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Clone Brands

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  • cody6268cody6268 Member Posts: 298
    cody6268 said:

    chromedigi said:

    @cody6268 - What I was trying to ask about the Woma sets was what brand(s) they were selling under, since I haven't as yet seen any of the Chinese clones in stores being sold under their own brands. So, for example, Woma selling as Block Tech, or whatever.

    I'm not sure about the brand of the Woma sets that I found at Dollar General. It's probably been a couple of years since I bought one. I think it was labeled as just a generic building set. Plus, there's another clone, a small $1 set of uncompatible parts that do not build much. I had a few when I was little. These parts will be removed from the Lego bins and likely disposed of. Last Christmas, there were some Block Tech ones, knockoffs of the Lego Tiny Turbos.

    The Family Dollar mechs had Woma and the Woma logo right on the box. I had a hinge for the cockpit on the orange and blue mech that was bent, but I replaced it with a tan Best Lock one.

    cody6268 said:

    chromedigi said:

    @cody6268 - What I was trying to ask about the Woma sets was what brand(s) they were selling under, since I haven't as yet seen any of the Chinese clones in stores being sold under their own brands. So, for example, Woma selling as Block Tech, or whatever.

    I'm not sure about the brand of the Woma sets that I found at Dollar General. It's probably been a couple of years since I bought one. I think it was labeled as just a generic building set. Plus, there's another different clone, a small $1 set of incompatible parts that has some signs, ugly figures, and some bricks, plate and wheels. I had a few when I was little. These parts will be removed from the Lego bins and likely disposed of. Last Christmas, there were some Block Tech ones, knockoffs of the Lego Tiny Turbos.

    The Family Dollar mechs had Woma and the Woma logo right on the box. I had a hinge for the cockpit on the orange and blue mech that was bent, but I replaced it with a tan Best Lock one.

    Mud Puddle, huh? That probably the oddest name for a clone that I've seen

    Also, here's a link to a site selling pretty much blatant copies of Lego sets.

    http://www.brickstoyz.com/index.php?cPath=2&osCsid=dae8c14e389fb979c2b96c283b324d8c

  • vitreolumvitreolum Member Posts: 1,406
    More bloody pathetic fakes. Helluva mix between Ninjago and SW.

  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    ^ Not just that, but one of the boxes has the minifigs wrong if you compare the panel with the picture.
  • vitreolumvitreolum Member Posts: 1,406
    Haha, yeah. Didn't notice that the first time. Hack job at it's finest.
  • BastaBasta Member Posts: 1,259
    First one looks like a cross between Star Wars and Ninjago. Must have 5 year old set designers.
  • vitreolumvitreolum Member Posts: 1,406
    They don't need designers, only a set of original lego instructions and someone to change the colors. :))
  • plasmodiumplasmodium Member Posts: 1,956
    The commander Gree on the lefthand box is a custom, too (or at least is holding a custom weapon). Someone's been doing a bit of Google-imaging...
  • cody6268cody6268 Member Posts: 298
    Just brought home a few $1 Block Tech sets. Very poor design, no minifigs, and silly names like "Space Drome"
  • cody6268cody6268 Member Posts: 298
    edited October 2013
    vitreolum said:

    More bloody pathetic fakes. Helluva mix between Ninjago and SW.

    Seems more like they're crossing Ninjago with Star Wars than making knockoffs
  • jockosjunglejockosjungle Member Posts: 701
    Wilkinsons in Bury had a knock off pick a brick wall, every brick seemed to have an imperfection in it. 3.50 for a decent sized tub.
  • masterX244masterX244 Member Posts: 532
    edited October 2013
    @vitroleum
    but the package can be their nail on the coffin by getting Disney pissed as the owner of the IP and the design
  • jockosjunglejockosjungle Member Posts: 701
    Hard to tell who should be the one to challenge them, Lego as the product being ripped off or Disney for using their IP. It might make Lego try a little harder if Disney is putting pressure on them.

    However to be honest, I have seen fake Lego, but not often do I see a fake lego set like the SW ones shown above, is it really that big an issue to them?

    I knew at 5 years old playing in the box of Lego at school, that the Tyco superblocks mixed in with the Lego were nof a poor construction and didn't really fit and should never be used to create a model
  • vitreolumvitreolum Member Posts: 1,406
    Stumbled upon these...
  • andheandhe Member Posts: 3,914
    ^Online or in the UK? Not that I want to get involved in purchasing illegal knock-offs. If they're infiltrating the UK it makes ebay purchases of individual figures decidely more dicey.
  • ObserverObserver Member Posts: 60
    Those look awesome. If the price is right I'm in for any clone brand.
  • samiam391samiam391 Member Posts: 4,486
    Observer said:

    Those look awesome. If the price is right I'm in for any clone brand.

