Bastian Schweinsteiger, captain of current German national football/soccer team and a member of World Cup 2014 champion is not very amused with a World War II action figure’s face sculpt that looks too similar to him.
Dragon in Dream, a Hong Kong toy company that specializes in collectible, ultra-realistic 1/6th scale military action figures denies that the resemblance is deliberate. In fact, the company spokesman said, “We don’t sell any figures which resemble footballers. It is a complete coincidence that the figure ‘Bastian’ looks like Schweinsteiger. The figure is based on a typical German. We believe that all Germans look like that.” While being pointed out that the name is a bit too close for comfort, the company spokesman answered, “many people in Germany are called Bastian”.
Schweinsteiger’s lawyers are certainly not buying it, seeking to halt the sales of this particular action figure. The German public are also outraged with this, the footballer is considered a national hero even after his transfer to Manchester United. The replies from the Hong Kong company did not help, aggravating the anger.
“This is a clear violation of Schweinsteiger’s personal rights. Every person has the right to their own image. Furthermore the depiction of a swastika-wearing Wehrmacht soldier constitutes gross defamation and offence.” said a German media lawyer, Ulrich Amelung.
The figure itself comes with various accessories like helmet, the woolen service cap and weighs around 2 kg. Historians are quick to point out that the figure’s representation of the service of Wehrmacht and uniform time period is inaccurate. The Chinese company described this US$120 (RM$508) action figure as “a member of a Wehrmacht supply unit, a so-called cookhouse wallah”. The figure’s promo page can be accessed here.
To illustrate another famous similar case, watch this video to get the gist of it:
