The name of this subject is conjectural.Although this article is based on an official subject, its actual name is pure conjecture. Big figure refers to the sub type of Minifigure that is usually taller and more bulky than standard minifigures. Often appearing in licensed themes, they consist of the same articulation as standard minifigures, but have one less piece (9). In design, bulky minifigures are very similar to the standard Minifigure design, yet the look completely different. LEGO The Hobbit: The Video GameLego will manufacture Big Bang Theory sets designed by fans, while it is considering a pair of Doctor Who designs – and could approve X-Men and Ghostbusters in the coming months The Doctor Who Lego set, from user AndrewClark2. Lego will manufacture Big Bang Theory sets designed by fans, while it is considering a pair of Doctor Who designs – and could approve X-Men and Ghostbusters in the coming months Lego have been targeting fans of cult film and TV for some time, with sets that recreate Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman and more.
Now they’re set to be joined by that cult show about cult shows, The Big Bang Theory, as well as potentially the most revered of all: Doctor Who. The toy company has announced the latest successes from its Lego Ideas initiative, in which fans upload designs for proposed Lego sets. The plans must accrue at least 10,000 votes from the Lego Ideas community, and then pass a rigorous review process from Lego based on “playability, safety, and fit with the LEGO brand”, and whether any relevant licences can be secured. If they’re successful, the sets will be manufactured, with the designers receiving a 1% share of the net sales – as well as immortality amongst the Lego fan community. The figures from the Big Bang Theory Lego set, now approved for manufacture. The Big Bang Theory set is based on the wildly popular sitcom of the same name, about a group of science students and their fitfully amusing encounters with the opposite sex, and features all the characters in their living room surrounded by whiteboards, telescopes and Chinese food.
“This Lego set will be a true match made in scientific heaven (well, actually in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene),” promised Lego’s Peter Espersen in the announcement, “because the brilliant characters in this popular American TV show appreciate Lego bricks.” It was created by Lego Ideas users Alatariel and GlenBricker, respectively a Dutch isotope geochemist and a Texan computer programmer when they’re not tinkering with bricks. Glenbricker also has a hand in another design still under review by the company, for a Doctor Who Lego set – one of two being considered. It features an exterior Tardis model and an interior console, as well as five minifigures, three Daleks and trusty robotic pooch K-9. Voters could champion various Doctors and sidekicks for the final selection, including David Tennant and Peter Capaldi’s incarnations alongside the likes of Amy Pond and Jack Harkness. The Doctor Who Lego design from users Glenbricker and Kaminoan. Its rival design, from user AndrewClark2, features Cybermen, a console that can tip over following a Dalek attack, and even a Lego scarf for the Tom Baker Doctor.
Lego has said that each are still in the running for potential manufacture. Also approved for production is Lego Birds, a charming project from Bristolian gardener and Lego fan Tom Poulson, who has created designs for robins, blue jays and violet-eared hummingbirds. Along with the Big Bang Theory set, it joins a series of other projects borne out of Lego Ideas since it was launched in 2008 as a collaboration with crowdsourcing platform Cuusoo. The first successful project was a model of the Shinkai 6500, a research submarine – since then, seven other ideas that have made their way to the shelves, including a model of the Curiosity rover used on Mars, a 30th anniversary Ghostbusters set, and the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future (complete with mini skateboard for Marty McFly). Tom Poulson’s designs for a robin, as part of his Lego Birds project. The next group of sets to reach 10,000 votes will go under review for potential manufacture. They include an X-Men mansion, the Ghostbusters fire house, WALL-E, and the Hubble Space Telescope.
It all comes at a time when Lego is enjoying a cultural renaissance. Thanks to ill-starred ventures into clothing, dolls and other brand expansions, the company was close to collapse around 2003, when it was losing £150m a year. But the Danish company has since turned itself around in sensational style, quadrupling revenues in less than ten years, and earning a fanatical subculture who mass at events like the forthcoming Brick2014, hosted at London’s ExCel centre from 27 November. It’s recently crossed over into the art world, with Ai Weiwei using the bricks in his installation in Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, while Nathan Sawaya’s Art of the Brick exhibition, featuring Lego sculptures, has proved a global hit. The Lego Movie meanwhile has proved a dream marketing coup, earning rapturous reviews and grossing $468m worldwide since its release earlier this year.Today I would like to address a subject that often comes up in comments but we haven’t fully explored in an article as of yet.