    While paying a higher price isn't always indicative of better quality, I believe it to be the case with LEGO versus clone brands. That's not even mentioning the fact it's blatant copyright infringement.

    Buy some clone brands if you are so keen on them, and see how they they hold up over the years. I doubt you'll find them so "awesome" then :o)
    vitreolum
  • flakmaniakflakmaniak Member Posts: 50
    I am sure that those who want full superhero collections would be well served by such knockoffs, and I say that sincerely. (Provided the printing is good, that is.) Seems fine for minifig collectors.

    However, I'm really not about the minifigs and all about the building, so I can't abide clones. The Tyco bricks I have at home are fine, and maybe if I came across some Star Diamond I would like them, but other than that I don't think I could bring myself to use them. (Speaking of Tyco, many of you recall Tyco being terrible; perhaps there were two eras of Tyco, to account for the fine part quality I've experienced, and the terrible quality some of you have spoken of?)

    As for Mega Bloks, whether their quality is still terrible or not, their designs are too jarringly different from Lego's for them to make sense together. I like that they're doing their own thing and their part designs seem fine for their purposes, but it's not for me. Lego's elegance is, in my view, much better than Mega Bloks' detail. Different strokes. (Mega Bloks' and Kre-O's licenses also don't appeal to me, but then I'm not really into Lego's licenses either. I guess I'm just in it for the Lego.)
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    flakmaniak said:

    I am sure that those who want full superhero collections would be well served by such knockoffs, and I say that sincerely. (Provided the printing is good, that is.) Seems fine for minifig collectors.

    Only if their definition of "full" is incomplete with knock-offs filling the gaps.
    vitreolum
  • jdylakjdylak Member Posts: 281
    CCC said:

    flakmaniak said:

    I am sure that those who want full superhero collections would be well served by such knockoffs, and I say that sincerely. (Provided the printing is good, that is.) Seems fine for minifig collectors.

    Only if their definition of "full" is incomplete with knock-offs filling the gaps.
    Yea, I'm a minifigure collector and no way are those fine for me. I collect "Lego" minifigures, not rip offs.

    kor
  • vitreolumvitreolum Member Posts: 1,406
    andhe said:

    ^Online or in the UK? Not that I want to get involved in purchasing illegal knock-offs. If they're infiltrating the UK it makes ebay purchases of individual figures decidely more dicey.

    Found these in a local marketplace in Romania.

    I believe they are the boxed versions of these:

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8PCS-SUPERMAN-BATMAN-IRON-MAN-THOR-SPIDEY-HULK-WOLVERINE-CAPTAIN-AMERICA-FIGURE-/261332148527?pt=UK_Construction_Toys_Kits&hash=item3cd89c212f
  • samiam391samiam391 Member Posts: 4,486
    flakmaniak said:

    I am sure that those who want full superhero collections would be well served by such knockoffs, and I say that sincerely. (Provided the printing is good, that is.) Seems fine for minifig collectors.

    However, I'm really not about the minifigs and all about the building, so I can't abide clones. The Tyco bricks I have at home are fine, and maybe if I came across some Star Diamond I would like them, but other than that I don't think I could bring myself to use them. (Speaking of Tyco, many of you recall Tyco being terrible; perhaps there were two eras of Tyco, to account for the fine part quality I've experienced, and the terrible quality some of you have spoken of?)

    As for Mega Bloks, whether their quality is still terrible or not, their designs are too jarringly different from Lego's for them to make sense together. I like that they're doing their own thing and their part designs seem fine for their purposes, but it's not for me. Lego's elegance is, in my view, much better than Mega Bloks' detail. Different strokes. (Mega Bloks' and Kre-O's licenses also don't appeal to me, but then I'm not really into Lego's licenses either. I guess I'm just in it for the Lego.)

    The exact same way you feel about knock-off sets is the same way that minifigure collectors feel about knock-off minifigures.

    While I can understand someone who is more into building than collecting minifigures saying such a thing, I can assure that it is entirely not true in the slightest.

