UPDATE: Unreleased Clamshell Funko Pop design?

[NotThatSorry66]

Hello all, I’m fairly new to this forum but not to collecting and I need help from the community. I recently received these pictures from a friend and need help figuring out if they are real. At first glance they appeared to be bootlegs of the funko force 2.0 clamshells released at sdcc 2010 but some things just seem weird.
1. The packaging seems very official and high quality despite it looking terrible due to age.
2. After doing some digging I’ve read that Brian Mariotti hadn’t decided on the final packaging of the design and had made concept designs of the first wave in clam shells.
Can anyone help me in solving if these are fakes or an unreleased final product that was scrapped at the last minute.
Link to photos- https://imgur.com/gallery/tXU3JkV

Edit: My friend has purchased the product in question and has sent it to me for inspection. I have added new photos and have noticed some new things. PHOTOS:https://imgur.com/gallery/b2nsYiJ

1. The bottom looks to have excess flash that was never removed, if removed the “feet” of the plastic would allow it to stand.
2. Theres is a plastic insert neer the bottom were it is coming apart. If given permission I will remove it as carefully as possible to remove the figure inside for further inspection.
3. After prodding him more he gave me the info on its origins. He purchases hard to find figures and toys from a source in CHINA. He claims he’s reliable but it’s a bold claim. His Client buys old warehouses from company’s and resells any goods left in them. Wether this adds or takes away from this I don’t know but we know the source now.

[mongoose12]

this is odd and the packaging isn't the same as the 2.0 clamshells that were released. that said, the detail of the labels looks fairly legit. personally, i'm not sure what it is and its the first time i see a robin in that type of packaging.

[RobinBear177]

Interesting

[NotThatSorry66]

this is odd and the packaging isn't the same as the 2.0 clamshells that were released. that said, the detail of the labels looks fairly legit. personally, i'm not sure what it is and its the first time i see a robin in that type of packaging.

They seem to have finalized features that would “fix” some of the issues seen on the old clam shells. Example: the figure is vacuum formed to the shell to keep it from rattling around and the slight lip on the upper banner to prevent it from sliding down seen on some of the clamshells.

[CaseyJones14]

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Tagging a couple of people who would probably know the answer.

[mongoose12]

this is odd and the packaging isn't the same as the 2.0 clamshells that were released. that said, the detail of the labels looks fairly legit. personally, i'm not sure what it is and its the first time i see a robin in that type of packaging.

They seem to have finalized features that would “fix” some of the issues seen on the old clam shells. Example: the figure is vacuum formed to the shell to keep it from rattling around and the slight lip on the upper banner to prevent it from sliding down seen on some of the clamshells.

i think you might have come across something really unique!

[FunkoFresh253]

from the pic looks legit, did he say where he found them, maybe can backtrack to its source

[BadEugoogolizer]

I saw your reddit post the other day and did some looking around. Couldn't find any in this style anywhere ever. Depending on where/when you got it, my first instinct is to think it's a KO.

Some KO companies really go all out to make it look legit. There's been a long standing problem with Transformers Masterpieces that all have legit looking box details, right down to the company info and logo. Maybe this was an early KO attempt from when the clamshell design had just come out, but after they changed the name to Pop.

Still, I'm interested to see where this leads.

[rexflexall]

These are interesting indeed.

[BigM]

I feel like I've seen this brought up before here or on fb.
I think they may have been knockoffs but I am not sure.

[kdmlvr]

Looks intresting

[NotThatSorry66]

from the pic looks legit, did he say where he found them, maybe can backtrack to its source

He hasn’t really said, as far as I know he’s interested in purchasing them but want feedback before moving forward.

[NotThatSorry66]

I saw your reddit post the other day and did some looking around. Couldn't find any in this style anywhere ever. Depending on where/when you got it, my first instinct is to think it's a KO.

Some KO companies really go all out to make it look legit. There's been a long standing problem with Transformers Masterpieces that all have legit looking box details, right down to the company info and logo. Maybe this was an early KO attempt from when the clamshell design had just come out, but after they changed the name to Pop.

Still, I'm interested to see where this leads.

