I saved $500 buying Chinese LEGO, was it worth it? 

Ive never seen it quite that extreme. The only way it would happen like that is: *the one being sold on bricklink has a print or rarer color *youre including minimum buys, tax, and or shipping *its an edge case of someone overcharging for a piece, leading to nobody buying it. Pieces on bricklink can be overpriced, but just not to the level you say Bricklink also sorts prices from low to high on any item, so, youd have to go out of your way to find the absurd prices.

As I said in the video I am new to LEGO and MOC so I can’t comment, it wouldn’t surprise me if this were the case though

​@@RisingApeI started using bricklink in October. You got to shop around to look at a few prices. Some people you don't pay tax! I try to stick to my own country to save on shipping.

​​⁠yeh it’s a fun site and the prices vary A lot, if you’re prepared to put a lot of effort in. I sure you could save a lot

This shouldn’t be the case. As Bricklink is a true marketplace, people would buy from LEGO in bulk and resell on BL, and as the supply catches up to demand, prices would fall In this case, I speculate the $10 part from BL and the 20 cent version from LEGO are slightly different, either a specific, out-of-print color or mould. Otherwise, you have to believe sellers would be taking advantage of this chance to arbitrage the price, and BL sellers are on forums and discords looking for places and parts that are in demand.

Yup, I think that’s fair

LEGO isnt even the inventor of bricks

@@maxmoritz5065 Thats an british Man called Hilary Page. Lego just copied his Bricks and called it LEGO Bricks.

@@dominikkersten1506 exactly. Lego did a great job in punishing other brick Companys but slowly they are loosing market due to bad products and quality. They sell Sets for over 600 and put stickers on it. Also they recycle many colors (Millennium falcon for example) If you look what blue brixx or Cobi do. Much better quality

I've had my own designs stolen by stores like temu. Not only do they not credit you, but you don't see a cent of what they sell. Legitimate stores will license out your designs and pay you for them.

Aye true that. This model isn’t going anywhere!

Most of the time quality control isn’t there. There are a lot of reasonably priced Lego sets. Other brands just don’t fit together well. If it doesn’t fall apart while putting it together, the plastic becomes brittle faster than Lego

@@Perpetual_Kid Idk man, the majority of non-lego sets I have went together and stayed together just fine. Lego does have better quality control, with a nicer 'snap', cleaner printing and never needing to use more force than usual, but at the end of the day all the bricks really need to do is fit together and stay. I still use bricks I got years ago, the only brittle pieces I noticed are small non-brick pieces, like hands.

@@Perpetual_Kid Not true... I can vouch for CADA... absolutely amazing quality ... i would say 90% or more of LEGO quality... they partnered with one of my favorite designers : JKBrickworks ... payed him for the designs and released 2 amazing sets that LEGO just does not have in their portfolio... An orrery(or solar system as it is officaly called by CADA) and a safe... great building experience with impecable functionality /playability . He even built them live on stream and gave props to CADA

​@@Perpetual_KidThat's the opposite of my experience. Non Lego sets / bricks have: better strength, better colour quality and consistency and no missing parts. Quality wise, Lego bricks are overshadowed by Gobriks and Cobi, Cobi leaves Lego in the dust as well when it comes to print quality. Lego torpedoed the quality and worth of their sets, the constructions are getting more and more loveless, they add the weirdest colour to the inside of sets and they charge more and more money for it. 2 examples: 75384: 150ish pieces and a price tag of 50+ € 10321: The saddest attempt of building a car, lack of metalic elements and costs 150€ If you want worse parts for higher price, you buy lego

Bl**dy huge 😂 cheers for watching

Same here - i love the king crab since it first appear in Battle Tech.

I was debating getting this, guess I'll order it now 😂

DO IT!@@buster_335

Yup that about sums it up, thanks for watching

I’m kind of a Lego purist but I have some exceptions like making stuff that Lego doesn’t make like guns and train track but I hate that megablocks shit and all those stuff

„Off Brand“. There a just dozens of company’s producing and selling bricks. Lego didn’t even came up first with the idea. They are just the most well known company.

