Spotting Fake Warhammer

Fake models are becoming more common.

This is not a guide showing where to get fakes or how to make them,  only spot them.

The main problem with fakes is when you are sold them as legitimate and you pay the value of the legitimate version, not the recast. This can be 4-5 times more if they are rare items or 2-3 times for forgeworld/gw items.

This guide to spotting fakes is not fool proof, just because a model ticks one thing on the lists does not mean it is always a fake, fakes tend to tick 2 or 3 things at a time.

METAL

Metal fakes can be almost impossible to spot if a good recaster made them. Some fast ways of spotting a poor fake:

1. If they used a professional method of casting and not silicone rubber, then spotting a recast is even harder.
2. Follow the cast line around the model. Is it uniform, constant, and straight? GW-made models usually only have one cast line, and it is straight and clean all the way around the model, including the base tab.
3. Look for two cast lines in the metal. If the recaster is lazy, there will be two. This is because his mold has copied the original cast line, and there will be a new one made by the recaster's mold.
4. Look for air bubbles in areas such as between legs, armpits, and detail. 
5. Find a good picture of the original, or even better, have a legit model and compare the detail. You are looking for loss and missing detail in any area.
6. Look at the legs and arms, particularly for thin casts, warped, or misshaped areas.
7. Look at the base tab. Is it plain or different from what it should be?
8. Is the metal softer? Scrape the base tab or bottom of the feet to check this.

RESIN

Resin fakes are much easier to spot as the recasters don’t have access to Forge World resin. It will help if you have Forge World stuff already, but they can still be spotted if you don’t.

1. Examine the colour of the resin. Does it match pictures of the item? Some older items may have a yellowish tint, not grey.
2. Check the resin's finish: is it matte or reflective? Fakes tend to be very reflective/shiny.
3. Pick up the model. Is its density similar to other Forge World products, and does it feel the same? I have found recasts to be much lighter than the Forgeworld original.
4. Check for two or more cast lines in the resin. If the recaster is lazy, there will be two.
5. Look for air bubbles in areas such as between legs, armpits, and details.
6. Find a good picture of the original and compare the details. Look for any loss or missing elements.
7. Examine the legs and arms, particularly for thin casts, warped, or misshaped areas.
8. Verify if the model is indeed resin and not a plastic stand-in.
9. Ensure the resin texture is correct; Forge World resin is smooth and non-porous.
10. Check if it's on the original Forge World or Finecast sprues, or if it's attached to homemade sprues.
11. Determine if the model is supposed to be made from plastic. Quite a lot of Forge World kits come as part plastic, part resin models. For example, the Legion Glaive is based on a Baneblade, and you get several Baneblade sprues used to make up the internal lower part of the tank. Are the parts that should be plastic made from resin?
12. Look for edges on the models not lining up (sometimes Forge World may overlook this in quality checks).
13. does the model have clear canopies? are they cast in clear/grey resin instead of plastic?

There is not much you can do before you buy, but you can always initiate an eBay or PayPal case.

However, you can take precautions:

1. Examine the seller’s location. Be very cautious if the seller is from Russia, China, Singapore, or Brazil. (However, don't assume all sellers here are trying to rip you off; there will be honest gamers too.)
2. Examine a seller’s history; large numbers of the same model are a warning. Check the seller’s history. If it is private and they sell the same models every week, this is also a warning sign.
3. Look at the item: is it a set of 10? When GW sold them, was it a set of 10 different models, or were they sold in sets of 5, each being different?
4. If the seller's item is a set of 10, 20, or more, but there are only 3 varieties of models instead of 5 or 10, that is another indicator. Be cautious of models that are rotated or flipped.
5. Check for a constant sale of large sets with no original packaging.
6. Are all items sold primed but never painted?

Examples

Russian seller on eBay selling resin casts of plastic items

Resin recast of plastic item

recast, look at base tab and loss of detail v original

Recast, look at base tab

A recast in shiny metal look at base tab and loss of detail on front leg and ball

Russian seller on eBay

 look at the base tab there is a corner of flash were it is poured and there is missing text on the tab

Original copy

 look at the base tabs there is a corner of flash were it is poured and is missing text on tabs

look at the base tabs there is a corner of flash were it is poured and there is poorly detailed text on tabs

Fake resin casts

Gw plastic cannopy

 Another thing to watch out for is with Vehicle recasts, clear canopies are cast in resin not plastic as seen above

 Example of incorrect spruces

 Example of the edge not lining up 

 Space hulk terminators made in resin instead of red plastic, note the resin chutes on the bases as well, and parts.