You can't tell - it looks genuine to me. (I got one of the last 20 ECs...:)). As for the paint job - it's black - a difficult colour to use well. But it looks good. I'm not sure about the yellow accross the neck though - it looks a bit out of place perhaps...
Yes it is a limited edition figure...I was just unfortunate not to get an original one.
Pitynoman has an unpainted champ and let Atomic Pope mold and resin cast the figure for me.