Toy Fair Day 3: Variations on a Theme
Tuesday, February 18. 2014
Plastic building blocks are as much a staple of Toy Fair as the doll, toy car, or video game. While most people automatically associate these blocks with LEGO, there are some other companies that are doing very cool things with them and are well worth a look:
The first name on this list is a familiar one. Mega Bloks' greatest strength is their willingness to push the definition of block sets...in many cases these are more like simple snap-together model kits rather than traditional block construction. This means that we get to see features like highly articulated figures, detailed sculpts, and more accurate decorations than we see elsewhere. They also value play, so nearly all of their sets are build around the idea of having something to play with once construction is finished. I've reviewed several Mega Bloks sets here, and will add more going forward—from what they showed off at Toy Fair, they will be expanding on all of their most popular lines and will be adding several all-new series in 2014.
Also showing us what could be done to take building blocks to the next level, Laser Pegs was there with all of their latest sets, several light-up billboards, and a life-sized stegosaurus. And unlike Lite-Brite, which had a single light source behind a panel, Laser Pegs make use of current LED technology to allow for sculptures of practically any size or shape.
Finally, a quick note about LaQ (I will be talking more about these guys more very soon). While most building blocks use some variation of the concept of "stacking," LaQ went in a different direction with the concept of "spreading." These pieces do not start on a base and go up and out, they start in the middle of a panel and work out. It's a subtle difference, but that shift gets your mind working in totally unexpected directions.
The first name on this list is a familiar one. Mega Bloks' greatest strength is their willingness to push the definition of block sets...in many cases these are more like simple snap-together model kits rather than traditional block construction. This means that we get to see features like highly articulated figures, detailed sculpts, and more accurate decorations than we see elsewhere. They also value play, so nearly all of their sets are build around the idea of having something to play with once construction is finished. I've reviewed several Mega Bloks sets here, and will add more going forward—from what they showed off at Toy Fair, they will be expanding on all of their most popular lines and will be adding several all-new series in 2014.
Also showing us what could be done to take building blocks to the next level, Laser Pegs was there with all of their latest sets, several light-up billboards, and a life-sized stegosaurus. And unlike Lite-Brite, which had a single light source behind a panel, Laser Pegs make use of current LED technology to allow for sculptures of practically any size or shape.
Finally, a quick note about LaQ (I will be talking more about these guys more very soon). While most building blocks use some variation of the concept of "stacking," LaQ went in a different direction with the concept of "spreading." These pieces do not start on a base and go up and out, they start in the middle of a panel and work out. It's a subtle difference, but that shift gets your mind working in totally unexpected directions.
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