I bought a MB HALO set and I now feel dirty

[johnsocal]

I went ahead and spent $20 on a Mega Bloks Halo Warthog set just to see if MBs have improved any. While the overall look of the Warthog is nice, the pieces are still just as cheaply made as before. The scariest thing I experienced was my 6 year old LEGO-loving son telling me he thought the super articulated MB Halo figures were really cool and he even dared to say he thought they were cooler than LEGO minifigs because he could put them in different poses like his 3 3/4 Hasbro figures.

While this set does not come close to the quality of genuine LEGOs I have a feeling MB has a hit on their hands and will most likely sell a lot of Halo sets between now and Christmas. The concerning thing is that MB has the Marvel license and will certainly exploit it when Iron 2 comes out this summer and they could always go after the The Hobbit/LOTR license.

[Svelte]

Discussion of non-Lego sets belongs in Community, not in Lego News and General Discussion.

Enjoy your Megabloks!

[Peppermint_M]

Why do you feel dirty?

Anywho. Are the guns ok for minifigs? Are the figures a similar size to minimates? What sort of colours do the bricks range in?

I saw some large sets in The Entertainer in Cardiff, but they markup prices by £££s so I didn't buy any. I saw some better priced sets in Smyths (there is one near me, who knew?) but my parents were about and my father would not be impressed with the "violent content" (plus the reason for purchase being guns...) so I was unable to buy it.

Who really cares if MB has a success on their hands? Lego will have to innovate and improve to keep the casual buyers interest and currency, we get the benefit of new and interesting sets created to compete instead of anything they feel like because they know we'll buy.

[Joey Lock]

I don't know why people don't like Clone Brands...

There a toy, Use it. "Oh I want Lego! Waaaa!!" Lots of people in the world cannot afford real Lego, So think yourself lucky.

[Big Cam]

I am a huge Halo fan and I saw a MB Halo set for the first time in target the other day. I seriously contemplainted it, but after staring at the set. I saw hoe crappy the quality was, and 3 boxes down was a perfectly presented SW LEGO set. I thought to myself, why on earth would I get the MB set.

No offence to you, I just wanted to say I love HALO and alomst bought one. Then I saw the light.

[M. Lupin]

It seems like like MB is aiming their products at an older, preteen-teen audience and Lego recently focused on a much younger audience (excluding the AFOLs, of course. They've gotten more and more attention!) with lines such as the Disney ones and a more cartoony Castle, Agents and Space police. Just my opinion. I have to remember that boys 10 and under is their target audience!

[Dunjohn]

Is MegaBloks compatable with Lego? My local Smyths has a few of the sets so I've examined the boxes, but I've always been under the impression that MB were slightly too big to fit with Lego. Am I wrong? I've never owned any MB.

Don't intend to, either. Too much of a purist :) Though, I do understand the "they're all toys" argument. It's just how I'm wired.

[prateek]

Is MegaBloks compatable with Lego? My local Smyths has a few of the sets so I've examined the boxes, but I've always been under the impression that MB were slightly too big to fit with Lego. Am I wrong? I've never owned any MB.

Don't intend to, either. Too much of a purist :) Though, I do understand the "they're all toys" argument. It's just how I'm wired.

You are actually very wrong (no offence ) Some MB pieces are very useful in Lego MOCs ( I can't believe I just said that!)

[Spyder]

You are actually very wrong (no offence ) Some MB pieces are very useful in Lego MOCs ( I can't believe I just said that!)

That they are, but I've never actually presented a MOC with MB in it.

Anyways, my local TRU has all the sets, so I would love to know, do the MB guns fit in minifigure hands? If so, I might actually buy the smallest one with the 3 spartans in it for the weapons. (the guns would go to my minifigures of course)

So, even with me being pulled into this Halo theme, I think MB has a goldmine on their hands. (unfortunately )

[Luke McAwesome]

I use some old MB castle fences in my Jurassic Park MOCs as fences on a cliff side. They, suprisingly, work better than any other LEGO part, as far as large fences go.

Edited September 25, 2009 by Striker

[YG-49]

I use some old MB castle fences in my Jurassic Park MOCs as fences on a cliff side. They, suprisingly, work better than any other LEGO part, as far as large fences go.

Were they barb-wire fence? Next time, use them in a The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas MOC.

[Peppermint_M]

So can we get a verdict on the guns? I can't tell from boxart if they will fit right (they look ok, but they might be too wide for a MF hand) and I don't want to buy a set more than £5 if the parts aren't going to be useful.

