Hi, I love Mega Bloks! :)

garsh · Post by **garsh** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:20 am

It seems like a good idea to make a first post in the form of a self introduction, so I'm glad there's a special part of the forum with that kind of thing in mind. Excuse me in advance for being long-winded. I'm Josh, (middle name) or Steven, (with an N) but you're free to call me almost anything. As of now I'm 28, (born in 1976) so I'm pretty old to be playing with toys, but I wouldn't call myself an "AFOL", either. I'm not particularly a fan of the LEGO company, but of building sets and even toys and action figures in general--and I'm only technically an adult.

I'm new to this forum, but not new to LEGO. My memory still retains the vivid image of the first LEGO set I laid eyes on at my dad's office when I was probably less than 7 years old. It was a bunch of Space parts that had been assembled into a custom space station and I marveled at the detail, complexity and style. I didn't dare touch it, I knew instinctively something like that was very important to someone. After I found some sets of my own (castle sets) I was hooked and easily spent several hundred dollars collecting countless Space, Castle and Pirates sets among the occassional other themes. For years my bedroom housed a tiny kingdom near my closet, as Castle was always my very favorite.

Eventually the style of sets I loved so much gradually dwindled in supply, replaced by sets and themes that I was not compelled to spend money on. Before I realized it, my feverish passion had become all but a memory. Long after my interest had waned, I would only casually browse the LEGO aisles in disbelief at what had become of my favorite toy. My shock turned to trauma when I began seeing licensed series featuring the likes of Star Wars, Spider Man and Harry Potter. There was no hope left, and I never really had a chance to say goodbye, since I didn't even notice the moment when I somehow decided no new LEGO sets would come home with me.

One day, though, I saw a new face from an old LEGO competitor. Mega Bloks, of all things, had stormed the shelves with a captivating new look that grabbed my attention. Even though I'd always been a subconsicous LEGO purist--only picking up a Tyco set or two out curiosity--there was no question I had to have Mega Bloks Dragons. Finally, real castle themed building sets had appeared that not only featured knights and dragons but also looked gloomier and more natural than anything I'd had the pleasure of building in my youth. It was quite literally the stuff of my boyhood dreams.

After putting together my first modest Mega Bloks Dragons set, my passion came surging back. My newly reignited interest led me to find out I wasn't the only adult with an interest in such things. I was surprised to find such a completely robust adult LEGO community online. Before long I signed up with Bricklink to buy hard to find little LEGO minifigure accessories, since those were my only real interest from the company anymore.

I'm still interested in classic Castle, and LEGO in general if only in an academic sense. Otherwise I would never have found this forum. But I almost never buy anything from LEGO. I'm enamoured with Mega Bloks Dragons and have collected my favorite sets from both of the first two series and eagerly plan on getting several from an upcoming third series. Asside from that I've also gathered a decent collection of Mega Bloks Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (my other biggest childhood passion) and I'm even more ecstatic about the new Mega Bloks Pyrates with their staggering articulation and gloomy ships crewed by skeletons.

Even though I'm very seldom tempted to buy anything new from LEGO, I like to play with my old bricks. I'm interested in the customization I find online and love to gawk at the magnificent work some of you here have done. I'm still hanging on to a glimmer of hope that LEGO will come to their senses and do things right again. Until then, I'll just wander around sites like this and admire the work of you fans who are so dedicated they'll weather the very worst insults a coroporation and churn out. In the mean time, my Mega Bloks are a completely ideal alternative.

Jojo · Post by **Jojo** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 11:21 am

Hi Almost Anything!

Welcome to Classic Castle.
Your post should be in the "Dear LEGO" section since it is like an "In your face, LEGO: Your stuff isn't worth buying anymore, your enemies have gotten ahead of you!" :-)
(No, technically you did absolutely right.)

Bye
Jojo

Sir Dillon · Post by **Sir Dillon** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:01 pm

Welcome to Classic Castle garsh

Most people here don't like mega bloks, but I don't blame you for liking them, I was really tempted to buy some of the dragon theme...