    Simply put, knock-offs are:
    -Poor Quality
    -Potentially Toxic
    -Poor Printing
    -Exactly what they are, knock-offs. Regarding the super hero minifigures referenced above, those are blatant rip-offs of another company's intellectual property.

    So again, the same way you feel about your blocks is the same way I feel about my blocks. We expect the same from our blocks. The only difference is your blocks build sets, and mine build minifigures. :o)
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Even if they were excellent quality, excellent print, same standards as Lego - they are still knockoffs. For some that is not a problem. But a completist is not a completist if they use substitutes to fill in expensive gaps.
  • vitreolumvitreolum Member Posts: 1,406
    To put it plainly, you can't have a LEGO minifigure collection without ... well ... LEGO minifigures.
  • Bosstone100Bosstone100 Member Posts: 1,431
    edited November 2013
    For Super Heroes, I may consider it. I'm not paying $200 for an SDCC Green Lantern or Green Arrow, etc. Paying $10 or less for a knock off doesn't bother me if it's a character I can't get it otherwise. I've considered the nice custom figures out there but paying $20+ for any minifig is a little ridiculous. I certainly wouldn't buy a knock off of something I can get in a regular set at a reasonable price. Frankly, those companies making the knock offs are also missing the boat if they don't do their own characters, especially the CC figs.

    If that's your cup of tea and you feel it is worth it, then that's fine with me.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    I can understand having fakes as they are cheap. But if you are going to have a $3 fake rather than a $200 real thing, then why not have a $3 fake instead of a $10 real thing?
  • SloggheadSlogghead Member Posts: 4
    I saw one of the "Starjago" sets and laughed. Some of the pieces were almost translucent and thick mold lines.
  • hawkeyehawkeye Member Posts: 7
    I find some of the clone sets good. As some one who has just gotten back in to lego and building up my collection again. If I had the TARDIS from character build or the Daleks. Or kreo star trek and transformers set as a kid I'd not turn my nose up they would have complemented my lego. It's all well and good to have purists but if another company is producing a theme and line that your into then so be it
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    The fakes without the identifying packet (listed as used) are starting to show up on ebay actually labelled as lego now too...

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/minifigure-super-hero-spiderman-lego-figure-/261340919089?pt=UK_ToysGames_ActionFigures_ActionFigures_JN&hash=item3cd921f531

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/minifigure-super-hero-avengers-iron-man-lego-figure-/261340920117?pt=UK_ToysGames_ActionFigures_ActionFigures_JN&hash=item3cd921f935

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/minifigure-super-hero-avengers-captain-america-lego-figure-/261340921415?pt=UK_ToysGames_ActionFigures_ActionFigures_JN&hash=item3cd921fe47

  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    And this style of listing, calling them rejects. They'd be better off buying the real thing.


    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-CAPTAIN-AMERICA-FIGURE-PRINT-REJECT-2/390713879475?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m1851&_trkparms=aid=222002&algo=SIC.FIT&ao=1&asc=286&meid=3117043281046575179&pid=100005&prg=1048&rk=2&rkt=5&sd=390713877898&
  • andheandhe Member Posts: 3,914
    edited December 2013
    £10.50 for a clone brand Captain America... Ouch. I expect someone's going to be getting some negative feedback very soon.

    ...Begun the Clone war has.
    plasmodiumbluemodern
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    I just hope the buyer realises it is a fake.

  • legomasonlegomason Member Posts: 190
    Looks like the feet are a little rounded on the sides.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    ^ Yes, that's how I knew they were the fake ones.
  • cody6268cody6268 Member Posts: 298
    jockosjungle said:

    Hard to tell who should be the one to challenge them, Lego as the product being ripped off or Disney for using their IP. It might make Lego try a little harder if Disney is putting pressure on them.

    However to be honest, I have seen fake Lego, but not often do I see a fake lego set like the SW ones shown above, is it really that big an issue to them?

    I knew at 5 years old playing in the box of Lego at school, that the Tyco superblocks mixed in with the Lego were nof a poor construction and didn't really fit and should never be used to create a model

    I've used some, they are poor quality and soft plastic compared to that of LEGO.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Another seller selling fake items using disclaimers ...

