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The dreaded Shifty/Brick brand has now appeared in Brisbane, Australia, spotted
by a group of LUGnetters at a recent OzFest (see
http://news.lugnet.com/loc/au/?n=9000).
In the interests of scientific research, informed consumerism, and saving a
bit of dosh,
I went along to the same market the following week to check
out the Shifty Bricks. Thanks to the bricklink photos, I was able to identify
the background scenery and locate Mr Shifty Brick in a matter of moments. For
locals, Mr Shifty (for want of knowing his real name) says that he is always in
that location (on the Grand Arbour near Cold Rock Icecream at Southbank)
whenever the markets are operating.
First, whether the brand on the box is Shifty or Brick seems to be irrelevant;
they seem to be the same. It can say one name outside and the other one inside.
Both brands carry the word "Enlighten" in the corner, so I assume that is the
actual brand/company name. The boxes all said "made in China" and all indicated
age ranges. The boxes did not have any claim about being compatible with Lego
(or any other brand). There was nothing to support the claim made by an ebay
seller recently about Shifty Brick being made under licence by Lego.
Most of the sets available were smaller ones but there were a number of larger
sets available too. Many of the sets looked very familiar to me, and were
obviously very close copies of an actual Lego set. Others however did not look
familiar (but nonetheless did appear to be in the style of one of Lego's known
themes) and I have not found any similar Lego set in the LUGnet database,
suggesting that these are original designs by Shifty Brick. The sets available
seemed to come from a small number of themes: Castle, Pirate/Islander,
Town/Paradisa, and Res-Q. The numbers on the boxes are 4-digit numbers like
Lego sets, but the numbering system bears no relation to Lego's. Indeed, there
appeared to be no logical relationship between the numbers in the Shifty Brick
brands at all. Some of the boxes had set names, which didn't seem to translate
very well, e.g. Gladness Homestead.
I bought 4 sets, 2 of the larger ones and 2 of the smaller ones:
* #0045, a medium Castle set, $25 (USD 14.15)
* #9932, a medium Paradisa set, $22 (USD 12.45)
* #0028, a small Town accessory set, $6 (USD 3.39)
* #9819, a small Paradisa set, $4 (USD 2.26)
I would estimate an equivalent Lego set would cost at least 3 or 4 times as
much here in Australia. It is difficult to make a direct comparison as none of
the themes involved is currently available from Lego through normal retail.
I have now opened and built these sets. I'll start with my overall impressions,
and then review each set in turn. (Note I have purchased and reviewed Megablok
Pro-Builder sets previously, so I shall also make some comparisons with
Megablok as appropriate.) I don't have a digital camera, so I can't provide
pictures to illustrate the points I am making.
General Impressions.
Although there is no claim made about being compatible with Lego, Shifty Bricks
are most definitely compatible with Lego and Megabloks. The three brands all
connected quite well. Shifty Bricks have slightly weaker "clutch power" (i.e.
come apart more easily) than Lego, whereas Megabloks have slightly greater
clutch power (come apart less easily).
I know nothing about the plastics used but the Shifty Bricks felt to my fingers
more like Lego (in terms of weight and texture) than Megabloks do. I had a few
Shifty Bricks (all 1x2 bricks) that didn't seem to want to be seated onto studs
on first attempt (as if they were a little bit too narrow on the underside, but
would go on with a bit more pressure. I think the problem may have been a tiny
tag of extra plastic, perhaps from a slightly malformed mold. When I stacked a
number of similarly shaped Shifty Brick pieces together, I could see some
slight variation in their size and in their colour; I did not notice this
effect with a similar stack of Lego. So, while the bricks are made within the
tolerances required for compatibility with Lego, nonetheless the precision is
not good as Lego. Although I have seen people criticise Shifty Bricks on LUGnet
as being "no good" or "very poor quality", the reality is that they are quite
useable.
Most of the Shifty Bricks were 1xN bricks, but there were also a good
collection of other shapes including arches, slopes (normal and inverse),
plates (large and small), tool clips, doors, windows, castle walls and turrets
etc. Most of the Shifty Brick bricks are identical to Lego in general
appearance (apart from not having 'Lego' on the top of every stud and the part
numbers being different), whereas Megablok Pro-builder uses predominantly 2xN
bricks and has fewer speciality parts which often aren't identical to Lego. One
Shifty Brick brick was very different; the tall bricks (e.g. 1x1x5
and 1x2x5) were missing their "back wall", i.e. they were open on one side.