Well, hope you enjoy it here.

Post by **JoshWedin** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 3:38 pm

Welcome Mr. Josh, Steven, or whatever (excellent choice of middle names, by the way),

Your choice of subject titles was quite clever. I am sure just about everyone will at least look at your post.

I understand your beefs with Lego but since I don't keep any sets together, it doesn't bother me if the official sets stink. I only buy them for the parts. My main problem with Mega Bloks is their quality. They just don't grip as well as Lego and their figs are not as good either, in my opinion anyway.

Take care and enjoy the site!
Josh

PS. I was born in '74 and still am not to old to play with toys.

Lord_Of_The_LEGO · Post by **Lord_Of_The_LEGO** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 4:04 pm

Welcome to Classic-Castle!

Your title certainly caught my attention! I must warn you that most people here (including myself) loath anything Mega Bloks (and Tyco, and all the other clones for that matter), so you better be careful mentioning it as your favorite toy.

However, this is a friendly community, and though we don't like Mega Bloks, we hold nothing agaisnt those who enjoy them.

So, again, welcome!

The Hordesman · Post by **The Hordesman** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 4:51 pm

Hello and welcome!

Megabloks is good for weapons for heroes and the alike, and cheap way to get hordes of monsters. I am going to fit the Megablok dragon line story fit into my world somehow, if you like megabloks, you should watch when I make that chapter!

For being yet only a gong farmer, you (your avatar) is wearing quite an armor, second hand?

Norro · Post by **Norro** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 5:12 pm

Hi,

Building has always been what mattered most to me... and Lego is just more useful than its clones for that purpose... if you don't like the sets make something better! No company, I fear, will ever make something the size of my Cliffton Castle... but as long as they churn out the pieces...

Way to one up my colour-change bitterness though!

Welcome and God Bless,

Nathan

eNiGMa · Post by **eNiGMa** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 5:28 pm

Welcome, garsh! Around here, we use Megabloks as a swear word.... But I'm glad you came here! Mingle, have fun, and I can't wait to see some creations from you!

Post by **Formendacil** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 5:39 pm

Welcome aboard, Master Steven/Josh/Garsh.

I hope you have reasonably thick skin, because otherwise one with your interests is bound to irritated at several points or another.

That being said, welcome aboard, always nice to have another windy/literate member.

~Michael A. Joosten - Formendacil~

garsh · Post by **garsh** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 12:07 am

Thanks for all the warm welcomes!

Based on a couple of replies, though, I feel like I need to clarify that I don't have anything against LEGO -- I LOVE LEGO!. And any building set, really -- even the terrible ones. I just wouldn't consider myself a "fan". The problem with being one is that it kind of implies a level of loyalty that I'm not prone to.

LEGO, the company, has done fantastic things and enriched my young years with opportunities for new imaginative exploration, even if they charged an arm and a leg. If anything I'm even more grateful to them for fouling up in recent years, providing an opening for a less experienced company with fresh ideas and an aggressive push for a foot-hold in the business. This way I get products I like more for a lot less money.

Maybe I'll write a letter in the Dear LEGO section thanking them for that.

LEGOFREAK · Post by **LEGOFREAK** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 12:27 am

garsh wrote:Based on a couple of replies, though, I feel like I need to clarify that I don't have anything against LEGO -- I LOVE LEGO!.

Good enough for me.

I am glad you found bricklink, to get your weapons at.
I am curious as to what you think of the overall quality of megablocks as compared to lego? My son has a few of the sets, (given as gifts, what are ya gonna do?

) and they still seem to be sadly lacking in quality.. the pieces are hard to force together, and then when they have been used a few times they lose their grip entirely. have you noticed this? or is this simply a sacrifice you make in order to get some cool stuff likt the TMNT? (I am a huge fan of the mutant turtles myself dude.

