The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: Zest on March 13, 2013, 12:27:40 PM
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Okay, so there's a little story behind her. :blush:
I saw her on eBay and I was pretty much blindsighted by "oooh unique! rarity's head! ALICORN!!" and made a very impulsive bid on her at the last possible minute, thinking I'd be sniped at the last minute.
Well, the would-be sniper was about 12ยข off on their bid and I ended up with her instead, much to my "aUGH I SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT" guilt-trip a few moments later. :blush:
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Well, about two weeks later her she is at home with me and I have to say she's growing on me fast. However while I'm aware of prototype/"mismatch" ponies, I know very little about them.
First thing I want to know, was this pretty lady worth it? And aside from the eBay seller, where the heck did she come from?
My first worry was that "well, what's stopping someone from just taking a Rarity and Blossomforth and swapping their heads?" but her head seems to be pretty snuggly fit on, more snug than the Rarity I was comparing her with not playing why would I play with her what i'm an adult, and obviously more snug than one of my Pinkie Pie's whose head I had popped off with the intent of customizing (and later going "nope I am so not going to destroy her neck for the sake of that damn plug!"). Sooo I'm hoping that rules out that horrible possibility. :worry:
(Also noticed her left eye is slightly, but pretty noticeably, mis-stamped, but that seems like a fairly typical occurrence for some G4s.)
Also a name, a name would be nice; I've been half-heartedly calling her Blossomity. :P
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She looks like she's from Taobao. If you're interested in ponies like here, there's quite a few up on there. A lot of ponies have been showing up on there with mismatched heads in the hopes they'll sell :) Even plushes and blind bags lol. I have one similar, an alicorn rarity with rarity's mane and tail, only she doesn't have any symbol :)
Out of interest how much did you pay for her?
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She's pretty! haven't seen that variation before.
I love the test shots and the prototype ponies. Factory errors are fun :)
There's a Rainbow Dash with no wings!
Sometimes they are used as free samples and made from leftover parts. (at least, that's what I've heard)
I've bought a bunch of the mismatches and I like them all.
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Definitely a mismatch! I love the mis-matches- some of them are color tests, and some of them are the results of factory workers popping the wrong heads on the wrong bodies-
They all seem to come from Taobao (chinese craigslist/ebay type thing) - where people in China sell off lots of factory rejects, prototypes, first shots (things that are typically thrown away)
THere are some on this thread:
http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,325440.0.html (http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,325440.0.html)
They are pretty cheap on Taobao when you find them- but you have to pay an agent to get the pony for you, prepay for it, ship it from China to the agent, then from the agent to you... it's a bit of a tangled mess and many would rather just skip right to ebay, where a lot of the Chinese sellers of such things seem to be migrating to anyway...
Ebay prices are quite a bit more- I would have to check the completed auctions again, but I do see the mis-matches going for $16- $20something frequently...
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She's certainly pretty. Perhaps you could call her Rare Blossom? She's probably unique, after all.
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Awesome! :D Does anyone have any tips/known Taobao shops that sell these and like ladies? I've used Taobao before but mostly for BJD stuff, so I have no clue where to start when looking for ponies.
She's pretty! haven't seen that variation before.
I love the test shots and the prototype ponies. Factory errors are fun :)
There's a Rainbow Dash with no wings!
Sometimes they are used as free samples and made from leftover parts. (at least, that's what I've heard)
I've bought a bunch of the mismatches and I like them all.
I remember that Rainbow Dash! :P I have no idea what stopped me from getting her, she was only like $12 or $20 USD and now all I can find are ones going for $80+ :shocked:
Out of interest how much did you pay for her?
Eh, probably a bit too much, around $30 - 35 not including shipping? :blush: Her price was in GBP so part of the reason I was going "D'OH WHY DID I DO THAT" was because I'd entered about $5 to $10 more than I intended too.... ^^;;; (as Ditzy Doo pats me on a back for a derp well done)
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I wouldn't beat myself up over buying her! I think she's syunning and even if she doesn't appreciate in value or whatever, you have a pony that was sort of made just for you. The rest of us are stuck with what Walmart and TRU thrust at us! Lol
Just think of her as a custom....as a custom, I think you paid an excellent price for her!
