What this page brings together

Building with bricks stopped being one brand's business a while ago. Once the basic patents on the clamping brick ran out, several makers began building on the same stud grid – and each of them reads the hobby differently. This page collects what belongs to it at LToys.

The makers

LEGO is the only maker here that covers every age, from the first preschool brick to the 18+ shelf. COBI, from Warsaw and building since 1987, does historic vehicles, ships and aircraft – printed parts instead of stickers, designed and produced in Europe. CaDA is about mechanics: gearboxes, suspension, motors and radio control sit inside the kit rather than beside it. BRIXIES, from Daufenbach in Germany, builds at two sizes, the Micro line remarkably fine and the Plus line at the familiar scale. Mattel Brick Shop is the newest arrival and packs a matching die-cast car with its Hot Wheels kits. Blokees leaves the brick behind altogether: buildable action figures that snap together rather than clamp.

Light is part of it

Two of the names here sell atmosphere rather than models. Light My Bricks, out of Melbourne, makes LED kits for models that are already built: the parts clip onto the studs, nothing is glued, and the model itself is not included. LUMIBRICKS works the other way round and builds the light in from the start – into worlds of its own rather than borrowed licences.

What fits together, and what does not

Most of the brands on this page follow the common stud grid and can be mixed freely. Two do not: BRIXIES Micro uses a finer grid of its own, and Blokees snaps instead of clamping. So before you extend a build, it pays to look at the line, not only at the name.

Ordered from LToys in Luxembourg.