Want to see which last-minute dirt-cheap gifts from the local purveyors of made-in-China junk might be at all enjoyable? Here are some architectural sets I had to try out. You do get more bricks for your buck when you buy a knockoff Lego set, but are they any good?
These bricks don't feel horrible, but they don't click together as well as proper LEGO. I actually kinda-sorta like the Empire State Building, and although this model is a bit too micro-scale abstract to be a truly good representation, there is some cleverness in the tiny design I can appreciate. The Golden Gate Bridge is pretty awful though. I just don't like it one bit. It had an extra 1x1 plate though. Yay?
I also bought a couple bagged models. The tiny instructions on the back of the cards were awful to read.
These bricks feel different. I had to trim some extraneous plastic from one of the windmill bricks. There is also a stain on one of the house bricks that may be a remnant of bad QC when switching plastic colors in the mold. The house design doesn't really impress me, either. The windmill is a bit better, but I still can't recommend it.
All told, the Empire State Building appeals to my interest in architecture and its clever use of bricks to avoid any visible studs. The other three are only useful for the brick bin, and they aren't even very good bricks at that. Just don't waste your money.
See what I reviewed earlier in Part 5 here. I may have more in this series, but I plan to be done before Christmas.
