Answers.Body: <p>My mother in law thought a set of MegaBlok duplo sized sets would be a great present, and while there are some fun elements in the set, overall the real Duplos are better quality, to the point we decided to sort out the sets and keep the brands separated. At first we had them mixed together, but the MegaBlok ones seem to be more flexible (perhaps thinner brick walls?) and not stay together quite as tightly. (For that matter, the Tyco bricks didn't stay together as well either...) </p>
  
  <p>One of the most jarring differences, aside from quality, is the people figures. The legs on duplo people are designed such that they can be standing or seated on top of a brick. Megablok people do not have gaps on the back of their legs for seating them on blocks, they can only stand. For this reason, all the Megablock vehicles and benches and whatnot have flat bottoms on the part where the characters sit. So Megablok characters don't "play well" in real Duplo brand vehicles, chairs, and so forth. And the duplo figures don't play well on the swings and so forth that are designed for Megablok characters.
  <img src="https://i.sstatic.net/q7DRN.jpg" alt="mega vs duplo people"></p>
  
  <p>Also, while Duplos are usually for ages 1.5+, an equivalent Megablok set often is 3+ because it contains half-bricks and half-height half bricks, teeny tiny birds and squirrels, and so forth that are all choking hazards, so it was a lot more work to figure out which pieces need to be pulled out of the set to make sure baby brother doesn't choke on the pieces.</p>
  
  <p>Additionally, while newer legos for older kids do sometimes contain sticker kits (grumble), usually the Duplo products have the designs printed directly on the bricks, so they are fully immersion washable if they get spit up on by a younger sibling and safe to take in the tub at bath time. The megablok ones? Every single patterned element except people characters require a sticker you have to apply yourself. You can't wash them or take them in the bathtub without ruining the stickers. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-02-28T01:39:50.797Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-03-01T23:19:28.057Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2014-03-01T23:19:28.057Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Jessica Brown
Answers.Body: <p>The problem is that while in general MegaBloks bricks fit with LEGO bricks, the quality control on the MB bricks seems to be much lower*, so the bricks/studs and holes are not always the same size.</p>
  
  <p>As an example, I recently acquired a MB HALO <a href="http://www.megabloks.com/Shop/MEGA_Bloks/Halo/Covenant_Banshee_96859/" rel="noreferrer">Covenant Banshee</a> ship for my son, and can safely show that:</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EnqNP.jpg" alt="LEGO bricks and MegaBloks combined"></p>
  
  <p>The holes in studs do not readily accept rods (in this case a "wand" element from a Harry Potter set, but identical to the lightsaber pieces, etc.) - they are generally too small, however I could just force it into the front of the "hollow frying pan" type piece that Harry's holding. Conversely the handle is thinner than the wand, so it fits into the hollow MB studs fairly well, but is very loose in the LEGO cone.</p>
  
  <p>With Erling bricks your mileage may vary but shound be ok, however you'd be better off with the newer 1x1 brick with knob(s), as then there's no ridge to fit within.</p>
  
  <p>Plates and Tiles seem to fit fairly well - although generally the grip will be looser if you put LEGO elements on top of MB ones - the studs seem slightly smaller.</p>
  
  <p>DUPLO Bricks seem to fit as well as they do with LEGO bricks:</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ockvU.jpg" alt="DUPLO Bricks and MegaBloks"></p>
  
  <p>*I state that the quality control seems to be lower as in this set for example, there are supposed to be 4 1x1 Round Plates (you can just see a transparent blue one behind Harry). Of the 10 or 12 that were supplied(!), none of them were tight enough to stay on the angular brick you can see on the wing edge (the one that just about stays on the other side falls off this one).</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-07-24T09:56:44.510Z
Answers.Text: I've had a similar experiences with polish Cobi brand (which is also sold via Best-Lock in USA), where while technicaly compatible with Lego a lot of pieces were slightly too small (so it was impossible to separate them) or slightly too large (so they stayed loose). What was worse, they often had flash left and from time to time wouldn't fit other bricks from the same set! It was over 10 years ago though so since then they might've improved but given those experiences I'd rather stick to LEGO personally.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Maurycy
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-11-30T22:09:59.840Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-06-14T14:05:49.357Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2012-06-14T14:05:49.357Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Zhaph - Ben Duguid
Answers.Body: <p>I can't actually offer any thoughts regarding anything but actual bricks, as the first - and only - megabloks purchase I ever made only contained bricks.  While my experience with megablocks is limited, I feel confident in offering this advice: Don't do it.</p>
  
