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In lugnet.general, Joe Meno wrote:
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Hi all,
This is from a friend of mine, Gareth Bowler:
Got into my first 2004 sets today; the MINI star destroyer set, and
promptly scrapped them for parts, only to find, to my shock and dismay,
that the colors don’t match. Further more, the studs are rounded, making
connections significantly weaker, and the parts overall just have a cheaper
feel to them.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Guybrush/Official/colordiff.jpg
The two parts labelled “old” are both from 2003 sets, and have never had a
chance to yellow or been exposed to sunlight. The photo was not altered in
any way and is the raw output from my scanner.
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Now I haven’t actually seen the new grey colors in person yet but based on the
pictures it looks like LEGO is now matching their light and dark grey colors to
the ones Mega Bloks uses. Now if the new colors are in addition to the existing
colors then I think that is awesome. If the new colors are replacements, I think
that is the single greatest act of stupidity TLC has commited. LEGO quality is
suppossed to be above that of Mega Bloks.
-Mike Petrucelli
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In lugnet.general, Mike Petrucelli wrote:
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Now I haven’t actually seen the new grey colors in person yet but based on
the pictures it looks like LEGO is now matching their light and dark grey
colors to the ones Mega Bloks uses.
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That was my initial thought on seeing the new dark gray, too. Now it won’t be
so obvious when Lego and Mega Bloks are blended together in a MOC. :-P
Mark (ducks)
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> In lugnet.general, Mike Petrucelli wrote:
> > Now I haven't actually seen the new grey colors in person yet but based on
> > the pictures it looks like LEGO is now matching their light and dark grey
> > colors to the ones Mega Bloks uses.
This would not be unprecedented. After all, New Coke was an attempt to make the
product taste more like Pepsi.
In lugnet.general, Mark Riley wrote:
> That was my initial thought on seeing the new dark gray, too. Now it won't
> be so obvious when Lego and Mega Bloks are blended together in a MOC. :-P
There's an easy way to identify the MegaBloks -- shake the model gently and see
which pieces fall off!
- Chris
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In lugnet.general, Chris Phillips wrote:
> > In lugnet.general, Mike Petrucelli wrote:
> > > Now I haven't actually seen the new grey colors in person yet but based on
> > > the pictures it looks like LEGO is now matching their light and dark grey
> > > colors to the ones Mega Bloks uses.
>
> This would not be unprecedented. After all, New Coke was an attempt to make the
> product taste more like Pepsi.
>
> In lugnet.general, Mark Riley wrote:
> > That was my initial thought on seeing the new dark gray, too. Now it won't
> > be so obvious when Lego and Mega Bloks are blended together in a MOC. :-P
>
> There's an easy way to identify the MegaBloks -- shake the model gently and see
> which pieces fall off!
Well that was the case 4 or 5 years ago. As of 2 to 3 years ago Mega Bloks is
much improved. Only the occasional 1x1 part suffers this problem now but there
are usually 10 to 20 extras so you can get one that makes the model work. I am
very happy with the navy ships I own. (TLC dosent' make them, their loss)
-Mike Petrucelli
FUX to lugnet.off-topic.clonebrands
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In lugnet.general, Mike Petrucelli wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Chris Phillips wrote:
> > In lugnet.general, Mark Riley wrote:
> > > That was my initial thought on seeing the new dark gray, too. Now it won't
> > > be so obvious when Lego and Mega Bloks are blended together in a MOC. :-P
> >
> > There's an easy way to identify the MegaBloks -- shake the model gently and see
> > which pieces fall off!
>
> Well that was the case 4 or 5 years ago. As of 2 to 3 years ago Mega Bloks is
> much improved. Only the occasional 1x1 part suffers this problem now but there
> are usually 10 to 20 extras so you can get one that makes the model work. I am
> very happy with the navy ships I own. (TLC dosent' make them, their loss)
I have to agree. I'm holding a chunk of dark gray blocks from a recent MB set
and they all stick together very well, the colors of the various parts match and
the bricks themselves line up nicely so that surfaces that are supposed to be
smooth are smooth. Unfortunately, I have recently noticed that my Lego blocks
do not always create smooth surfaces. Take a look at this picture and see how
uneven the surface created by the blocks is:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=519085
I've noticed this on many of my models and it is disturbing, to say the least.
A lot of people tout Lego quality, but I don't think it's the same as it once
was. Another example is the straition (or tiny grooves) that appear on the
surface of some bricks and plates. It's as if they are manufacturing the bricks
too fast and the part isn't cooled down enough when they push it out of the
mold. This effect is quite pronounced on some parts, but almost absent on
others so it appears to be a quality control issue to me.
Mark
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In lugnet.general, Mark Riley wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Mike Petrucelli wrote:
> > In lugnet.general, Chris Phillips wrote:
> > > In lugnet.general, Mark Riley wrote:
> > > > That was my initial thought on seeing the new dark gray, too. Now it won't
> > > > be so obvious when Lego and Mega Bloks are blended together in a MOC. :-P
> > >
> > > There's an easy way to identify the MegaBloks -- shake the model gently and see
> > > which pieces fall off!
