I uploaded a photo a while back with the intent to blog, and sort of forgot about it. I have been a fan of LEGO ever since I can remember, and in the past decade or so, got back into it. I like the big epic sets, but sometimes these little ones are fun.
It can be a hit to the pocketbook and shelf space. I have checked out lots of off-brand LEGO sets. I remember having some TYCO sets as a kid, and I know I bought my son some He-Man Megabloks/Mega-Construx sets when he was little. I have a few AliExpress sets like the Eagle 5 from Spaceballs.
These were all fun, & of varying quality, and I have amassed them over time. Each was as expected for price paid, and fun to assemble.
LEGO | Arcade Machine 40805 – I typically order from the LEGO website any more, as I have had at least 2 sets tampered with from Walmart, and I have seen the pasta replacement insanity online. Obviously, LEGO is the standard and this set is awesome. It even opens up to a little gamer apartment that has basement vibes, and honestly looks like it was meant to be the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ lair. The minifigure and details inside are incredible as usual, and the lean on the screen is a neat build technique. I wish LEGO would come with less stickers. The coin slots are super cool, and this is the biggest scale-wise even though they’re all similar. Funny they have Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and Mario sets… but this a generic unlicensed game.
JAKI | Arcade Gaming Cabinet AK063 – This came from AliExpress with no brand listed, but JAKI was on the book & box. The quality was pretty good, better than what I expected from AliExpress anyway. This one is super cool because there’s a gear on the back that move bricks inside the clear screen (even if just a little bit) to create some action. I absolutely hate the stickers that cross over brick connections. It’s like nails-on-chalkboard level nope for me. It was cool that this came with an instruction booklet and a box. I have absolutely gotten AliExpress sets with a card to scan for a *.pdf and one that was a link to a YouTube video. That Bricksewer site seems shadier than AliExpress for real though.
Brickcraft | Atari Arcade Classics 72776 – I have noticed an aggressive uptick in Brickcraft advertising. Good for them, as their quality is getting better. I’d say they’re right alongside the Zuru Max bricks and whatever Mega Bloks/Mega Construx are called this week in quality. The best part of this was all the printed bricks! Brickcraft should lean into that and eschew stickers totally. The instructions were clear. The price is approaching actual LEGO, which is bold, but they lean into pop-culture licensing and again the printed bricks are awesome, so maybe that’s a fair trade-off. These sets are cool because you can get the coin out of the back. The ornaments up fun are cool too. Neat to see Asteroids, Pong, & Centipede still getting love.
Snap & Switch | Skee-Ball Construction Set – I got this from Five Below on a whim. It was not nearly $20 like it is listen on this website. The bricks feel… fragile? The quality of the plastic is just not quite right. Again, with the stickers that hit multiple bricks. Why? Who does this? I am not gluing these sets together. No Kragle! At any rate, Snap & Switch is a Well Played Toys brand, and they were awesome when I wrote about a missing piece, and they sent a replacement for free. Also, this is totally playable. It comes with little skee-balls. How fun is that?
What are your favorite LEGO & non-LEGO sets?