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I totally love her! And totally understand the feeling too! I bid on a Rarity/DJ PON mix and then wondered the same as you. And so far I'm the winner :-/ But it's kinda cool nonetheless. Enjoy your alicorn! :)
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She is very pretty, congrats on her :)
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Heh I have this one too!! I bought mine off someone here on the Arena. Then a few months later, I saw her counterpart, Blossomforths head on Rarity's body on ebay!! I just HAD to have her!!
And here they are :biggrin:
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(http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby_pie/8373541416/)
2011_1030delivery_12_010029 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby_pie/8373541416/) by Rhubarb Pie1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/ruby_pie/), on Flickr
If you like the appearance of them, then there's no problem buying the Taobao factory error ponies. Yes some unscrupulous sellers will try their hand at making franken-ponies but you can probably tell from the state of their necks.
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Eh, probably a bit too much, around $30 - 35 not including shipping? :blush: Her price was in GBP so part of the reason I was going "D'OH WHY DID I DO THAT" was because I'd entered about $5 to $10 more than I intended too.... ^^;;; (as Ditzy Doo pats me on a back for a derp well done)
Ohhh no... there's a UK seller who is blatantly head-popping to supplement their actual TaoBao ponies, as proved when ALL of their listings were head swaps with other ponies they had listed! I hope this wasn't the case with you.
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I like her :)
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Eh, probably a bit too much, around $30 - 35 not including shipping? :blush: Her price was in GBP so part of the reason I was going "D'OH WHY DID I DO THAT" was because I'd entered about $5 to $10 more than I intended too.... ^^;;; (as Ditzy Doo pats me on a back for a derp well done)
Ohhh no... there's a UK seller who is blatantly head-popping to supplement their actual TaoBao ponies, as proved when ALL of their listings were head swaps with other ponies they had listed! I hope this wasn't the case with you.
Eeek! I'm pretty sure she's not, though? Her head's more tightly stuck on than a few of my other ponies, whom I know haven't been tampered with. And her neck isn't, uhh, messed-up looking? xD; I mean if it is a head swap, it's very well done, lol.
But for safety's sake, do you have the name of this eBay seller so I can stay away from them if it was a specific person? o:
Heh I have this one too!! I bought mine off someone here on the Arena. Then a few months later, I saw her counterpart, Blossomforths head on Rarity's body on ebay!! I just HAD to have her!!
And here they are :biggrin:
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(http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby_pie/8373541416/)
2011_1030delivery_12_010029 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby_pie/8373541416/) by Rhubarb Pie1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/ruby_pie/), on Flickr
If you like the appearance of them, then there's no problem buying the Taobao factory error ponies. Yes some unscrupulous sellers will try their hand at making franken-ponies but you can probably tell from the state of their necks.
OMG. She's lovely! (obviously... xD) And I love Blossomforth with Rarity's cutie mark, what a great pair! I almost find it more unique that there's multiple Blossomforth/Rarity alicorns, kind of like I can picture them at the factory like "UGH how did this happen again?!" :P
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Well, she is cute, but I hate to say that she isn't worth more than $5 in the long run. You just paid someone $30 to remove a pony's head and stick it on another body. Anybody can swap heads. If she had something about her that made her unique, like a unique head with rarity's eyes, or even unique hair, she would be worth a little more.
I think in China, sometimes sellers must get a bucket of heads and a bucket of bodies as spare/unused parts, and then combine them to sell them on Taobao. I don't think the people are necessarily combining them wrong or messing around at the factory, because sticking random heads on random bodies doesn't really seem productive.
It is fun to see the different combos people make, though. I have an alicorn Rarity, too, because they are fun, but I only paid $5, just like for any normal pony.