The colours of Shifty Bricks are similar to Lego (i.e. red, blue, yellow,
green, white, black, light grey) but the shade is not an exact match. For
example, Shifty Brick white is a more arctic white than Lego white, which looks
a bit creamy by comparison. Shifty Brick red and blue are both a bit darker and
duller than Lego's, whereas the green is lighter and brighter. These
differences in colour are either a blessing or a curse depending on what you
are building. Personally I was pleased to see that Shifty Brick light grey was
a bit
different to both Lego and Megablok light grey as I believe that a mixture of
shades creates a more natural mottled look for Castle-themed buildings.
The base plates in the Shifty Bricks were all true plates (i.e. you could
connect to the undersides) and in the somewhat-brighter-green colour. The
larger ones tended to not sit absolutely flat but curled up a bit at the edges.
Although the smaller plates seemed normal enough, the larger ones (e.g. 16x32)
were very flexible and indeed I found I could make them flatter by flexing them
a bit. I did not notice any Shifty Brick set with a raised baseplate.
While Shifty Brick bricks themselves were very Lego-like, some of the accessory
items were less Lego-like. For example, flags and flora were the same general
shape, but the plastic was a softer more translucent variety. This softer
plastic seemed to be more inclined to have a bit of "fringe" here and there,
probably along the seals of the mold. Again, your mileage may vary. I like the
idea of having a wider range of colour and texture in my plant life (being more
natural), but am less keen about having it in my flags. The Shifty Brick trees
seemed fairly similar to Lego's, but the spruces had a kind of whitish powder
over them in parts, giving a kind of snow-dusted effect. The powder did come
off though with a bit of water and some serious rubbing with a toothbrush. I
have no idea what the powder was, but decided to wash my hands thoroughly
afterwards just in case.
The Shifty Brick instructions are a lot shorter than Lego's; in all cases they
were just a single sheet (up to A3 in size) printed on both sides. The
instructions were in colour and printed on glossy paper. There are fewer steps
in Shifty Brick instructions, and each step generally adds more pieces (usually
a whole layer) than would be normal in Lego's instructions. Also, the whole
step is "zoomed down" to be printer smaller than would be normal with Lego, and
the steps are placed closer together on the page. However, I did not find any
problem in interpreting these more condensed instructions. Indeed, I wish Lego
could waste a bit less paper on some of its instructions (add one more brick on
every page).
However, the big problem with Shifty Bricks (the most irritating thing
about them IMHO) is that the colours shown on the box don't match the colours
shown in the instructions which don't match the colours of the bricks
themselves. For example, one box showed some pink and blue arches, while its
instructions showed the same pieces as being red and blue arches, while the
arch pieces in that size were all red. Another set showed all blue arches on
the box and in the instructions, but the bricks themselves were a mixture of
blue and white arches. Most of the time the colours do match up, but every
Shifty Brick set I bought had at least one step in the instructions when I
couldn't find the part in the right colour. So, you have to make an educated
guess at which other colour in that shape to use. There are always enough
pieces of the right shape in the set, just not in the colours you are
expecting. Of course, you could look at it as being a bonus: you get a puzzle
as well as a construction toy.
Shifty Brick minifigs come without their hands attached. You have to put these
on yourself (if you are missing hands, look carefully inside the other bricks
as the hands are small enough to get lost in them) and some hands are very
interesting colours (e.g. blue!). You also get to assemble your horse from 3
pieces (head, left side, right side).
Comments on specific sets.
#0025 Unnamed. Medium-large castle set.
This seems to be a Shifty Brick design; I can find nothing remotely similar in
the
LUGnet database. The shields (silver with black/red bat) suggested it was
Fright Knights but the style of the castle was definitely more Legoland Castle
(say) than Fright Knights. It has a 16x32 base plate with a 2 level castle
built on it. A bridge and drawbridge combination sits in front of this on a
10x16 base plate. I didn't count the parts but I would guess about 300.
