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Hey Y'all:
Before dinner last night, I swung by a Target store and couldn't resist
trying out the new #3174 F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Bomber set from Best-Lock.
I thought to myself that it had been two years since I tried one of their
sets, and if ever a clone set had my curiosity piqued -- this one was it.
And after two years I thought they might have improved their stuff and maybe
corrected the incompatibility issues.
Once I was alone in the late evening I found myself a little restless, so I
decided to unpack the BL set and see how the elements fit in with
Lego/Tyco/MB stuff. BIG problems, right off.
In addition to having brick, plate, and tiles that do not correspond to to
other brands in terms of height, the studs are so tall that they will not
fit snugly, or rest flat, underneath common plates -- they can only attach
to a brick where the stud height is of no consequence. At this point I was
sort of regretting my decision to try the set out, but I plowed ahead
thinking there might be some interesting elements in the set. And actually
there are interesting elements -- they just won't really be compatible with
anybody else's stuff, and some are so cheaply made they break readily.
One of the more noticeable elements in the set is a trans-light-blue canopy
for the cockpit area, so I located the two elements that comprise the canopy
and popped them together. The front part of the canopy is a small bit that
is hinged to the rear portion so I decided to try the hinge for how far it
would swing open. I had it about a quarter inch open and the top hinges of
the small canopy bit snapped right off under what was essentially next to
zero pressure -- the hinge was basically designed or manufactured in such a
way as to be non-functioning! This stopped me in my tracks as far as cool
parts went so I moved on to the minifigures.
Now these guys aren't too bad although they suffer from the same
incompatibility issues that does every brick toy maker -- nothing really
interchanges with anybody else's stuff. But taken on their own and if you
were looking for some pointedly military figures, this would be the way to
go. Being a non-military kinda guy, I can only guess that the set comes
with what I will describe as a commander figure with three infantry figures
with M-16 type rifles (one of which is brown skinned). They even look
appropriately serious -- these are not smileys -- for military guys. They do
everything you'd imagine in terms of posability: they bend at the waist, the
legs move independently as do the arms, the head swivels left and right,
they are able to carry their accessories, their hats and helmets fit well,
and everything is fine except that they lack the holes on the backsides of
their legs to accept studs while sitting on bricks. The Best-Lock mini seat
has instead a slot that fits fairly snugly in between the legs of the
figures. Incompatibility again, although not entirely insurmountable if you
needed military guys because they do accept studs up through their feet.
You might well imagine this set is going back to the store for refund
because it is. No question about that. Sure, while I was at it I might
have built it completely and told you more about the set -- but the
incompatibility issues make this a waste of time. I think the elements fit
well enough together to enjoy the set in isolation from your other brick
stuff if that's what you wanted to do. I'd be extra careful with that
canopy though.
I cannot recommend you try these bricks for anything but the minis. The
incompatibility issues are just too great -- and because of this they aren't
really what I consider a clone brick in any but the most ambiguous way. I
will likely NEVER buy Best-Lock again -- not unless I see a military
minifigure pack for cheap.
-- Hop-Frog
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Message has 4 Replies:
 | | Re: Best-Lock still sucks
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| [snip] (...) The brick & plate size thing is a little tricky. 6 Best Lock bricks is exactly the same height as 5 Lego/Mega Bloks/Tyco bricks. So if someone really wanted to they could use them together. (...) I agree with that completely. -Mike (...) (23 years ago, 23-Jun-02, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | Re: Best-Lock still sucks
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| (...) Well, shut my mouth! Best-Lock is making a minifigure pack! I saw it at Target the other day. It had some camoflage, navy, and army minis and even included a brown-skinned fellow. The set also includes a pair of M-16 type rifles in silver. (...) (23 years ago, 8-Aug-02, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | Re: Best-Lock still sucks
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| (...) snip (...) I got this set and a few other Best-Lock sets just 'cause i think they're cool, different style sets & I don't try to mix them with Lego. I agree completely that making them more compatible, out of better plastic, with better (...) (23 years ago, 19-Aug-02, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
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