For the head swap thing, some mismatched ponies do have loose heads, others have perfectly normal feeling necks, while others have bulgy neck joints, while others are stuck so tight, they do not turn. I think it depends on the fit of the little joint in their neck.
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Well, she is cute, but I hate to say that she isn't worth more than $5 in the long run. You just paid someone $30 to remove a pony's head and stick it on another body. Anybody can swap heads. If she had something about her that made her unique, like a unique head with rarity's eyes, or even unique hair, she would be worth a little more.
I think in China, sometimes sellers must get a bucket of heads and a bucket of bodies as spare/unused parts, and then combine them to sell them on Taobao. I don't think the people are necessarily combining them wrong or messing around at the factory, because sticking random heads on random bodies doesn't really seem productive.
It is fun to see the different combos people make, though. I have an alicorn Rarity, too, because they are fun, but I only paid $5, just like for any normal pony.
For the head swap thing, some mismatched ponies do have loose heads, others have perfectly normal feeling necks, while others have bulgy neck joints, while others are stuck so tight, they do not turn. I think it depends on the fit of the little joint in their neck.
^ Basically this. Head swaps, even if they're well made, are still just head swaps and not really anything of note. Anyone can remove a head from a pony and put it on another body. It's a fairly quick process.
I'm honestly annoyed at people on eBay selling these ponies like they're rare, unique prototypes. They're really not and it's deceitful to market them as such. :| A genuine prototype would be like this pony here (my photo):
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Although she looks like Lyra with Sunny Ray's cutie mark she has different coloured eyes too (Lyra's eyes are gold).
It's a case of buyer beware. Head swap ponies are cute but not worth much more than a regular pony.
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I have to agree with BrightIdea and BluePheonix. If it was in package, clearly never opened, then it would be more obviously a factor error. But with these, there is no proof that someone hasn't just swapped the heads. From what I understand, G4s heads really aren't that difficult to remove, and these are the only ones I see head swaps on.
Regardless, she does look pretty.
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If you really like her...then honestly thats all that important :) You love her, you appreciate her!
I do agree with BrightIdea and BluePheonix however that at best she is a $5 pony as essentially all someone [be it ebay seller or Taobao seller] has done is taken off Blossomforths head and pop on Rarity's. In some cases its naughty and misleading and in other cases its just done as a matter of having parts and making a similarish whole pony.
I know I have seriously over paid when there is something I really want. But as long as you know what you have and appreciate it then thats all that matters.
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Sorry for the shameless plug but this would have been a nice "prototype" except I found this MIB at Toys'R'Us in SIngapore, so she's considered more a fluke.
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By the way, she's for sale. lol PM me an offer if interested.
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I never claimed her to be a prototype....
and okay yeah i was VERY well aware i had more than likely overpaid but there was honestly no need to write several paragraphs rubbing it in my face about what a horrible deal it was and how awfully i overpaid, and how overall worthless she is..... honestly have some tact.....
Also wouldn't it have been painfully obvious if the pony had been head-swapped? Like, wouldn't the plastic look a bit "stressed" around the neck?
and yeah okay sure you can go ahead and plug that why not...........
I mean over all I'm still happy with her. We've all made mistakes on eBay, the cruel mistress, and everyone knows their prices are insane. You can be damn well certain I'm not going to be bidding on any other alicorns anytime soon. >__>;
(Also I'd still be interested in some info on taobao pony-searching if anyone has any. :blush:)
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Also wouldn't it have been painfully obvious if the pony had been head-swapped? Like, wouldn't the plastic look a bit "stressed" around the neck?
Actually no. ^.^ I pop out my G4 heads a lot for fun and switch them around. No "stresses".
I'm glad you love your purchase. I think the most important point being you enjoy the pony, and the joy it brings you is easily worth whatever you have paid for. You can certainly make those money again. Also on the bright side, now that you know the alicorn is easily to replicate, you can make more of them by buying the right bodies for swaps and save money the next time round.
