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I will have a look at what 'brands' they are when I get home. I generally just buy whatever is cheapest of the model I want on aliexpress. It's always worth searching for both the Lego part number and 'Lepin' part numbers. Some are direct copies, other are available in slightly different versions. Star Plan and Mould King both ring a bell. There are occasionally missing/poorly made pieces, but so far its always been small bits I've already had spares of.
The only Chinese model I haven't been impressed with was the Bugatti Chrion, as the body panels were a mix of slight different shades.
My friend was looking at this.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001264811440.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.25ce3c00qbolMr&mp=1
Delivered for £31.
What should I he expect? Will there be printed instructions etc...?
I’ve got around 6 Chinese lego knock offs. All been absolutely fine 🙂
I bought the genuine lego sian and couldn’t believe the colour differences in the green bits 🙁
Ahhh sod it.
Just bought the car.
Let's see what turns up. Will be flogging it for half what I paid once I'm done as I have nowhere to put it!
Hmm, my friends whisper posts seem to have been removed.
Anyhoo..
I bought the genuine lego sian and couldn’t believe the colour differences in the green bits 🙁
I read this and saw the pictures and was amazed that they hadn’t been recalled. Lego have a big play about the quality control but that seemed to be a major screwup. It certainly put me right off getting one, especially given the cost.
Cheers Harry- that’s another of our Scout Zoom sessions planned!
Just bought the car.
I built a not-Lego-technic-but-is-really car, wasn't even a fake as it was a 100% new design. It wasn't quite up to Lego standards as the instructions had a couple of errors I can't imagine getting past Lego QC, but otherwise it was fine and the blocks were of a perfectly acceptable condition. Might have to get another one 🙂
<mod>
We've just had a discussion around the legality of not-Lego Lego as it is something of a grey area. The line in the sand we're going to draw here is this:
Selling Legoish building blocks is clearly fine, you can buy Mega Blocks in Tesco. Lego's patent / copyright on the brick system expired in the 80s.
Selling fake Lego under the pretence that it's actually real Lego is counterfeiting, clearly illegal and verboten as a topic of conversation on the forum.
The middle ground where the likes of Lele are making direct copies of existing Lego sets is less clear. But Lego can and do go after companies to protect their IP and we don't want to be having to spend the next six months splitting hairs trying to adjudicate what is and isn't fair game, that's the job of expensive lawyers. Plus there's nothing to stop anyone from downloading model instructions directly from Lego for free and building them using their existing collection, which further muddies things.
TD;DR - copies fine, counterfeit bad.
</mod>
And in answer to the earlier question, this is an amusing read.
(See https://brickset.com/news?query=communist for previous versions.)
nah it's not a grey area at all. It's ripping someone off. Hopefully no-one who happily buys any of these sets ever posts a thread to have a moan if their bike gets stolen! 😉The middle ground where the likes of Lele are making direct copies of existing Lego sets is less clear.
it muddies nothing - they actively encourage it like you say. (They even bought out the fan-created site Bricklink a while back which is the main marketplace for 2nd hand bricks - there is a tool which you can use to build a model in CAD, and it will automagically put together a list of sellers where you can buy all the 2nd hand bricks to build it). They just want you to do it with [I]actual Lego[/I]. 😃Plus there’s nothing to stop anyone from downloading model instructions directly from Lego for free and building them using their existing collection, which further muddies things.
Sorry, Lego or bust for me, must have binned several kilos of fake over the years when buying job lots on Ebay. Lot of development goes into designing Lego sets, if you want cheap Lego buy it by the kilo second hand. Ok I know I'm a bit weird but I actually quite like buying the bits I'm missing to build UCS kits I don't have. Done the Tyridium shuttle and AT St that way as well as a custom AT AT that way. Death Star 2 next.
They didn’t bring out BrickLink, they took it over.
As far as knockoffs go, I buy a fair amount of aliexpress "lego" but my rule is, only if I can't buy the real thing from lego. Mostly that means MOCs, occasionally it's meant something that's totally unavailable. But if they'd let me buy it I would and tbh I've no guilt at all about that.
(I've actually bought genuine lego sets that I never would have, after seeing a knockoff on astrobricks and going, I want that, then googling and finding the original- so it's not all one way travel)
I do feel a bit bad for some MOC designers- I've actually spoken to a couple of kit designers about this and both of them said "nah, we don't make any money off it anyway and it's flattering that our designs can be bought" but I know some people monetarise it which is totally fair, and I'd be amazed if lepin/etc have even once paid a single penny to a designer. But then, even if buying plans from a designer and then buying all the blocks specific for a build were realistic- and really, it's usually not, it works out so expensive- I don't want to hunt down bits, I want to buy a kit, open it and build it.
@zilog6128. Sorry, misread and thought I was paraphrasing your post. Serves me right for being a smartarse.
Obviously, I do understand the difference! 😉👍🏽.
