Frequently Asked Questions of a.t.l
Tom Pfeifer
I compiled it from information in postings, email contributions and
catalogues. I tried to mention the providers of the information
(if anybody wants his name removed, email me).
Please feel free to send corrections and contributions.
The usual FAQ disclaimers apply.
Please include the word LEGO somewhere in the Subject-line of email.
Last revision: April 7, 1993
t...@fokus.gmd.de
Tom Pfeifer phone (Germany) +49-30-25499-288
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Contents:
I. Mail order/catalog info.
II. International addresses / phone numbers / clubs
III. Books & papers about LEGO
IV. Price comparison
V. LegoLand theme parks
VI. Dacta and Computer connections
VII. Plural of LEGO
VIII. LEGO advertising
IX. How to wash LEGO pieces
X. Storing / sorting / using LEGO
XI. Taking pieces apart
XII. LEGO history / What does LEGO mean
XIII. Materials and Technology
XIV. Nice quotations
XV. FTP
XVI. Substitutes / compatibles / clones
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I. Mail order/catalog info.
bro...@stolaf.edu (Dave Brown),
mcle...@mango.ucs.indiana.edu (Mike Clemens) found:
*USA only*
LEGO Shop at Home Service Tel.(203) 763-4011
P.O. Box 1310 8:00 - 8:00 EST
Enfield, CT 06083 3-5 weeks for delivery
Visa and MasterCard accepted (number, expiration, signature)
Make checks payable to "LEGO Shop at Home Service (SAHS)"
They seem to have the complete line of all sets, including sorted
packages with basic items (bricks, plates, roof bricks...) or
special pieces (windows, road signs, people ...).
Somebody mentioned that they have had a 20% off sale from
October-December the previous years, and another one that they
don't charge for shipping.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Bob Devaney (deva...@elmer1.bobst.nyu.edu) found an
European LEGO Service catalog of spare parts. Ask your local service
department for details (see II. addresses)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
II. International addresses / phone numbers / clubs
DENMARK (first, of course)
l...@daimi.aau.dk (Lasse Hiller|e Petersen) posted:
LEGO A/S Phone +45 - 75 35 11 88
DK-7190 Billund
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
BELGIUM
LEGO Consumer Service
c/o LEGO BELGIUM
n.v. Leuvenseteenweg 323, 1932 Zaventem
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
CANADA
jk...@ee.ryerson.ca (jim koch) provides (Sep. 92):
LEGO Canada Inc. Telephone (416) 940-6600
331 Amber Street Toll-Free 1-800-387-4387
Markham, Ontario Fax (416) 940-0745
Canada L3R 3J7
Wolfgang Richter (wolf...@sfu.ca) reports:
LEGO Club (newsletter, catalog information, etc.)
P.O. Box 3700
Markham
Ontario, L3R 6G9
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
FRANCE
LEGO S.A., Service Pie`ces de Rechange
B.P. 837, F-28011 CHARTRES Ce'dex.
Te'l.: 37 28 53 68
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
GERMANY
LEGO GmbH
Service: Regina
2354 Hohenwestedt/Holstein
New (1993) LEGO-hotline (030) 19866
(it's the "same number everywhere" style, so it may exists in
several German cities, but it's only an advertising tape played :(
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
HOLLAND
LEGO Nederland B.V.,
Afd. Konsumenten Service,
Postbus 18, 9860 AA Grootegast
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
UNITED KINGDOM jus...@muppet.bt.co.uk (Justin Emery), 1993
LEGO U.K. Ltd., (including club)
Ruthin Road,
Wrexham,
Clwyd LL13 7TQ
Customer Service - Christine, Barbara or Gaynor on 0978 296 247
LEGO Club - Meryl or Gaynor on 0978 296 290
Service, spare parts - Sian on 0978 296 233
Anything else - LEGO U.K. LTD. on 0978 290 900
The LEGO club costs 3.95 pounds (4.50 pounds for Ireland).
