I like Mould King for some of their technic looking sets, but I want to look at Fun Hole for their medieval and modular sets. I just don't want to pay over $300 for Lego sets going forward.
Pantasy made the wise decision to not include minifigs in their modular compatible sets. Keeps the cost down, and they know most of their customers won't like the designs they come up with [FO minifigs - ya either love or loathe them! :P ]. I'm all for that - use Lego minifigs in the alt brands' builds as they work just fine...
@@thebrickhiker yeah. We have a few Pantasy sets that we need to put together and agree- finding a Minifig that people will like is difficult. We got the Sherlock Holmes modular and the Brickheadz that they created - looking forward to building them!
I've read that "price per gram" is a more accurate metric than "price per piece", as it takes into account the variation in piece size. Something to consider.
Good video! I would disagree with a couple points: 1) Parts quality: Lego has very noticeably been slipping in recent years, with brittle parts, color inconsistency, bad prints, missing parts, etc. On the other hand, current sets from Cobi, Pantasy, or Funwhole usually have better quality control all around. Similarly, the manuals from Cobi or Funwhole are actually better in terms of clarity and user friendliness. 2) IP: Alternative brands run the gamut from outright counterfeits and unlicensed knockoffs (Lepin) to totally above-board licensing. Cobi, Pantasy, Funwhole, BlueBrixx, and Cada, for example, have partnerships with major franchises and companies. To me the only real advantage of Lego is its resale value for investors. But just in terms of hobby enjoyment, the competing brands are doing some amazing stuff for way lower prices than Lego, and it makes zero sense to stick with Lego exclusively unless you're only interested in the franchises to which they have rights.
@@SO-ym3zs great points! Brittle brown is definitely an issue with LEGO. We had missing parts with Cobi and FUNWHOLE so far, not Pantasy, but have only done one or two yet. Definitely have some great companies that are licensing and doing it correctly- completely agree with Cobi, not sure I have seen FUNWHOLE do licensing (could be totally off base- BUT love that they are doing their own designs and being original for sure)
@@SO-ym3zs and AGREED that LEGO holds value and investing- I think we will find this for other companies as well in the future and look forward to seeing that happen, because they are doing great work!
@@CurKymBrickBuilds You're right, iirc, no licensing from Funwhole (yet), but the others mentioned do it. Given the presumed complexity of getting hundreds or thousands of correct parts into each set, the overall quality control of all the brands under discussion is amazing. But when Lego is charging double what some of other brands do, they better be darn near perfect, and in recent years, I've actually had a lot more problems with their sets than any competing brands. A far cry from years back when I could open any Lego set and know all parts would be there, match in color, etc. I know I'm hardly alone with that experience. The color inconsistency in particular has been widely commented on.
@@CurKymBrickBuilds I could easily see that happening, too, particular with Funwhole, who have rightly been generating a lot of buzz with theirs sets. Once more people catch on, a secondary market could develop for their sets. Personally, my chief interest is in theme, design, quality, and price. Whether or not I can resell a set isn't as important.
As a long time Lego collector (build and display), I was already bummed about the emergence of the 'investors' market (around 2012 (thank you ebay))) and when Lego did their massive price increase in 2022 I began looking at alt. brick brands. I didn't take the 'plunge' until late 2023, and this year, while still buying several Lego models, I've actually purchased more alt. brand products, and have found the quality of both FunWhole and Pantasy to be 100% comparable with Lego. Considering Lego has been moving more of their manufacturing to lesser expensive Countries for years now (the US is supplied by Mexico, and I've read recently that more are being brought in from China), they've certainly brought their cost down dramatically, yet have still been increasing prices. When you can buy fantastic, high quality models for half the price, with fantastic designs, clever build techniques, better manuals, printed pieces, lighting kits, and for half the price (if not even more), it simply doesn't make sense to avoid alt. brands if you're an adult fan of brick building.
In a few months, TLG will be opening the Virginia Lego factory up [they are hiring - see a special VA Lego website for job openings :) ], which will continue to help keep their costs low, and avoid some potential tariffs. But I doubt this will result in a lower cost for us consumers. :( I've been a fan of Lego since the 70s and never had a Dark Age. If anything, I feel this is the beginning of a slow burn dark age for me, due to their increasing ratio of sets that lack value to me.
Yes, I think that is what folks like us have discovered, brick build g rather than LEGO building. Once your worldview changes you open your self up to incredible sets. People have to remember they’re not cheating on LEGO🤣.
