BlockMen Lego compatible sets
JustSayCheese
I bought these for my son, Zachary, today at Walmart and he went
crazy over them. The action figures look really cool!
Check them out. They even have at webpage at http://www.blockmen.com
I am not into legos like my son, but would be interested to hear
what everyone thought of these sets. I would like to buy him
more of these Blockmen sets if you experts think they have a chance
at being collectables.
Dave.
Dave!
I've bought at least one of each set currently available, and I've
noticed some good and some bad things about them.
First, I love the colors. The green is good for military, obviously,
but can also be used for grass and foliage in a larger model. Likewise,
the sand is nice, and it matches the Adventurer's sand almost exactly.
Second, the baseplates are cool. They're a little thicker (it seems
to me) than LEGO standard baseplates, and their dimensions are 44X32,
but otherwise they're compatible. And those terrain pieces are really
clever. When I looked on the box I thought that the baseplates were a
one-piece, sculpted land form. In fact, the slope pieces are modular
and attach to the large, flat baseplate like bricks. Very nice, IMO.
Third, the vehicles. Okay, they're one-piece items, but I have to
admit that I like them. The tanks actually shoot their little missiles,
and the jeeps can hold 4 minifigs comfortably (with a little work).
Fourth, the barbed wire and sandbags. Okay, granted the sandbags are
hollow and don't line up flush with each other, but the barbed wire
pieces are pretty darned cool nonetheless. Actually, the sand bags and
barbed wire can be staggered next to each other for a nearly solid
wall.
Fifth, Blockmen bricks are almost perfectly compatible with LEGO and
the oft-ridiculed MegaBloks and TYCO. Further, the Blockmen bricks seem
to have very slightly thicker walls, suggesting a real concern for
product value.
Okay, that's five good things. Now on to the bad...
One: They're not a very good dollar value. The $10.00 sets have
about 80 pieces, including a vehicle, two figures, and some weapons.
Even LEGO seems to deliver a better piece count for the same money. I
mean, you can get a 601 brick LEGO bucket for $9.00. If Blockmen were
the standard and not a "generic" competitor, then I think they'd be
justified in their prices, but for now it seems pretty steep.
Two: The figures are kind of goofy. Maybe this is a matter of
personal preference, but I find them to be aesthetically unappealing.
Someone else (tell me who, so I can quote them properly) described them
as looking like Small Soldiers, and I think that's very accurate. I
only like the figure called Crull, and that's because he has a fairly
high level of comparative detail.
Three: The entire line is very narrow. I recognize that this is
because, as a new venture, Blockmen doesn't want to jump in with both
feet, only to find out that they're trying to sell to a nonexistant
market. However, there's no catalog in the sets (no instructions, for
that matter, but the models are simple and sort of amorphous). Even
though the other sets are pictured on the box, I'd like them to have
made the effort to produce an actual catalog to look through, if only
for the apparent production value.
Four: The terrain pieces and vehicles are painted. And not just
painted, but they have this crazy black & white mottling in a sort of
half-assed camouflage attempt. I don't mind camo, I guess, but I'd
really rather have had the plain green pieces and vehicles.
Five: Did I mention that the prices aren't that great?
What can I say? I've bought the sets, and I do actually like them.
I'm of mixed feelings about the weapons. Yes, they're kind of cool, but
they're flimsy and generally not well-suited to minifig use. But as a
quick, cheap(ish) source of baseplates and terrain forms, you'd be hard
pressed to find a better supply than Blockmen. No, they're not LEGO, and
no, they're not as good a dollar value, but I'd have to say that I look
forward to future releases from them.
Dave,
never afraid to be long-winded to support an insignificant point!
Richard Franks
>
> Has anyone seen the Blockmen lego compatible sets from DSI Toys?
> I bought these for my son, Zachary, today at Walmart and he went
> crazy over them. The action figures look really cool!
>
> Check them out. They even have at webpage at http://www.blockmen.com
>
> I am not into legos like my son, but would be interested to hear
> what everyone thought of these sets. I would like to buy him
> more of these Blockmen sets if you experts think they have a chance
> at being collectables.
Urgh! (http://www.blockmen.com/troops.html) This thing makes me glad
that TLG have never produced military-based products. It reminds me of
the Concentration Camp 'sets' made my that artist a while back. But this
time there is no sense of compassion, and lacking any irony.
I know that this isn't the forum to rant against violence-propogating
toys for children (or adults!).. but I do feel that things like this
help erode the image of Lego, the thing it so warpedly imitates!
Happy Building,
Richard
Fredrik Glöckner
> (http://www.blockmen.com/troops.html)
Now, that was really ugly, yes. I hope I won't see these sets in shops
in Norway. Which I doubt, 'cause we don't get any of the LEGO clones
here anyway.
Fredrik