So here it goes; LEGO vs. Mega Bloks. Mega Bloks is a Canadian company, that is basically looked at as a LEGO rip-off and copycat by LEGO fans, with lower quality products and cheaper prices. They use the same studs-and-tubes design as LEGO, package their sets similarly, and their sole purpose seems to be to trick parents and kids into buying a Mega Blocks set instead of a LEGO one. However Mega Blocks also has a niche for themselves by owning some unique licenses – something that LEGO fans may find interesting and venture to explore. Mega Bloks have the rights for making Thomas the Tank Engine, Hello Kitty, Need for Speed, Halo, World of Warcraft, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Skylanders Giants, and Call of Duty sets. Some of you may comment “LEGO is best and all other brands are evil rip-offs that should be burned!” – but hear me through before throwing stones bricks at me, and perhaps you will gain a different perspective. I own both LEGO and Mega Bloks sets and have fairly extensive experience with both.
In addition I’m one of those people who are not afraid to mix the two brands for an extended building experience. As this is a LEGO vs. Mega Bloks post, I will compare the two brands in various categories so you might gain a better understanding of the similarities and differences. Of course we are all familiar with LEGO minifigures; they are cute and chubby with a yellow skin (except for the licenses minifigs). LEGO minifigures are all made up of the same, fully compatible body-parts, so you can mix and match them any way you like. They also fit within the LEGO system with multiple attachment points. In recent years there has been a lot of focus on minifigures due to demand by LEGO fans and collectors, which resulted in a greater variety of facial expressions, better quality and more detailed printing, and even a series of collectible minifigures. Mega Bloks figures are very different from LEGO’s little guys. They have articulated joints for a much wider range of posing.
This is their biggest advantage. Most of them have unique moulds – which means they are not as interchangeable and customizable as LEGO minifigs. In fact, trying to pop together the mini ball-joints proves to be quite a challenge and many times impossible. In Mega Bloks sets the figures come fully assembled, whereas in their collectible packets they come in parts and you need to assemble them. LEGO has been releasing a wide range of accessories for minifigures; tools, weapons, body-armor, backpacks, and more. The details on the accessories tend to be general in nature, so the same design can fit into many different themes, and even serve different purposes. (For example a minifigure-size dinner-plate can serve as a decoration on a building, or a minifigure tool can become part of an engine.) As far as Mega Bloks, I only own their HALO line of products, so I can mainly compare guns and backpacks, not everyday tools and other weaponry. In general, Mega Bloks accessories are much more detailed and only serve one purpose.
They even come with printed highlights to make them as accurate as possible. They are popular with LEGO customizers who are looking for accuracy and detail. (Mega Bloks accessories are compatible with LEGO minifigures as even though LEGO and Mega Bloks figures are quite different, their size is about the same and they both have claw-like hands.) LEGO is known to be an expensive toy. Their mid-priced sets are in the $30-$50 range, which is not pocket-change. And not to speak of the larger sets! The advantage though is that LEGO elements are fully compatible and you can re-use them in an unlimited variety of ways. The same piece can be a brick in a castle-wall, or part of an engine. There are no junk-pieces in LEGO that can only be used for one thing. All pieces are used over and over in many different sets for many years, even decades. They can all interconnect in a variety of ways and be part of the full system. If you have just a medium-ish LEGO collection you can reuse the parts again and again without having to buy more and more sets.
This variability, and the fact that LEGO elements are very high quality gives them tremendous long-term value. The downside of this is that it is harder to achieve life-like detailing with LEGO. You would need to build in a fairly large scale and use many small elements if you want to be as realistic as possible. Mega Bloks, although based on the same studs-and-tubes system as LEGO, doesn’t focus as much on compatibility and connectivity, but more on life-like details. Their sets are more like models or maquettes that are fit together as a jig-saw puzzle, reusability of the elements and fitting into a comprehensive system is not the focus. They make a lot of specialized large pieces that are only available in one set. Making your own custom models and landscapes would be significantly difficult. You can also end up with heaps of pieces that you can only use one way and have little long-term value or play-value in general. Mega Bloks is also known for lesser quality and precision, which is reflected in the cheaper prices.
But they make things like camo-bricks with different colors fused together, which is very cool. Building instructions for LEGO sets are pretty easy to follow. In fact, there has been a lot of improvement in the last few years; colors are easier to differentiate, trickier assemblies have zoomed-in views, and there is a list of parts added in each step. Also, for larger sets bags are numbered so it is easier to build the set in sections instead of dumping all the parts in one big pile and searching endlessly. Mega Bloks building instructions take a slightly different approach. I found them to be a bit harder to follow – probably because I’m more familiar with LEGO’s instructions. I like the fact that they highlight the studs were a new piece goes. However they do not include numbered bags, even for their larger sets, which makes them very hard to figure out and put together, wasting a lot of time searching for parts. Overall, I would say that the LEGO system is a better value because of its connectivity, quality, and by giving you the ability to use and reuse the elements in pretty much unlimited ways.