@@csg2745 Brand loyalty/dependency is something every company strives for - what's interesting about Lego is that they've had that for years, yet as an already expensive product, they've blown up their prices further, and fixated on more expensive/higher piece count models while neglecting price ranges that would appeal to more average income collectors. They pretty much created the market for alt. brands by neglecting an extremely large demographic. I think FunWhole's emerging success is due to filling that void.
@@rexrogers4588 definitely. Thanks! I just built two of them with amazing printed pieces that were really important to the build. Like that way better than having to use stickers. The lighting is something that we think that LEGO can definitely step up on.
One thing to keep in mind with Lego, is that TLG spreads the licensing costs across *all* themes. There is no IP Tax on IP-based sets. TLG simply prices the sets at what they believe the market will bear. This is why you get some crazy high prices for Marvel and Star Wars; it is not due to Disney Tax [there are plenty of inexpensive sets from both IPs], it is because they know people will spend $80 to get a Red Hulk set or $500 to get a Jabba barge set. Granted, they don't get everyone's money [I am very picky on what I buy these days when sets are priced crazy]. Also price per piece can be a difficult thing to judge a set's value by. The $20 City sailboat set you showed, has a very pricy part - the sail. And a stud is a lot less costly for TLG to manufacture than a large panel piece or a BURP.
@@thebrickhiker interesting. Thanks for sharing that perspective. Definitely, people are buying the sets that are Disney and Star Wars and willing to pay a higher price for those. We are getting choosier on what we are spending money on as well lately.
@@ericlizama8552 we’ve never run into that particular problem with “normal” (LEGO) sized blocks but definitely have with mini blocks. Those hurt your fingers after an hour or so.
@@ericlizama8552 interesting. We haven’t found that to be the case at all so far- the worst experience - and only with two LEGO alternative sets is that the grip is awful- too tight or too loose. Also, the build design choices made it difficult to continue building because it just didn’t fit quite right. It was like they designed with the computer but never implemented it in person to see how it really worked out.
We recently put together a LEGO alternative brand where my fingers felt like I had arthritis after. The bricks were very difficult and didn’t want to hold together. I posted about it- it is in a box and it probably will be parted out. I haven’t had those experience with minibricks- the sharp edges, but definitely after too much building, my fingers can get a little sore because they have less surface area to push on. I find it I more a surface area of the brick to surface area of the finger issue rather than a sharp edge issue.
Lego Pro: There is a market for used Lego, both complete sets and pieces. I bought my Market Street used off the ‘Bay. The first owner got to build it, enjoy it for a while, then get most of his money back.
@@jimm244 there definitely is a market for used LEGO and LEGO bricks hold/increase in value as time goes by. That is something we mentioned off camera as a plus for LEGO over alt bricks.
I have some Lego sets (primary the Amusement Park and some trains). The only non-Lego pieces that I had is the big plate (IIRC it's the 32x32 plate, not the "slim version" from Lego). Then, years later, I bought some tiles (2x2, 2x1, 2x6), the color didn't match exactly, but it's way cheaper and now I can finally build some paths, roads, bike-line. I also 3D-Printed some rails/tracks, and it's working fine. Now, I'm thinking about getting some non-Lego trains (from Forange and from Kazi), but some trains from Kazi don't have window, which is weird. I really liked Funwhole Steampunk series, and some builds from MouldKing, and specially CaDa related to "City"/"Modular". But, currently, I didn't bought any non-Lego set.
@@FrequenciaJogos I love the idea of 3D printing pieces as well. We have a 3D printer, but still am not completely comfortable with printing- we need to spend more time to hone the abilities to do that. We had a LEGO train for under the tree and somehow it got lost in our move years ago 😭. Recently we have looked a Mould King for a train replacement, but we are huge FO fans. and are finding that despite our love for LeGO, we are really appreciating the alt brands for their price point and their creativity. Thanks for your comment and thoughts! And for watching! 🙂
I like Mould King for some of their technic looking sets, but I want to look at Fun Hole for their medieval and modular sets. I just don't want to pay over $300 for Lego sets going forward.
@@Zorogundam19 Mould King is a solid choice for certain.
Pantasy made the wise decision to not include minifigs in their modular compatible sets. Keeps the cost down, and they know most of their customers won't like the designs they come up with [FO minifigs - ya either love or loathe them! :P ]. I'm all for that - use Lego minifigs in the alt brands' builds as they work just fine...