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/lego-minifigure-Captain-America-New-/181236192397
  • paul_mertonpaul_merton Member Posts: 2,967
    ^ Not even a very good disclaimer. "Custom Lego" should still be Lego!
  • JeffHJeffH Member Posts: 173
    ^^That one could be a genuine article though. The shade at the figure's feet could be reflect lighting issue from the base plate. The printing looks pretty accurate.
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,760
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Construction-Conveyor-set-Building-Blocks-lego-241-pcs-5686-Free-Gift-/281107318664?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item41734d4788

    Now the 'Exploiter' line...
  • TheLoneTensorTheLoneTensor Member Posts: 3,937
    Hey, you get a free "plane" too.
  • suprajamessuprajames Member Posts: 366
    Funny looking "Plane", could have sworn the thing that flies with a "spinny roundy bit" on top is called a helicopter :)
  • SuperTrampSuperTramp Member Posts: 1,021
    ^Ive found the helicopter,

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fire-Rescue-Helicopter-3-1-Building-Blocks-Lego-124pcs-5656-Free-Gift-/271306262118?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item3f2b1d0666

    Oh no wait, thats the Firescenter.
  • legoprodslegoprods Member Posts: 445
    'Feed 'im to the pigs.'
  • scrumperscrumper Member Posts: 317
    The fire helicopter is great. You can rebuild it into a fire err...pile of bricks or a fire submarine!
  • Wil348Wil348 Member Posts: 240
    *sees helicopter labeled as "plane"*

    My IQ just dropped a little. I give up.
  • jasonord69ajasonord69a Member Posts: 462
    edited January 2014
    A couple of images to show the apparantly good quality of the fake minifigures coming out of china. I won't put a link to the page, just know that they are available to purchase by anybody who finds the site from $2 each.

    I used the site last year for some non lego stuff, not knowing it was all fake and the quality was definately questionable.
  • jediami65jediami65 Member Posts: 474
    I don't understand how Ebay lets these guys sell this stuff it is completely against, trademark, Patent and other laws. I think it makes them accomplices to illegal activity that I hope soon bites them in the A$$!!! I wont' buy that fake stuff to save a dollar, my kids are worth more..thanks
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    It will be removed if the copyright owner complains. They don't which is why eBay let them be sold.
  • ninjagolightlyninjagolightly Member Posts: 140
    I recently bought some MB Halo sets at Target because they were insanely discounted. I never had any issues with any of the MB sets I gave my kid to build when he was younger, so I don't have any particular bias against... mainly, I am just not interested in their themes, neither is my kid, and the price is generally just as high as LEGO on a per-piece basis. I have no interest in the Halo franchise, but the couple of smaller sets I have built so far were enjoyable. I am coming off a disastrous experience with my last official LEGO build... the Ninjago Fire Mech, which despite its amazing design and price point, was marred by pieces that simply would not stay together. It was the most frustrating experience I've ever had with LEGO and put me off building sets for a while. More and more in MOC building, too, I find myself with the feeling that the parts lack enough grip, or traction or whatever TLG calls it. So I was very pleased that the MB parts went together with a distinctive click and ample, perhaps excessive (I found pieces a bit difficult to separate) grip. I also like the metallic colors they are using in these kits, very cool looking and nothing like anything in LEGO's palette. The downsides were definitely the badly written instructions, not a patch on LEGO's, and the unattractive mold lines on some, but not all, pieces. It seems like more of a design than manufacturing problem... for some reason, certain pieces have the flashing or whatever you call it on one of the studs, ugly little white dots, while others don't and look fine. Two things that surprised me most: the number of interesting SNOT pieces that are not available in LEGO, which I will definitely be using in MOCs, and the huge number of extra pieces, many of which are not duplicates of pieces used in the model... just bonus pieces. I got like 15 extra pieces in one kit with under 100 official pieces. Oh, and the figures, of course, are like little regular action figures, I guess they would be cool to people who like action figures but they don't interest me compared to minifigs, as they lack a sense of being of the same substance or character, so to speak, as the bricks... they seem more like a different type of toy stuck in the same box. Bottom line is, I will definitely be buying more MBs I find at deep discount, just for the bricks in interesting shapes and colors.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    edited January 2014
    One of my kids got one of these as a present ...

    image

    Character Building construct-a-bugz. They zoom around on the floor and spin round when they crash. 13 pieces for about £4-5 (price checked online). They are actually not too bad. You can sit a lego minifig on the top to get them to ride around - in fact, with care you can get three minifigs on top. He only got one of them, but if you get more they are mix-and-match. Quite fun, and something lego don't do.

    The wings fit on normal lego bars, as the clips are the same size.
  • ninjagolightlyninjagolightly Member Posts: 140
    Those bugz things don't seem to be readily available in the US, otherwise I might pick one up.
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