LEGO clone brand

[badboytje88]

If given the opportunity, to work as designer for a LEGO clone brand like MB or something similar, would you do it? Lets discuss this question.

Edited March 5, 2010 by badboytje88

[MetroiD]

I'm not sure there's any rival brand that has:

a) the plethora of bricks to choose from while building official sets

b) the wide variety of themes that LEGO can offer

c) any way of paying as much as LEGO could

So, that would make for a bad-paying job designing things I wouldn't actually like or enjoy building. Why would I even bother

[Peppermint_M]

Lets see. I would get paid to build/design things using toy construction bricks.

I would be paid real, actual money, to do one of my favourite things.

I would be able to play with bricks all day. All Day, and be paid.

I would be paid to play with bricks that are just enough different to my main hobby that it wouldn't spoil it.

Where do I sign up?

[Extreme Sadness.]

Wow, I'm surprised that the votes so far are 50/50. . . . . . . . .

But, no, I wouldn't, I'd rather die than work for a rival of Lego.

-ES-

[prateek]

I would, but with the money I'd make, I'd buy Lego

[lightningtiger]

I would, but with the money I'd make, I'd buy Lego

Ditto Diito from me - but not MB - their bricks are ........well crap !

I still prefer to use Lego than other though, call me a purest at heart !

Though if the cash is there in design another brand - I would be very tempted.

I'm a conformist! everyone !

Edited March 5, 2010 by lightningtiger

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

Most clone sets are copies from LEGO, and are pretty crappy quality. Also, they probably don't pay as well, and I don't think that the ones who have original sets have a think tank of AFOL designers who work to make sets that most people like. So, no I wouldn't.

[Dunjohn]

Sure, I would. A job's a job. An especially fun job, in this case. And as a designer rather than, say, a mould operator, I would only increase my actual Lego skills.

Of course, there would be complications. Legally, I'd have to be careful not to copy too much from Lego, both in set designs and new brick ideas. As well as that, I imagine that all employees would be encouraged to stick to the company's product - it looks bad for ANY company if employees spend their free time using a rival's product. While working in a bank, I wasn't barred exactly from having accounts in other banks, but I was heavily dissuaded, while my sister, who worked in a clothes shop, was required to wear only clothes that could be purchased there.

On the plus side, I imagine I'd get a thrill out of trying to outdo Lego and challenging them to work even harder

Edited March 6, 2010 by Dunjohn

[FilmGirl27]

If the pay was good, probably. But otherwise, no.

[FilmGirl27]

I would, but with the money I'd make, I'd buy Lego

Now theres an idea...

[Peppermint_M]

Most clone sets are copies from LEGO, and are pretty crappy quality. Also, they probably don't pay as well, and I don't think that the ones who have original sets have a think tank of AFOL designers who work to make sets that most people like. So, no I wouldn't.

I challenge you to find a single legitimate clone brand that outright copies Lego designs... Also, who is to say clone brands do not have a devision devoted to designing sets for them to sell. MB, Oxford, Cobi and Best Lock must have at least one person who turns out ideas for sets.

Now, a Bootleg is a rip-off of Lego. They copy Lego designs 100%. A clone merely uses the stud and tube method of connection Lego have been unable to patent. (Functional design y'see, like the way a paperclip works).

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

I challenge you to find a single legitimate clone brand that outright copies Lego designs...

Enlighten, they have so many people selling them on eBay saying it's LEGO.

[not-in-use-anymore]

If they were a good company, I might do it if I could, but would prefer to work at Lego. Now, if it's MB... I'd create horrible sets so that people won't want them anymore

[Peppermint_M]

Enlighten, they have so many people selling them on eBay saying it's LEGO.

Know Bootlegger

Not a Clone Brand.

[RileyC]

I wouldnt be a set designer for a clone brand. If you were a megblocks designer and people asked you what you did for a job, you would say, "I'm a megablocks set designer." It doesnt have the same ring to it as saying, "Im a Lego set designer.".

[vexorian]

Well, as long as it is a clone brand that at least bothers to do original designs like mega, then yes. Though we are talking about extremely unlikely things in here..

[dr_spock]

I would work for them as long as there isn't anything in the employment contract saying I can't buy Lego in my own personal time outside of work.

[Alex the Great]

I probably woulde because it's still fun, but not as good. Plus I would collect LEGO outside my job, but I would get mixed bricks.

[Ratshot]

I'd work for a Clone brand, I've been to my Cousins house before and played woth there MBs and acually enjoyed myself so It wouldn't bug me to work brand at all.