That’s been my philosophy as well. LEGO minifigs fit in really well with alt brand modulars in every theme.
@@thebrickhiker yeah. We have a few Pantasy sets that we need to put together and agree- finding a Minifig that people will like is difficult. We got the Sherlock Holmes modular and the Brickheadz that they created - looking forward to building them!
I've read that "price per gram" is a more accurate metric than "price per piece", as it takes into account the variation in piece size. Something to consider.
@@Ogre6972 definitely something to consider! Thanks for the perspective. It makes sense when taking into account larger pieces with smaller ones too.
Good video! I would disagree with a couple points:
1) Parts quality: Lego has very noticeably been slipping in recent years, with brittle parts, color inconsistency, bad prints, missing parts, etc. On the other hand, current sets from Cobi, Pantasy, or Funwhole usually have better quality control all around.
Similarly, the manuals from Cobi or Funwhole are actually better in terms of clarity and user friendliness.
2) IP: Alternative brands run the gamut from outright counterfeits and unlicensed knockoffs (Lepin) to totally above-board licensing. Cobi, Pantasy, Funwhole, BlueBrixx, and Cada, for example, have partnerships with major franchises and companies.
To me the only real advantage of Lego is its resale value for investors. But just in terms of hobby enjoyment, the competing brands are doing some amazing stuff for way lower prices than Lego, and it makes zero sense to stick with Lego exclusively unless you're only interested in the franchises to which they have rights.
@@SO-ym3zs great points! Brittle brown is definitely an issue with LEGO. We had missing parts with Cobi and FUNWHOLE so far, not Pantasy, but have only done one or two yet.
Definitely have some great companies that are licensing and doing it correctly- completely agree with Cobi, not sure I have seen FUNWHOLE do licensing (could be totally off base- BUT love that they are doing their own designs and being original for sure)
@@SO-ym3zs and AGREED that LEGO holds value and investing- I think we will find this for other companies as well in the future and look forward to seeing that happen, because they are doing great work!
@@CurKymBrickBuilds You're right, iirc, no licensing from Funwhole (yet), but the others mentioned do it.
Given the presumed complexity of getting hundreds or thousands of correct parts into each set, the overall quality control of all the brands under discussion is amazing. But when Lego is charging double what some of other brands do, they better be darn near perfect, and in recent years, I've actually had a lot more problems with their sets than any competing brands. A far cry from years back when I could open any Lego set and know all parts would be there, match in color, etc. I know I'm hardly alone with that experience. The color inconsistency in particular has been widely commented on.
@@CurKymBrickBuilds I could easily see that happening, too, particular with Funwhole, who have rightly been generating a lot of buzz with theirs sets. Once more people catch on, a secondary market could develop for their sets. Personally, my chief interest is in theme, design, quality, and price. Whether or not I can resell a set isn't as important.
@ same. I want a good price point and something that I enjoy looking at. The resell is not important! Thank you so much for the great convo!!!!
As a long time Lego collector (build and display), I was already bummed about the emergence of the 'investors' market (around 2012 (thank you ebay))) and when Lego did their massive price increase in 2022 I began looking at alt. brick brands. I didn't take the 'plunge' until late 2023, and this year, while still buying several Lego models, I've actually purchased more alt. brand products, and have found the quality of both FunWhole and Pantasy to be 100% comparable with Lego. Considering Lego has been moving more of their manufacturing to lesser expensive Countries for years now (the US is supplied by Mexico, and I've read recently that more are being brought in from China), they've certainly brought their cost down dramatically, yet have still been increasing prices. When you can buy fantastic, high quality models for half the price, with fantastic designs, clever build techniques, better manuals, printed pieces, lighting kits, and for half the price (if not even more), it simply doesn't make sense to avoid alt. brands if you're an adult fan of brick building.
@@jeffc4862 thanks for sharing your thoughts! We agree! Interesting to know that LEGO has moved their production as well.
In a few months, TLG will be opening the Virginia Lego factory up [they are hiring - see a special VA Lego website for job openings :) ], which will continue to help keep their costs low, and avoid some potential tariffs. But I doubt this will result in a lower cost for us consumers. :(
I've been a fan of Lego since the 70s and never had a Dark Age. If anything, I feel this is the beginning of a slow burn dark age for me, due to their increasing ratio of sets that lack value to me.
