A block is a block, right? Well, not necessarily. Lego alternatives have some cool-looking sets, but are Mega Construx (or Mega Bloks) compatible with Legos?
Legos are generally compatible with Mega Construx and Mega Bloks. However, the Mega brand tends to make lower quality (or less consistent) bricks. When using Mega Construx with Legos, you will sometimes find pieces that don’t fit quite right, because of small differences in the size, shape, or quality.
You may want to think twice before mixing Mega Contrux and Legos, for several reasons. We’ll go into more detail on that below.
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Legos (Duplo) vs Mega Construx (Mega Bloks)
Let me start by pointing out an important distinction to help prevent some brand-related confusion.
Mega Brands owns both Mega Construx and Mega Bloks. Currently, Mega Construx is Mega Brands’ block that is the same size as Legos. Mega Bloks is Mega Brands’ larger building bricks (for younger kids) which competes with Lego Brands Duplo blocks.
However, Mega Brands used to call their Lego-sized bricks Mega Bloks (which is the kind that I have in the photos shown above). And, they later rebranded those sets as Mega Construx.
So, Legos and the Mega Brand currently both have a brand for smaller blocks (Mega Construx and Lego) and a brand for larger blocks (Mega Bloks and Duplo). For the rest of this article, we’ll focus primarily on the smaller brick sets (Mega Construx and Lego).
Are Legos Compatible with Mega Construx?
When using Mega Construx with Legos, it’s important to consider the stability of your build. Is it a build you will break apart once you’re done, or will you want it to stay up for a while? The latter will most likely be a little difficult when combining these.
The big difference between Legos and Mega Construx is quality. Legos are the king of the building block toy category, and they hold themselves to a high-quality standard. Lego also charges premium prices, which gives them more financial cushion to demand the highest quality of their toys.
Mega Construx, on the other hand, is nowhere near as popular or expensive as Legos. They don’t have to meet such a high standard. In fact, as a “budget” building block seller, they actually have incentives to cut costs, which can lead to lower quality blocks.
When you mix Legos and Mega Construx together, you might be happy with the result. But, if you pay close attention, you may also notice slight differences in the studs and holes of Mega Construx (compared to Lego).
These slight differences can cause the connections between Lego bricks and Mega Construx to be a bit less tight/stable compared to connections made between Lego bricks. So, with that said, let’s dig deeper into the pros and cons of Mega Construx.
Pros and Cons
The main pro of buying Mega Construx (or Mega Bloks) is the price. At the end of the day, building with blocks is fun. And to have that kind of fun, you don’t really have to pay the super high Lego prices.
If you’re buying Legos for your kids (or nieces, nephews, etc.) some won’t be able to tell the difference, or won’t mind even if they can.
However, if these blocks will be going to big Lego fans or collectors, then they will DEFINITELY be able to tell the difference, and honestly, they might be disappointed with a gift that’s non-Lego branded.
That might sound crazy or unreasonable to folks who are not into Legos, but as a Lego enthusiast myself, I can assure you that there are REAL differences between Lego and Mega brand.
The Mega brand uses cheaper plastic, which is one reason they are able to charge lower prices for their sets. In fact, Legos are made using a very strong plastic known as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or ABS.
And, to delve into the social sphere for a moment, some people are made fun of for using non-Lego bricks like Mega Construx. I hate that this is a thing, nobody should be made fun of for wanting to build stuff with bricks. But, it is a real thing (for kids in particular), and something to keep in mind.
Lastly, just to reiterate the point about compatibility: since Mega Construx aren’t made by the same people as Legos, there are differences in the mechanics of how the blocks connect making it sometimes difficult to connect pieces from different brands. However, in my experience, they usually will connect together okay.
How Are They Different?
Though Legos and Mega Construx bricks look similar, their basic chemistry is very different. Lego pieces are very sturdy and not easy to break, but Mega Construx bricks have a tendency to break much easier. As we mentioned, Legos are made of ABS plastic.
The only way it seems that Lego pieces can break easily is if they are exposed to the sun for long periods of time.
