anonymous_abc
Member
Wouldn't Shark Guy just be like this:
I would guess with a visible minifig head inside.
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LEGO |OT 4| EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!
- Thread starter PhoncipleBone
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I would guess with a visible minifig head inside.
Jeff Albertson
Member
Just ordered some Jurassic world Dinos from that Aliexpress site using my credit card, didn't think at the time but hope it's safe to use my card on there :s
Mostly recent ones, I'm afraid. A few from series 5 and I have some more from series 13 I have not yet catalogued and bagged. It would cost me 75p for first class, so they can all go for £3. I don't know if that's good value with the Simpsons 2 and Monster still out there and well stocked, but if anyone on GAF wants them, they can have them!
---Simpsons Series 2---
Lisa With Snowball II x 2
Maggie With Santa's Little Helper x 1
Bart As Bartman x 2
Groundskeeper Willie x 1
Homer In His Best Suit And Tie x 3
Martin Prince x 1
---Series 5---
Gladiator x 1
Zookeeper x 1
Cave Woman x 1
Fitness Instructor x 1
---Series 13---
Goblin x 1
---Series 14 Monsters---
Fly Monster x 2
Wolf Guy x 2
Gargoyle x 2
Monster Rocker x 2
Plant Monster x 2
Banshee x 1
Spectre x 1
Zombie Business Man x 1
Zombie Pirate x 1
Wouldn't Shark Guy just be like this:
I hope so, that is cool! Hopefully with the face showing like Plant Guy and the other animals. I'd get many multiples!
anonymous_abc
Member
Thanks! So there is a BST thread! I've never seen that before
Thanks very much.Edit: In fact, I'll work out what minifigs I need before posting the list.
SillyEskimo
Member
Its fine. Did you get the trex and albino big dinos?
TangoAlphaLima
Member
It should be safe, it's the retail arm of the Alibaba search engine.
But you may want to check Amazon 3rd party sellers in the future to make sure they don't have the same items for the same or better price. I ordered an 8 piece set of superhero minifigs (including the Daredevil I wanted) there for $1 cheaper than Aliexpress had them, plus customer service will be easier to deal with if there's an issue. But I also found a great looking Big Hero 6 set of minifigs that I couldn't find on Amazon, so I just bought those directly from a seller on Aliexpress. We'll see how all this goes, as I've had some mixed results from Chinese sellers in the past...
Jeff Albertson
Member
No just got the 6 small ones for $6.44, Arlo will like playing with them with his mini figures, also ordered a gorilla grodd
http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32443476923.html
Tempted by the big Dinos though
SillyEskimo
Member
Yeah, it's hard to splurge on the two big dinos when you can get all the smaller ones for half the price.
I'll get them eventually though.
Also, I saw transparent Avengers that I'll have to get, lol. I'm thinking of a display where Vision is phasing through an object and he is 1/2 solid and the other 1/2 is clear...
anonymous_abc
Member
I for one am shocked.
Jeff Albertson
Member
I've had a few of the Chinese figures before mainly just for when the sets didn't appeal, I bought the Guardians from eBay and there is a marked difference in quality but for £5 were worth it.
With anything though having some knock offs does taint your whole collection a bit but still...
With anything though having some knock offs does taint your whole collection a bit but still...
SillyEskimo
Member
That does a great job advertising the quality of them. Well done, mate
Except for the completely baseless lead paint scares, lol. Oh, and that they will snap and break seemingly at the drop of a hat. It's very obvious he has no real knowledge of the Chinese minifigure market.
Btw, I never saw the word "Lego" at any of the booths at the Chicago Comic Con. These vendors know the rules. They called them custom minifigs, brick figs, and stuff like that.
It's funny how flabbergasted he was that people simply didn't care if the minifigs were officially Lego or not. They were just happy their kids had what they wanted to play with *gasp*. How far down the rabbit hole do you have to be for that to seem like a foreign concept?
Lego doesn't seem to care either, probably because they continue to rake in record breaking revenue. It's painfully obvious there is room in the marketplace for both.
Jeff Albertson
Member
I must admit watching that and him mentioning lead paint and the Dinos specifically make me doubtful of my earlier purchase
Some of his concerns seem to be self-interest as a reseller of LEGO.
However, it does speak to the root of the problem, and I wonder if either LEGO is indifferent, or their hands are tied by previous legal decisions against them.
