Help with cel authenticity

Hi all,

I`m new to rubberslug, and was hoping I may find some assistance here!
I found this gundam cel, which is advertised as original but does not seem to quite match up with where it appears in the series (mid-way through the final episode "Escape"). Some of the discrepancies are the colour of Char's jetpack (appears white on the bottom in the animation, but grey on cel) and some of the line work. Also, there appears to be no cel number.

http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b164936946

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Hey there Oppa! Welcome to RS!

In my opinion, just from the preview image, that cel is more than likely not authentic.

As you pointed out, color discrepancies and lack of any cel numbering or cut numbers is a red flag. Also, if this cel is claiming to be authentic (from either the 1979 series or one of the 3 movies from the 80s) another red flag is the line fading. Char's hair by his face seems to have considerable line fading, however Sayla and Char's outline is a thick solid black, with no fading, as if it were retraced with a felt point Sharpie. The fading of the inner lines and outlines don't match, so the cel definitely feels less than geniune.

In the end, definitely use your judgement, reference from the show, and reference of other cels from that series and episode if possible. If I had to make a decision, I'd definitely take a pass on it. The seller seems to have a good rep, but alot of cel dealers buy cels in bulk and may not know if every cel they buy is genuine.

Good luck and happy hunting, OGS!
-G0

A lack of sequence numbers does not always mean a counterfeit, but it is a good sign. However, I just looked up the sequence in particular that this cel is from. It appears, to me, to be an A1End PAN cel. In the sequence the camera pans down from Char to the guy on the ground and in the cel shown in the auction there's no space where he could fit. Generally a pan cel is a very long (twice as long or three times as long or more than usual) cel with space at the top/bottom to show the whole scene.

It's possible that the reason this cel doesn't have a sequence number is because it was used as a pan cel but isn't a pan cel and that they somehow switch it to include the other guy on the ground later. (There is a weird "jiggle" in animation if you watch it closely.)

But my guess is that this is a fan cel and the original was probably a pan cel.

The fact that the jet pack in the original animation is the same color as Char's suit (pink/white) and the cel has a grey-purple color to match the rest of the jet pack just further makes me think it's a repro. (Some color issues like this do exist on cels, but usually with a "correction layer" overtop the "wrong" color. In this case that's not the case because the error is on screen--the jetpack should be grey and isn't. Therefore there is no correction layer.)

I am not 100% saying this is a fake cel. It COULD be real for a variety of reasons, even with the error and lack of pan cel-quality. But there's definitely enough to make me doubt.

You're wise to be cautious. Save your money for one with a douga.

EDIT: I screencapped and over-laid the animation over the cel on sale and Sayla especially looks out of place. I can't get a perfect line up due to the way the cel is skewed, but her legs look especially weird and the brown "tongue" of her boot is much shorter in the cel than it is in the show... and of course missing the rest of her feet. Also note the inside of Char's left hand (between his legs) has pink inside his pinkie finger but not on the cel. I definitely think this is a reproduction... and probably a pretty old one.

Image:
http://i.imgur.com/0aV0qTH.jpg

The thing to keep in mind definitely is the fading. Those lines appear to have been made with a copy machine.
Re-inking trace lines is not an uncommon studio practice, and fading often isn't always uniform.
Not saying fan art can't be made that way, but it's not something we have seen ourselves.
Most fan artists seem to prefer hand-inking.
The lack of a sequence number is odd, but if someone cleaned the cel with rubbing alcohol, the sequence number might have been accidentally removed.

Having said all of that, if you are at all uncomfortable, you should probably stay away. It will likely bug you until you know for sure (maybe never) whether or not it is a coterie. ^_^

Thanks for the help, everyone.

Considering the price and uncertainty, I think I will err on the side of caution on this one and stay away.