Also, the Lego logo is displayed on each stud on Lego bricks. Mega Construx doesn’t have their logo displayed on the studs.
There are more differences found in both Legos and Mega Construx, including:
- Legos have their popular original sets along with IPs like Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. Mega Construx doesn’t have popular original sets, but they have IPs such as Halo, Pokemon, and Game of Thrones.
- The mini-figures are different in quality. Mega Construx arms are more easily broken and have different mechanics.
- Mega Construx is made in China, Legos are made in several different places including Denmark, Hungary, and Mexico.
- Lego has much bigger brand recognition with movies, shows, video games, amusement parks, board games, and many IPs. Mega Construx has fewer IPs with no movies, shows, or games.
- Lego is known by many people who have never even touched a Lego brick, but Mega Construx is lesser-known.
How Are They Similar?
There are also some similarities between these two brands. The fact that they are technically compatible is a similarity. And, if you look at the pieces in a set of Mega Construx and a set of Legos, the basic elements will look similar (but not identical).
Besides that, a very interesting point of similarity is that both brands go after licenses. There are many brands, tv shows, or movies that have had both Mega brand and Lego sets at one point or another.
For example, Lego had several Spider-Man 2 sets when the film came out while Mega Construx had the license to make Spider-Man 3 sets.
They’ve also both had the license to create Spongebob sets at one time. Below is a list of other brands they have both had at one time.
- Roseart
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
What Other Bricks Are Compatible With Legos?
There are other brands that offer bricks compatible with Legos. The main question to ask yourself is do you want quantity over quality.
You may buy less of Legos due to the price, but no matter what, you are going to run into some issues using alternatives to Lego bricks.
It may seem like an easy question to answer. Saving money always looks good, but remember that you get what you pay for.
Therefore, the quality of not only the bricks but also of your builds will suffer. If you want a build to last a while, you may want to spend the extra cash on Legos.
With that said, there are a few alternatives that may be of interest.
Kre-O
Kre-O might be your best option for getting decent-quality blocks to use with your Lego blocks. They are often praised for their good quality bricks. They are owned by Hasbro which is one of the empires in the toy manufacturing world.
They offer builds for IPs such as Transformers and G.I. Joe which are Hasbro franchises. If you have a favorite toy franchise by Hasbro, expect to see that brand represented in a Kre-O set or two. They do not offer as many original builds though.
BanBao
Though there are some differences in the quality, BanBao bricks are generally compatible with Lego bricks. As with all alternatives you may run into some issues.
For example, the studs of BanBao bricks tend to be a bit larger, and some Lego parts may not stay attached to BanBao parts for a long time.
BanBao sells mostly original sets like submarines and race cars, but it looks like they also have licenses for some Peanuts cartoon-themed sets.
Play Platoon Building Bricks
I think this is a smaller or lesser-known option, but if you’re looking for a good alternative to Lego, then Play Platoon is worth considering.
The manufacturer claims that their blocks are compatible with Legos, but if you’re planning to get large sets, then it might be worth buying a very small set first to test how well they work with your Legos.
In Conclusion
Legos and Mega Construx bricks are (for the most part) compatible, even if it isn’t the perfect pairing. However, I would generally recommend that you stick with Lego-brand bricks and sets.
But, if you find yourself in a bind, Mega Construx (or Mega Bloks) are a good alternative to Lego sets. There are some differences in quality, size, etc. But, in the right circumstances, it can be a good choice.
Related Questions
Do Legos Melt?
LEGOs aren’t likely to melt under normal conditions, but they can melt in extreme heat. Most modern LEGO bricks are made from ABS plastic, which has a melting point of 221⁰F (105⁰C). And at 320⁰F (160⁰C), LEGOs will have surpassed the melting point and the plastic will be liquified.
Do Legos float?
Lego bricks and Lego boats will often float, but not always. Legos are made of ABS plastic, which is slightly more dense than water and does not float by itself. However, some Lego bricks (and boats) are able to float when they have the right buoyancy, density, and surface tension.