FAKE Dapol Products

[Tuga]

https://www.dapol.co.uk/blogs/news/fake-dapol-products

[Kingmeow]

Interesting.  I wonder why they don't tell you how to spot the fake ones (maybe requires disassembly that not everyone wants/can do?).  As these knock offs get into the market, they will probably end up in the used market or at trains shows.  How does one then determine whether they are genuine or not as you no longer are dealing with an authorized dealer?

[tripel7]

1 hour ago, Kingmeow said:

Interesting.  I wonder why they don't tell you how to spot the fake ones (maybe requires disassembly that not everyone wants/can do?).  As these knock offs get into the market, they will probably end up in the used market or at trains shows.  How does one then determine whether they are genuine or not as you no longer are dealing with an authorized dealer?

I wonder if they are even knockoffs, or just rejected models from the production run. 

[Kamome]

Could be a disgruntled factory if Dapol decided to move manufacturing elsewhere 

 

As for spotting one,

“If you model looks like a Dapol model but runs without issue out of the box, it’s most likely fake” 😂

[Claude_Dreyfus]

4 hours ago, Kingmeow said:

Interesting.  I wonder why they don't tell you how to spot the fake ones (maybe requires disassembly that not everyone wants/can do?).  As these knock offs get into the market, they will probably end up in the used market or at trains shows.  How does one then determine whether they are genuine or not as you no longer are dealing with an authorized dealer?

 

From what I can gather, correctly identifying one is easier said than done. It could simply be a case of an additional 'unauthorised' batch being run by the factory. If so, then to all intents and purposes they will be no different to a 'genuine' product...the only tell-tale may well be the shop you bought it from and if so, the first you will know about it is if the warranty is not honoured. It's not as if you are going to be readily altered to its fakeness by the lack of quality control, or incorrect livery (colour shade or application)...

[Welshbloke]

Having seen them on ebay, they look more like an unauthorised extra production run than a fake or clone. The unusual thing is that they've kept the Dapol packaging, most of the time the cloned products would have a generic name attached (witness the cloned LGB items sold as "Train"). Prices weren't that impressive compared to UK box shifters, Rails are currently offering similar deals but with a warranty and no import VAT ransom.

 

The seller also had Irish OO items purporting to be from the Murphy Models range.