[prateek]

Sometimes, wepons fit, but sometimesw, they're either too loose or too tight. It's kinda wierd having both extremities in one brand I'm guessing these Halo weapons will fit though. If they don't either sand them or put som tape around the handles.

Edited September 25, 2009 by prateek

[VBBN]

I'm not to fussed on clone brands as long as they are fairly nice quality, and since MB has some balls to bring in the violence, I fully intend to get some of these Halo sets.

And the megablock figs look fairly nice.

[Mraz Skintas]

Ive never actually bought any MB, but my love of Halo is pushing towards these sets. I do however, wanna know why all the Elites have Beam Rifles? But the weapons are really the only parts I like, and I think that some would complement my Halo MOCs, that I plan on rebuilding, well.

-Ooh-rah.

[ILikePi]

I don't plan on buying any Mega Bloks sets, but I would love it if someone could post reviews of some of the Halo sets, just so we can see a comparison of LEGO and Mega Bloks in detail, quality, accessories, etc.

[larry marak]

Not ready to post a review of a full set yet, but I can address the questions about the minifigs. The fully articulated minifigs are half an inch taller than Lego standard...the difference is in the length of the legs (much more realistic). Articulation is at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists pelvis, knees and ankles. These are an evolution of the minifigs pioneered for the Pyrates line and developed further through Pirates of the Carribean, Extreme Sports, and Legend of King Arthur sets. The weapons both Spartan and Alien, can both be held by Chewbacca, however the flamethrower requires use of the socket located in the Spartan soldier's back. Compared to micromates, they are far sturdier and more compatible with traditional Lego figures. The trans-clear spartan with a transclear flamethrower (active camouflage) given out at Comiccon in San Diego is awesome.

Finally, if you need a larger Spartan, Target is currently carrying an exclusive Halo Spartan sculpture consisting of over 200 bricks.

About a dozen additional Halo sets are planned for next year.

[Enigma-85]

I have never owned anything by Megabloks, so I can't comment. Just looking at photographs of their standard bricks compared to LEGO equivalents gives some indication as to their overall quality, however - they appear visibly poorer. I could be wrong, of course, as I'd need to hold one, but...

Anyway, I wonder what TLC would have come up with had they earned the Halo licence instead of MB. Looking at the MB website they seem to have covered all of the bases, though a lot of the pieces look somewhat specialised.

[RocketClone]

Ehhh MegaBloks are the Wal-mart of the world.

[Badsneaker]

I saw the MB Halo theme too and wondered why LEGO didn't go after it. But like everyone says, there target audience with themes is the younger boys.

[larry marak]

I saw the MB Halo theme too and wondered why LEGO didn't go after it. But like everyone says, there target audience with themes is the younger boys.

Also TLG has wanted to avoid producing war toys. Now granted, with Star Wars there's incredible potential for violent play, but the background is almost mythical. Likewise with Indiana Jones, Lego has skirted very close to warfare. (Thompson sub machine guns, a Messerschmidt fighter. Personally I hope to see the land behemoth from Last Crusade before this theme has played out.) But Halo is a future based shootem up video game, with a focus purely on warfare. Far to violent for TLG's corporate moral compass.

MegaBrands is of course hoping that this line will have the same kind of sales and run as Lego's Star Wars license has. Only time will tell.

Edited November 20, 2009 by larry marak

[Siegfried]

a Messerschmidt fighter

Actually neither plane was German; the bi-plane was a British De Havilland Tiger Moth and the "fighter" was a Pilatus P2 trainer. Both were supposedly borrowed from the Swiss Air Force.

I wish they did make a Messerschmidt; I would have bought the set then.

[larry marak]

I'd love to see them model the Sparrows the light scout/fighters that were launched and retreived from U.S.Navy blimps in the 1930's. So small, they would actually be realistic if done in minifig scale.

[Siegfried]

I'd love to see them model the Sparrows the light scout/fighters that were launched and retreived from U.S.Navy blimps in the 1930's. So small, they would actually be realistic if done in minifig scale.

I'd like that too. But I'd be happy with any real military plane...

[dieselboy m]

I've got five of the [smaller] Halo sets (the Warthog being the largest), plus the limited edition mail away Spartan. Huge fan of the Halo-verse (not a die hard gamer though), and not a LEGO purist as I love toys of all ranges. Not going to get into that whole issue, I'm just posting to say I'll probably shoot some review pics before long. Nothing too detailed, just a box pic and a few pics of the completed models. I haven't opened most of them yet, just a couple to play with the figs.