  <p>My motivation for "playing" with Lego-style blocks at age 29 is probably pretty unique - I use them to make floor toys for my sugar gliders to play on (meaning I have no interest in figures and many other elements).  For my first block purchase, I bought Megablocks because they were cheaper and I foolishly assumed they'd get the job done... let's just say, lesson learned!  I tried to build a simple "house" that was perhaps 5''x5'' and by the time I'd built 3-4 layers of overlapping 2x4 blocks, my creation was falling apart faster than I could build it.  They didn't stick together at ALL - the quality was ridiculously poor.  Suffice it to say, I returned the bricks for a refund.</p>
  
  <p>Since then, I've stuck to Lego Duplo blocks and not only can I actually build things without them falling apart, my creations easily withstand a lot of jostling.  I can only assume that mixing megabloks with Duplo blocks would weaken the integrity of your Duplo creations.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-10-05T00:22:38.040Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-10-05T00:22:38.040Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Imbrium
Answers.Body: <p>I can only provide info for basic bricks. I am an avid fan of both Lego and mega bloks. That being said there is a large difference in quality in mega bloks sets older then 2010. The more modern sets have increased in quality by fare and I have not had a problem with them falling apart since. Lego and mega bloks bricks fit well together if the mega blocks are of modern age. Older bricks (for example the banshi that was mentioned above) will have a much harder time holding together capability wise. The rods as far as I know of I believe the mega bloks rods are slightly smaller then Lego allowing them to slide in normally easier than Lego's rods (don't know why but my Lego rods always get stuck in the holes and don't come out without extreme force); same goes for accessories by the way. The figures are not compatible with swapping accessories or rods, (megas rods being smaller) Lego accessories can actually break the older mega bloks figures hands meanwhile vise versa mega bloks accessories will normally fall out of Lego figures hands. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-07-05T00:39:10.913Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-07-05T04:24:55.583Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2016-07-05T04:24:55.583Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Noir Renard
Answers.Body: <p>15 years ago, I had a Megabloks set (some kind of a truck) that had two baseplates that were thicker than standard (1.5 of regular plate, so two stacked are same height as a brick).</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-07-29T14:40:29.087Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-07-29T14:40:29.087Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: htmlcoderexe
Answers.Body: <p>There are 2 types of Duplo size: one type has 1 big stud instead of 4, so it only fits Lego if the MegaBlock is put on top - or when using an adapter piece. The other compatible type has taller studs, which is fine. As for Micro, which is the System Lego size, the red colored pieces are dull, the blue ones are better. I did have problem with one 2×4 to hold 1×2's below.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-09-11T08:33:37.837Z
Answers.Text: Hi Andrew! As usual, I have attempted to make sense of your answer and edit it into a readable form. Please review my changes and correct anything I might have misunderstood.
Answers.UserDisplayName: zovits
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-09-08T20:46:56.420Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2023-09-11T08:32:42.770Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2023-09-11T08:32:42.770Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Andrew Hodson
Body: <p>I know that the basic bricks of LEGO and Megabloks fit together, but was wondering if other elements do too.</p>
  
