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In lugnet.dear-lego, Tim Courtney writes:
> I won't ever abandon ship and go over to MegaBloks though. I think of them and
> other clones as a shameless ripoff. But I do point out, they're doing a much
> better job than you are at making brick-based products. See, they're actually
> reading what we say here and implementing it in their retail products.
I've never understood why competing, compatible brands are decried as
"shameless ripoffs," when they are in many ways adhering to the perceived
true vision of LEGO better than TLC itself--especially when TLC moves
steadily farther from that vision! Granted, clone brands don't have the
same laser-precise tooling or the top-of-the-line ABS, but I've never
understood why those qualities are condemned as heretical, while such
factors as design ingenuity and piece count are dismissed simply because
they're not The Holy Brand.
While there are indeed several bootleg brands that precisely mimic the
designs of LEGO, these are not widespread or serious competitors, so I'm not
discussing them at the moment. To that end, no TYCO or Block-Men or Byggis
or Tandem or MegaBloks set to date even resembles a LEGO set, other than in
the fact that all of the brands (well, except for LEGO, of course) include a
good number of actual bricks. In fact, where product lines approach
similarity (such as in Model Team vs. ProBuilder, or Life on Mars vs.
Warriors: Future Force), MegaBloks invariably comes out with the better
product in terms of price:piece ratio, overall design, and clever use of
basic bricks.
Further, it's worth recognizing that LEGO has itself become "a shameless
ripoff" of off MegaBloks with the new foray into "extreme" sports-themed
sets. For that matter, LEGO has produced "a shameless ripoff" of the 8x8
plate--MegaBloks released that part about eight years before LEGO.
Although I never hesitate to blast LEGO for its myriad poor choices (or
"myriad of poor choices," as my coworker would say "irregardless" of the
correct usage), I've never faulted your devotion to the LEGO brand--I
therefore hope that my rant doesn't come off as an attack upon your loyalty.
It just seems that LEGO is criticized for bad decisions but is ultimately
forgiven, while non-LEGO brands are ignored for good decisions but are
ultimately condemned.
Dave!
FUT OT.Clones
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: LEGO-Galidor Perspective In L.A. Times Article
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| "Ben Roller" <lugnews@rollerfamily.net> wrote in message news:GrH7ot.Kx9@lugnet.com... (...) Hey Ben - I could not agree more with the things you say here. This is sad. I guess this is what you can expect from a former Nike executive. Next up, LEGO (...) (23 years ago, 13-Feb-02, to lugnet.dear-lego)
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