I certainly have not heard of these conventions being full of knock-off Star Wars Black figures for instance. Why should LEGO be an exception?
SillyEskimo
Member
Honestly, I would think that scalpers as well as the entire second hand market would be more of a detriment to Lego than the Chinese minifigure market.
SillyEskimo
Member
Probably because a minifig costs a couple of cents to produce, as well as their tiny size and no real need for packaging. It's a perfect storm really.
Yep, never was a fan of Brick Show. Saw them at a show and they were overcharging on everything, even current stuff. I bought a fake Shredder cause it was a lot cheaper. That's why people go to fake.
Kind of curious why they cut the audio at that one part.
Jeff Albertson
Member
So he mentions lead paint, have Chinese knockoffs been tested and proven to contain it?
anonymous_abc
Member
Isn't it something the IP holders should be more worried about than LEGO?
SillyEskimo
Member
The lead paint scare was 8 yrs ago on very specific toys.
FYI, the Chinese head of drug and safety was executed because of it and the co-owner of Lee Der Toy Company committed suicide over the scandal.
It's not a concern in the slightest in today's market.
PalaceBrother
Member
Both of these points are bang on. Whether legitimate or knock-off, individual figures are being sold in the aftermarket and will not pad TLG's wallet either way.
If someone chooses to buy direct knock-offs of existing LEGO figs instead of the official set containing those figures, then that absolutely has an impact.
The real issue as Flix says, is the IP holders. They need to protect their brands and due to the ease mass-producing these inexpensive knock-offs it's going to be an uphill battle. As SillyEskimo says, this is probably why you don't see this with other toys.
I wonder if this is why TLG is putting out battle packs for non-SW IP next year?
SillyEskimo
Member
Even the if someone buys a bucket of 300 storm troopers from China, they more than likely have spent a significant amount on official Lego.
I agree that the IP holder is losing out on a lot more than Lego themselves.
Btw, I always enjoy this conversation. It's worth having and there's no other community I would rather discuss this issue with.
I agree that the IP holder is losing out on a lot more than Lego themselves.
Btw, I always enjoy this conversation. It's worth having and there's no other community I would rather discuss this issue with.
Of course The Brick Show is going to make this a thing... because if you've seen the prices they charge at cons it's outrageous. It seems to be the way they make most of their money, going around to cons and selling LEGO at a big markup. (they do say in this video at the end that the stuff at their booth wasn't theirs it was their partner's, but I believe they do have their own booths at some cons)
I agree that people need to be more educated about bootlegs and that vendors at cons that are ONLY selling bootlegs with no official LEGO products should not have LEGO signs up, but still, Brick Show has their own agenda here.
I still maintain that the bootleg market that is flourishing right now is a great thing for enthusiasts because they aren't just knocking off the official minifigs but producing lots of custom minifigs and bigfigs that LEGO simply can't make due to how much extra product they'd have to be putting on shelves. The dinos are a great example. Thanks to bootleggers we can get lots of extra Dino bigfigs.
And some of the stuff he is saying in the video is very hyperbolic like "these are $0.10 from China" -- anyone who's tried to buy the bootlegs knows that's not true
Yeah it's not the same quality but I've seen some nice ones, and the prices aren't nowhere near that cheap.Jeff Albertson
Member
Well they didn't take that lightly!
I know we have this conversation all the time but I really enjoy some of the bootleg versions of figures that aren't likely to be produced for some time (if at all).
The big fig The Thing I have is absolutely rad for instance.
Side note; it's time to ask again since it has been a while. Has anywhere online nailed custom printing effectively yet for minifigures?
The big fig The Thing I have is absolutely rad for instance.
Side note; it's time to ask again since it has been a while. Has anywhere online nailed custom printing effectively yet for minifigures?
PhoncipleBone
Banned
As said earlier, the IP holders are the real losers here for most knockoffs. Kind of like all those tshirt sites that have 24 hrs only designs that go away before the IP holders can fine them for using their IPs without their consent.
However, the knock offs are providing figures that Lego themselves are not producing. They are providing something people obviously want, and have no other avenue of getting. It is like the custom action figures, just smaller.
However, the knock offs are providing figures that Lego themselves are not producing. They are providing something people obviously want, and have no other avenue of getting. It is like the custom action figures, just smaller.
