When I was a kid, McDonald’s ran a Happy Meal promotion giving away LEGO sets. Real LEGO sets. I remember getting a couple of them, but most notably, they were the sets which sparked my interest in LEGO bricks.
Over the years, McDonald’s has ran other LEGO promotions — I managed to get a few more of the McDonald’s sets a few years ago.
But now LEGO/McDonald’s are trying to pass off totally lame Racers sets. Seriously, I’m embarrassed to even call these things LEGO. They look like cheapy Mega Blocks. Stuff just keeps getting cheaper and cheaper…
As a fellow Lego lover, I must admit that these are embarrassing. I feel sad for the state of the Lego Land.
I found a discarded/lost McDonald’s LEGO Racer set at work the other day… Not only is the set just three pieces, but the plastic feels so cheap and lightweight compared to genuine LEGO sets.
Very sad day in LEGO Land.
I agree that these racers are pretty sad excuses for LEGOs. However, having a son that loves legos I must also say that they aren’t exactly cheap anymore. And while I am more than willing to go out and spend that kind of money on LEGO sets that encourage creativity in my kids, when it comes to mcdonalds my guess is that the sorry excuse for a LEGO set has more to do with cost than anything else.
LEGO sets have never been cheap. Basic sets — sets which contain only a handful of minifigs — easily cost $10 or more, even when I was a kid. It’s quite the expensive hobby, but given that it’s simply the best toy available ever anywhere… well, it’s worth it. :D