They need: name, address, post code, sex, date of birth.
Cheques made payable to 'LEGO U.K. Ltd' or credit card.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
UNITED STATES ba...@fred.nas.nasa.gov (Robert R. Baldassano)
LEGO Builders Club
PO Box 5000
Unionville, CT 06087-5000
(one year $7.95, two years $14.00; membership kit and free bonus
mini set, birthday mailing, magazine (Brick Kicks), ...)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
III. Books & papers about LEGO
The World of LEGO Toys
Henry Wiencek
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, New York
Times Mirror Books
TS2301.T7W474 1987 688.7'2 86-23200
ISBN 0-8109-1790-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 0-8109-2362-9 (paperback)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
egu...@vcd.hp.com (Ed J. Gurney),
lib...@cs.uiuc.edu (Daniel LaLiberte):
papers available via anonymous FTP from 'cherupakha.media.mit.edu',
directory "/pub/el-memos":
memo13.PS.Z describes 12 autonomous ``creatures'' built with
Electronic Bricks (specially-modified LEGO bricks
with simple electronic circuits inside)
memo8.PS.Z "LEGO/LOGO: LEARNING THROUGH AND ABOUT DESIGN"
memo8.hqx by Mitchel Resnick and Stephen Ocko
September 1990
memo10.PS.Z "CHILDREN AND ARTIFICIAL LIFE"
memo10.hqx by Mitchel Resnick and Fred Martin
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
IV. Price comparison
ja...@cs.bu.edu (Todd) calculated the price per piece in the
'old days' as $0.10. Please send your comments.
LegoLand, Billund, Denmark is reported to sell at list prices,
no discounts.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
V. LegoLand theme parks
Billund, Denmark, Europe:
Billund is in Jylland (Jutland), roughly equidistant (35 km) from
Esberg and Vejle, a town of only just over 4500 people.
Entrance fees in 1990 were 40 Dk (8 $Can) for big kids, 25 Dk for
little kids. These have probably increased.
Outdoor exhibits are closed off for the winter,
open from May 1 until the third Sunday in September.
The indoor exhibits are interesting though, open year-round.
Examples of the replications in the park and their piece counts,
found by Mike Weldy (bull...@mentor.cc.purdue.edu) in a magazine:
Mt. Rushmore (American monument to Presidents Washington,
Jefferson, Lincoln, and T. Roosevelt)
-- 1.5 million regular bricks and 40K Duplo
Billund Airport (complete with airplanes) -- 687,860 bricks
the Port of Copenhagen -- 3 million bricks
The Statue of Liberty -- 1.4 million bricks
Big Chief Sitting Bull -- 1.2 million bricks
a buffalo hunt -- 2.5 million
f...@unet.umn.edu (Craig A. Finseth) has details how to get there:
AIR:
From Europe: Fly to Billund. (Yes, there are flights directly to
Billund from most major European cities.) The airport is the second
busiest (behind Copenhagen) in Denmark.
From the US or anywhere else: Fly to Kobnhavn (Copenhagen), then to
Billund.
Once in Billund, walk. It's just across the parking lot, about five
minutes away.
TRAIN:
You can't. Billund is about as far as you can get from any railway
lines and still be on land in Europe. Since the town was essentially
"put on the map" by LEGO Systems and that company didn't really get
going until well after World War II, I would guess that they missed
out on the railway building era. In any event, you can take a train
to Vejen (nice town) and a bus to Billund (about an hour).
BUS / AUTO:
The bus goes there. A main road goes there.
As I recall, the airport and Legoland parking lots are one and the same.
Store:
There is a large store and it carries the entire current line. It
does _not_ carry old, non-standard, or discontinued kits. All sales
are at list price. If you're from the US, the only reason to buy
anything is that the current line is somewhat different in Europe than
the US, so you might find a new kit (and wince when you have to pay
for it). Price is a smaller consideration for other countries. (As
an aside, in the US it's illegal to enforce a list price, in most
other countries, it's illegal to sell for other than list price.)