  <p>Such as:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Plates</li>
  <li>Rods (Ones Minifigures can hold, not Technic)</li>
  <li>Right angle (such as Erling)</li>
  <li>Duplo bricks</li>
  </ul>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2011-12-05T18:45:39.210Z
Comments.Text: Megablocks - Ew!
Comments.UserDisplayName: Jonathan.
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-06-14T07:13:51.570Z
Comments.Text: There's an obvious ethical incompatibility
Comments.UserDisplayName: Joubarc
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-07-05T19:11:18.923Z
Comments.Text: Does color count too, or just mechanical incompatibilities?  Because the (highly inferior) plastic that MB uses does not color as vibrantly as LEGO ABS.
Comments.UserDisplayName: PGmath
Tags: <clone-brands><compatibility><3rd-party>
Title: In what ways are LEGO and Megabloks incompatible?
UserDisplayName: Pubby
ThreadText: # In what ways are LEGO and Megabloks incompatible?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2011-11-30)
  
  I know that the basic bricks of LEGO and Megabloks fit together, but was wondering if other elements do too.
  
  Such as:
  
  * Plates
  * Rods (Ones Minifigures can hold, not Technic)
  * Right angle (such as Erling)
  * Duplo bricks
  
  **Tags:** clone-brands, compatibility, 3rd-party
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Megablocks - Ew!  
  > **username_2**: There's an obvious ethical incompatibility  
  > **username_3**: Does color count too, or just mechanical incompatibilities?  Because the (highly inferior) plastic that MB uses does not color as vibrantly as LEGO ABS.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 6 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2011-11-30. Score: 22
  
  The problem is that while in general MegaBloks bricks fit with LEGO bricks, the quality control on the MB bricks seems to be much lower\*, so the bricks/studs and holes are not always the same size.
  
  As an example, I recently acquired a MB HALO [Covenant Banshee](http://www.megabloks.com/Shop/MEGA_Bloks/Halo/Covenant_Banshee_96859/) ship for my son, and can safely show that:
  
  ![LEGO bricks and MegaBloks combined](https://i.sstatic.net/EnqNP.jpg)
  
  The holes in studs do not readily accept rods (in this case a "wand" element from a Harry Potter set, but identical to the lightsaber pieces, etc.) - they are generally too small, however I could just force it into the front of the "hollow frying pan" type piece that Harry's holding. Conversely the handle is thinner than the wand, so it fits into the hollow MB studs fairly well, but is very loose in the LEGO cone.
  
  With Erling bricks your mileage may vary but shound be ok, however you'd be better off with the newer 1x1 brick with knob(s), as then there's no ridge to fit within.
  
  Plates and Tiles seem to fit fairly well - although generally the grip will be looser if you put LEGO elements on top of MB ones - the studs seem slightly smaller.
  
  DUPLO Bricks seem to fit as well as they do with LEGO bricks:
  
  ![DUPLO Bricks and MegaBloks](https://i.sstatic.net/ockvU.jpg)
  
  \*I state that the quality control seems to be lower as in this set for example, there are supposed to be 4 1x1 Round Plates (you can just see a transparent blue one behind Harry). Of the 10 or 12 that were supplied(!), none of them were tight enough to stay on the angular brick you can see on the wing edge (the one that just about stays on the other side falls off this one).
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_6**: I've had a similar experiences with polish Cobi brand (which is also sold via Best-Lock in USA), where while technicaly compatible with Lego a lot of pieces were slightly too small (so it was impossible to separate them) or slightly too large (so they stayed loose). What was worse, they often had flash left and from time to time wouldn't fit other bricks from the same set! It was over 10 years ago though so since then they might've improved but given those experiences I'd rather stick to LEGO personally.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2014-02-28. Score: 11
  
  My mother in law thought a set of MegaBlok duplo sized sets would be a great present, and while there are some fun elements in the set, overall the real Duplos are better quality, to the point we decided to sort out the sets and keep the brands separated. At first we had them mixed together, but the MegaBlok ones seem to be more flexible (perhaps thinner brick walls?) and not stay together quite as tightly. (For that matter, the Tyco bricks didn't stay together as well either...)
  