Most "off brand" bricks (they are not...) are on par or better then what LEGO puts out and at normal prices.

Thanks yeh, I think anyone who can make these is some sort of wizard! Thanks for the nice comment!

For scenery it is absurdly huge for the normal small scale of battletech. What you do is scale up the entire game big time and play on the floor.

🤩 yeh I’m a bit obsessed with the table too

@@RisingApeare the coins covered in resion or they just under a glass\film?

it's a full resin pour @@TiMonsor

@@RisingApe oh cool.

Same here. As a Brazilian living in the US, I understand and agree when you guys complain about the prices. However, in some places (like Brazil), it is basically impossible to have Lego as a hobby. A big set ($400-500) of Lego in Brazil would cost the same as 3-4 minimum wage-worth of salary. Considering that most people in the country do not even get paid that much, this hobby is restricted to rich people, and even rich people will never be able to afford Lego as middle-class Americans do. Pretty sad.

Haha, future video idea!

The person who designed it, Hansenbricks, made a whole bunch of others from BattleTech (well only another 3 but that’s enough for a full Lance), the Catapult, the Uziel and the Ryoken.

​@@nickthenuker7916are they from a video game or something?

@@timblake1989BattleTech, a tabletop game that dates back to 1984. There's a video game of the same name released in 2018, and it's also the franchise that the Mechwarrior, Mechcommander, and Mechassault games are set in.

@@timblake1989 Several series of PC games, as well as the old pen and paper. The first game I really got hooked on was Mechwarrior on the PC in about 1990.

It’s definitely a personal choice. For me I decide just not to buy them but I am not about to manage other people’s lives for them glad you enjoyed the video

Thanks I appreciate that

Thanks

Thanks so much

Ahh yeh I have seen them, I’m not familiar with the IP though. They look kinda Gunpla?

Yeh you have to avoid all the nonsense with TEMU, also like most sites, it’s worth shopping around as some stuff if cheaper locally

GREATLY increases is right! Thanks for watching

There are so many toys I wish I still had

Thanks, this one was pretty good, definitely display only though. Which works for me

I've bought off Ali Express & I accept the trade off. It is buyer beware. Once u get over that, they do have a great selection of items. Do or don't...the choice is your. The King Crab is one sweet mech! The 4 the video!

Totally agree! I have bought a fair bit from there, it’s worth shopping around though, stuff is often cheaper elsewhere and it switches around

@@RisingApe that is also a great point! the deeper you look the better the sales! the prices on things have also went up since i started as well. i also recommend looking at the reviews a lot of the time you can tell if the minifigure is going to be sweet or if the print is weak (example: some clone trooper visors print terribly! but not all! some figs look great! usually the “error” is consistent on all that particular minifigure so if the captain rex you want looks like poo then so will yours! where if it looks great for the other pictures yours will look good too! hopefully i typed that up coherently i just wanted to add that to anyone who is interested but not sure.

@@kelo3801 they have a great selection for sure! they have a great selection of MOCs and minifigures that Lego doesn’t make! some- most are stolen. if you can live with that then i definitely recommend it! i have only regretted a small handful of things i bought! the bad ass stuff definitely out weighs the not good.

just beware that many sellers on aliexpress stole other people's MOC designs and sell them as their own. If they don't credit the original designer, it was stolen and you shouldn't support them

Thanks 🙏 means a lot

Yeh hard to argue with that, no doubt the knock off isn’t as good but it’s a fraction of the cost.