> >
> > Well that was the case 4 or 5 years ago. As of 2 to 3 years ago Mega Bloks is
> > much improved. Only the occasional 1x1 part suffers this problem now but there
> > are usually 10 to 20 extras so you can get one that makes the model work. I am
> > very happy with the navy ships I own. (TLC dosent' make them, their loss)
>
> I have to agree. I'm holding a chunk of dark gray blocks from a recent MB set
> and they all stick together very well, the colors of the various parts match and
> the bricks themselves line up nicely so that surfaces that are supposed to be
> smooth are smooth.
And to be fair, my experience with Mega Bloks consists of picking them out of
yard-sale lots of LEGO, so I've really only dealt with MB pieces that are
relatively old and worn. I must admit that more than one recent MB set design
has caught my eye on the toy store shelf. But I haven't mixed brands, and still
have no intention of doing so, even if my favorite color goes the way of the
Dodo.
> Unfortunately, I have recently noticed that my Lego blocks
> do not always create smooth surfaces. Take a look at this picture and see
> how uneven the surface created by the blocks is:
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=519085
>
> I've noticed this on many of my models and it is disturbing, to say the least.
>
> A lot of people tout Lego quality, but I don't think it's the same as it once
> was. Another example is the straition (or tiny grooves) that appear on the
> surface of some bricks and plates. It's as if they are manufacturing the bricks
> too fast and the part isn't cooled down enough when they push it out of the
> mold. This effect is quite pronounced on some parts, but almost absent on
> others so it appears to be a quality control issue to me.
I had noticed this effect on several occasions and had just written it off to my
paying more attention to those kinds of details than I once did. But I have
definitely seen numerous examples of poor quality LEGO pieces. One example is
that the 1x1 plate from the mosaic sets frequently have excess plastic around
the bottom edge. I've also found plenty of outright deformed brick in new sets,
but I buy a lot more LEGO than I ever did as a kid (!!!) so I think my sample
population is a bit larger than it once was.
- Chris.
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In lugnet.general, Mark Riley wrote:
> Unfortunately, I have recently noticed that my Lego blocks do not always
> create smooth surfaces. Take a look at this picture and see how uneven the
> surface created by the blocks is:
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=519085
>
> I've noticed this on many of my models and it is disturbing, to say the
> least.
>
> A lot of people tout Lego quality, but I don't think it's the same as it once
> was. Another example is the straition (or tiny grooves) that appear on the
> surface of some bricks and plates. It's as if they are manufacturing the
> bricks too fast and the part isn't cooled down enough when they push it out
> of the mold. This effect is quite pronounced on some parts, but almost
> absent on others so it appears to be a quality control issue to me.
Well, if I understand the tide of sentiment here on LUGNET (as well as the
corporate Newspeak dished out by TLG), you need to maintain a special
perspective while exmining this issue:
When LEGO demonstrates wide (and random) variations in color, clutch strength,
joint-evenness, plastic resilience, or juniorization, then these variations are
called “design innovations to enhance value, creativity, and playability.” But
when MEGA BLOKS or another competitor demonstrates the same variations, then
these variations are decried as signs of a cheap, shoddy knockoff that pales
before the righteous quality of the Almighty LEGO Brick.
Corporate propaganda, thy name is profit.
Dave!
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Mark Riley wrote:
> Take a look at this picture and see how uneven the surface created by the • blocks is:
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=519085
Ouch! That looks like when I use my old bricks (cellulose acetate from
~1960) to build something. The 'modern' bricks I have are much better.
I *did* like the effect, though, when I built a roof with a mix of old,
slightly curved, CA slopes, and modern bricks. It looked more 'live'.
--
Anders Isaksson, Sweden
BlockCAD: http://user.tninet.se/~hbh828t/proglego.htm
Gallery: http://user.tninet.se/~hbh828t/gallery/index.htm
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In lugnet.general, Mark Riley wrote:
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In lugnet.general, Mike Petrucelli wrote:
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Now I haven’t actually seen the new grey colors in person yet but based on
the pictures it looks like LEGO is now matching their light and dark grey
colors to the ones Mega Bloks uses.
|
That was my initial thought on seeing the new dark gray, too. Now it won’t
be so obvious when Lego and Mega Bloks are blended together in a MOC. :-P
Mark (ducks)
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Hi, Ducks:
I haven’t trumpeted the virtues of MEGA BLOKS for about twenty minutes, so I’m
long overdue...
Whatever else one might say of MEGA BLOKS, it must be admitted that they have
always offered a wider range of colors than LEGO. I would assert, in fact, that
the broadening of TLG’s palette over the past few years has been driven by the
awareness that their competitor was beating them on this front. Some have
claimed that MEGA BLOKS lacks color consistency even within a single set, but
I’ve never encountered this problem.
I care not one jot about TLG’s desperate ventures into new colors, since I
haven’t found reason to spend more than $15.00 total on LEGO in over a year.
Dave!
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In lugnet.general, Mike Petrucelli wrote:
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Now I haven’t actually seen the new grey colors in person yet but based on
the pictures it looks like LEGO is now matching their light and dark grey
colors to the ones Mega Bloks uses. Now if the new colors are in addition to
the existing colors then I think that is awesome. If the new colors are
replacements, I think that is the single greatest act of stupidity TLC has
commited. LEGO quality is suppossed to be above that of Mega Bloks.
-Mike Petrucelli
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What about the new / replacement colors is “low quality” ??? Is the ABS used in
those colors of lesser quality than the “old” greys? Or are you just upset that
LEGO is following the lead of another company?
James Wilson
Dallas, TX
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