This was an excellent set for parts. Most bricks were light grey (being a
castle set) with some black, red, yellow and green for accent colours. There
were a good range of basic brick sizes 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x6, 1x8 and 1x16
plus some 2x2. There were some small plates (1x1 1x2, 1x4, 2x2, 2x4) as well as
some medium ones (4x6, 6x8), and of course the large base plates themselves.
There were quite a lot of 1x4 arches, as well as some 2x6 ones. There were some
1x2 and 2x2 slopes, inverse slopes, and corner inverse slopes. There were 2
castle walls (black) and 3 grey turret pieces. There were 2x2 rounds in grey
and black, a pair of green doors, a horse, 4 minifigs, cart wheels, some trees.
Frankly, if you had to choose one Shifty Brick set as a starter set, this would
be a good one. The model is not bad, and the parts selection is excellent for
making MOCs. Some alternate models are shown on the box.
#9932 Gladness Homestead.
Medium-size Paradisa style set. No sign of an equivalent set in the LUGnet
database.
This set makes a 3 level house in a European resort style (i.e. Paradisa) with
balconies, entrance porch, circular stairwell, and car port. There is a car, 3
minifigs, with some garden detail (trees, lighting, fences) and a satellite
dish. I'd guess about 250-300 parts. One of the minifigs is wielding a rifle,
pointing it at the parrot in the palm tree, evidently not a parrot lover :-)
The house has grey and white walls, blue windows with white window frames, and
a brown front door (not pink as shown). The upper level has yellow floors with
red fences on the balconies. The roof (on two levels) uses 4 very large shallow
slopes
http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/4515 which are printed in a pink/orange tiled
effect. There are also 2 large windows 1x4x6 preprinted with pink curtaining.
The roof and windows were definitely the reasons I bought this set; they are
quite attractive.
Although the box and instructions would suggest some pink parts, they turn out
to be mostly red parts, and the blue arches turn out to be blue and white
arches. However, there is a one-piece quarter-turn staircase (same shape as the
Lego piece) but in a pinky-purple colour. http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/2046
The balcony fencing consists of 6 pieces of 1x4x2 spindled fence, similar to:
http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/30055 but not identical as the spindles taper
in the Shifty Brick version, making them a little more decorative.
The brick selection is again quite reasonable. Mostly 1x1 through 1x8 with some
tall bricks (without backs), several 1x6 arches and a couple of 1x4 arches
(printed with "Enlighten" with horseshoes and flowers on one side), corner
bricks, some inverse slopes, 4x8 and 6x8 plates used for the upper level (and
the 16x32 baseplate). There are a couple of trans-blue 1x2x2 wall panels (used
as side windows). There are some small round parts for making garden lamps, a
post-n-rail fence, a palm tree, two small spruce trees, 4 flowers (the
3-stemmed kind) and 3 large-leafed plants, and of course a parrot to shoot at
:-)
If you follow the instructions, you will be left without a stud to put the
antennae onto the satellite dish, but it's a trivial error (just move the hinge
plate one stud forward). The satellite dish itself is a piece I can't identify
as being like Lego. It's 7x7 and 2 bricks deep, which makes it rather more
hemispherical than the flatter Lego radar dish. The piece is red with some
segments (think like an orange) overprinted in white. This same piece is used
in another set as a beach umbrella.
Overall, I liked this set a lot. The model is quite reasonable, with a good
selection of parts, some of them quite attractive.
# 0028 unnamed Town-style accessory set.
This set is almost identical to Lego set 6318 Flowers, Trees and Fences
http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6318-1 right down to the artwork on the box (with
some corrections to reflect the actual content). There are no spiky bushes in
the Shifty Brick set. Instead you get a second large spruce tree, two brown
branches (1x5x4 arches), and a 10x16 green plate. The flowers are red, white,
and yellow, not pink, white, yellow and blue as depicted on the box. Also, the
parrot on the box looks like the normal Lego multi-colour parrot, but the
Shifty parrot is a yellow piece with colour splashes (I think the Lego parrot
looks better).
Since there is no Lego set available today to supply my garden needs, this
Shifty Brick set is a useful addition, albeit of slightly lower quality.
#9819 unnamed small Paradisa set.