I don’t care how much money I’m saving. I’m never buying fake Lego besides custom guns figures and stuff like that

@@MRTHUNDER. Generally I agree, and am very careful not to get KOs of MP Transformers and stuff like that. But like I said, if the genuine item is long out of production, it does no harm. For example, I bought some knock-off G1 Transformers, just so I could have mint condition versions of some old classics. I don't mix fake bricks with my real Lego. I just have the models permanently on display . UCS kits are not only very expensive but very hard to get in my country. I had a hell of a time getting the Lego Snowspeeder. I couldn't find any stores that stocked them. I ended up buying one on Ebay from the UK.

Awesome thanks for sharing

When I built mine a few years ago, I want to say it came out to about 300-400 before shipping. At the time there were some incorrect colors in the instruction inventory leading to a few high priced or unfindable pieces. Plus the pointed wedge plates didn't exist in white yet.

I've checked brick link, over priced as F, I'll buy the fakes thank you very much

fair@@valley_robot

Yeh, don’t get me wrong this is absolutely for display ( you don’t want to be handling it) but it’s very cool!

It went wrong with assembling, the torso had to move 3mm to fit correctly into the legs ( don't know where it went wrong, did everything right) wish I could add photos, page 169 took me 1 hour to get it right. It stands now, I'm just afraid to move it.

waay too late for that, but thanks for the tip, I will remember it for next time..

Absolutely I think that is important, I tried to show as much love to the original creator.

I had to Google it, and yup possibly was based on it, the 209 was 1987 the KCG 000 was 1989

Thanks really great comment thank you

Thanks 🙏

It really is

The instructions are free to download from the creator it’s linked below the video

Thanks

The bricks are interchangeable as long as you use the right parts, the instructions work with any brand. You can find them in the links below the video.

Are the knock instructions different? Or is the Chinese instructions also using the originals?

The instructions are the same, lifted directly from the original creator

Love it

There were a few bits that were missed but to be honest those last hours were a haze of desperation 🤪

Aye it’s not as good but it is within reach financially

@@RisingApe I was a ton for the big Helicarrier. Can’t remember what the Falcon cost, but it wasn’t a payment in a BMW X1!

Awesome, it might even have been your marauder build that made me take the plunge on the king crab

That’s is weird, although I guess it flips around, for a UK supplier it was around £550 for me, there were others too

Thanks for watching, hope you enjoyed it

Aye, and it sound like you had fun with kiddo too. Thanks for watching

Cool, I’m going to avoid official IPs it’s one step too far for me. But thanks for the comment and watching.

The parts are honestly 95% perfect but some are variable, usually on the top loose side, completely compatible with genuine Lego though

Haha, jokes, there is no escape I guess

No it’s nearly 18” tall the mini figs are around 3”

@@RisingApe I think taller mechs are possible but wallet wise it would probably be good if they make ligh mechs like the commando jenner cougar crimson hawk locus urban mech and many more they are small enough for a diorama for a minifugure size display.

If LEGO made them, the would be made of as few bricks as possible, any meaningful detail would rely on cheap stickers, and there'd be blue pins visible everywhere. Plus, you'd have to sell your daughter to afford them. Look at Cobi, Pantasy and Bluebrixx - they put LEGO to shame.

Thank you 🙏

Thanks for watching and for the comment

@@RisingApealso used to play the tabletop battletech with miniatures and loved it. The Crusader or Archer were my favorite’mechs to use. Think I still have all the technical readouts in a box somewhere with all my miniatures.

Yeh I have used Ali Express a lot, check out my other video on it. And thanks for watching

Yes! Yes you can

Neat, any brands/ places to look out for?