Cheers Cougar for the <mod/> clarification - it's pretty much what I assumed. Fortunately the AliExpress model that's most caught my eye is this one, and it's definitely not a Lego rip-off:
That looks amazing.
If anyone didn't know it's VIP weekend on lego.com this weekend. Spend £150 and get a Charles Dickens Christmas Carol set, spend £200 and get a buildable brick.
Now I just need to convince the wife that a Lego Ecto-1 is definitely something we need.
There's something particularly good about a lego nintendo, love the detail on the back of the TV
https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/nintendo-entertainment-system-71374
The Colosseum looks like a very tedious build - wouldn't be complaining to find it under the tree this Christmas of course, but it wouldn't be my first choice if I had that much to spend on Lego.
Looks like the work experience kid at Lego worked out how to do arches.
‘That’s great, Kevin. Now do 400...’
Not for me I don’t think.
Now, the Senna GTR...
Thanks to @dethbeard Team THRacing is branching out...
First time I’ve done a model that hasn’t been an official one, was OK, if a little fragile in places.
This just turned up on Twitter: https://themindcircle.com/lego-helms-deep-battle-scene/
Went into town to see my sister and passed the Lego shop on my way back to the car park. Now have this:
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/6qyzQyw2/20201125-145527.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/6qyzQyw2/20201125-145527.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Apparently it's sold out in most places! The display model looked fantastic so just had to have it. Will wait until a rainy day to start the build, the instruction book is massive.
Cheapest ever price as far as I'm aware for this monster Technic set:
https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-Child/Toys/Construction-Toys/LEGO-Technic-Control-Liebherr-R-9800-Excavator-Model-42100-12-Years/p/303282
Swore I'd not buy any more Technic but this thing is so damn cool!! Yes you need a CostCo membership but they've had quite a few decent Lego & other offers lately so possibly worth it.
[img] 
[/img]
If you get 2 colosseum sets you can build a complete one!
My dad has that Leibherr excavator. It is absolutely enormous.
It's also about the only thing that has persuaded him to actually use the iPad my mum got him for his birthday. Annoyingly the Technic app insists on updating the kit's firmware pretty much every time it's run.
Costco is great for the more expensive sets. Often cheaper than Lego, even when you factor in VIP points etc, 20-30% off rrp
The liebherr is a surprisingly basic build tbh, but great fun to bugger about with after 😊
PSA: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Technic-42115-Conf-Dragonfly-Lego-Multicolored/dp/B0813RJRYC/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=lego+sian&qid=1606398177&sr=8-5
(Currently on at £199)
Apparently Amazon are price matching Costco who had this as a black-Friday deal but now sold out.
If anyone wants it, act quickly...
Wondering if should I order this, to build once or twice then sell?
must resist.........
yeah... I dithered & it sold out pretty quick!! Pretty much decided though to not buy any more Technic, and only get minifig-scale sets, as one day I want to put together a massive Lego town/diorama thing! Just ordered the massive T-Rex set during The LEGO VIP weekend so it can rampage through it, Godzilla-like 😂The liebherr is a surprisingly basic build tbh, but great fun to bugger about with after
great price, you'd be feeling sick if you'd bought it full RRP on release 🤣 I suspect a lot of these big Technic sets have been bought & hoarded as there have been loads with big reductions, doubt you'd lose much/anything shifting it on but don't think there'll be a huge profit to be made on this set!Wondering if should I order this, to build once or twice then sell?
it was actually £190 @ CostCo before they sold out as there was an extra voucher code on top!! 😳
Forget investment, one sold on ebay for £250 today! Not much of a profit after postage etc but still. Order a couple today, list 'em today, post them out when they arrive.
(looks like you may be able to abuse the Kid's Wish List to get a further 15% off. Or in fact just for buying toys for yourself in general)
Well it's back up to £285 now. I didn't bother in the end. Oh well.
20% off Lego at ShopDisney, plus apparently 10% Quidco for new customers! Big Falcon/Star Destroyer for £470 if so... not gonna get much cheaper than that!
The Quidco deal seems to be sold out.
I went direct to the Disney store (£520), put it in my basket, filled in my payment details, hovered over the 'buy it' button, and then had a moment of clarity.
It's still over £500. For Lego! And I'm a grown up now!
They've still got some in.
They should turn the Speed Champions Quattro into a bigger scale (Technic or ‘normal’)
that is exactly why you should be buying it... who could afford £500 on Lego when they were a kid?! 🤣It’s still over £500. For Lego! And I’m a grown up now!
Pretty much decided though to not buy any more Technic, and only get minifig-scale sets, as one day I want to put together a massive Lego town/diorama thing! Just ordered the massive T-Rex set during The LEGO VIP weekend so it can rampage through it, Godzilla-like 😂
Pics when you're done please! And this-
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/2499cda7-7a9c-4823-bc0f-f94833ed293b
Whit?
For that money I'd be wanting it minifig scale or Executor class!
That little Audi quattro is a great kit. Just found out I missed out on a millenium falcon at Aldi for £60, down from £150! Gutted