Fake Legos Post #2 – Non-Lego Building Sets
I previously wrote about Politically Incorrect Legos, but this post is about non-Lego building sets that hope to compete with Legos. These again appear to originate from Asia and, just perusing Amazon and DHgate, some of these sets are really cute! The draw to the non-Lego building set route is the much obviously lower price. If you are really into modular buildings (as I am) but cash-strapped, these sets could be an alternative. Plus, Lego frequently retires sets, making it difficult to find sets to complete your collection (unless you are willing to pay thousands of dollars). So, this post will look at some sets for sale on Amazon, with a brief mention of DHgate offerings.
Non-Lego Building Sets sold on Amazon
Amazon sells non-Lego building sets by several companies. One company, Nifeliz, has some pretty cool sets – from cars to botanicals to buildings. However, I noticed there were not a lot of 5 Star ratings. Hmmm…
Another interesting company selling on Amazon is Block Center. They offer 3D building sets of different types of dogs, a cat, and a unicorn. Very cool but the reviews don’t pass the Fakespot smell test. Sets run about $21-$40.
DHgate
I just looked at a bunch of building block sets on DHgate and, wow, there are some great-looking knockoffs! In fact, I ordered a knockoff of the Lego Grand Emporium set just to see how comparable they are to Legos. The big advantages of buying from this website are 1) the low cost and 2) the availability of modular sets that mimic the long-retired/difficult-to-find Lego models.
Look at my post about my experience with the DH Gate’s non-Lego version of the Grand Emporium building set!
A Blog that Lists non-Lego Building Set Companies
In researching building brick alternatives, I found a blog that actually lists competing companies that sell interesting building sets. If you don’t want to visit the MyToysList blog, there are 10 companies listed:
- SEMBO – vehicles
- MOULD KING – cars, landscapes, space
- CaDA – cars
- XINGBAO – streetscapes
- ONEBOT -robots, sci-fi
- QMAN – Pokemon, submarine, Forbidden City
- WANGE – animals, buildings
- KAZI – buildings
- LOZ – architectural scenes
- GUDI – space, zombies
[It looks like MyToysList gets a commission if you click on a company’s link in the blog and buy a set listed on the site. Discounts are offered.]