Yes, I think that is what folks like us have discovered, brick build g rather than LEGO building. Once your worldview changes you open your self up to incredible sets. People have to remember they’re not cheating on LEGO🤣.
@@csg2745 Brand loyalty/dependency is something every company strives for - what's interesting about Lego is that they've had that for years, yet as an already expensive product, they've blown up their prices further, and fixated on more expensive/higher piece count models while neglecting price ranges that would appeal to more average income collectors. They pretty much created the market for alt. brands by neglecting an extremely large demographic. I think FunWhole's emerging success is due to filling that void.
Good video. Many Alt Bricks sets come with light kits and printed pieces.
@@rexrogers4588 definitely. Thanks! I just built two of them with amazing printed pieces that were really important to the build. Like that way better than having to use stickers. The lighting is something that we think that LEGO can definitely step up on.
One thing to keep in mind with Lego, is that TLG spreads the licensing costs across *all* themes. There is no IP Tax on IP-based sets. TLG simply prices the sets at what they believe the market will bear. This is why you get some crazy high prices for Marvel and Star Wars; it is not due to Disney Tax [there are plenty of inexpensive sets from both IPs], it is because they know people will spend $80 to get a Red Hulk set or $500 to get a Jabba barge set.
Granted, they don't get everyone's money [I am very picky on what I buy these days when sets are priced crazy].
Also price per piece can be a difficult thing to judge a set's value by. The $20 City sailboat set you showed, has a very pricy part - the sail. And a stud is a lot less costly for TLG to manufacture than a large panel piece or a BURP.
@@thebrickhiker interesting. Thanks for sharing that perspective. Definitely, people are buying the sets that are Disney and Star Wars and willing to pay a higher price for those. We are getting choosier on what we are spending money on as well lately.
One reason I’ve heard for sticking with Lego is that alt Lego bricks might have sharp edges, which makes it difficult or even harmful to work with.
@@ericlizama8552 we’ve never run into that particular problem with “normal” (LEGO) sized blocks but definitely have with mini blocks. Those hurt your fingers after an hour or so.
@@ericlizama8552 interesting. We haven’t found that to be the case at all so far- the worst experience - and only with two LEGO alternative sets is that the grip is awful- too tight or too loose. Also, the build design choices made it difficult to continue building because it just didn’t fit quite right. It was like they designed with the computer but never implemented it in person to see how it really worked out.
We recently put together a LEGO alternative brand where my fingers felt like I had arthritis after. The bricks were very difficult and didn’t want to hold together. I posted about it- it is in a box and it probably will be parted out. I haven’t had those experience with minibricks- the sharp edges, but definitely after too much building, my fingers can get a little sore because they have less surface area to push on. I find it I more a surface area of the brick to surface area of the finger issue rather than a sharp edge issue.
Great review. Greetings from Republic of Georgia...
@@zazanikuradze8829 thank you! Greetings!
Lego Pro: There is a market for used Lego, both complete sets and pieces. I bought my Market Street used off the ‘Bay. The first owner got to build it, enjoy it for a while, then get most of his money back.
@@jimm244 there definitely is a market for used LEGO and LEGO bricks hold/increase in value as time goes by. That is something we mentioned off camera as a plus for LEGO over alt bricks.
I have some Lego sets (primary the Amusement Park and some trains). The only non-Lego pieces that I had is the big plate (IIRC it's the 32x32 plate, not the "slim version" from Lego). Then, years later, I bought some tiles (2x2, 2x1, 2x6), the color didn't match exactly, but it's way cheaper and now I can finally build some paths, roads, bike-line. I also 3D-Printed some rails/tracks, and it's working fine.
Now, I'm thinking about getting some non-Lego trains (from Forange and from Kazi), but some trains from Kazi don't have window, which is weird. I really liked Funwhole Steampunk series, and some builds from MouldKing, and specially CaDa related to "City"/"Modular". But, currently, I didn't bought any non-Lego set.
@@FrequenciaJogos I love the idea of 3D printing pieces as well. We have a 3D printer, but still am not completely comfortable with printing- we need to spend more time to hone the abilities to do that.
We had a LEGO train for under the tree and somehow it got lost in our move years ago 😭. Recently we have looked a Mould King for a train replacement, but we are huge FO fans. and are finding that despite our love for LeGO, we are really appreciating the alt brands for their price point and their creativity. Thanks for your comment and thoughts! And for watching! 🙂