Lego licensing pulling from megabloks

[ufjason]

I was thinking about it and a lot of the new licenses have been in the possession at one time by megabloks. I know Lego at spiderman for a bit but megabloks has tons of marvel superhero line stuff currently. They've got minifigure packs with characters as well. They had lord of the rings at one time too. This actually gives me some hope that Halo could actually come to Lego. Anyways, just thought it was interesting.

[GIR3691]

Yeah, that was a major reason the LEGO Marvel thing was such a surprise. I'm guessing the minifigure packs are going to be the last thing Mega produces, unless somehow Marvel has a dual-license going on for 2012 and beyond.

Lord of the Rings, PotC, Marvel... LEGO is scoring some major names from Megablocks in the licensing game. It'd be cool to see Halo, especially for all the purple we'd get. Mega's Covenant dropship set is just one massive purple apocalypse. Still doubt it'll happen.

[ufjason]

I have to say, some of the sets like the Pelican and Elephant are pretty cool and worth a look. Too bad they're constructed from poor quality bricks.

http://www.megabloks.com/Shop/MEGA_Bloks/Halo/UNSC_Elephant_96942/

http://www.megabloks.com/Shop/MEGA_Bloks/Halo/Halo_UNSC_Pelican_Dropship_96824/

[ninnymuggins]

I think since Disney acquired Marvel, it was just a matter of time when the Marvel agreement with Megablocks lapsed and then everything went back to LEGO. Makes a lot of business sense since it'll have Disney only deal with one construction company rather than two. That being said, I'm glad things didn't go Megablocks' way

[Chief]

I think this quote from the press release was the most telling (bold emphasis added):

“Only LEGO, with their expertise in the construction category, is capable of doing justice to the incredibly imaginative environments depicted in the world of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and the two films based on THE HOBBIT"

I read it as a backhanded slap at their former licensee MegaBloks.

[onions]

i'd rather see starcraft make the switch before halo.

[ninnymuggins]

Sadly what I saw for sale from Blizz con is going through Megablocks. I'm thinking about building a bunker when the new Space Marine minifigs come out =D

[Draykov]

Licenses do change hands between the two companies (in both directions) from time to time. Dora the Explorer and Winnie the Pooh come to mind.

[Marty]

Apart from these, why don't they come up with something new, I wish one of these companies would take up the Battlestar license as it would be a lot more financial, not to mention a better scope for figures as well as ships. But yet again we'll see halo, dora & poo, not-to-mention more super heros to poke a stick at?

[bricklover909]

HALO is the least likely to get pulled from Mega Bloks by Lego. Why? Because, it is built around a series of "M" rated games that parents would not let their kids play. Sure dc and marvel is for adults too, but it's different, a parent has grown up with these characters and the publishers also make family friendly versions of these characters.

[ufjason]

i'd rather see starcraft make the switch before halo.

Well, the fan base is a lot smaller for starcraft. There are no big future releases and the new starcraft game didn't exactly make huge waves in video gaming or pop culture. Though I appreciate the game, starcraft isn't as full of iconic scenes, vehicles and locations as Halo is. Halo is ripe for the picking. They've got the covenant species, different flood types and a whole lot of UNSC soldier types. Air and land based vehicles a plenty that are seen through the series. Lots of locations and scenes to reproduce. I've been impressed at some of the megablok sets they've made. There was one that simply came from a map you only saw in multiplayer matchmaking (assault on high ground) but makes for an excellent play scene. With a new game being released next fall, the current Anniversary edition of CE sold in stores and Reach having a huge fan following, it's hard to deny the easy success this would be. It even sells well in megablok form.

[ufjason]

Apart from these, why don't they come up with something new, I wish one of these companies would take up the Battlestar license as it would be a lot more financial, not to mention a better scope for figures as well as ships. But yet again we'll see halo, dora & poo, not-to-mention more super heros to poke a stick at?

I was a huge fan of battlestar thought the end left me wanting. Again, this doesn't have the youth fan following it would need to be a success. If they made a kid friendly show, maybe. There is supposedly a prequel series that covers
Adama as he enters service and fights in the Cylon war. I'm sure it would be directed more towards adults which don't buy Lego. The reason Lego licenses products is to access a fan base. It's guaranteed sales since kids already like that brand. If you have or know someone with kids, do some market research and ask them who their favorite characters are.

[Bellicose]

The problem with a Halo/Battlestar/Starcraft license is it diverts from the whole 'no military stuff' thing Lego has had going for ages...

I did try out one of the Halo kits from MegaBloks, the Falcon troop transport, and while it did model the original nicely the blocks used to build it were sh*t. They used lots of small plates instead of bricks which drove up the piece count as well as the weight, and their plastic is noticeably heavier to begin with, so it leaves a pretty heavy final model. Also a lot of the plastic was warped or bent, or just didn't want to fit together - for the final fit and finish I ended up breaking some pieces (and some skin) as I pounded the kit together with my fists and coffee table in an effort to make it all pop together. I do think that Covenant Phantom kit looks pretty cool too, and I've been tempted, but my experience with the Falcon says it'd be too frustrating to build so I'll use that money on lego stuff, which will actually fit together.

Clearly Lego is the superior product, you get what you pay for.

[WarlordJHW]

Halo? That's BEAST!!! We might get good ole lego insted of having to buy megablocks for halo!

[WarlordJHW]

Bellicosesaid:
The problem with a Halo/Battlestar/Starcraft license is it diverts from the whole 'no military stuff' thing Lego has had going for ages...

no military stuff? what about kingdoms, castles , agents, atlantis, city , and other fighting things?

[Draykov]

WarlordJHW, you've already been asked politely to chill out a bit. Please refrain from excessive use of emoticons, spam-posting, double-posting, and being a general annoyance. Take another look at the PM you received and please do the following:

- Be sure to check out the various topics in the "Start Here" forum. Particularly the Code of Conduct and How to write posts, make friends, and influence people... 2 threads.

We appreciate your enthusiasm for the brick, but it's also a good idea to get the lay of the land and figure out the general tone and attitude of your fellow members before chiming in on a lot of different topics.

[Rook]

I'm curious if the tide might also go the other way. If Lego ever release the Star Wars contract would Megablocks go after it?

I could easily see Megablocks during a giant molded piece Death Star Playset for $50!

[Tohst]

When did Mega have LoTR?

The only LoTR I remember was Intelliblox:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOTR-Mines-Moria-Intelli-Blox-BLOCK-Set-MISB-Sealed-New-Compatible-Lego-/150715446614?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2317573556

I can't find much info on them on the web...partially because they were pretty bad.

-Tohst

P.S. In my opinion there is a 15% chance that over the next 5 - 10 years Kre-o/Hasbro could pull the Star Wars license out of Lego's cold dead hands but only about a 2% Mega could do it.

[Chief]

That is a stunningly awful, bland product right there. I mean WOW.

[Gooker1]

I just enjoy the name "intelliblox"