(I filed the heartwarming descriptions of some visitors. To keep
the FAQ in limits, I send them by email if you send a Subject line
'LEGOland Billund request' to t...@fokus.gmd.de)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
International:
met...@convex.com (Robert Metzger) posted:
There was an article in the Wall Street Journal ~ 3./4.Feb.93 that
said that LegoLand U.K. would be finished in 1996. The main point of the
article was that LEGO has reduced the list of potential candidates for their
U.S. operation to 1 each site in Maryland and California.
edel...@mitre.org (Jeff Edelheit) remarks:
There will be only one US Legoland. The last two competing sites are
in Prince William County, Virginia (not Maryland) and in southern
California, near San Diego. The Virgina site is about 45 minutes
south of Washington, DC. In any case, it will be finished by 1999.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Large displays / play rooms:
The Seattle Science Museum has (or had 2 years ago, anyway) a large room
filled with LEGO to a depth of several inches.
le...@cs.unc.edu (Jon Leech)
the mall of america, in bloomington, minnesota (USA), has a legoland store
near the center of the mall. it has a large area for play, with tables and
chairs. the tops of the tables are lego, and there are basins set in the
center where loose legos are stored.
there are also huge models there: some hang from the ceiling by cables,
others stand tall on the ground, with moving parts and blinking lights.
and best of all: ALL AGES ARE WELCOME.
nud...@camelot.bradley.edu (Steven Parks)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
VI. Dacta and Computer connections
Fred Martin at MIT provides:
LEGO Dacta
555 Taylor Road o P.O. Box 1600
Enfield, CT 06083-1600
USA
orders and info: 1-(800)-527-8339
fax: 1-(203)-763-2466
LEGO Dacta is the educational branch of the LEGO company (which
has its U.S. headquarters in Enfield, CT). Dacta sells the LEGO Tech
nic product line_the geared and motorized version of the LEGO system.
Call Dacta and get their "Gear Up for Learning" catalog, which has
many LEGO Technic kits. Recommended kits are the 1038 Technic
Universal Buggy (a specialized kit for building a small LEGO vehicle
with a dual motor drive; about $60), the 1032 Technic II with Motorized
Transmission (a small general-purpose kit including one motor and one
battery pack; about $76), and the 9605 Technic Resource Set (a large
general-purpose kit including two motors and two battery packs; about
$200).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
vau...@pluto.cis.udel.edu (Chris Vaughn) found in the Dacta catalog
(and promises to look for more):
MS-DOS or Apple II Slot Card Pack - $161.50
includes slot card, cable, LEGO TC logo software and reference guides.
(card is for most MS-DOS machines, except IBM PS/2 Models 50 and above or
any other microchannel computer)
Interface Box and Transformer - $188.00
This box is what you connect all your motors, lights, and sensors to.
It has 2 inputs, and 6 outputs (3 if you want to use three motors and have
them all be reversible).
jk...@ee.ryerson.ca (jim koch) provides:
The price for Apple or IBM starter pack $798.00 (Jan 92).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
vau...@pluto.cis.udel.edu (Chris Vaughn) writes:
The Mini Board is a "miniature microprocessor-based controller board
designed for control of small robotic devices". It was designed at the
MIT Media Laboratory. This board is perfect for controlling LEGO devices
(and in fact looks to be much better than the interface designed by LEGO).
All of the information about the Mini Board is available at an FTP site
(the address is "cherupakha.media.mit.edu (18.85.0.47)")). This includes
diagrams and a parts list. The tech reference is a 47-page Postscript
document.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
There is a mailing list at list...@oberon.com. Send the body
SUBSCRIBE ROBOT-BOARD <your name> to this email address, the body
HELP for help.
