Hi Sami, the gap that I am talking about can be seen looking at the smurfs from the side so it would be pretty hard to tell from that angle so I really can't be 100% sure about this one. The seller that you mention though as far as I know, is a very honest seller and I have never had a problem with her. She is a very experienced smurf dealer and has been around for a long time.
I have a pair of prayings that I bought knowing (or thinking) they were fake...But they have not the gap btw the face and the hands filled...The material is hard to be genuine, so I don´t know...I will see if I can take an image!!!!!!!
Funny you mention this Joaquin as it is something else that interests me too.
You mention that they are the hard PVC material and you bought them thinking they were fakes. This is only my guess and it is not my own orginal theory, this is something I have discussed with other very experienced smurfers.
There seems to be many praying and wreath smurfs around that appear to be "new" and are made from the harder PVC. They are being sold as both raw and painted figures and from what I have seen and the ones that I have held, the markings are very clear and the molds look perfect. It does look like there is a very good possibilty that they are being made from the original molds and it was pointed out to me that if you compare the material used for these and the material used for the newer released (genuine) smurfs, the material is in fact very similar.
Who is making these and where and when they were made, I have no real knowledge of. I own a raw Xmas wreath smurf that I would say is one of these and I would put money on it that it wasn't made 20 odd years ago when my genuine ones were made. It feels and looks too new and like Joaquin's praying smurfs, is a harder material.
*If* this is the case and these smurfs are newly made, possibly from the original molds, it does make them difficult to spot from a pic, especially the painted ones. Personally, I would not count them as genuine, even if they are made from the original molds, possibly even made by a genuine source.
Make what you will of the last sentence as I have NO proof but it does make you wonder.
I will follow our leader anywhere
Especially if she is on her way to buying spritzer ingredients
The sad thing is, as I read this (yesterday lunchtime) I was just taking my first mouthful of a beautiful, refreshing spritzer. It was a bit early but it is half term and our friends have just bought a new house so we were celebrating.
Maureen 
Nicely put by our leader 