@@RisingApe For the great ones: Keeppley/Qman/Enlighten - Their old ones(Enlighten) are just sets "inspired" by Lego but nowadays they are doing original designs and has cool licensed sets like Pokemon, Doraemon, Sanrio, etc. Their brick quality and clutch consistency is on par with Lego. Their bricks have ENLI engraved on it. And legitimate toy stores sometimes have them. Cada - They use their own bricks if I remember correctly. They have cool sets and very different design principles compared to Lego and they look more like MOCs(overly designed. LEDs, full of tiles, etc). Their bricks are also on par with Lego. They also produce technic stuff Mould King - same with Cada Star Diamond - They have interesting licenses of Chinese IP like the whole Taomee, Balala the fairies, and some other like King Fu Panda(which is rare). Their normal sets nowadays are targeted towards children so their catalog is just full of combiner robots. The quality of this brand is close to Lego. Sluban - They have a large catalog of sets with a lot of theme variation (City, Military, Girls, Fantasy, Cars, etc). And all of their sets are original ideas but they're trend chasers though. Their quality improved throughout the years and the recent ones are close to Lego in quality but their oldest ones is crap even worse than knockoffs while the older ones is average. Hsanhe - Has some gems like their Zoids "inspired" sets and SWAT ones but the clutch on this bricks are a death grip. Wange - I'm just putting this here because they have great sets but the quality of their bricks is mid. Some other brands that's good but they have some stolen designs Sembo Block - Has a Japanese theme sets and has Digimon nuff said. They're legit now but a lot of their older car sets are just speed champions clone. Decool - has a lot of cool sets like the Cyberpunk theme. And they're know for their Minifigures that has great quality, detail and variety (Journey to the west, Three Kingdoms, etc). They also has some clones though. Xingbao - Very good sets and have some legitimate sets but they stole some MOCs if I remember. Other good brands but I'm not sure if they have stolen designs and some have lesser quality. Jie Star/Lele Brother(kinda mid quality but cheap as dirt so you really can't complain that much)/Zhegao/StarMerry/Mingdi/Quan Guan. For the bad ones to look out for. This is the ones that you feel scammed even if it's cheap since their prices are the same to brands mentioned above: Leyi - Some sets they have is a hand grenade and the plastic quality is just inferior. SL toys - This is straight up bad like you can't even finish the set bad.

thank you that is a very detailed response@@shia8938

@@shia8938i bet you are chinese 我觉得你是中国人😂

Absolutely they are all at it. TEMU is just the latest

Yeh that’s grim, sorry to hear that

same happened to a few of my MOCs!

I actually tried pretty hard to find this info but couldn’t, the company is based in Schenzen but I couldn’t find any specifics on workforce.

Fair

As I said in the video this is appalling I didn’t know this when I purchased though. Drop me a message if you can I would love to chat more about MOCs and how you make them

Yeh if it’s anything like the KGC it’s brilliant. Thanks for watching

I mean there isn’t much difference between any of them right? I have even done videos where I could have bought the same products for 3 different prices from each site, literally from the same maker.

Yeh, Ali express and Amazon do this too, always pays to shop around.

Exactly can’t take it too seriously after all

In lots of cases TEMU and Amazon share the same suppliers. There is no official version of this model, that’s why I was happy to build it/ buy it.

You’re english is much better than my Filipino 🇵🇭 thanks for watching

Do it! Send pictures 👌

While I understand what you are saying this is a complex topic that is too broad to explain a comment. Thanks for watching though

Cool, I’m not going to touch official sets, one step too far for me. Thanks for watching

Nice, thanks for watching

I mean this turned out fine, and this seller sells on multiple platforms. TEMU just hosts 3rd party sellers

Yeh I saw that video it’s awesome

Yup I agree, I did get instructions though, they sent a card with a QR CODE

@@RisingApe technically, this is true! 😂 probably a good thing as paper instructions end up in trash eventually anyway Great video

For me I’m going to steer clear of stuff with official or licensed sets. The official ones are very expensive though

Interesting thanks

Yeh it gets very murky the deeper you go sadly. And no chance they are licenced sets

Indeed!

Really! I always think I sound nasally and odd! Thanks for that!

Not at all man, you’ve got the David Attenborough raspy voice (that’s a compliment btw lol)

Aye from what I have seen it’s a Wild West out there

Yeh, 1800 2p coins and a resin poured top

So it was £360 for just the coins?