)
anyway, these questions are simply a chance to get to know what goes on inside the head of a megablocks collector

Welcome to Classic Castle dude. and also glad you have been checking out our custom forum.. check over at the Minifig Customization Network in case you havent been there yet.

LEGO_KNIGHT · Post by **LEGO_KNIGHT** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 1:52 am

Welcome garsh the MB lover.

Your story is somehow related to this old article that I have just read. The part about not being happy regarding the licensing stuff.

Why Can't LEGO Click?

ottoatm · Post by **ottoatm** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 2:13 am

heh heh heh...

when I saw your posting title, I was like, "oh no, who is looking to cause trouble!?"

But I liked your intro, and I can't say I don't know where your coming from with LEGO frustrations. Soo... WELCOME! I feel like this is a sure sign of the forum growing... we have our own little MegaBlocks collector now! heh heh heh.

Try not to be too offended if someone bashes MegaBlocks here, we don't do it with the intent to personally annoy anyone - we are just LEGO die-hards.

Glad to see you! Would love to see what creations you might build with the MB sets.

garsh · Post by **garsh** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 3:25 am

I'm glad you asked, LEGOFREAK!

Now I have another excuse to write a book.

It turns out I'm not disapointed in my Mega Bloks at all, so far. The biggest drawbacks are the lack of a true "system" that allows the almost completely unlimited possibilities of LEGO and the lack of the famous LEGO quality control. I've had at least one improperly molded wall section appear in one castle set (although I'm actually quite pleased with it since it lends more to the appearance of a ruined wall) and one broken weapon that came with my most recent castle. That kind of thing has never happened in any of the dozens of LEGO sets I bought over the years.

Another drawback that I think might get overlooked is all the nice little hidden touches that I remember in LEGO designed models. They would often include hidden passages or stashes for treasures in the most out of the way places that you wouldn't even know about until you're halfway into the building process. Mega Bloks models seldom do that, and in place of those clever design ideas they tend to rely on gimmicks light lights and motorized pieces that conceal hiding places. The gimmicks are a nice touch, but there is definately something to be said for using standard parts and a clever configuration.

In terms of actual brick quality, I've noticed very little difference, which isn't to say none exists. There is a very slight, but barely perceptable difference in the "feel" of Mega Bloks parts these days. They almost feel identical to me--I don't think I could tell with my eyes closed.

I've read that Mega Bloks doesn't use ABS plastic, but I wonder what else they possibly could use. Whatever it is it turns out remarkably similar, so much so that the price difference is far more than worth it to me. Even if I didn't love the themes and sets Mega Bloks is putting out now so much more than anything from LEGO, I would still buy Mega Bloks if only because I can get so much more for the money.

The first time I assembled a couple Mega Bloks Dragons sets I was most stunned at how huge they were. It had been years since I assembled a building set and I was accustomed to very small castles, the largest of them having a footprint of only about a foot square and standing no taller than about a foot. My smallest Mega Bloks castles are commonly a foot tall, often about a foot and a half. They often take up a good three square feet of space. That can be a disadvantage, really, but you sure do get a nice big place to pose your armies if you have room in the house.

Another common complaint I read about Mega Bloks is about grip. It's undeniable that they grip less firmly than new LEGO bricks, but it's not a difference that causes me any problem. In fact, I was very surprised at how comparable it was. It was an even bigger surprise when I pulled out some of my LEGO boxes a few days ago and was building a structure that I was handling like Mega Bloks. With Mega Bloks I grew accustomed to being able to press firmly on the top of large assemblies to attach one assembly to another. Attemtping that with LEGO I ended up with a shower of bricks flying in all directions. Mega Bloks can be more stubborn to get together, but I find once assembled into a secure model, they tend to be more durable than an average LEGO model.

For instance, there are whole assembled tower sections of Mega Bloks models that I'm not afraid to handle seperately from the rest of a castle. During building I can seperate such sections and lay them asside while I make adjustments to other parts. Then I can re-join a whole assembled section that way. Most LEGO models I would not handle in a such a way. Similar LEGO models seem to only be transportable with a base plate, and even that--if a flat one--is flimsy and risky.

