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In lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands, Jeff Szklennik writes:
> Just got done scanning it! $14.88 kid connection (k.c. aisle) it's non-
> replenishable (i work there) 464 pc. looks totally lego compatible (maybe
> dalu-made for WM w/o Dalu lable). minifigs have knees! see brickshelf:
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Jeff-S/Misc-Ideas/Clones/wmtruck1.jpg
>
> cool, huh?
While we're waiting for the picture, here's some other info. First off, a
big thank-you to Jeff for the heads up, or I never would have seen it.
The truck is a ten-wheeled semi with a turntable mounting. The brick
quality is quite good (better, I believe, than MB) and the underside of each
brick and plate shows the well-known square holes common to several brands.
I have no familiarity with Dalu or Shifty, but it's the same style as Coko,
Blok-Tek, and Oxford. Other points of similarity include the quatrefoil
turntable design and numerous distinctive pieces, such as 45-degree inverse
slopes with notches on the slope face (as well as a 2x3 33 inverse slope
with notches, which I hadn't seen previously). Also included are a few of
the 2x2 half-slope plates once described by Thomas Burger:
http://news.lugnet.com/cad/dat/parts/?n=721
The set also has a number of 1x1 bricks with side stud, the Coko-standard
wheel mount and treaded (plastic) tires, a new (to me) steering wheel, three
seat elements, two simple-curve 4x2x2 windscreens, 1x1 plates with
horizontal clip, 1x2 brick grill, 1x2 plate with handle, a handful of 2x2
round bricks, a bunch of 1x2 and 2x2 tiles as well as a few 1x1 trans-color
tiles. Also a good number of 4x6, 6x6, and 4x8 plates, and several 6x8
plates. Rounding out the part count are a whole bunch of 1x2 bricks and 1xN
plates.
The set comes with two minifigs with knees, but they're really not that
great overall. After true LEGO minifigs, IMO the best contender in the
field is the Oxford minifig, which is very close to the original in quality
but has subtle differences. The Wal*Mart truck figs are like the old-style
Coko or Blok-Tek figures. The set has a 10-step instruction book with easy
to follow illustrations, including an inset of the parts needed for each
step as well as "ghosting" of previous steps, but in any case the set isn't
all that complicated.
A few negatives: The packaging is terrible. It's a gloss-printed
cardboard box with pale, sort of washed-out photos on front and back. The
figures are really sub-standard, alas. Although the plastic quality is
good, the colors are oddly disappointing. The grey is sort of limp, and the
white has a mildly dim hue to it. Not fatal flaws, but not all that
satisfying, either.
A few more positives: There are four (I think it's four--I'm at work, and
the kit's in my car) decal sheets with the Wal*Mart and Sam's Club logos.
These would have obvious utility for anyone building a minfig-scale Wal*Mart
truck for a town setting. The drivers' uniform shirts are also decals,
which could be used on LEGO minfigs.
I'm a little surprised at the direct duplication of several specialized
LEGO elements in a US-domestic clone set. The kit was manufactured in
China, and overseas markets seem to have more leeway in such matters, but I
hadn't previously seen the practice in a wide-release brand in the US. No
catalog or product listing or even a web address for further info, sadly.
On the whole, I'm quite pleased with this set, if only as a novelty. I'd
love to see further development of Coko-style sets in the US, even if only
as Wal*Mart-only product lines. Anyone who's got $14.84 to blow and who's
interested in sampling the plastic quality of a non-MB clone should think
about picking it up.
And a note to Erik: You are correct that the Kids Connection buckets (and
Mega Modelz, come to think of it) last year were Ritvik/MegaBloks products,
but this set is almost definitely NOT MegaBloks. That's also interesting to
me, since it indicates that Wal*Mart is amenable to working with different
suppliers for the same basic LEGO-compatible end.
Another big thank you to Jeff for pointing this out. Of course, if you
spot any other sets in this series, you must let us know immediately!
Dave!
On the whole,
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Wal*Mart truck clone!
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| This set is definitly a Coko set. I have enough Coko to match these bricks and the minifigs against. Coko 100%... Instructions Coko style too. I also would like to see Coko developing sets again for the US market... Even if it is through Wal-Mart. (...) (21 years ago, 14-Jan-03, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Wal*Mart truck clone!
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| (...) Just got done scanning it! $14.88 kid connection (k.c. aisle) it's non- replenishable (i work there) 464 pc. looks totally lego compatible (maybe dalu- made for WM w/o Dalu lable). minifigs have knees! see brickshelf: (URL) huh? Jeff (21 years ago, 10-Jan-03, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
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