NOT LEGO - Building Review: ANKO Mini Blocks Racing Car (Technic Style)

[Paul B Technic]

 

If you're on the lookout for a budget-friendly Technic-style car build, the ANKO Mini Blocks Racing Car might just catch your eye. While it doesn’t hold up to LEGO Technic standards in terms of functionality and part quality, it still delivers a satisfying build experience and a good-looking display model for a fraction of the cost.

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👍 Good Points

💰 Price
One of the biggest selling points of this set is its price. At less than half the cost of a comparable LEGO Technic set, it's a tempting option for budget-conscious builders or those just wanting something new to assemble.

🧱 Enjoyable Building Process
The 39-page, 107-step instruction booklet provides a mostly intuitive and enjoyable building experience. The way the car comes together feels thought-out and engaging, with enough variation to keep things interesting.

🏎️ Looks Great on Display
Visually, this car is a winner from a distance. On a shelf, it easily passes for a LEGO Technic model, thanks to its slick blue-and-black colour scheme and sporty design.

🛠️ Solid Construction
Once completed, the car feels surprisingly robust. Unlike some budget sets, there’s no worry about parts falling off when you pick it up or move it around.

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👎 Bad Points

🚫 No Technic Functions
This is where the model falls flat for Technic enthusiasts. There’s no steering, no suspension, no fake engine, no gearing—just doors that open and wheels that roll. If you're after any mechanical features, you'll be disappointed.

⚙️ Lower Parts Quality
The plastic feels cheaper than LEGO’s. Some parts required a lot more force to connect, especially axles into 3L pins with stoppers. There's a noticeable lack of refinement in the tolerances of the parts.

📖 Instruction Confusion
Though mostly clear, there are moments of frustration. For example:

• One sticker was easy to miss, only discovered at the end.

• One early step led to using the wrong part, which had to be disassembled later.

• Some parts are hard to distinguish in diagrams, especially black vs. dark grey or similarly shaped pieces.

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🧾 Final Verdict

If you're buying this expecting LEGO quality—you’ll be disappointed. But if you go in knowing what it is—a budget Technic-style build with no moving features but a nice look—you'll find it a fun, if flawed, experience.

Would I buy another?
Not unless the range improves to include actual Technic functions and better-quality parts. As it stands, it’s a decent one-off curiosity, not a serious contender in the Technic world.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10
Budget value, solid looks—let down by a lack of mechanical features and fiddly instructions.

 

The Box

Half Way of the Build

Finished

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video - https://www.tiktok.com/@paulbtechnic/video/7507888045530647815

https://paulbtechnic.blogspot.com/2025/05/not-lego-building-review-anko-mini.html

[M_longer]

@Milan ?

 

[Maaboo the Witch]

@Jim?

Seriously, CADA is one thing, but advertising this knockoff crap is something else entirely.

[Milan]

@Paul B Technic

I appreciate your enthusiasm with your MOC presentations and reviews. However, in this case, I'm sure you're aware that we don't allow discussion of other brick manufacturers on the forum.

As a community on the Technic forum, we agreed to make a small exception for CADA, to give our guys a space to showcase and discuss their impressive builds.
Until there's an agreement to include others, let's stick to what we've established.

I will move it to our Community forum.

[SpacePolice89]

 fake Lego

[Peppermint_M]

1 hour ago, SpacePolice89 said:

 fake Lego

You would have hated me back in the day  I had a mission to review as many weird brands as I could. 

[Toastie]

5 hours ago, Milan said:

CADA, to give our guys a space to showcase and discuss their impressive builds

Yeah - for whatever reason. OK, impressiveness it is. Oh my. I am pretty sure that ... (many come to mind) Pantasy is impressive as well. But then - who cares.

@Paul B Technic: You should have posted that review here anyway (in other words, it is your fault )  - the only reaction you usually get anywhere else here is: Fake, bootlegs, terrible, rip-off, etc. pp. Regardless of what you paid and so on. I am on the “who cares” route. For many reasons, but mostly concerned with - ambiguity: This is "good" but that is "bad".

I am happy to post here - nobody reads these posts, but I feel good. There is nothing better to feeling good .

All the best
Thorsten