I have written twice before about LEGO imitation, but I saved the best (or worst?) for last. I didn't initially plan on a part 3 in this series, but another visit to the Dollar Tree led to more material. #sorrynotsorry
The brand is Best Lock. I suspect they should come under fire for truth in advertising violations just from their brand name, but perhaps I am being overly-pessimistic. I am writing this as if I am doing a video unboxing, so think of this post as a real-time review. This could be interesting.
"Colours and style may vary." There's a sure sign of sketchy Lego counterfeits everywhere!
0-3 Sad Onions, as is commonly shown on construction toys.
A recycling symbol. Whee. Is it telling me to recycle? Is this from recycled content? Is it there because someone decided it looked neat? Who knows!
I have no idea whether the CE marking is legit or not. I wouldn't be surprised if this is actually properly registered, though. I have seen this brand in US discount stores for years, so if they are actually an established company, they might actually meet European safety regulations. But the other labels on the box only refer to US and Canada. Hard to say.
Inside the box are two plastic bags with various bricks and a surprisingly decent instruction sheet for chinesium not-LEGO. This is so far the most bricks for a buck, so I am eager to see how the pieces feel.
If this were a video, this is where I would show a construction time-lapse. Instead, we jump to assembled models here.
From left to right, we have a surprisingly decent tank with a nice illusion of treads thanks to that plate between the wheels, a helicopter that loses points for flimsy design and poorly ordered assembly steps, and a completely stupid "boat."
There is enough variety that these could be rebuilt into something cool, too. Give me another moment here...
OK, maybe it isn't much, but I made a paddlewheel steamboat and an airplane. Yay! If I weren't in a hurry to get back to writing this, maybe I could do better. Or maybe not.
The parts don't feel as cheap as I expected, but they aren't LEGO quality. They don't click together as easily, and they are very difficult to pry apart, too. At least they aren't too flimsy to hold together at all, though. The colors don't match quite as well from brick to brick as LEGO. In short, not as bad as I expected, but not recommended.
I also bought a few more of the items like those reviewed before, too. There are some nice 16x16 plates in clear bags that have a lot of potential. I also got a couple more tree kits. 4 tree sets + 1 plate = this forest playset and extra parts, so that isn't a bad deal in my opinion.
I also decided to check out some more of the vehicle sets.
I don't really like the "Soldier With Tank" on the left. The red "Fire Rescue" car has a rather nice blue flame/water piece shamelessly ripped off from LEGO, and it looks nothing like a fire rescue truck, but I find it charming nonetheless. The minesweeper actually has a different shade of green than the "tank," and it seems to be a close match for the Best Lock green above. This reinforces my suspicion that these are made all over China by many different factories despite being lumped together under common branding bu Greenbrier International for import.
In summary: I detest the zombie minifigures. I don't like the Best Lock bricks, although one of the three models was surprisingly good for the money. The Make-It Blocks are hit-and-miss. The 16x16 plates are nice, though, and some of the bagged brick sets and vehicles do have potential to not completely disappoint. They may even be fun cheap stocking stuffers for Christmas.
Coming soon: a nostalgic look at REAL LEGO, and a better compare/contrast with the imitators.