Is Lego Spongebob Bad?

SailorAugust

Hello all! I was wondering, are the Lego Spongebob sets bad? I'm mostly referring in comparison to the MegaBloks line. I personally love the Lego Spongebob sets, as we got recreations of the Chum Bucket, Sandy's Rocket, Glove World, the Kusty Krab, and Spongebob's house. But opinions are subjective. Do you like the Lego Spongebob sets? And would you like to see Lego regain the rights to produce Spongebob sets? I know i would, as then we can get Mermaid Man nad Barnacle Boy minifigures! I'd love to hear what you guys have to say! Thank you very much!

bookmum

I got a second hand Lego spongebob set a couple of weeks ago and then 3 mini megabloks sets. I personally like the Lego figures better. Well I mean Bob vs Bob as I don't have any other characters doubled up. I think the lego one was just a bit cuter. I can't really compare the sets as the megabloks ones were tiny with hardly any bits to build. I have many Minions megabloks sets and if I was going to compare vs lego I find larger megabloks sometimes a bit confusing to build. So really if the rights were up for grabs again I would prefer lego to have those rights. 

Aanchir

I feel like compared to the Mega Bloks Krusty Krab, the LEGO Krusty Krab in #3825 is stronger and the one in #3833 is weaker. The Mega Bloks version does have some aspects both LEGO ones omit, like the antenna on top and the doors to the employee area and Mr. Krabs' office, but other details are realized poorly (e.g. none of the doors actually open, and the cashier's counter loses its distinctive boat shape). I haven't built the Mega Bloks one so I don't know what it offers in terms of a play and building experience, but I'll grant that it does have a higher piece count than both LEGO versions, as well as a higher price.

The Mega Bloks version of Spongebob and Squidward's houses is smaller and simpler than its LEGO counterparts #3837, #3834, and #3818, but the exterior is arguably a lot more authentic. The molded, opening porthole windows on both houses feel more accurate than the printed and brick-built ones in the LEGO versions, and the straight slopes of Squidward's house and smooth curves of Spongebob's feel more accurate than the uneven slopes and hinges of their LEGO counterparts. The interiors of 3818 and 3834 both have a clear advantage over both the Mega Bloks version and 3837, with Spongebob's bed, pictures of both Gary and Patrick, and Squidward's clarinet and art studio, though the Mega Bloks version is the only one to include Squidward's bathtub, a common fixture in the show.

The Mega Bloks Buildable SpongeBob set is stronger than LEGO #3826 in some ways and weaker in others. The mouth of the Mega Bloks version is a great improvement since it is brick-built rather than a sticker. His hands seem superior to the LEGO version's and he has more props like his fry cook hat, jellyfish net, and Krabby Patty. But the Mega Bloks version's eyes are terribly off-model compared to the LEGO version — too small and too far apart. Neither version really fully captures the character's spongy texture. I'd call that comparison a draw.

I think as an old-school SpongeBob fan I'm inclined to give LEGO the advantage in terms of variety of subject matter, in spite of its repetition over the years. The LEGO range includes an abundance of distinctive show settings and vehicles that do not appear in the Mega Bloks range like Sandy's rocket, the Bikini Bottom bus, Mrs. Puff's Boating School, the hospital, the Chum Bucket, and the Flying Dutchman. The Mega Bloks range does include the only depiction of the Invisible Boat-Mobile, though it can't really be judged on its authenticity since in the show it is, of course, invisible. Mega Bloks also includes sets based on "Sponge Out Of Water", but I haven't seen that so I can't really judge them on their authenticity and am not really interested in them anyway.

On the other hand, Mega Bloks's characters are more varied, authentic, and customizable than the LEGO versions due to their greater use of specialized parts. I got the Mega Bloks SpongeBob exclusive figure at a TRU building event, so I can attest that the quality of the figure itself was quite good, although the clutch power of the accessories like the top hat and cane left something to be desired. Mega Bloks sold way more low-priced SpongeBob figure packs and vignettes than LEGO did, which indicates that the characters were a big focus for them. LEGO might have benefited in some ways from a similar approach, since the characters of SpongeBob SquarePants tend to be far more iconic, memorable, and "toyetic" than its settings. Then again, LEGO as a whole tends to emphasize building to a greater extent than Mega Bloks.

Honestly, both the LEGO and Mega Bloks ranges seem alright. However, I am not a big enough SpongeBob fan that I'd feel inclined to collect either brand's SpongeBob sets post-retirement. I would not mind one bit if LEGO re-acquired the SpongeBob SquarePants license, and I imagine they'd do a good job with it. But speaking honestly I would probably not collect the new sets, since SpongeBob SquarePants as a brand doesn't excite me anywhere near as much as it did ten years ago (and since I've pretty much always been more drawn to the LEGO Group's in-house IPs than their licensed ones anyhow)

CCC

Do I like them? No. As they are aimed at young kids that like a cartoon I don't like either. But asks kids / adults that like the show, and they will probably like them. Which is fine, but also the problem with many licensed sets.

bookmum

Thinking about it, as much as the sets are fun, Spongebob really isn't as hugely popular as he was a few years ago. Children I know will watch him if he is on the before/after school TV schedule but if he isn't on they don't really think about it. Here in the UK it's all pokemon and dinosaur King and adventure time that are the in thing, but that is just because that is what is showing on TV. It would be nice to have spongebob lego again but I don't think it would sell that well.

SumoLego

No doubt the Lego versions are much better.  

Frankly, the MB sets are better compared to the Imaginext Fisher Price playsets.

willobee498

Without owning a single set from either company, I think MB has a big advantage by having the characters made from a bunch of specialized parts. Cartoon characters with weird proportions (especially when they are humanoid sea critters) can't always be pounded into the shape of a Lego minifigure without losing some of their charm.

Wookie2

I'm not a huge fan of the earlier Lego Spongebob sets but I really like the later ones as they seem much nicer and were more appealing. Some of the MB stuff looks good but I much prefer Lego and own several of the sets including Glove World, Heroic Heroes of the Deep, The Flying Dutchman, Bikini Bottom Undersea Party, and Krusty Krab. I wouldn't want any more sets to be released though as I think there's enough and some are easy to obtain off eBay relatively cheaply