The purpose of this mailing list is to discuss robot controller boards,
and robot control in general. In particular, this list will be used to
support the Miniboard 2.0 and 6.270 board design by Fred Martin and
Randy Sargent of MIT. However, any and all traffic related to robot
controllers is welcome.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
VII. Plural of LEGO
While most people point out that they yust say LEGOs,
lun...@netcom.com (Lunatic Johnathan Bruce E'Sex) digged out:
One catalogue, dated 1980, has the following on its back page:
"Dear Parents and Children
The word LEGO(R) is a brand name and is very special to all of us in
the LEGO Group Companies. We would sincerely like your help in
keeping it special. Please always refer to our bricks as 'LEGO
Bricks or Toys' and not 'LEGOS.' By doing so, you will be helping
to protect and preserve a brand of which we are very proud and that
stands for quality the world over. Thank you!
Susan Williams
Consumer Services"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
VIII. LEGO advertising
LEGO is new toy every day.
LEGO c'est un nouveau jouet chaque jour.
LEGO es un juguete nuevo cada dia.
LEGO ist jeden Tag ein neues Spielzeug.
LEGO - eine Sprache der Kinder ( LEGO - a language of the children).
LEGO zeigt, was Kinder koennen ( LEGO shows what children can).
In the UK the LEGO advertising is reported quite good - they just
show an animated film of lots of lego being assembled, disassembled,
reassembled etc. a few times over in 15 seconds. Some of them
are quite impressive. (sorry I lost the poster's name)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
IX. How to wash LEGO pieces
from a Lego catalog...
"DUPLO and LEGO SYSTEM toys can be washed by hand, using warm water --
max. 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) -- and a mild liquid dish
detergent. Storage temperature max. 104 degrees Fahrenheit = 40 Celsius.
Electric parts are not wasahble."
Mike Clemens <mcle...@mango.ucs.indiana.edu>
j...@gmd.de (Juergen Christoffel) and gil...@gandalf.ca (Jack Gilmer) say:
Put your LEGOs into a pillow case or a mesh bag (the kind for washing
small articles of clothes) and wash in your washing machine at a
low temperature. Tested in kindergarten once a year.
al...@library.welch.jhu.edu (Alekz Vermont) says:
stick them in the tub w/warm sudsy water and swish about... let soak.
swish more. drain tub. spray with shower (to rinse) and let air-dry...
>> Do not wash your LEGO people--their faces come off!
There's nothing wrong with that. I'd pretend that their faces melted, and
became faceless mutant LEGO people. The fun really started when I discovered
permanent markers... (men...@bnr.ca (Meng Soo))
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
X. Storing / sorting / using LEGO
One of the greatest ideas was:
Keep them on a bed sheet:
spread the sheet for playing - fold it together to tide up in seconds,
and put it in whatever container you like.
Most netters strongly object sorting their pieces and enjoy sitting on
the floor having their pieces all around them.
The variety and size of technic elements may still demand some sorting.
Hardware stores sell storage units with 18-60 drawers, intended for
sorting nuts and bolts and the like. The transparent plastic drawers (which
can include transparent dividers) allow one to see the contents of a drawer
without opening it. Price example: about $20 for a unit 14"w * 18"h * 6"d.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
XI. Taking pieces apart
People use teeth, fingernails, screwdrivers, penknives, ...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Jim Burmeister, ji...@csd.harris.com et al:
Lego now sells a small handle-like gizmo called a "brick separator".
It works GREAT! It's under $2 and also found in some basic buckets.
[part number 821]
dho...@netcom.com (Dennis Holmes) means:
What you need is TWO separator tools. Stick one on top and one underneath,
with the handles facing the same direction, and then squeeze the handles
together. Works like magic!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
1x1x1s are easy - twist one of them through 45 degrees, and then prise
them apart with fingers.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
To separate 2x1 flats cr...@phx.cam.ac.uk (Clive Jones) writes:
Let: -
...be the 1-wide cross-section of the 2x1 block, so:
-
-
represents the two blocks stuck together. Now find two 12x2 plates.