Just saw this! The upc on the back of the robin clamshell matches up with a Box robin released in August 2010. Don’t know if supports if it’s a KO but cool nonetheless!
Edit: added link to pics
https://imgur.com/gallery/4vAo1jC

[NotThatSorry66]

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Tagging a couple of people who would probably know the answer.

Thank you, it’s greatly appreciated

[Sarcasticguy]

I'm really curious if Rev or Kroffty can shed some light on this. I didn't see it in any previous post but, where did you find this?

[NotThatSorry66]

I'm really curious if Rev or Kroffty can shed some light on this. I didn't see it in any previous post but, where did you find this?

I am not sure, my friend has only sent me these photos and asked if I could post them for him for verification if possible.

[FunkoFresh253]

from the pic looks legit, did he say where he found them, maybe can backtrack to its source

He hasn’t really said, as far as I know he’s interested in purchasing them but want feedback before moving forward.

yeah if theres no rush, then see if he can ask the guy where he got it. if the price is reasonable he should just go for it, seems like a cool piece to own

[Marvel_Mama]

Pretty interesting. Good luck with your research.

[HobieWanKenobi]

I've seen these pics before, and was never sure what to make of them. Just thinking out loud here...

Original clamshells were released as Funko Force 2.0 at SDCC 2010.

They were later rebranded as Pop! then released in boxes.

So for these to be legit, they would have to be somewhere in between that, because they are branded as Pop! and not as Funko Force 2.0.

However, if the clamshells were already released at SDCC, it would seem Brian had already decided on the plastic packaging, and there wouldn't be a need to alter the clamshell. So it doesn't quite make sense to have Pop! branded figures in a different type of plastic packaging than the clamshell we all know.

[Reverend]

Not sure what to make of this, looks odd. Are trying to buy it? I will try to ask someone that might be able to help clarify but looks funky to me. Only thing that I think that would justify this if it was a preproduction piece or they made it for toy fair to display it. Sometime they create stuff for toy fair that didn’t get done in time such as resin hand painted protos. But to me looks fish, if you looking buy I would say stay away unless that can provide a trail to justify it imo.

[Nemesis989]

How do the pops themselves look?
They look ok in the pictures, but in person is there any sort of indication that the you itself is "off" in any way?

[NotThatSorry66]

I've seen these pics before, and was never sure what to make of them. Just thinking out loud here...

Original clamshells were released as Funko Force 2.0 at SDCC 2010.

They were later rebranded as Pop! then released in boxes.

So for these to be legit, they would have to be somewhere in between that, because they are branded as Pop! and not as Funko Force 2.0.

However, if the clamshells were already released at SDCC, it would seem Brian had already decided on the plastic packaging, and there wouldn't be a need to alter the clamshell. So it doesn't quite make sense to have Pop! branded figures in a different type of plastic packaging than the clamshell we all know.

That’s a good point. It is literally just a month or two between sdcc and the initial release of Pop! In boxes. I believe there’s a post of someone detailing the history of Funko Pop! And including a brief history of Funko Force 2.0. If I remember right they claim Brian and his team had not decided on final packaging on the figures by that time.

[NotThatSorry66]

How do the pops themselves look?
They look ok in the pictures, but in person is there any sort of indication that the you itself is "off" in any way?

He claims they look legit, I’ll have to ask him for more pictures when he’s available.

[The1one1]

I want to just follow this thread to hear the outcome. Pretty rare to see something that no one can identify. With all the historians that have commented it’s crazy that no one has legitimized or debunked this. I got my popcorn.

[renardchua]

I’m very interested on knowing the authenticity of this piece as well!

[NotThatSorry66]

Does anyone have a good photo or numbers of the upc from sdcc 2010 Batman? Robin seems to match up but Batman is a bit hard as it’s the blue with black underwear only released at this con.

[NotThatSorry66]

Edit:

[NotThatSorry66]

Edit: added new info

[Mantheharp00n]

No idea these existed.

[NotThatSorry66]

No idea these existed.

As of rn, I am unsure if these are real or not. There are some like this that exist but are much different in design.

[Mantheharp00n]

No idea these existed.

As of rn, I am unsure if these are real or not. There are some like this that exist but are much different in design.

I’m so confused as to what they are.