​@@knotxacklyastudio £36

I have no issue with LEGO tbh, but the BT IP situation is very confusing

@@RisingApe I absolutely agree

Completely fair, from the small amount I have done, Lego is much better.

Why though? LEGO hardly makes sets which are worth their money. Look at Cobi for example. They have a different target audience, but they make everything in Europe, whereas LEGO definitely gets their bricks cheaply from China. Cobi has better quality all-around and almost non of their sets get stickers anymore. Only top-quality prints. Have you had a close look at LEGO's prints lately? I can only say Orient Express. When I pay premium prices, I want premium quality and LEGO does not deliver that in any way. The only thing they have going for them is that a chimpanzee could follow their instructions. Not even the minifigs are worth it, when you are honest about their quality, especially the colour consistency of coloured bricks and prints which are supposed to match, better never do.

I just searched TEMU for Battletech and it came up

A man of culture

How so? This set is not made by LEGO, it’s a fan creation and the Chinese company has assembled the pieces.

@@RisingApe If it is not an original LEGO design, then it is no LEGO set, and therefore your caption is strange and wrong. The chinese manufacturer stole the MOC from the designer, that is all that is wrong here, but this hole has nothing to do with LEGO directly except that the bricks are compatible and look the same. But this still is no problem, as there are no patents at all anymore on LEGO bricks, everybody can legally produce them. Or do you only buy the "Mars" bar, but never ever the cheaper ones of the same type from other brands in the supermarket (just an excample)? Why is it that all LEGO fans have a problem with bricks of other manufacturers, but for sure not with all other "rip-offs" from other brands out there, Mars, Coca-Cola, just to name a few?

Thanks for this comment, that’s really good to hear.

The Akira bike would be a great kit.

💯

Yeh the millennium falcon is a cult classic now, I would like one and I don’t even really follow Star Wars

In this case the instructions were great and in pdf format

Thanks for the comment, I’m new to scene, I built the kit as a fun post Christmas side project. A few folks have pointed the LEGO build location to me in the comments though

What is your/the best goto place in Hanoi in terms of price and volume/selections? I would love to buy for my kids?

From Vietnam? No idea to be honest my guess would be a reseller online.

@@RisingApe sorry was trying to ask @zibberebbish 😊👍

Haha 😜 sorry that makes more sense, I don’t see the comments in context. Hope you get your answer and thanks for watching

Fair point, for me it’s not about brand loyalty and more about copyright. Lego isn’t my thing really so I am not wedded either way.

You’re right of course, each to their own.

Yup, they really do, released within a few years of each other too

I can but they were released super close to each other in the 80s definitely lots of creative licensing I reckon

Thanks 🙏

What do you mean? Never had that comment before, is it too high? If so what device are you watching on, just so I can review.

@@RisingApeIt just changes significantly throughout the video. Compare 0:35 and 0:41

@@RisingApe or 1:50 and 1:55

​​⁠thanks for the feedback, I will take a look, I probably made a mistake in the edit tbh, this one was filmed over several days and while I try to keep it all tight its still a learning curve for me.

@@RisingApeno problem, and it's a really nice video covering this build

Thanks

I am a noob in this area so I will defer on this one but thanks for the comment

Definitely some great points in here, thanks for making them. I don’t know I fully agree with you, with some high cost products there is no intrinsic value in there beyond artificial demand for example Diamonds. Or cult LEGO sets, if your aim is just to build a kit or have your kids play with it, then that is also valid.

@@RisingApe I'm neither a collector or have experience with off-brand bricks, but the QA and as I mentioned the resell value means that LEGO is in fact more luxury product which means your experience with it is different.

🙏

That sucks, sorry to hear that

Yeh, this seems like a fair response. Thanks

😅 I hope I never have to find out!!

Pretty sure this is, off brand bricks are fine and the model and instructions are not IP protected. But it’s absolutely a bit icky about the lack of credit for the designers

Really good point

Sometimes it’s the only option