"What to do with my recasts?" Topic

Hello,
I picked up a group of Foundry askaris on eBay several years ago, and I'm 99.9% sure they're recasts, now that I have them sitting next to a pile of confirmed direct-from-Foundry figures. They have 'the look and feel' of something fishy.

I'm not going to paint the recasts, and I have some additional legit Foundry stuff that I picked up here and there that I need to unload- some loose, some blistered, and was thinking I could post them up on eBay.

My question is: if I've been bamboozled, can I resell the recasts to recoup costs, providing I state up front that that is what they are? To put in another perspective, If I bought a bogus Rolex, could I sell it to someone if I state that it is a bogus Rolex?

If I sell recasts I acquired unwittingly, with the understanding that I tell potential buyers that they are recasts, would I be as bad as the lowlife that actually made the recasts?

Should I pound them up with a hammer and sell them to someone who can use the metal?

This is largely theoretical at this point, I'm mainly just curious. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

It's illegal to sell counterfeit goods, no matter who created them. That being said, if they aren't that bad of recasts, why not use them? It's not like you purchased them knowing they were recasts.

Thats part of the risk we take as manufacturers. There will ALWAYS be a lowlife douche-bag out there who convinces himself that it is cheaper to invest in a mold press, lead pot, air compressor, and spin caster, plus the cost of molds and metal, than it is to just go and buy the 5-6 packs of figures you actually want/need.

I'm sure I can speak for many of us out there when I say that our suspicions are aroused when someone places an order for 'one of everything'. Hmmmm, lets see…. one figure of everything… how many units can I make with just one of everything? See what I mean…?

If you honestly came about these figures from Ebay, in an honest transaction, then fear not. I personally would not hold you responsible if you decide to recoup your money by reselling them. If they were my figures that were pirated, I would offer you genuine replacements in return for the metal, and information on how/who/when/where etc. you acquired them. With Foundry's reputation for price gouging, I doubt you'll receive the same compensation from them, but I suppose its worth a try. If you want to sell them and recover your costs, I say go right ahead… just be more honest about them than the person who sold them to you. Maybe if you paint them first, the new owner will look at it as a bargain!!!

I would look at the recasts as stolen Foundary property and treat it as such. I would inform Foundary that you recieved these by mistake and tell them when and where you got them. I would go so far as to offer to ship them one some or all of them back or even offer to destroy them. I would expect them to pay the shipping if they wanted them back. I wouldn't be suprised if they thanked you for the information but told you to keep the figs.

By no means put the stolen merchandise back on the market; whether you plan to ever use them yourself--even if you tell the potential buyer Nothing stops him from committing the same crime.

My two bits.

Oh, and the stolen bit is the sculpt of the fig and not the lead itself. You're fine if you melt them down and sell the scrap.

When you picked them up unwittingly you did nothing wrong; "unwittingly" being key. The recaster definitely was in the wrong, potentially the seller too depending on whether the recaster sold them himself or the seller (if not the recaster himself) knew them were recasts.

But if you sell them in knowledge that they are recasts, while you could avoid wronging the potential buyer by being honest about what they are, you will still be wronging Foundry by potentially depriving them of the sale of legitimate figures i.e. the buyer no longer needs to go to Foundry to get the said figures. They already lost out this way when you bought the figures initally (I hasten to add since you didn't know they were recasts, you aren't resposible in that case).
When put on notice of what they are a potential buyer is then wronging Foundry too by actually buying the recasts.

I'd have said just paint them yourself, as you should not loose out, but since you don't want them, maybe melting them down is your only solution, since I don't think you can sell them in good conscience.
Its an interesting problem, and that's just my first impression of the issue;I haven't completely made up my mind. The views of other will be interesting.

Hack 'em to pieces for conversions :)

Thanks gents, my gut (and brain) told me that reselling them would be on the illegal or unethical side.

I don't want to paint them up because the recasts are duplicated in my painted collection anyway. I think I picked them up in a large lot, and sadly some of the recasts in that lot got painted and made their way into my legit armies.

I bought a rare Citadel "Space Santa" the other day, and he is in suspiciously cherry condition- so now I'm getting pretty paranoid about what I buy off eBay now. Have recasting incidents skyrocketed?

I guess I'll get around to molding a figure I sculpted and just use the metal for that project :P

The best legitimate gaming use for them would be as casualty markers and scenery parts, after appropriate modification. They cannot then be 'recovered' to a condition that looks like "mistaken for Foundry".

Your money was good, even if what you got wasn't. Anything that doesn't pass along the "false identity" should be fine. Being the victim of fraud is one thing. Passing it along makes the fraud yours.

