Saturday, November 10, 2018

DFC: Copies, Knockoffs & Bootlegs

UPDATE 11/10/2018:
I have come across a new mystery line that includes some knockoff DFC knights.  This is the second mystery line to include bootleg DFC knights. They are marked "China" but that does not say much to narrow down who made them or how they were packaged.  They are just like the older knockoffs.  They are same smaller size and have the same modifications but some of them come in new colors like red, orange and salmon along with the more common blue. As with he old set of bootlegs, here is no copy of the DFC bowman.

The ones I have found came in ebay lots from the UK.  I have almost always found them mixed in with a set of what look like Robin Hood type figures which I first posted in my 45mm Army. They were probably some short lived cheap bag or carded set.  I don't know if I have a complete set of the Robin Hood figures or not.  I suspect there might be one more figure for eight total.  I want to get all the knights in the red, orange and salmon colors pictured and any other colors I haven't found yet.  Please comment if you know anything about these guys.

ORIGINAL POST:

There are surprisingly few DFC bootlegs.  The most common are slightly modified versions of the knights.  These knights are just a little bit smaller than standard DFC knights, and four have slightly modified weapons.  I have found only one example of these figures in original packaging and it is a strange mash up of DFC, Chinasaurs and The Sword & The Sorcerer.  The bootleg knights  also seem to be associated with the little gray figures pictured below, but I don't know were they come from.

I eventually found a header bag of knockoff gray knights from Straco, and a carded set from Gordy with both blue and gray knights.



New colors found over the last five years or so.







The new Robin Hood Guys.




Here are some side by side pictures with the older mystery set which also has Robin Rood type figures but are not as well made or detailed. 







Well matched with the knights. 



Oddly, the salmon DFC bootleg is one of the few figures that came from a USA ebay lot.  The color match is dead on.  




The older figures have similar stands to the DFC bootlegs.  The new guys have flat stands with no ridge.















































Older Bootlegs



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I have found these figures with the bootlegs more than once.  So, I think they are related.

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This undated set by Famus Toys has the blue bootleg knights, a Chinasaur giant bird, and the red boarder around the card is the same as on the cards for Arco/Fleetwood's The Sword & The Sorcerer figures. Very strange but very cool.










































Here is a interesting set from Gordy with both blue and gray bootleg knights.  King Arthur and the knights of Justice.   It even includes some authentic medieval razor wire. Dated 1992.





Stracos' set of the knockoff knights in gray.







































Joseph Svec III sold me this odd bag of MPC knights with DFC knights and dragonriders.

I don't know if these are a factory mistake, a bootleg mix, or some kind of strange joint venture, but I have never seen DFC mixed with MPC before.


Miner industries owned MPC.









































































Scale Shot.

























5 comments:

  1. I was wondering where that bird came from. I have him somewhere in my piles of random plastic...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice looking DFC Bootlegs i haven't seen these new ones before, Just a pity they are a bit smaller than most toy soldiers.
    Regards Darren

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ya, they are not even at true 45mm. I am just crazy to get the new colors because I have collected everything else from DFC and cannot let the addition go.

      Delete
    2. Some of those Robin Hood guys could possibly be used as tall Hobbits alongside 54mm or 60mm figures.

      Delete

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