  One of the most jarring differences, aside from quality, is the people figures. The legs on duplo people are designed such that they can be standing or seated on top of a brick. Megablok people do not have gaps on the back of their legs for seating them on blocks, they can only stand. For this reason, all the Megablock vehicles and benches and whatnot have flat bottoms on the part where the characters sit. So Megablok characters don't "play well" in real Duplo brand vehicles, chairs, and so forth. And the duplo figures don't play well on the swings and so forth that are designed for Megablok characters.
  ![mega vs duplo people](https://i.sstatic.net/q7DRN.jpg)
  
  Also, while Duplos are usually for ages 1.5+, an equivalent Megablok set often is 3+ because it contains half-bricks and half-height half bricks, teeny tiny birds and squirrels, and so forth that are all choking hazards, so it was a lot more work to figure out which pieces need to be pulled out of the set to make sure baby brother doesn't choke on the pieces.
  
  Additionally, while newer legos for older kids do sometimes contain sticker kits (grumble), usually the Duplo products have the designs printed directly on the bricks, so they are fully immersion washable if they get spit up on by a younger sibling and safe to take in the tub at bath time. The megablok ones? Every single patterned element except people characters require a sticker you have to apply yourself. You can't wash them or take them in the bathtub without ruining the stickers.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2013-10-05. Score: 6
  
  I can't actually offer any thoughts regarding anything but actual bricks, as the first - and only - megabloks purchase I ever made only contained bricks. While my experience with megablocks is limited, I feel confident in offering this advice: Don't do it.
  
  My motivation for "playing" with Lego-style blocks at age 29 is probably pretty unique - I use them to make floor toys for my sugar gliders to play on (meaning I have no interest in figures and many other elements). For my first block purchase, I bought Megablocks because they were cheaper and I foolishly assumed they'd get the job done... let's just say, lesson learned! I tried to build a simple "house" that was perhaps 5''x5'' and by the time I'd built 3-4 layers of overlapping 2x4 blocks, my creation was falling apart faster than I could build it. They didn't stick together at ALL - the quality was ridiculously poor. Suffice it to say, I returned the bricks for a refund.
  
  Since then, I've stuck to Lego Duplo blocks and not only can I actually build things without them falling apart, my creations easily withstand a lot of jostling. I can only assume that mixing megabloks with Duplo blocks would weaken the integrity of your Duplo creations.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2016-07-05. Score: 4
  
  I can only provide info for basic bricks. I am an avid fan of both Lego and mega bloks. That being said there is a large difference in quality in mega bloks sets older then 2010. The more modern sets have increased in quality by fare and I have not had a problem with them falling apart since. Lego and mega bloks bricks fit well together if the mega blocks are of modern age. Older bricks (for example the banshi that was mentioned above) will have a much harder time holding together capability wise. The rods as far as I know of I believe the mega bloks rods are slightly smaller then Lego allowing them to slide in normally easier than Lego's rods (don't know why but my Lego rods always get stuck in the holes and don't come out without extreme force); same goes for accessories by the way. The figures are not compatible with swapping accessories or rods, (megas rods being smaller) Lego accessories can actually break the older mega bloks figures hands meanwhile vise versa mega bloks accessories will normally fall out of Lego figures hands.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_9 on 2018-07-29. Score: 2
  
  15 years ago, I had a Megabloks set (some kind of a truck) that had two baseplates that were thicker than standard (1.5 of regular plate, so two stacked are same height as a brick).
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_10 on 2023-09-08. Score: -2
  
  There are 2 types of Duplo size: one type has 1 big stud instead of 4, so it only fits Lego if the MegaBlock is put on top - or when using an adapter piece. The other compatible type has taller studs, which is fine. As for Micro, which is the System Lego size, the red colored pieces are dull, the blue ones are better. I did have problem with one 2×4 to hold 1×2's below.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_11**: Hi username_10! As usual, I have attempted to make sense of your answer and edit it into a readable form. Please review my changes and correct anything I might have misunderstood.  
  
  ---
  
  