Its akin to unknowingly buying a fake Rolex or counterfeit Monet. It still tells time or functions as art for your wall (or soldiers for the line). As long as you, the current owner, don't then represent it as the fraud you fell for, you have nothing further to worry about.

Why not trade or give them away? That way, no money is involved.

You didnt know, so you are squeaky clean, so no need to get all upset about them.

If I was in your shoes, I'd use them. I'd also tell Foundry about the person who sold you the figures.

I would not resell them but I see nothing wrong with using them given that you did not know they were counterfeit when you bought them.

A couple years ago I bought some Perry Crusader figures on Ebay from a guy in South America. They were re-casts and I contacted the Perrys. They asked me to send them some so they could verify if they were genuine or not – they were not. The Perrys then sent me genuine Perry boxes to replace ALL of the figures that I had purchased from the "re-caster" plus a few extra boxes for MY trouble!!! WOW! I was astounded at their character and have been a loyal consumer of Perry products ever since! I can't speak highly enough of Alan and Michael Perry.
That was my experience with recasts. I threw the rest of the recasts away as they were skinnier and more brittle than the real thing.

I like the idea of turning them into casualties.

Depending on what it is, I REGULARLY ask for "one of each" .. I just like the variety and will find a way to work them in .. It's more a collector's mentality than a strict gaming one but it has nothing to do with re-casting necessarily.

yea I know 3 guys that will not paint more then one mini the same,

"Have recasting incidents skyrocketed?"

Hard to tell, but sites like eBay have allowed single recasters to fling their wares much farther afield.

Lou from BSM, I've been collecting and painting figs since 1980. I rarely play games. I normally buy one of each model for my collection as I'm a bit of a "completist". Your post would make me, and others like me, out to be a recaster. How fair is that?

Seemed like Lou was just saying such an order raised his suspicions, rather than it being proof positive of the customer being a recaster.

Keep what you've got & buy a similar quantity of something you need from Foundary.
That way, everyone (even you) are happy.

How about donating them to a group of gamers serving in Iraq or 'Stan? I can't speak as to whether there's enough people/supplies for them to get painted, but they might be usable enough "as is" for their purposes?

Could they be made presentable using "army painter"?

Wyatt

Hey!
I'm another buyer who order "one of each"! I like single man games and I rarely paint more than one of a kind.
…and I have no press and pot machines in here ;-)

RRR

Don't sell them use them as casualties or conversions.

and Lou of BSM

"I'm sure I can speak for many of us out there when I say that our suspicions are aroused when someone places an order for 'one of everything'. Hmmmm, lets see…. one figure of everything… how many units can I make with just one of everything? See what I mean…?"

I have done this a few times as some sellers/retailers/companies don't have pictures of all their items ie Scotia UK which I have just ordered from so unless I did this I'd never know if they were the right size or if they are what I want.

I've also purchased one of each pack, say from a gladiator range, because I'd rather not have duplicates in skirmish games.

Re. recasts, I ended-up getting some from a US-based ebay seller. I notified the IP holder re. the recasts and their seller, but have yet to take some pictures and send them.

For now, I intend to patch up the recasts' large air pockets, while mounting them on horses from the IP holder. However, converting them into casualties is a good idea.

Re. scrap metal, is there any figure manufacturer or other business that would buy sprue and other offcuts, or is it best simply to sell them to local scrap dealers? Given their lead content, they're not exactly ideal landfill material.

Well, I like to recast just to see how the process is and once they are done why throw them out? Just kidding…:)

Melt them and sell the lead.

I think I may try the casualty markers idea… it seems appropriate.

Thanks for the suggestions and discussion!

Have a word with Foundry, Most of us in this business if they are recasts would replace them with genuine in exchange for the information of where you got them I think? (We certainly do! I have done it sadly 3 times so far with scenery and bases!) If it turns out they are genuine then we would post them back to you! (Equally sadly this has never happened!)

Please don't resell them, it just encourages recasting and it is illegal if you know they are a recast!

Good luck!

Jo

Did you challenge the seller when you realized the problem, or are you no longer in contact?

You're nuts not to try foundry; they might exchange them as some others alluded. It would be gentlemanly to let them know.

Jimborex- the seller has long since fled eBay- the purchase was made about six years ago I think.

I forgot to update this thread… I loved Wyatt's suggestion about donation, and although I don't have time to paint the figures for that purpose, I was more than happy to send them off to Aecurtis!

"You're nuts not to try foundry"

Isn't Foundry on record as having a " off" response to this sort of thing?