I would, but with the money I'd make, I'd buy Lego

Same here, I'd pump it back into the Lego Company

[5150 Lego]

Wow. I have to say I'm a bit flabbergasted by some of the answers here. Regardless of it being a clone brand or not, its a job. A paying job at that. If your fresh out of college and/or just looking for work, you'd be a fool to pass on an opportunity for this type of work (if thats what your looking for at least) just cause your a fan boy.

I'm not sure there's any rival brand that has:

a) the plethora of bricks to choose from while building official sets

Then work with your company in improving the selection of bricks. My guess if set designers have a strong influence on what new pieces are created.

b) the wide variety of themes that LEGO can offer

c) any way of paying as much as LEGO could

How so? Many clone brands have/are doing licenses and themes that TLC isn't currently doing.

c) any way of paying as much as LEGO could

How do you know that? How do you know they don't pay just as much as Lego does? I'm not sure what set designers make, but master builders don't make nearly what you think they would make.

So, that would make for a bad-paying job designing things I wouldn't actually like or enjoy building. Why would I even bother

Hmm.... Maybe to get your foot in the door in the industry and get some experience on your resume? One very rarely gets there dream job fresh out of school. Most have to work there way up.

[Rufus]

If I ultimately wanted to work as a Lego set designer (like my 10-year-old self), I can't think of a better way into the industry than proving myself for a clone brand, and hoping to be headhunted by Lego. I don't know if it works that way in the construction toy trade, but it does for most other areas of commerce.

Alternatively, there's always industrial espionage - feeding clone brand ideas straight to Lego! Although I'm sure TLC would never stoop that low, nor would they need to.

Edited for grammar

Edited March 7, 2010 by Rufus

[RepublicForces]

Only if it pays good.

[vexorian]

Wow. I have to say I'm a bit flabbergasted by some of the answers here. Regardless of it being a clone brand or not, its a job. A paying job at that. If your fresh out of college and/or just looking for work, you'd be a fool to pass on an opportunity for this type of work (if thats what your looking for at least) just cause your a fan boy.

But the original question did not make that assumption, did it? It just asked if you'd work for a clone brand. At least I could survive by keeping my day job instead...

There are also clone brands and clone brands. For some the designer job means "find a lego set and copy the design" it is not going to be good for your resume if what you intend is working for LEGO or a clone brand with actual designs. And good luck asking for new molds in those that barely clone set designs. Also, if it is one of the very bad clones, the plastic will make it a very boring/depressing job for some of us.

Soo the question mentioned MB then yeah, definitely though I might get fired after spamming the suggestion box with 'let's improve plastic even if it raises cost" every once in a week :/ I really wish mega would get same or very close quality to LEGO it would make things better for everyone, for us and MB fans equally :)

[Peppermint_M]

*sigh*

Vexorian, you talk of assumptions and suchlike. Why do you assume that these clones copy Lego set designs?

They are called clone because they "copy" the stud and tube method of connection. Lego do not have a patent on that, just like breeze blocks and concrete, plastic bricks with studs on top and tubes inside are a means to an end, not intellectual property. The minifigure is patented, this is why clone brand figures are not an exact match.

Clone Brands do not copy Lego set designs. They make their own. I do not see any Megablocks Pyrates matching Lego Pirates, Oxford's castles are all Korean styled and Best Lock's War in Space isn't like any Lego set.

Enlighten, on the other hand, does copy Lego set designs outright (and Oxford and Best Lock) but they are Bootleggers. Just like the Transmorphable Truck King looks rather like Optimus Prime and the Super Mighty Ninja Team Changer Phone is a whole lot like a Power Rangers morpher. These sets are "exact" copies of older Lego sets. Bootleg, Fake, rip-off; these guys copy the real thing, manufacture it on the cheap and sell it for a fraction of price. These bootleggers are the only companies who do not design their sets.

[MetroiD]

Wow, 5150 Lego! I have absolutely no idea why you'd get so bothered by my response that you'd target every one of the 3 reasons I've come up with, but I'd like to assure you that being a set designer is definitely not a thing I've dreamed about, or ever considered taking up as an actual career choice.

That said, even if I did, I'm sure there are better ways to improve my skills than working for a rival company. From what I've seen, switching sides is pretty much accepted in some business areas and gets severely frowned upon in others. I don't think I'd be willing to take my chances with a company that I wouldn't enjoy working for in dire hopes that I'd get picked by LEGO some day based on my "expertise" as a set designer elsewhere. Besides, being a "designer" is what's really crucial here, forget the "set" part - and if that's your career choice and the thing you've studied, then you'll surely have at least some options available to you other than designing sets out of plastic bricks. Working as a freelancer springs to mind here, which pays fine, as long as you know what you're doing - and is a perfect way to set up your initial connections.