TangoAlphaLima
Member
Exactly. I'd buy Lego Big Hero 6 sets, but they haven't made any, and I doubt they ever will. This set of minifigs I found on Aliexpress looks great, though, so I bought them. I'd gladly buy them officially from Lego to avoid the uncertainty when dealing with Chinese sellers and bootleg quality, but that's not an option for me.
PalaceBrother
Member
I just watched the video. I've never liked the Brick Show's content, but had no idea that they actually sell old sets too...just thought they were popular Mommy Bloggers but for LEGO.
In that light, I like them even less. Especially for producing this video under the guise of protecting the license holders. Gross.
"We need to work together to eradicate this"
"It makes the LEGO brand look bad"
In that light, I like them even less. Especially for producing this video under the guise of protecting the license holders. Gross.
"We need to work together to eradicate this"
"It makes the LEGO brand look bad"
SillyEskimo
Member
I honestly wonder if Lego uses them as a gauge to make future sets or polybags.
SillyEskimo
Member
They're used to haters like you.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
Free market research. See how popular some figs are, then make a fancier one down the line.
toythatkills
Member
Lead paint, mate. You're probably going to die =(
BentBricks
Member
Here is LEGO's official note on legal matters. Fair Play
I think LEGO did do what they could do easily by not having the LEGO name or logo at the vendors. This is important to protect the LEGO brand so people don't associate the crappy or lower quality with LEGO.
As for the minifigures, I don't know if their minifigures are trademarked here in the U.S. like they are in Europe. If they are trademarked, then it those minifigs are illegal. In Europe there was a case regarding LEGO minifigure trademark. I'm pretty sure the LEGO minifigure patent has expired which is why LEGO is protecting them under Trademark laws. I believe patents expire 20 years after submission for patent.
The knockoff minifigures definitely are IP infringement.
Moving on...looks like Dargo is really pushing their transparent concept.
I think LEGO did do what they could do easily by not having the LEGO name or logo at the vendors. This is important to protect the LEGO brand so people don't associate the crappy or lower quality with LEGO.
As for the minifigures, I don't know if their minifigures are trademarked here in the U.S. like they are in Europe. If they are trademarked, then it those minifigs are illegal. In Europe there was a case regarding LEGO minifigure trademark. I'm pretty sure the LEGO minifigure patent has expired which is why LEGO is protecting them under Trademark laws. I believe patents expire 20 years after submission for patent.
The knockoff minifigures definitely are IP infringement.
Moving on...looks like Dargo is really pushing their transparent concept.
First wave
Onslaught of transparency
PhoncipleBone
Banned
So we shouldn't have the Lego logo in the op? But since this is just one thread and not a dedicated site, it might be fine?
Of course, not like Lego comes in here anyways.
Thanks for the link though.
Winnie the Pimp
Member
Holy shit at a Transparent Blue Bigfig Hulk WTF (head spins)
to get back on track somewhat... I was wondering recently, whether i truly now owned ALL of the Unikitties... I got Unikitty, Business Kitty, Space Kitty, Super Angry Kitty, and Queasy kitty. Am i missing one?
to get back on track somewhat... I was wondering recently, whether i truly now owned ALL of the Unikitties... I got Unikitty, Business Kitty, Space Kitty, Super Angry Kitty, and Queasy kitty. Am i missing one?
SillyEskimo
Member
Brickipedia says there are 8 variations total? I did a google image search and can only find 7 together.
Edit: one was a comicon exclusive, of course!
BentBricks
Member
Two of them:
- Angry Kitty which is different that Super Angry Kitty. Came with tEmmet's mech set.
- Unikitty - Puzzled, Sitting (70818) the couch set or the Cloud CUckoo one depending on which basic one you have.
If you classify them as being the same "emotion", then you have them all.
Only one I don't have is Queasy Kitty.
Yep, this is correct. There was a SDCC exclusive one that was handed out last year that appears to be a variant of one of the other releases. Or, according to the package, it includes CutesyKitty and CheeryKitty expressions.
Winnie the Pimp
Member
Ahhh crap i knew it
Oh well, my wife owns Cloud Cuckoo Palace i think but she won't let me have that Kitty for my purposes... i am planning on making a display, i guess 5 is good enough, screw Angry Kitty (not getting the Constructo Mech, the only Lego Movie set i really don't see myself getting at ALL)
Oh well, my wife owns Cloud Cuckoo Palace i think but she won't let me have that Kitty for my purposes... i am planning on making a display, i guess 5 is good enough, screw Angry Kitty (not getting the Constructo Mech, the only Lego Movie set i really don't see myself getting at ALL)
PhoncipleBone
Banned
All this post is telling me is that you don't own Sea Cow.
