Are you a huge fan of LEGO sets and yet consistently sticker-shocked by their exorbitant prices? Join the club. Fortunately, LEGO isn’t the only interlocking brick company. Mould King, for example, is another very popular, highly-rated, and more affordable brand. Their sets use Gobricks, one of the best non-LEGO bricks on the market, similar to LEGO in durability, precision, and usability. Mould King does imitate several of LEGO’s most popular sets, and it’s also known to have “borrowed” user-created MOC designs (which, justifiably, might turn some away regardless of the deal quality), but they also produce original designs of their own, including some absolutely massive ones.
Most importantly, Mould King sets are much more reasonably priced than LEGO. Whereas a good LEGO “deal” might start at 10 cents per brick, a Mould King deal could cost half that or even less. Although Mould King sets are available on Amazon, AliExpress is actually where you want to look for deals. Mould King has an official AliExpress storefront that carries hundreds of its products at prices 30%-50% cheaper than Amazon. They also ship locally from a US warehouse with no tariffs or obnoxious wait times to worry about. If you’re on the fence, I’d suggest picking up a more inexpensive model to try out. There’s a good chance you won’t be disappointed.
Mould King Sets on AliExpress
Mould King specializes in Technic-style vehicles, although they have also dabbled in themed sets like Star Wars (on a side note, if you’re looking for military vehicles, check out Poland-based Cobi Bricks instead). Mould King sets are also aimed towards the older and more experienced builder crowd because of their high brick counts and challenging build techniques. I’ve picked out a few of the more interesting models currently available on AliExpress.
Motorized V8 Engine Assembly 10088
Mould King’s best selling set on AliExpress is the 534-piece V8 Engine Assembly 10088, which includes a powered motor and rechargeable battery. This naturally aspirated engine features a transparent cylinder head that showcases the rotating pistons and crankshaft working in tandem, as well as little details like a crankshaft pulley, timing chain, and radiator fan. This isn’t a big set, measuring 7.5″x5″x5″, but small doesn’t mean easy. In fact, it’s usually quite the opposite because this is a relatively challenging build that will take a few hours to complete.
Motorized LTM 11200 Mobile Crane Truck 17007/17008
Moving down the list is one of Mould King’s most physically imposing construction sets on AliExpress. The LTM 11200 mobile crane is comprised of a whopping 8,506 bricks. The truck portion measures 4 feet long and nearly 3 feet wide, and the crane can extend 5.5 feet tall! Motorized controls include rotating the superstructure, raising and lowering the counterweight and hook, manipulating the boom’s height, tilting the operator cabin, and more. The immense scale of this build alone is worth the price tag and the motorization is icing on the cake, but if you’re picking this up mainly for its playability, you might want to reconsider. According to user reports, the movements are slow and rough to say the least, because the motors are underpowered for the structure’s massive size and hefty weight.
Motorized Orient Express Train 12025
Train lovers, Mould King has a fabulous rendition of the famous Orient Express steam locomative. The set consists of 3,898 bricks and the locomotive itself measures about 4 feet long. It’s fully motorized and even includes other powered extras like LED headlamps and a min-fogger to simulate steam. There’s enough track here for the train to go in a circle. Builders have mentioned that it’s compatible with standard tracks and the motor has enough torque to propel the train smoothly, but note that it is relatively fragile and requires wider turns than other similarly sized models.
Motorized 4WD RC Dune Buggy 18002
It’s doubtful LEGO will ever sell a 2,000-piece RC vehicle for under $100. Mould King’s 1:8 scale dune buggy consists of 1,890 bricks, is fully motorized for remote control via smartphone app, and costs less than $90. It measures an impressive 18″ long and is solidly built so that it can take a good tumble without falling apart. As per the norm with many of Mould King’s bigger motorized sets, the motor is underpowered for the size and heft of the car, so although it works, don’t expect it to pop a wheelie or tackle outdoor terrain.
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Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
