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In lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands, Pamela Hale wrote:
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In lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands, Dave Schuler wrote:
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My local TRU has the entire line of BTR sets (Transformers, GI Joe, and
Tonka) on 50% clearance. Well, they say 50%, but sets that were $12.98 are
not $6.98, etc.
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I just discovered BTR this weekend, and OH MY GOODNESS. I couldn’t believe
the level of quality. They are all on half price at my Toys R Us as well,
but I didn’t take this as a bad sign (at least not bad for BTR), since this
is the first time I have SEEN them at TRU, I assumed the sale was some sort
of loss-leader, introductory thing.
I bought the “Ocean Rescue” set for 4 bucks on sale. The plastic is good
quality, the thing snapped together perfectly, the instructions were
understandable and clear, and after construction the “rescue boat” was
practically indistinguishable from a prebuilt tonka toy bought off the shelf.
It was sturdy and probably had great play factor for little kids. I
certainly had a cluster of little kids swarming around me as I was building
it. Yes, it’s quite juniorized, but in a sturdy, built-for-play kind of way.
The pieces seem very specialized at first, but after playing with them a bit,
it becomes clear that they can go together in lots of different
configurations. AND, the instructions are online in case you lose yours.
They don’t sell generic buckets of pieces, only sets which support their
other product lines (GI Joe, Tonka, Transformers). So, they are not so much
a building toy as a different way of selling the same kind of toys that Tonka
et al have generally been producing already.
As far as compatibility with Lego bricks, they are pretty much 100%
compatible. In fact, I took two 2x4 bricks, one BTR and one Lego, and gave
them to my bf and told him to tell me which was the Lego brick without
looking, just by feel. He couldn’t tell. He picked the BTR brick. When I
did the same test with plates (2x2 plates), he picked the Lego plate, but I
think it was more luck than any actual noticable difference in quality. This
is the first clone brick I know about that is THAT close to Lego quality.
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My local TRU has marked down its BTR products even further, though the posted
pricetags don’t reflect it. I picked up the Tonka Rapid Response fire truck and
the Transformers Optimus Prime set, each with 100+ pieces and each for $4.98
versus their original price of $19.98. If you’re in a TRU, it might be worth
your time to price-check a few of these sets to see what’s what.
I have the impression that BTR will not be continued, which is unfortunate. In
my estimation, the product line was doomed by three main factors:
1. Limited marketing I don’t watch a lot of cartoons, so for all I know BTR
might have been advertised at every single commercial break, but even a
dedicated clone-fan like myself was only able to get a trickle of information
prior to release. I even asked at several local stores a few weeks after the
products were supposed to be available, and none of the employees knew anything
about it. Hasbro could have launched a better product awareness campaign prior
to release.
2. Piece:price count Pretty awful, unfortunately. Hasbro spent a lot of
money on molds and designs, but it’s hard to justify spending $6.98 on a
42-piece set, even if it includes an action figure.
3. Poor distribution of pieces I like a lot of the BTR elements, but I’ve
figured out that each set has one or two unique and very cool pieces in addition
to the highly specialized fuselage or vehicle elements. It would have been nice
to be able to get some of these parts in greater quantity or without having to
buy a $29.98 set. Something like a bulk bucket might have helped in this
regard.
4. Clonophobia Of course, some people simply reject LEGO clone brands, no
matter how good those brands might actually be. BTR had clever designs, some
great pieces, and very high plastic quality.
Dave!
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Ill tidings for Built-To-Rule?
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| (...) I just discovered BTR this weekend, and OH MY GOODNESS. I couldn't believe the level of quality. They are all on half price at my Toys R Us as well, but I didn't take this as a bad sign (at least not bad for BTR), since this is the first time (...) (20 years ago, 29-Mar-04, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands, FTX)
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