Just ordered the Winter Toy Shop and Santa's Work Shop (and got the awesome Holiday Train for free too)!
It's gonna be very cool to finally have a Lego Christmas display.
Edit: This just occurred to me: Is there any way to easily throw some holiday spirit onto the modulars? Like, is there any simple build for making some strings of Christmas lights or something to toss on the modular buildings or something like that?
It's gonna be very cool to finally have a Lego Christmas display.
Edit: This just occurred to me: Is there any way to easily throw some holiday spirit onto the modulars? Like, is there any simple build for making some strings of Christmas lights or something to toss on the modular buildings or something like that?
BentBricks
Member
All this post is telling me is that you don't own Sea Cow.
Yep!
It's LEGO's fault. If they'd slow down or put out less stuff I want I would have bought it.
I saw that video last night. I had to laugh at Hacksaw Jim Duggan despite everything else. I honestly thought he had died awhile ago but I can't keep up with all the wrestler deaths that happen.
Anyways, I also laughed at the one guy he started to argue with. He took it too far to keep pressing on a debate with the guy even though his argument did get stupid towards the end. "I'm a libertarian" yea, and so? "china helps our economy" ehhhh...errrrrr....no it doesn't, in fact the opposite. Brick Show guy's argument about IP's is the solid one I agree with. I feel thats a fault of Lego though not meeting certain demands in the marketplace. They regurgitate Batman after Batman and Spider-man after Spider-man figs when there is a treasure trove of other figs they could be printing and selling to people. That is where the bootleg market fills the hole. That doesn't hurt Lego because they aren't making those figs but it does hurt the IP's which in turn should be putting pressure on TLG. I also agree with Brick Show being concerned about it hurting their reselling business but I watch all there videos and I feel they are also real fans of Lego as well and are also partly concerned for Lego's IP's as well. Like 80/20 split.
It was a red herring. They are actually hearing all the outcry for a Lando fig and are going to put out a giant set based on the Star Wars Dance game from Star Wars Kinect with an electric boogaloo Lando fig.
BentBricks
Member
Wouldn't Shark Guy just be like this:
That shark minifig is one of my favorites. I like to use the head for my lawyer minfig.
EDIT:
My Valentine contribution. Be careful, the product of love can be unexpected. by Bentbricks, on Flickr
Corporate Raider and his sidekick, Lawyer. by Bentbricks, on Flickr
Both of the Winter Village sets you ordered have examples of easy Christmas light strings.
...Why did it not occur to me to just look at the sets I just ordered.
Lol. Well thank you very much! I appreciate your help.
SiegfriedFM
Member
Ohh, deja vu. I just had this exact discussion but about Transformers. Same thing there - "Hasbro doesn't meet the demands of the userbase so it's totally okay for others to infringe on copyright and produce the stuff that the fans really want". Sorry, but no. I'd like to see Lego produce every character available and sell them for $1 each, but that's not happening in the real world. That doesn't mean that I feel okay with buying knockoffs. If I really want something that doesn't exist, I can try to build it out of existing parts or I can customize it myself. If I get non-Lego, just to fill out my collection of Lego figures... well, what's the point? Why even bother to collect Lego at that point?
And while there's no reason to expect that the transparent Iron-Man is stuffed with lead paint... it's pretty damn reasonable to think that it could be. Lego is one of the safest (and most expensive) toys around because they have standards and a reputation. Random Chinese workshop doesn't and hasn't. It could be good stuff, it could be anything. But if they don't care about IP infringement, why would they care (much) about safety? Also, who profits? In other knockoff businesses, situated in China, there's often organized crime. Sure, it may be scaremongering to say that your Aliexpress Hulk finances extortion in Shanghai somewhere, but can we be sure? They're doing illegal business to begin with, why stop with toys? Is there some code of honour? "Sure, we pirate commercial goods but we would never associate with ACTUAL crime!"
It's your own money and it's probably not a lead hazard that finances crime (probably). I just feel like I don't need to pad out my already packed figure collection with worthless copies. I'm quite happy with my $30 Chell, thank you.
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