Apply them like this:
------------ <- wiggle
-
-
------------ wiggle ->
...and wiggle them backwards and forwards *hard*. Within a second or
so, you'll find that all but the most stubborn plates separate, and
getting the 2x1s off the 12x2s is then easy.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
mal...@potomac.engin.umich.edu (Jeff Jahr) uses
... the small black mechanics wrench from some of the old space sets.
The jaw of wrench is designed so it can grab onto a lego bump -
absolutly useless for prying - but the other end is flattened
like a screwdriver. They seem to be made from a slightly softer
plastic than the blocks to avoid scratches.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
XII. LEGO history / What does LEGO mean
Andreas Henning (d2h...@dtek.chalmers.se) and Timo (t...@tik.vtt.fi) say:
The LEGO patent has expired 2-4 years ago.
n...@cl.cam.ac.uk Neil Dodgson found:
My "The Art of LEGO" book says that the company name, LEGO, came from
the Danish "Leg godt", roughly translated as "Play well". The company
originally made wooden toys during the depression. They also made
yo-yos for a while, during the yo-yo craze. Unfortunately this left
them with warehouses full of yo-yos when the craze suddenly stopped;
so the boss just cut all the yo-yos in half, and used them as wheels
for toy trucks, etc. The same guy invented the LEGO bricks, initially
without the tubes inside; the addition of these tubes meant that the
blocks held together really well, and sales took off. I think it was
in the mid to late '50s that LEGO decided to drop all its other
products and just make the bricks (risky...).
(Somebody found in a book that LEGO dropped their other product lines
when a fire burned down the building housing them. Thus, it was not as
risky to sell the bricks exclusively. It would probably have been
riskier to re-capitalize the wooden toy line than to drop it.)
"The Art of LEGO" says that one reason LEGO survives is that it
constantly adapts itself to the modern world; e.g. the original LEGO
trains, and now the remodelled one that will run off the mains.
Perhaps all these new special blocks are a reflection of a society
that wants instant gratification, rather than spending a few hours
building a model?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
found by r1b...@zeus.tamu.edu / Ken Blair
Taken without permissin from _Brick Kicks_ #1 ("The official magazine
of the LEGO builders club") (circa 1987 or 88?)
"Bricks & Pieces: The LEGO Story"
Did you know that 300 million children have owned LEGO sets since they
were first made? And that you are one of the 68 million kids from around the
world who like to play with LEGO building bricks today! Here's the story of
how we grew...
Although the interntaional LEGO Group is now very large, it is still a
family-run company that started out quite small. More than 50 years ago, a
carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen and his 12-year old son, Godtfred,
started making toys in the little town of Billund, Denmark. Plastic had not
been invented yet, so they made toy cars, trucks, yo-yos, animals, and other
toys out of wood. They decided that a good name for their company would be
LEGO, which means "play well" in Danish, and also, they discovered, happens
to mean "put together" in Latin! Ole and Godtfred were very proud of their
workmanship, and adopted the LEGO motto that "only the best is good enough."
When plastic became available after World War II, LEGO began to make
both wooden and plastic toys. It was about this time that the idea of plastic
LEGO bricks was introduced. Godtfred loved to build with these colorful new
pieces, and was continually putting them together and taking them apart to
build new designs. In fact, it was Godtfred who perfected the special design
that makes every single LEGO brick fit together in any combination, over and
over again. The first LEGO building set was made more than 30 years ago- and
the bricks from that set can still be used with even the newest LEGO building
set of today!