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I never claimed her to be a prototype....
and okay yeah i was VERY well aware i had more than likely overpaid but there was honestly no need to write several paragraphs rubbing it in my face about what a horrible deal it was and how awfully i overpaid, and how overall worthless she is..... honestly have some tact.....
Also wouldn't it have been painfully obvious if the pony had been head-swapped? Like, wouldn't the plastic look a bit "stressed" around the neck?
and yeah okay sure you can go ahead and plug that why not...........
I mean over all I'm still happy with her. We've all made mistakes on eBay, the cruel mistress, and everyone knows their prices are insane. You can be damn well certain I'm not going to be bidding on any other alicorns anytime soon. >__>;
(Also I'd still be interested in some info on taobao pony-searching if anyone has any. :blush:)
Tact? I think everyone was just answering your question, "is she worth it" and was telling you info about it. I don't think it was anyone's intention to be rude. I have a lot of experience with Taobao ponies, so I would have answered anyone's questions with that much detail, be it prototype or mismatched pony :( It was meant to be informative. Sorry you didn't hear what you wanted. Everyone thinks she is cute, you think she is cute, and you can spend your money any way that you want.
As for Taobao searching, that is nice and easy. You can type in "My Little Pony" or "Hasbro Pony" as a search term, and scroll along all for 80 pages of pony fun :)
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that hornless Rarity is adorable! and very weird. Does she have the unicorn eye shapes moulded into the plastic, or have they painted unicorn eyes over a round eye shape?
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Sorry to disappoint but.. I have a Rarity which I headswapped with Blossomforth. It looks like a proto, but really it's just a headswap. WATCH OUT FOR THESE SCAMS. Don't waste your money on a simple 5 minute job lol -.-
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Oh I've spent money on ebay and regretted it too. Or bid on an auction thinking "No way I'll win" and it was an item I only kind of wanted. Then few days later, come to find out that I did win and had buyers remorse. It happens to us all at some point. You like her, that's what counts. Yeah she's not worth much but it happens.
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I don't think you were scammed, and personally I think it likely that she was a factory error and not a headswap that someone did. I think your seller is probably someone who buys a bunch of Taobao ponies and sells them off at a premium.
Generally, the Taobao ponies are worth more than $5 though- if you check through completed auctions I think they go for more than usual ponies, but generally the ones with symbol swaps and hair swaps seem to go for more. Some of the more popular (ie the Blue pony with Fluttershy's butterflies, or Lyra with Sunny Ray's flowers) go for more than usual hair swaps, I think generally in the $17-$25 range, and some go for way more (ie White Celestia/Rarity mix ups) - they are usually $75 or more.
You probably did pay a premium for her, but again, the Taobao thing is kind of a pain. Plus, there are fewer and fewer Frankenponies on Taobao now that the Chinese sellers are catching on- and selling their stuff directly on Ebay.
If you do want to check out Taobao personally, I'd recommend Taobaonow.com as an agent. I think that 90% of the time I get exactly what I ordered using them, and they are faster than the other agent I had (which can be critical given how many people are shopping on that thing now, and due to the fact we all want the same things).
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I think the green pony with Sunny Ray's symbol is a fair exclusive rather than a frankenpony.
And I don't think it was a mistake to buy the alicorn. their prices might suddenly increase.
I made the mistake of not buying a G4 Minty when she was only $50 thinking she would soon be released for christmas and I should not waste money just to get her early...
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I think the green pony with Sunny Ray's symbol is a fair exclusive rather than a frankenpony.
And I don't think it was a mistake to buy the alicorn. their prices might suddenly increase.
I made the mistake of not buying a G4 Minty when she was only $50 thinking she would soon be released for christmas and I should not waste money just to get her early...
No she was a Frankenpony but Galatica ran what looked like an amazing NW meet and they had her as their official pony. :) Very similar to the UK Pony Con which due to Hasbro were unable to get an exclusive and thereby used the blue uni with fluttershy symbols as their Con pony.