On the topic of base plates I should mention that while Mega Bloks base plates are usually very thick and firm, the models often span several plates. That means that you can't just pick up the whole thing and truck it around without it being on another surface. The model simply will not hold the plates together! The sheer size of the models can also make them a bit awkward. Although, I suppose if you had a few plates you could easily stack them in an overlapping staggering fashion which might make it the most secure option available. Often, though, it's just as easy to temporarily disconnect a whole large segment of a model and move the sections on each plate seperately

You mentioned a loss of grip over time with use. So far I haven't experienced this at all. I've kept most of my models together except for a few alternate configurations I played around with before restoring them to the instructed models just for fun. But I have kept a lot of the 2x4 dark grey "masonry" bricks seperate from my models just to fiddle with while I watch TV and so on. Even though I've snapped and seperated them countless times, they still seem to grip almost like new to me. In fact, if there's been any loss, I can't tell. Although I have to admit there's a lot more variation in grip from one brick to another compared to LEGO. Again: quality control.

Re-introducing myself to LEGO after a few years away I found that the difference I imagined wasn't so great, and they didn't quite live up to my memory. Even though the grip variation in bricks is far less with LEGO, it was a lot greater than I remembered. More disapointing than that was how many parts were damaged and broken. Many of my bricks date back about 20 years, so I have plenty that have lost a lot of grip. They've become much looser than any of my Mega Bloks, but again; 20 years...

They're still fun for customs and such, but I'm rarely satisfied with the resemblence a LEGO custom figure shares with its inspiration. I've seen come fantastic minifigure customs--many from those of you here--but they tend to require a lot of cutting and molding of Sculpey. That's fine, but imagine how much better it would be if LEGO or Mega Bloks or whoever actually supplied enough variety in pieces and availabilty to get a good likeness to just about any average character without glue or modeling compounds. Without that, I suppose we just have to rely on licenced themes.

That's another place Mega Bloks really shines, to me. Star Wars figures are really cute in LEGO form. There's a charm to the classic LEGO minifigure that's just satisfying somehow. On the other hand, I find they sometimes stick to the aesthetic formula a little too rigidly. LEGO made a lot of the right compromises with the Star Wars stuff, I think, but they failed in a lot of ways, too.

For instance, it was nice that they molded Yoda a sculpted head, but there's something strange about it. The details are a little soft, as if it's made from resin, and the lack of any paint makes it look more like a statue than flesh. The battle droids look nice, but the legs are molded into one piece, and the hands are permanently molded into an inconvenient pose. I'd much rather have seen a Jabba the Hutt with the kind of paint and detail Mega Bloks would likely have employed. And imagine a Dragons style Rancor! I'm pretty sure I'd be a lot more excited about stormtroopers with sculpted armor and rounded corners on their legs.

So ultimately, I'm very pleased with everything from Mega Bloks. The models are big, detailed and have lots of nice features. They come with lots of great minifigures and oodles of weapons. The colors and textures are much more natural and appeal to me in a way LEGO never could. The bricks look and feel very nice, not at all like less expensive bricks I've encountered. The grip is less reliably standard, but more than firm enough for just about any reasonable model. With comparable bricks, I would feel no less confident about building a LEGO designed model with Mega Bloks parts. Indulging in an alternative has proven to me that LEGO wasn't quite as superior as in my memory, or at least the alternative has gained amazing ground.

The difference in quality is marginal, and in some ways works in reverse, like much better resemblence to licenced characters thanks to less rigid style standards. The difference in creativity, results and price, though, is substantial.

eNiGMa · Post by **eNiGMa** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 3:49 am

Almost thou convinced me to be a blok-buyer... but alas, my loyalty to Lego will never die. But seriously, I must thank you for your "review" on Megabloks. I know it has brought me a better understading of the clone, and it's most likely helped lots of other people here understand, too. Once again, welcome aboard!