This is clearly based on Lego's 6402 Sidewalk Cafe
http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6402 but with a lot of different parts. (Curious
how something can have so many different parts yet still be obviously "the same
set").
It's the same in that there is a plate with some tall bricks at rear supported
two arches with vine leaves. There is a male minifig serving a female customer
from behind a counter. There is a table with an umbrella. However, the details
of each of these is somewhat different in the Shifty Brick version. The colours
are almost completely different.
The Shifty Brick set has a yellow base plate with white walls with blue arches.
The counter is made from white 1x4 bricks and red 1x4 arches (no apparent
reason why arch pieces were used). The table is larger, squarer, and is made
from 4 more red 1x4 arches (they must have lots of this piece!) and features
two yellow chairs and two trans-neon-lime coffee cups. The umbrella is the
larger red-and-white dish used as a satellite dish in the Gladness Homestead
above. There is no bicycle but you get another piece of red spindle fence to
compensate. The Lego set used a windscreen piece for the counter display, while
the Shifty Brick sets uses 2 2x2 trans-blue wall panels (used in the Gladness
Homestead). Note that the car in the Gladness Homestead had a windscreen piece,
so Shifty could have used the same piece for their counter, but obviously
preferred not to.
Overall conclusions.
Shifty Brick quality is definitely not as good as Lego, but it's compatible and
still quite useable for many purposes (e.g. if colour matching with Lego is not
important).
Although they are undeniably producing "pirate" versions of Lego sets, they are
also doing some of their own designs (although in Lego styles), which are
reasonably good. They have some parts which seem to be unique to them, and some
preprinted pieces that are quite attractive.
The selection of parts is very generous and the sets includes many "premium"
parts at a very low price. The difference in colour between the box, instructio
ns and bricks is annoying, and certainly I would not buy multiple copies of a
set without having first bought just one to confirm that the desired parts are
in fact in the desired colour! Although the price is quite low for Shifty
Brick, there is probably no resale value in these sets (unlike Lego).
My moral dilemma. Are Shifty Bricks "ripping off" Lego? Obviously yes they are.
On the positive side, reports suggest that most Shifty Bricks are sold retail
in China at dirt cheap prices, presumably to families whose incomes are a tiny
fraction of our own. So I guess that Shifty Bricks are giving a lot of pleasure
to kids in China who probably could not have afforded genuine Lego (would you
want your kids to grow up without Lego?).
However, what about those of us who can afford real Lego? Well, I do buy a lot
of the genuine article (ask my credit card!). But, there is still the issue
that Shifty Bricks are selling sets (or variants thereof) and parts that have
been discontinued by Lego. If I want some of these sets/parts, I can't get them
from Lego anyway. I have to go to bricklink or ebay (and usually pay a fortune
in international postage in doing so) or they may not be obtainable even there.
So I probably will be buying more Shifty Bricks, specifically to get parts that
aren't readily available from Lego but also to get colour variations
(especially in light grey) for Castle-themed building. Also I quite liked the
Shifty-designed sets; I might get some more just for that reason alone. At the
price, it's not a big risk.
Kerry
--
============
Kerry Raymond
kerry@dstc.edu.au
Proud to be LUGNET Member 599
www.lugnet.com/people/members/?m=599
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Message has 4 Replies:
 | | Re: Shifty Brick set reviews
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| (...) I've been mixing and matching and found the figs to be very compatible with LEGO. I bought to small pirate sets and found the figs to be as follows. HATS: Very rough. The tricorns are much flatter than the LEGO equivalent and to not have the (...) (22 years ago, 21-Jun-02, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | more Shifty Brick set reviews
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| (...) compatible and (...) is not (...) I just bought another Shifty set. This one is a Pirate/Imperial set, an obvious copy of Lego's 6279 Skull Island. (URL) cost $35 (US$20) and was the largest Shifty set available. The Lego equivalent cost US$53 (...) (22 years ago, 25-Jun-02, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | Shifty sets: brown beards!
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| One of the Shifty sets is a copy of Lego's 1932 Wizard's Cart (URL) so you would think if you saw the box featuring a blue wizard with white beard pulling a cart. However, a Shifty set is always a bit of a lucky dip on colours, so it should have (...) (22 years ago, 25-Jun-02, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
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