two variants, a green version and a purple version.

Mechagodzilla 1974 bootlegs

Bootleg Mechagodzilla 1974 figures first appeared in the 1980s; however, some can still be found on the Chinese auction site Alibaba.

Bandai Toho Kaiju Series Godzilla 2000 bootlegs

Bootlegs of the Bandai Toho Kaiju Series Godzilla 2000 exist.

Bandai Movie Monster Series Godzilla 2004 and Mechagodzilla 2003 bootlegs

Bootlegs for the Bandai Movie Monster Series Godzilla 2004 and Mechagodzilla 2003 figures first appeared on eBay in 2017. The figures have poor paint jobs and are shipped broken.

Bootleg Godzilla LEGO mini-figures

In 2017, bootleg LEGO mini-figures of the 2014 Godzilla began appearing on eBay. There are 10 variants of the figure. In 2019, a bootleg LEGO Ghidorah and three Godzilla mini-figures also appeared on eBay.

Bandai King of the Monsters Series bootlegs

In 2018, bootlegs of the King of the Monsters Series Godzilla 2016 and Godzilla 2017 figures appeared on the Chinese auction site Alibaba. The figures are often sold in sets that include a bootleg of Jakks Pacific's Giant Size Godzilla figure and a bootleg X-Plus Godzilla 1995.

Bandai Movie Monster Series Godzilla 2017 bootleg

In 2018, a bootleg of the Bandai Movie Monster Series Godzilla 2017 appeared on the Chinese auction site Alibaba. The figure is often sold with the bootleg King of the Monsters Godzilla 2017.

Bootleg 3-inch Godzilla figures

In 2018, 3-inch bootleg Godzilla figures appeared on eBay. The figures are based off several official Bandai figures, and have been scaled down to 3 inches. The figures are usually sold in a set.

S.H. MonsterArts King Ghidorah bootleg

A bootleg S.H. MonsterArts Showa King Ghidorah first appeared on AliExpress, but has since migrated over to eBay, where it is still being sold. It is unknown whether the sculpt is a recast of an existing Ghidorah 1964 prototype, or if it is a new sculpt.

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019 bootleg

A bootleg of the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019 appeared on Shoppe, a Singaporean commerce website.

NECA Godzilla bootlegs

In 2019, several bootlegs based on NECA Godzilla figures appeared on AliExpress and Shopee.

X-Plus Godzilla bootlegs

Bootlegs of the X-Plus 2014 Godzilla and Deforeal figures appeared on Shopee in 2019. A bootleg of the King Kong 2017 figure also exists.

Bandai Movie Monster Series bootlegs

In 2020, multiple bootlegs based on Bandai Movie Monster Series figures appeared on AliExpress. At least some of these figures are made by TwCare.[1]

Bootleg Godzilla 2014 figures

In 2019, bootleg Godzilla 2014 figures were found being sold in Mexico.

Carla Studio MUTO model kits

In 2020, Carla Studio released several third party model kits of the MUTOs from Godzilla and the Queen MUTO from Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Photon Collectibles

Photon Collectibles released articulated model kits based on monsters from the Monsterverse.

9Modelism

9Modelism makes third party figures of different fictional monsters. So far, they have released a Godzilla 1998 model kit and a King Kong 2017 figure.

Rebor Studio

Rebor Studio released two figures for the Vastatosaurus rex and a Shin Godzilla embryo.

Nanmu Studio

Nanmu Studio announced a V-rex figurine.

Bootleg Mezco King Kong

In 2019, bootlegs of the Mezco King Kong figure appeared on AliExpress. The figures lack all the articulation of the original.

Grimdragon

This articulated figure is based on the Mechagodzilla from Ready Player One.

Films

Dogora

In Thailand, a bootleg DVD of Dogora was released, featuring Godzilla on the cover. This led many fans to believe that the DVD was a double-feature set or a different film entirely.

Gamera vs. Barugon

There is a bootleg German VHS of Gamera vs. Barugon which titles the film Gamera Gegen Godzilla (Gamera vs. Godzilla). It features altered artwork of the TriStar Godzilla on the front cover and screenshots of Godzilla in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah on the back.

Destroy All Monsters

A bootleg VHS of American International Pictures' U.S. edit of Destroy All Monsters exists.

Godzilla vs. Megalon

Godzilla vs. Megalon is perhaps the most bootlegged Godzilla film of them all, with several different unofficial VHS tapes released.

Shin Godzilla

A bootleg DVD of Shin Godzilla was released in Malaysia. Its cover art uses the Philippines poster for the film. Any text that appears on the screen during the movie is removed in this version. There are also a few missing scenes.

Unidentified film

Toho Kingdom user 20th Century Boy discovered a bootleg Chinese DVD of what appeared to be a Godzilla film at a used bookstore in 2014. Unfortunately, there was no disc inside, leaving the identity of the film a mystery. The cover art shows a heavily altered Destoroyah with no wings, while the back cover includes a description of the plot of Rugrats in Paris, along with pictures from Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and Godzilla vs. Hedorah and promotional artwork for TriStar Pictures' GODZILLA.

Video games

Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters Famicom bootleg

Godzilla 3 H-Game 1999.jpg

A Famicom bootleg of the NES-only Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters exists. The cartridge is yellow, boasting artwork from the 1998 GODZILLA film, and with the title Godzilla 3 H-Game 1999. The bootleg may have seen distribution in Romania after the 1998 film was released, as eBay listings tend to come from there.[2]


Other

SpaceGodzilla statue

A human-sized bootleg SpaceGodzilla statue appeared on the Chinese auction site Alibaba. It has a similar color scheme to Burning Godzilla.[3]

Inflatable Kiryu costume

In 2017, a bootleg inflatable Kiryu costume appeared on the Chinese auction site Alibaba.

References

This is a list of references for List of Godzilla bootlegs. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

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