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Is LEGO better than Mega Bloks?

Is LEGO better than Mega Bloks?

I was wondering whether LEGO was better than Mega Bloks and what the differences were, so I checked online. I couldn’t find any resource that answered the question properly, so I decided to create it myself.

So, is LEGO better than Mega Bloks? Yes, LEGO is better than Mega Bloks because, even though the initial price is higher, it is more durable, reusable, and has a better fit between pieces. So, you end up paying less for it because you will use it longer, in more situations, and it will fit together better.

Let’s have a look now at each specific aspect and compare the two brands in more detail.

Why is LEGO better than Mega Bloks?

To compare the two brands and explain why I think LEGO is better than Mega Bloks, I will compare several different aspects. They are durability & quality, price, reusability, fit, figures, and level of detail.

The short answer is that, even though you pay more for LEGO, you end up getting a better value for your purchase. This is because LEGO sets are more durable and reusable. They also fit better together.

However, in certain aspects, LEGO lags behind Mega Bloks. For example, the minifigs from Mega Bloks tend to have a better movement range than the ones from LEGO. Also, because of a lower focus on elements being reused, Mega Bloks adds a deeper level of detail to the minifigs and accessories than LEGO does.

Let’s dig deep into the different aspects.

Durability & quality of LEGO & Mega Bloks

LEGO products are of much better quality than Mega Bloks’ ones. The plastic is much more durable and there are hardly any complaints of LEGO products breaking.

With Mega Bloks, the story is quite different. In this case, there are tons of dissatisfied customers, with products breaking even within a week of use.

Since children tend to be reckless with their toys, it is important that they are made of good quality materials and well designed. LEGO is the big winner on this one.

Price of LEGO & Mega Bloks

Mega Bloks’ products are cheaper than LEGO, no question about that. However, that is not all that there is to the price of a product. If to last as long as one LEGO set, you need to buy three sets of Mega Bloks, then Mega Bloks is not winning anymore.

So, even though the initial investment is higher for LEGO than for Mega Bloks, you will end up spending less money because LEGO sets last much longer. There are a lot of stories of children inheriting the LEGO sets of the parents, with these sets looking as good as new.

Last, but not least, you should consider the residual value of the toys. This is important just in case you decide to sell your toys for whatever reason. In the case of LEGO, there is a huge market for second-hand products. I talked about it in our post “Should You Buy Used Or New Lego, Which Is Best?”. This means that, after using a set for as long as you wish, you can still sell it afterward and recover part of your investment.

In the case of Mega Bloks, because the quality of the product is not as high, this is not so easy. You might be able to sell it if you have managed to keep them in good condition, but the price you are likely to get is much lower than what you can get for LEGO. So, even though LEGO is more expensive, it is still better in terms of value for money.

Reusability of LEGO & Mega Bloks

It is not all about durability and price, though. For sustainability’s sake and also to get the best value out of a product, it is also very important whether you can reuse it or not.

As far as LEGO is concerned, one of their main aims is to build as much as possible with modular pieces that can be used and reused in a lot of different situations. That means that once a child gets tired of playing with a specific theme, they can reuse the same blocks to build something completely different.

But this is not only for the objects. The minifigures from LEGO are also designed in a way that they can be reused for different themes or sets.

Mega Bloks, on the other hand, does not focus so much on reusability. Even though some of their pieces are also reusable, they have much more unique pieces. This brings a higher level of realism to the sets (more on this below) but that goes at the expense of reusing the toys. Once a child is done with a specific theme, a lot of the toys will no longer be used.

In this specific category, LEGO is the clear winner.

Fit of LEGO & Mega Bloks

When I say fit, I mean how well the pieces go with each other. This is important for different reasons at different ages. When a child is small, a looser fit is better because it allows the child to join and disjoin the pieces easily without needing extra help from a parent or older sibling.

However, this advantage turns into a disadvantage for older children. For older children, a good fit is important because it allows them to construct more complex structures or figures without them crumbling down at any moment.

In this category, LEGO is a winner with a much better fit between pieces, but that goes against them when considering the most appropriate toy for a toddler (more on this below).

Figures of LEGO & Mega Bloks

The minifigs of LEGO and Mega Bloks are quite different and therefore difficult to compare. Where LEGO focuses on modularity and on being able to reuse the different parts for other sets, Mega Bloks focus on the specific set. This allows Mega Bloks’ minifigures to be more realistic.

In addition to that, Mega Bloks’ minifigures have a wider posture range. As we discussed in our post “Is LEGO better than Playmobil?”, LEGO minifigs have a much wider posture range than Playmobil minifigs do. However, Mega Bloks’ minifigures surpass LEGO ones in this regard.

So, here the winner is Mega Bloks due to the wider posture range. But LEGO comes close because it allows children to reuse the figures in different sets.

Level of detail of LEGO & Mega Bloks

The level of detail between LEGO and Mega Bloks differs. In this case, the focus on modularity and reusability hurts LEGO. Their minifigs, bricks, and accessories tend to be more plain and general, basically to allow them to be reused in a different setting.

Mega Bloks, on the other hand, has much more detailed minifigures and accessories. Because they do not focus so much on reusability, they can build in specific details that only relate to that specific set. This helps with how realistic the set looks but it obviously hurts how much you can then use the specific minifig or accessory in a different set.

In this category, Mega Bloks is the clear winner, with a much better level of detail than LEGO has.

Summary of comparison between LEGO & Mega Bloks

So, to sum up, LEGO products are of higher quality, which makes them more durable. Despite them being more expensive, we have seen that you get more value for your money with LEGO. Moreover, should you decide to sell them second-hand, you will get much more money for your LEGO sets than for your Mega Bloks sets.

LEGO sets are also more reusable. LEGO builds all their sets with a modular mindset, which makes the sets and their parts easier to reuse when the opportunity comes. LEGO bricks fit better with each other. This comes at a disadvantage for toddlers because it can be difficult for them to join and disjoin the bricks by themselves, but it is a huge advantage at later stages where more complex structures are built.

As for the figures, Mega Bloks figures have a wider posture range, but as a downside, they are not easily reused. Last, but not least, is the level of detail. Here, because of the focus that LEGO has in reusability, Mega Bloks is the clear winner. Their figures and accessories have a much better level of detail than LEGO ones.

Is Mega Bloks better than LEGO in any age range?

As I briefly mentioned during the comparison above, there is one instance where I think Mega Bloks sets are a better option than LEGO ones. This is for toddlers. Because of the tight fit between the bricks that allow older children to build complex structures, toddlers might find LEGO sets difficult to play with on their own. They might struggle to join and disjoin bricks and minifigs.

Mega Bloks, on the other hand, has a looser fit between pieces. This is a recipe for disaster when you want to build complex figures or buildings, but it is great for toddlers because it allows them to play alone, without needing the help of an older sibling or a parent to join or disjoin pieces.

Final words

And with this, we have arrived at the end of this post. I hope you have a better understanding now of the differences between LEGO and Mega Bloks and why LEGO is better than Mega Bloks for all ages except for toddlers.

Learn More

If you are interested, here is a link to the entire Lego section found on Amazon.