Class of Bootleg	Class 1 - Exact Duplicates
Class Notes:	Modfied packaging style, duplicated molds, unchanged line name
Bootleg Source:	Bandai Dragonball-Z toys
Bootleg Rating:	(Three out of five stars)
Sightings:	California
Vintage:	1999

I walked into a Toys R Us in mid-February in 2000, and was astonished to find an entire display area dedicated to nothing but Dragonball-Z. I immedately felt a bit out of touch - last I had heard DBZ was a big hit in Canada and abroad, but had yet to really "find it's audience" with American viewers.

Well, even as out of touch as I am, I still have some DBZ bootlegs to report. If the series is taking off in a big way, then you (the public) needs to know about the knock-off product out there in order to avoid getting snookered by it.

In that vein, let me present to you Dragonball-Z - a sneaky Class-One bootleg.

Pictured at left is Goku, one of the figures from the series. It's a fairly small toy - the enclosed figure stands about 4" tall. The card itself measures about 6" x 8" and is made of fairly flimsly cardstock. The bubbles are also very fragile, and have been attached to the backers at odd angles.

The cards are printed on both the front and back (detailed at right), a more and more common practice as bootlegs enter the 21st century.

The back of the cards shows the potential figures in this set - Volume 1 - Volume 18 of the Bandai Dragonball-Z toys.

I have only seen the first two figures in bootleg form, but it's a safe bet that the first six figures were probably produced - the "average" mix for a bootleg set. (Most likely the same six characters displayed in the product shot for the Z-Fighter bootleg.)

The cards do not have any copyright information on them at all. Other than the listings of volume numbers, a "Made in China" on the lower right of the back of the card, a child safety warning on the lower left-back, and the Dragonball-Z logo, the card is devoid of text. Not much to go on in tracking down the bootlegers, to be sure.

The card does also sport images from the show - both on the front and back of the card.

Below is a closeup of the real figures that I've seen bootleged, as shown on the back of the packaging:

The "Vol.1" figure has an interesting variation over the legit version - as shown in the detail at left, the shirt has been cast in vac-metalized plastic, instead of the correct orange color.

As seen in the full-card photo at the top of the review, both halves of the shirt have been given this treatment. Also note the light blue detailing on the collar.

The other figure I have to show is also Goku, but the "Man I'm pissed and wanna kick someones ass and my alien blood changed my body into a pulsating, energy laden fighting machine" version (or Super-Sayian to those in the know.). He's a lot closer to the legit toy - with proper colored shirt and an included sticker sheet.

Shown at right is the figure as he appears on the card. Below is a detail of the figure's face. Looks a bit miffed at being bootleged, dosen't he?

The danger with this bootleg is the same shared with all Class-One knock-offs - so little is there to distinguish the toy from a "real" offering, that many people could be taken in.

Luckily, the shoddy constuction of the packaging stands out very badly - it just might be enough to scare off a confused mother, just looking for a little Goku-fun for her kid.

Special thanks to bootleg correspondant Clint Gorman for the skinny on the Dragonball-Z characters.