OXFORD – Overview

Great post. I hadn’t realized that OXFORD matched against LEGO so well. Especially nice seeing as how the recent Mario Kart K’NEX aren’t nearly as compatible with LEGO as I was hoping they’d be. I like the figs, but they draw normal LEGO minifigs and they’re hands are too big to hold LEGO items.

I…just…can’t …do ..it….
I can’t go there, I can’t buy non-Lego sets.
Introducing non-official Lego would be like putting an impurity into my collection….
It would feel…dirty.
:0(
Am I a snob?

i got my son for christmas the oxford police set number NPA35000 and there is a piece missing how do i get a replacement piece

I’ve only recently – in the past month – started to explore the world of post-LEGO clones (LEGO itself being, of course, the first clone… of Kiddiecraft… itself similar in concept, though not design, to the earlier Minibrix). I have to agree that, in my experience to date, Oxford is pretty nice. I have also had quite good experiences so far with Cobi (and Character Building, who are made by them), been astounded by the quality of the parts from a new line by the upstart Spin Master: Tenkai Knights, and grown to respect the different aesthetic choices made by Mega Bloks. None of the brands (including LEGO) is perfect. Each has its respective strengths and weaknesses, and if looked at fairly, is a world unto itself.

Cobi, for instance, is superior to LEGO in its approach to slope geometry, its spectrum of tile sizes and shapes, and its generally generous supply of polarity-reversing plates in a variety of sizes. They also cover themes, such as Romans & Barbarians, Tannenberg 1410, and Small Army (modern military), that LEGO don’t touch. Clutch is about the same as LEGO, too. And they are another source for interesting detail parts: plants, flame, weapons and other fig accoutrements, and whatnot. Stud design is visually identical to LEGO’s: “COBI” appears on top. On the other hand, their stickers seem crummy; I never apply stickers, but these look like they would be disappointing if I did. Instructions are mostly pretty clear, but it can be hard to distinguish colors, and sometimes a given sequence of moves could well have been presented more rationally. And strangely, parts in the Character Building sets seem to have had better QA than those in the Cobi-branded ones I’ve acquired, though that may be because the latter are older, and their processes probably have improved: the “problem” pieces in the earlier sets seem to have gotten scuffed a bit in handling. (I found a source with an inventory that hasn’t been moving, and I’ve been chipping away at it, whereas the Character Building sets I have are brand new, from Toys R Us.)

Oxford also handles slope geometry better than LEGO. Their strengths overall are not terribly unlike Cobi’s. Interestingly, I got the impression that the Imex/Oxford parts are better than the Kre-O/Oxford, though, to be fair, I need to build more of both to be sure of this. As for weaknesses, I’ve found pages of instructions with missing piece counts, steps with incorrect piece counts, and so on. I suspect that it is more challenging to internationalize a Korean source into a Western language, so these documents suffer sometimes. Pieces are mostly very good, though one set had a slightly warped hinge, and it’s not uncommon to have sprue residue, especially on their hubcaps, or to have to remove hard ABS parts (like a vehicle door) from a sprue, which is just lazy on their part. This type of construction toy really shouldn’t require the use of an X-Acto blade. I also don’t especially like the look of the sometimes-flat, sometimes-hollow stud tops, but these things are a small price to pay for entrée to the Oxford world, which is, like Cobi, rich and interesting overall.

What I like about Mega Bloks, aside from Halo purple, is that they totally go their own way. They produce visual texture by doing a couple of things that the others I’ve explored to date do not: brick colors are not always solid, but are sometimes mixed, which can be a nice effect, for ice, for instance. They also paint things, which is a different approach from printing, yielding a very different aesthetic: like it or not, it’s their own look. Their figs are fully articulated, which is a strength; but they are made out of a soft, rubbery material, which makes it harder to keep them positioned on a baseplate – a weakness. Also, many of their part shapes are unique. As for themes, Mega Bloks, unlike LEGO, is not afraid of the dark, and has therefore licenced properties like Halo, Call of Duty and so on. This makes them something like the Stones to LEGO’s Beatles. I just wish they would improve their engineering. Clutch is variable from too-tight to too-loose. I have had parts that required so much force to insert that a tool was required, because mere fingers aren’t hard enough to do the job. Also, a female part with sprue residue inside that prevented the male part from fitting correctly until it had been removed, which was a tricky, difficult, and frustrating process. You would think, being as significant brand as they are, that they could do these things better, if they would only try a little harder.

On the other hand, the engineering of the Spin Master Tenkai Knights set I built was impeccable. Their parts were the best-molded I’ve seen… including LEGO. And their white was bright and consistent, making LEGO’s sometimes-yellowy, sometimes-reddish, but never really white look like someone plainly in need of a better dentist. They also have an interesting and original transforming fig/brick concept which I haven’t quite wrapped my head around yet (no doubt because I haven’t seen the cartoon), though I feel like once I do “get it,” a whole new world in fig building will open up. One thing that can feel like a downside to this new line is that the clutch is tighter than LEGO enthusiasts are used to, so you have to push harder to fit parts together, which eventually gets to your fingertips.

At the moment, I’m finding the world of “clones” more fascinating than LEGO, in part because it’s not the same-old-same-old, but also because, approached with an open mind, at least the leading ones are genuinely interesting, and not mere “knockoffs.” I am looking forward to exploring the Chinese brands, though it will admittedly be difficult for a westerner to sort them out. I plan to start with Star Diamond, Wange, and Enlighten, and see how it goes. I’m sure it will be an interesting ride.

I tried to contact Oxford Tony’s by mail, but that part is not translated. Can somebody give me an email adress from Oxford Toy. Oxford is not sold in Belgium.

Hi, I interested in your products. I am going to setup a business soon, can u give me a chance to sell your product.
Please contact me as soon as possible. Thanks You
+65 9758 3040 Mr Chua k.k

+65 9618 7049 Mrs Chua

Link to Oxford blocks:

http://glistings.gmarket.co.kr/Listview/List?GdlcCd=100000042&GdmcCd=200001590&GdscCd=300005834