LEGO bricks first appeared in the United States in 1961 and quickly became
as popular here as in Europe. The international LEGO group is now worldwide,
and is run by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, Old Kirk Christiansen's grandson. As the
company keeps growing, so do the kids of exciting LEGO kits that are now sold in
129 different countries...from DUPLO preschool to FABULAND, LEGO BASIC, to
LEGOLAND, LEGO boats and trains to LEGO TECHNIC SETS. In fact, this year alone,
we will make more than six billion bricks and building pieces for all the
LEGO lovers 'round the world- like you!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
While LEGO comes from Danish "leg godt", "lego" means 'to assemble" in Latin.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
XIII. Material and Technology
from Wiencek's The World of LEGO Toys, paraphrased by sa...@cats.ucsc.edu (Dan):
Lego brick are made out of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), it is
heated to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, then injected into a mold which is
kept at 85 degrees. The pressure used to mold the bricks varies from
twenty-four to one hundred and fifty tons. The molds are kept within
one degree of the 85 degree specification. ABS absorbs moisture, so
the entire molding hall is kept at 50% humidity. The allowable tolerance
for a brick is two-hundredths of a millimeter, or about eight ten-
thousands of an inch.
My xwebster says: ABS: a tough rigid plastic used esp. for automobile parts
and building materials.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Geometry, provided by Jef Poskanzer (j...@netcom.com):
Thanks to various pointers, especially the MIT course notes, here is
the metric version. **All measurements in mm.**
side: __ __ __ __ top: +----------------+
+----------------+ | () () () () |
| | | |
| | | () () () () |
+----------------+ +----------------+
spacing of knob centers: 8 diameter of knobs: 5
height of block: 9.6
end: __ __ bottom: +================+
+--------+ # -- -- -- #
| | # ( )( )( ) #
| | # -- -- -- #
+--------+ +================+
height of knobs: 1.7 thickness of block walls: 1.5
outer diameter of cylinders: 6.31
thickness of cylinder walls: .657
(height of block) =
(spacing of knob centers) * 6 / 5
(thickness of block walls) =
( (spacing of knob centers) - (diameter of knobs) ) / 2
(height of knobs) =
(height of block) / 3 - (thickness of block walls)
(outer diameter of cylinders) =
sqrt(2) * (spacing of knob centers) - (diameter of knobs)
(thickness of cylinder walls) =
( (outer diameter of cylinders) - (diameter of knobs) ) / 2
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
XIV. Nice quotations
I'm surprised that no one has ever mentioned the glorious sound of LEGO.
LEGO bricks are about the only present you can tell what is by shaking it.
che...@studsys.mscs.mu.edu (The Shaggy T.A.)
I can hear that restful sound of lego pieces in my mind even now. It's kind
of like the peaceful sound of a waterfall, but more tinkly.
kuri...@chopin.udel.edu (Sean J. Crist)
Lego is not a toy. - It's a way of life.
mi...@bioch.ox.ac.uk (Mike Smith)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
XV. FTP
gyu...@isl.Stanford.EDU (Paul Gyugyi):
A copy of the faq can be found on earthsea.stanford.edu, in the
~ftp/pub/lego directories. There is also a ~ftp/pub/lego/uploads
for your contributions and an images directory for guess what.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
XVI. Substitutes / compatibles / clones
At the very end of the LEGO faq some information about similar products.
No flames please. :) Most people state that the quality is much lower then
original LEGO pieces.
TYCO are reported to sell compatible basic bricks in 1000-piece buckets
for approx. $0.03 per piece. They also made that LEGO-looking telephone.
Mega Micro Blocks are found in 1000-piece buckets about $0.02 per piece.
There are large quantities of the basic 2x4, 2x2, and 1x2 bricks, more
tight but reported to be fully LEGO-compatible.
PEDLO is reported to be similar, but not compatible with LEGO. Their plates
are only 1/2 height of full bricks, not 1/3 like LEGO.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
elg...@diku.dk (Niels Elgaard Larsen) says:
Some years ago LEGO did have a lot of trouble with a far east
company that made LEGO clones called "0937". I wonder if they
placed them upside-down in the stores.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> end of alt.toys.lego FAQ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>