After my recent knockoff Ninjago figurine debacle, you might be asking why on Earth I ordered more fake LEGO® characters from AliExpress. Well, I actually ordered these ones at the same time as the Ninjago set, only from a different seller. They took a little longer to arrive, but not unacceptably so. Additionally, I was after an inexpensive accessory alternative in this case, not the actual figurine. I purchased 10 of the same AliExpress Zelda figurines. Since I have the Great Deku Tree set, I can share how this character compares to the official LEGO® Minifigure.
First things first: my motivation. I love the Traveler’s Shield from the Great Deku Tree set. As soon as I saw it, I thought it would make an amazing Viking clan shield. However, it averages $20 CAD per shield when on Bricklink. I don’t want to pay that much for a shield, especially since I want several of them. Consequently, I checked AliExpress for Zelda figurines, and I found one that came with the Traveler’s Shield. So, I ordered ten and got free shipping. I paid $3.50 CAD per Minifigure/shield, which is way better than Bricklink prices for the authentic element… but was it worth it?
The fake Traveler’s Shield has a nice design, but suffers from quality control issues.
I actually like the print details more on the AliExpress version. The plastic is also decent quality. However, the product is not LEGO® quality. You can see a seam across both the front and back of the fake shield. On the LEGO® version, you only see it on the back. Additionally, none of the prints are perfectly centred on the shield. Most of them are passable, but one was really off. With that said, these shields are good enough for my army building purposes. I would have been forced to pay over $200 CAD for this many shields, plus shipping for the real LEGO® version. Instead, I paid $35 CAD and got free shipping. The passable quality and overall monetary savings for these shields makes them worthwhile in my book. However, if each shield only cost $3.50 CAD (or marginally more) on Bricklink, I would have gone for those.
As for the Link figurine, he too features very nice printing. It is actually more detailed than the LEGO® version. In fact, I think it looks better than the LEGO® version. The quality of the toy is also better than what I experienced with my Ninjago knockoffs. This figurine is composed of elements that are largely LEGO® compatible for starters. However, it too suffers from major quality control issues.
The AliExpress Zelda figurines are not LEGO®-calibre quality despite looking good.
Firstly, the hat attaches poorly to the hair. You can see a gap and the attachment peg underneath. Secondly, the hair has a hexagonal anti-stud on the underside. It does not fit properly with the round studs on the character’s heads. Of the 10 figurines I ordered, only three came with hair that actually fit snuggly on the head element. Many of the others fall off by simply inverting the figurine. Oddly enough, all 10 of the hairpieces fit snuggly on an actual LEGO® head… The hole for the hat peg is very large and obvious though.
As for the head, I hate the anime face. That is a personal preference though… maybe you like that. It is just not for me. Aside from that, the printing on all the characters is impeccable. I find it odd that they were unable to produce the same level of accuracy on the shield.
The torso has little clutch power.
Another issue is the loose fit of the torso. Unlike the Ninjago figurines, the AliExpress Zelda figurines have identical legs to actual LEGO® Minifigures. However, their torsos have the same internal structure as the crappy Ninjago knockoffs. Consequently, the torso does not hold well onto the legs. It does not hold on to authentic LEGO® legs at all. The fake legs do fit into a real LEGO® torso though. Sadly, the belt print spans the gap between the torso and legs. As such, if you try to place the fake legs on a proper Minifigure torso, you get half a belt visible. That doesn’t work for me.
I can still use these AliExpress Zelda figurines, but I would have to glue the torso to the legs. I would never do that to real LEGO® elements… but I don’t care as much about these. The prints are nice, it would be shame to waste them all.
You also gain a sword, bow, and quiver of arrows with this character. The quality is decent enough that most people will not notice they are not real LEGO® pieces. However, it is stupid that the quiver is orange while the bow is nougat coloured. I don’t own any bows in orange, and every bow element has a moulded in arrow. They should be the same colour. The quivers are all garbage for me.
Not as bad as other fake figurines I’ve seen… but still not LEGO®.
For my purposes, I got 10 shields from this order. They are not amazing, but they are okay considering I will never own 10 authentic LEGO® Traveler’s Shields… unless the LEGO® Group releases a cheaper Legend of Zelda set that also includes that element. For now, I am content enough with these. I like the figurine design too. It is just such a shame that the torso has no clutch power. Overall, these AliExpress Zelda figurines were an improvement over the Ninjago knockoffs I reviewed last week. But, unless you want the Traveler’s Shield, I would still recommend saving your money.
Until next time,
-Tom
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