Enlighten-brand Pirate Ship (Review)

Was that an intended pun or did I just spot this? This kind of ship resembles old Chinese sailing ships known as "junks" Well form the sails anyway.

Just an observation. Its terrible that they can look basically like legos and not have TLC lawsuit'em to heck.

You give just abotu any of these to someone under the age of 12 and they would think they were legos even if they arent. IMO lego should actually do somethign abotu this...

For those saying LEGO should do something about this -- they can't. Their copyrights are not legally binding in China. It should also be noted that, from what I've seen, Enlighten does not copy any current LEGO sets - they copy retired ones. Now, as for the moral rammifications, I'm on the fence on that issue. When I was young I knew quite a few kids that couldn't afford to buy any fair amount of LEGO sets because they were somewhat expensive. They're still rather expensive (more than they used to be, actually). Cheaper-priced clone bricks can play an important role in making quality building bricks available to people that otherwise could not afford official LEGO. This is especially true in their region of origin, where LEGO prices are absurdly high (say, 50 dollars equivalent for a set that goes for 15-20 dollars in the States).

So on the one hand, I don't like the idea of any company stealing another's ideas. But on the other hand, you have to applaud a company that's doing right by the consumer. No one can deny that being able to purchase a building toy for less than half the price of an equivalent LEGO set is a good thing for poorer families - especially those in third world countries (or near to it) where such toys would simply be out of reach. If LEGO can't fill that gap with more reasonable prices - someone needs to.

LEGO quality is better all around. I doubt a Chinese company is going to even marginally cut into their sales. People who can afford LEGO will buy LEGO because it's flat-out better. People that want old sets LEGO doesn't produce anymore, or who cannot afford real LEGO sets, will buy these (or go to Bricklink). Slightly different markets, so I don't feel quite so bad because I don't feel LEGO is really losing any money due to this clone company. The secondary market like eBay and Bricklink has actually probably done more to cut into LEGO sales than any clone company would ever be able to do, with the possible exception of really 'powerful' companies like MegaBloks.


Was that an intended pun or did I just spot this?

It was intentional. I didn't think anyone would notice it, though. Good catch.

You give just abotu any of these to someone under the age of 12 and they would think they were legos even if they arent.

All LEGO parts actually have 'LEGO' printed on them. Even when I was 10 I knew the difference between clone bricks (MegaBloks used to look a lot more like LEGO when I was young) and official LEGO. Of course, I didn't care all that much as long as the quality was good. Most kids really don't care. 10-year-olds don't buy brands, they buy stuff they like.

Boy that sail design bites.

Yeah, it does look a little weird, huh? That's probably the first thing I noticed when I opened it up. The sail design just seems like too much detail, and not particularly attractive either. I'm thinking of replacing it with a LEGO sail at some point.

The design itself looks quite nice though, but the red seems to e really cheaply done and almost see through, sort of translucent.

The red -is- a little translucent in certain lighting. Like I said, the quality is not the same as with LEGO parts, and these sets were obviously created with an eye for keeping expenses down. That generally means lower quality plastic, first and foremost. Even big name companies like ToyBiz have been guilty of this. They're notorious for using really soft plastic in their action figures, which results in bent, warped, or otherwise damaged joints.

However, I still can't find a set that has the torso in enough numbers to make it worth the shipping costs.

Badg -- that's just the Imperial coat with a different colour scheme. Didn't I already make a vector version of that for you? If I did (can't even remember now), I could easily alter the colours on it to match that picture. Cloning a clone-brand. How's that for irony.

When I was younger I could tell the difference as well, mostly in par that not only does lego have their name on the top of every solid stud, but also lego were the only bricks you could buy that would stay together without 10 bottles of glue and a soildering gun.

It would be a decent set to have Iguess, if not for the 2-3 interestign features I see but overall it seems ... "shotily made" (shottily? IF there is such a word, oh you know what im aiming at)

I do agree with how this would be good since it fills that nasty price gap...

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When I was younger I could tell the difference as well, mostly in par that not only does lego have their name on the top of every solid stud, but also lego were the only bricks you could buy that would stay together without 10 bottles of glue and a soildering gun.