Originally published at: Russia's former Lego stores rebrand as "World of Cubes" | Boing Boing
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Sounds like they really missed an opportunity to make a “Soviet Bloc” pun.
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Wouldn’t “World of Cubes” be better name for a Russian Minecraft clone?
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I wouldn’t necessarily be so optimistic. The big thing that makes lego internally compatible isn’t so much some big patented secret as it is high production values: at least by the standards of plastic toys the tolerances are really tight and the material uniformity good enough that they remain tight even after some years of use.
Lego doesn’t have a monopoly on precision plastics, so there are definitely a variety of outfits who could clone them properly; but a much larger ring of people who could take a stab at making lego-shaped objects but end up with results somewhere between ‘frustrating’ and ‘file to fit; just like before decadent western machine tools’.
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Sets for Beria’s execution in the Lubyanka building’s basement, etc.
They might already have those, since there have long been rumours about a secret tunnel leading from the Lubyanka’s torture cellars to the big Detsky Mir toy store across the square.
In any case, I can well imagine the “quality” of the domestic-brand Putin Cubes, with plenty of jagged edges and choking hazards.
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They should have called it “Eastern Block.”
Well played!
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How’s that “draft” coming along Putin?
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Good. Maybe they can bring back all kinds of clunky “clones” of Western products, like the Agat (Apple 2 clone).
This ought to bring a healthy dose of nostalgia to all the grandparents who lived under Soviet rule. They can remind their Putin-loving kids just how “great” Russia used to be. It will give them something to talk about while they’re all standing in bread lines.
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I guess they will also have specific sets for this country
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Cubes of stone might just be more on brand for Russian toys.
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Not really Lego block based, but this video feels like it should fall into place nicely.
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I love that song…
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In any case, I can well imagine the “quality” of the domestic-brand Putin Cubes, with plenty of jagged edges and choking hazards.
I think you might have worked out how the next oligarch will die.
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Your lego soldier has enormous feet!
Might explain the angry scrawl on his face.
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Welcome to World of Bricks! We’re excited to introduce Eastern Block’s scale model of Oligarch’s Hospital! The patient’s 4th floor windows open fully, and are located conveniently next to the family waiting room. There are FSB direct connect intercoms located throughout the building. Each floor has a private denouncement room. The pharmacy has a locked cabinet perfect for storing novichok vials. And we have reserved the entire eastern wing as a morgue; ideal for group gatherings.
Buy now, before the next shortages occur!
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That’s definitely not an official set; Lego has rules against that sort of thing.
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Yes, I grab this screen from a website explaining Lego will not do this.
But as Russia is moving to another direction…
You should go to China and see how Lego copycat are mostly war and police set. Few years back, it was even impossible to find a box where women could be found.
Even ISIS have their own set (removed from Singapore, still available in China)
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Ah, Russia.
Origin of “Screen of Cubes” (well, ok, rectilinear 2-D colorful falling things):
… and “Table of Elements Arranged in Cubes Squares”:
… and of course, Red Square:
… which is a rectangle.
Ouch.
How very telling.
Cultural anthropologists must be cranking out scads and scads of research papers. From safely outside Chinese borders, I imagine.
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To be fair, the “square” used in Russian for “Red Square” is площадь, which is closer to “town square” or “open area” than квадрат which is the shape “square.”
Of course, there are rectangular legos, and there are never any 2x4 pieces when you need them…
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The old story was that people queuing up to enter Detsky Mir (big Soviet toy store) could hear the screams from the torture chambers, so maybe.
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