Are bootlegs okay for once?

I've seen people use bootlegs for customs before. In a way, I think it is safer with bootlegs but of course you have to question if you want to support the bootleg industry or not. I think there's no right or wrong answer, it's just your personal thoughts and preference.

You can expect the quality of the joints etc to be worse on the bootleg though.

If you dont want to support the bootleg industry, you could always ask around for people who have accidentally bought bootlegs in the past and havent got rid of them yet.

I would say go for the bootleg but buy it from someone who accidently bought one. That way you don't stimulate the bootleg market further.
It happened three times that i accidently bought a bootleg. Quality varies but i won't recommend a bootleg anyway. I changed one of them in a LED light decoration that i have given away and i have some ideas to make a custom out of the second one.

I would say only use the bootlegs for when you're experimenting and know you're going to mess things up. However, I would also check at your local stores, since I've seen some for under 15.

For a custom, I say you could get a bootleg, just to experiment with it. However, these are Figma bootlegs, I've read that the joints are really bad or they can actually fall apart. It might be that the quality of the bootleg figures and joints have improved over the years though.

No.
Get one legit figure and support its maker.

Well I would also use bootlegs for customization. They are cheap but not so good quality...but I would never forgive myself when I would destroy a original good looking expensive figure...

Personally i only use officail or recast's i made myself when it some super exp figure. Simply because customising is a lot lot of work and if i do that work i want it to be the best quality possible material wise. Else something might is wrong with it after you're done and then your really saddened.

If it is for customization, I think it is okie to use bootlegs for trial and error to better your skills in painting, crafting, etc. However, if it is for pure collection, my personal answer will be a straight No since the 10-20 bucks or watever price you will be paying for the bootleg can be used to pay for a legit figure which is beautifully crafted, better paint job. You just need more time to save up.

However, end of the day, it just boiled down to personal preference. some people don't mind the little lack in quality for the cheaper price they are paying while others are more willing to shelf out more money for better quality figures.

eeh as gunpla builder, i can tell you that buildknocl-off gunpla could damaged your finger, get too emotional because u cant snap fit it, angry because some parts easy to loose etc etc.

Just some food for thought.

As bad as supporting the bootleg industry is; collectors refusing to pre-order to hope for a bargain bin, refusing to buy blurays and torrenting/watching third party streams are what hurts the anime industry even more.

Anything with joints, you will have a bad time. Static figure customs are a safer bet.
Lately some fakes have been pretty close to the real thing. Megahouse bootlegs in particular.