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We "can". But we end up with Mega Bloks, a product that adults and children alike can agree is objectively inferior to Lego.
Hmm. Were they manufactured in the US?
kagis
It sounds like Canada and then China.
https://old.reddit.com/r/megaconstrux/comments/1diz26n/why_exactly_did_mega_bloks_fell_of_so_hard/
That bring said, I doubt that the issue is an inability to do precision molding so much as not doing so at the desired price point. As I recall, Mega Bloks aimed to be cheaper than Legos.
There are so many non-patented designs for interlocking brick systems now thanks to the 3D printing and at home mold injection scene. Some of them are superior to Lego.
Superior in what way? Lego is superior because I can take my childhood Lego pieces from 1994 and attach them snugly to my adulthood Lego pieces from 2025. Their manufacturing tolerances are unmatched. I've built a few offbrand sets over the years and some of those pieces from the same box don't even fit together very well.
Source? Seriously, LEGO's quality has significantly declined over the past few years. Sets are more expensive, less detailed, with stickers instead of prints and with far worse color consistency than other brands.
I'm just saying, this is what other brands manage to sell:
That's Bluebrixx's Castle Blaustein with ~25,000 pieces via 1 base set and 10 optional extension sets for ~1,200€ in total. The base set alone weighs 4 kg with "only" 5000 pieces and 200€ by the way - so unlike LEGO, half the pieces aren't 1x1s. The final castle alone (ignoring the front court) measures 70 cm in every direction. That's 0.35 m³ or 350 liters of bricks.
And that's just one set (albeit with extensions). LEGO would never, ever produce anything like this with this level of detail and (comparatively) low price. Other brands, like Lumibricks, sell sets like this:
This isn't edited btw. The set looks like this in the dark, check out some videos about it.
Don't use Megablocks. Check out some of the actual alternatives to LEGO, such as Bluebrixx, Cada, Cobi, Lumibricks, MouldKing or Xingbao. Always check out reviews though, some of their sets are just LEGO-quality (derogatory).
LEGO sets are at the highest quality they have ever been, what??
They are not too much more expensive than the example you gave, unless you are buying franchise sets, which then you pay the licensing fees. Of course it wont be as cheap as alternatives and sure you are paying for the brand, but you get insane quality that lasts and the customer support is unmatched.
Gobrick's and Cobi's pieces literally match LEGO's durability and consistency and surpass it in terms of color consistency and prints by a long shot.
Xingbao was worse in the past and nowadays seems to be approaching LEGO durability but has surpassed it in terms of color consistency and prints as well.
There are a ton of other manufacturers but I don't know enough about them. Still, they have all massively invested into plastic molding machines in recent years due to their customer base skyrocketing.
Meanwhile, LEGO produces ever worse sets at ever worse prices. 10 ct/piece are the norm even for unlicensed sets while other brands' - like Bluebrixx - licensed sets are usually around 5 ct/piece btw.
I have completely given up on LEGO. On occasion they produce something that's worth it at 40% off but that's sadly the exception.
For one: structural engineering for the bricks themselves that makes them even less likely to bend, break or warp, while still being compatible with other interlocking brick systems (Lego infamously has "illegal" building practices that are only suggested to not use becsuse they put undue stress on the bricks; a lot of 3rd party bricks are made for these "illegal" moves). Some are also easier to remove without seperator tools while still being strongly connected for builds.
For another: You can make shapes and colors Lego doesn't have at all.
The best ones are from resin printed designs. FDM printed bricks can get fucked up more easily and have other issues stemming mostly from how they are printed (burs, uneven surfaces, etc).
I've got thousands of dollars worth of Lego spanning over 30 years and have never had pieces warp before. I've had a few 1x plates break over the years (completely my fault) and have also had issues with the notorious reddish brown bricks crumbling, but that's it.
I've also been 3D printing going on 6 years now and even a top of the line printer will have orders of magnitude worse tolerance than an injection molded Lego brick. FDM is around 500um, resin is around 100um, and Lego is <10um and has been for 50 years. This also ignores quality issues from lack of printer maintenance, support material, and the inherent weakness of printed layers versus injection molding (not to mention the difficulty and expense printing ABS).
Getting different colors and shapes is nice but there are companies that make custom Lego bricks doing that too. The only things I ever even consider 3D printing are wall mounts for my space sets/Star Wars ships and giant minifigs.