The phrase "poor imitation" refers to something that is not a good copy or reproduction of the original. It lacks the quality, skill, or authenticity of the real thing. Full definition
Because the God of the bible is the true God, the other gods are just poor imitations! (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
Although named after — and often made to look like — the familiar meat products they are meant to replace, taste testers tend to evaluate them as poor imitations at best. (westonaprice.org)