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In lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands, Kerry Raymond writes a wonderfully rich
review of the MB ProBuilder line:
> I'll second that. It takes a little bit more pressure to put two MBs
> together and a little bit more effort to pull them apart. I notice that my
> thumbs are always a little tender after a long MB session.
Interesting. This has to be a new phenomenon. The last MB set I bought
Creature Seekers Naval Command had numerous parts that kept falling apart
almost on their own.
> I notice that although I keep my MBs mixed in with my Lego, I still tend to
> preferentially select the Lego when building because it is a better brick.
> However, if I know I will run out using Lego alone, then the MBs are used.
> If I'm really organised, I think in advance where I'd like to use the Lego
> and MBs (either in separate areas) or all mixed-up. Some MB colours match
> those of Lego; some don't (see the mini-reviews below for more details).
This is how I do mine, too.
> I haven't seen a colour mismatch as such within an MB set, but what I have
> seen is a kind of marbling effect, usually a line or swirl of a lighter
> shade through the brick, as if the colour wasn't mixed through properly when
> still in liquid form. In my MB aircraft carrier, this occurs in a number of
> the big black tiles that are used for the flight deck and I found myself
> noticing these lines in what should be a large flat black surface. However,
> once I put all the stickers onto the deck, I find I don't tend to notice the
> marbling lines any more.
Again maybe MB has really improved. My viking ship had noticable variation
in the beiges, browns and blacks. It is not a problem on such a vessel but
when you're building some things...
> > Bear in mind that I am speaking only of the ProBuilder line (is that
> important?)
>
> I've only bought MB Probuilder, but have looked at some of the other MB
> products in the shop. The quality seems to vary between the product lines.
> Certainly those large bags of large (about 2 inch high, almost Primo-sized)
> MB bricks seem to be made of very "cheap and nasty" plastic, and certainly
> look much poorer quality than the Probuilder bricks.
After my last experience I didn't try the ProBuilder line.
> I haven't been tempted by any of the other MB product lines apart from
> Probuilder range, which IMHO have MB's best quality bricks and best set
> designs. Some of the other lines seem to have the same quality bricks as
> Probuilder, but I do not like the designs.
Alright - alright! When a carrier goes on sale I'll try one. Y'all are
persuasive.
> Here are a few quick mini-reviews on some of the Probuilder series:
>
> Aircraft Carrier. This is the largest of the Probuilder sets (about 1700
> pieces). The size of the aircraft carrier is impressive (3 feet long) and
> it's a wonderful source of grey bricks, but I think the design could be
> improved. I found the elevators up to the flight deck tend to get stuck, and
> I found the gun enclosures very fiddly to make (bits tended to fall off into
> places too small for adult fingers to easily repair). There is some
> pixelation effect in the bow, given the very purist approach of building a
> curved structure from 2x4 bricks. But the sheer size of the vessel tends to
> make this pixelation less noticeable. Being almost entirely grey and black,
> I feel the model could use a bit more colour to brighten it up, but I guess
> the colours are pretty realistic as is. I think real navy ships could use a
> bit more colour to brighten them up too! :-) This set also features lots of
> "gender benders" (plates with 2x2 studs on both sides); these appear in some
> of the smaller sets too. I know some people just buy this set as a "grey
> parts pack" but I think the model is well worth building in its own right.
> It is also interesting to see how MB's "engineering" differs from Lego's;
> they seem to have a different approach.
This sounds great. The genderchangers are really needed in detailed
building. Plus 3' of grey bricks!!!!!!!!!! I had no idea it was that big.
> I am particularly impressed with the MB instructions. They clearly show
> which bricks are already in place and which are being added at this step.
> Each step usually adds a lot of bricks, and they also manage to squeeze a
> large number of steps onto each page without any loss of clarity. So the
> whole MB instruction booklet uses a lot less paper than Lego's massive
> volumes. On a similar note, MB pack their sets quite densely, unlike Lego's
> big empty boxes with a few polybags sloshing about inside.
I agree that I like the shading on the instructions. Instructions on the
older sets had frequent mistakes though. The "slack fill" (trade term for
empty box) of the Lego boxes is often disappointing. Plus for those of us
who stock up on sale and then open slowly over time, it is a space killer.
> So, comparing MB Probuilder with Lego:
>
> * there is a different style to Probuilder (more realistic, less whimsical)
> * Probuilder is more purist in its extensive use of standard pieces
That means alot to some people, not to me. I just don't like huge SPUDs.
> * some Probuilder designs are as good as Lego, but Lego designs are better
> overall
Agreed.
> * Probuilder has a number of pieces I've never seen in Lego
Cool.
> * Probuilder brick quality is not as good as Lego, but "acceptable"
This is a big deal for me.
> * Probuilder instructions are generally better than Lego's
Not a big deal to me.
> * Probuilder is a lot cheaper
This is a big deal to me.
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