Mega Blocks Enterprise ?

**2-1B** · 02-08-2005

Anybody ever get this ?

I'm on a big Lego kick right now so as I scoured the clearance aisle at ShopKo today I came across this Mega Blocks set for $12 . . . I forget what the regular price was but it was much more than that.

I've never done anything with this brand and I'm curious to find out if it will be cool. At that price and considering how much I always enjoyed Star Trek TNG I decided to pick it up. For 12 bucks I can't go wrong.

And it comes with a Picard minifig, too.

**Ji'dai** · 02-08-2005

Mega Blocks?! I've never bought any knock-off brands. I do check out their offerings though when I'm in the aisle. The Enterprise is a neat set but I think their Dragons line is better. They even sell eggs with Dragons in them. I've noticed that TRU is now carrying some of the Best-Lock brand pirate ships too.

There used to be a major quality difference between LEGO and it's competitors. But I think in recent years LEGO has switched to a lower quality plastic since their bricks seem softer and don't fit together with quite the same precision. Still, LEGO has the patent on the stud-and-tube design which makes their bricks lock together extremely well.

**Mandalorian Candidat** · 02-08-2005

Ahhhh! How dare you defile our sacred Lego forum with talk of Mega Blocks, Caesar! May all your Technic rubber bands break and all your teeny pieces become lost! Such blasphemy.

j/k

While you're building the Enterprise set, does the mini Picard figure say "Make it so" ?

**2-1B** · 02-08-2005

In response:

A) I actually thought about putting this thread in Other: Non Star Wars since it's not Lego but then I decided No, the posters in the Lego forum are absolute gentlemen so I can talk about it here since it's in a similar product line. Thanks for proving me wrong, ManCan.

j/k

B) I don't own any Techno sets.

**Mandalorian Candidat** · 02-09-2005

Originally Posted by Caesar

...the posters in the Lego forum are absolute gentlemen...

Obviously you have us confused with another forum.

**LusiferSam** · 02-09-2005

Star Trek!?! Knock off Lego brick?!?

I must be in hell.

I'm to much of a Lego purest to buy another brand. I've not seen the Star Trek stuff, but I have looked at the Dragon stuff. Some of it is impressive, but I don't have way their have so many pre built pieces (I forgot the right term, but it boils down to pieces that could be built from basic bricks) and one use parts (somthing Lego is getting worst and worst at). And like Ji'dai hinted at I've heard Megablocks didn't hold together near as well as legos do.

**2-1B** · 02-09-2005

Indeed.

Hey, I have to retract an earlier statement because last night I built the Dago-Wing and sure enough, there were 6 rubber bands.

I sure hope they don't break on account of a hex.

**Ric Olie** · 02-09-2005

Has anyone noticed how the knock-off Legos like Mega Blocks are pushing the real Legos off of Walmart's shelves? Walmart likes to sale cheap junk and it's hurting Lego's sale but I think Lego is to blame themselves by becoming to expensive and for lowering their quality. I've seen some of the new (non-Star Wars) sets and there's hardly any regular lego bricks in them. It's all these new blocks and accessories. I think Lego has lost sight that it's basic bricks should bethe foundation of all it's sets.

I do think the RotS lego's look incredible and seem to be more old school like the Pirate sets from the late 80s.

**JediTricks** · 02-09-2005

As I have been a Trekkie since birth, before Star Wars was a movie, I have indeed seen the Mega Bloks 1701-D Enterprise in stores and have been repulsed by its lumpiness and use of specialty pieces. Mega Bloks has a model series - of which this set I believe is a member - which is so ugly, it's mainly just empty shell pieces that you shove a bunch of blocks into, this Enterprise isn't even the attractive shell mostly, so there's no real rounded shape, and it's all bricks making up the curves rather than thinner plates.

As for the quality of Mega Bloks, they've always been fairly substandard, they don't hold too well and they often have pointy corners and flash. Most of their designs have been pretty poor I feel, but a few have been decent. Generally, I don't waste my time with 'em.

As for WM, they seem to not really want a building bricks section at all, both companies (Lego & Mega Bloks) are poorly represented at my WM stores. I think it's as much a problem with the last few weak years at Lego which forced them to oust their management as it is the cheaper costs of Mega Bloks.

**Ji'dai** · 02-10-2005

Originally Posted by Ric Olie

Has anyone noticed how the knock-off Legos like Mega Blocks are pushing the real Legos off of Walmart's shelves? Walmart likes to sale cheap junk and it's hurting Lego's sale but I think Lego is to blame themselves by becoming to expensive and for lowering their quality. I've seen some of the new (non-Star Wars) sets and there's hardly any regular lego bricks in them. It's all these new blocks and accessories. I think Lego has lost sight that it's basic bricks should bethe foundation of all it's sets.

I do think the RotS lego's look incredible and seem to be more old school like the Pirate sets from the late 80s.

When the first Pirate sets were released in 1989 I was no longer collecting toys but I helped my cousin build a pirate ship he got for his birthday that year. As I was working on it, I still remember thinking that LEGO had really depreciated in value from the "old school" sets I grew up with in late 70s and early 80s. Those Pirate ships came with pre-molded hull pieces and other one-use specialty elements. Except for the "floating" Boats, the hulls of LEGO ships of old used to be made from the ground up with bricks. Of course I had no idea it would get much worse. "Juniorization" of LEGO dominated the designs of most sets released from 1996-99. I think they've made a good effort since then in returning to the quality adult collectors love though.