Comparative Review: LEGO vs BrickForge Spartan Arsenals

[Cygnet]

One of the most sought after figures from LEGO set 8684, Series 2 Collectible Minifigures, was the Spartan Warrior. Never before seen in an official LEGO set, this exciting character has inspired many to recreate the Battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartans sacrificed their lives to fend off the Persian hordes. The only problem is that The Spartan is one of the rare figures (three available on average of a case of 60) from the set, and secondary market prices can be quite high. What is a collector or customizer to do?!

As we all know TLG is not always the final word in the land diminutive ABS heroes. Custom house BrickForge offers up similar offerings for your half-pint hoplites and brick based empires. The objective of this review is to compare the LEGO and BrickForge versions of three elements of the Spartan arsenal to allow fans to choose the right product for themselves.

A hoplite was a citizen soldier of one of many Greek city-states and primarily fought in the phalanx formation. Spartans, or Lacedaemonians, were some of the most feared of these warriors, beginning their military training around age seven and ending their military careers at age 60. There were three main instruments that allowed a hoplite to fight effectively in the phalanx, the Corinthian helmet, the aspis or hoplon (shield), and the doru (spear). We will cover each element in turn. First up, the helmet...

The Corinthian Helmet

LEGO Hoplite Helmet (front, side, rear)

The Corinthian helmet was made of bronze which covered the head and neck while allowing for openings for the eyes and mouth. This style of helmet came in many variations, some including a crest running from front to back or side to side to distinguish military rank. The LEGO version of this helmet, appears in a metallic gold color with a red, printed crest running front to back. The helmet and crest are one molded, ABS piece with firm connection to the minifigure head. The opening for the eyes and mouth are angular in design, resembling the helmet design depicted in the film '300'.

BrickForge Hoplite Helmet with Officer Plume (front, side, rear)

The BrickForge piece is actually a modular design. The helmet and crest are two separate items (shown here in bronze with a red crest). You can decide if your hoplites will or will not bear one of the many color crests that are available. A picture of the post hole where the plume can be seen here (http://bit.ly/9X1AIf). The design of the eye and mouth openings are more rounded and appear to more closely correspond with the classic Corinthian helmet design. All parts, helmet and crest, are made of ABS. The helmet has a nice, tight connection to the minifigure's head and the crest fits snugly in the post hole.

(Left to Right) No Plume, Officer Plume, Commander Crest

There is also a style of crest called 'The Commander's Crest' which attaches to the hoplite helmet and runs from side to side. This style of crest was often used to identify officers in the phalanx.

The hoplite helmet is available in bronze (pictured), black, blue*, brown, dark blueish gray, dark gray, and silver. Both the officer's plume and commander's crest are available in black, bronze, red, silver, trans dark blue, trans green, trans red, and white. The officer's plume also comes in blue, brown, dark gray, dark orange, light gray, and tan.

The Hoplon Shield

The aspis or hoplon was the circular shield which formed the impenetrable defensive barrier of the phalanx. A convex shield often made of wood and covered in bronze, Spartan women would present these shields to their warriors before battle saying, "with this, or on this," meaning come back victorious or die trying.

Spartan Hoplon: BrickForge (left); LEGO (right)

The innovation of the shield was in the design of the grip. Instead of centering the handle on the shield, the handle was offset and a leather strap added for the forearm to slip through. This gave the hoplite additional leverage and force when forming the phalanx. Neither the LEGO or BrickForge piece used a handle design that mimicked a real hoplon, likely due to minifigure articulation and the limitations it would have in shield placement. Both pieces use a similar handle design in the center of each shield. Both pieces fit snugly within the minifigure's hand.

Hoplon in fighting formation: LEGO (left); BrickForge (right)

The LEGO shield is medium dark flesh in color and flat with a hallow stud in the center of the shield. Items can be attached to the hallow stud on the front of the shield if desired. The shield measures 2 cm in diameter and has a ridge around the rim. It was not uncommon for hoplite shields to have designs on the front of the shield. The warriors had the Greek letter lambda on the front of their shields for 'Lacedaemon' the ancient name for Sparta in the film '300'. You could place decals or painted design on the shield, but they would have to accommodate the hallow stud in the center.

The BrickForge shield, shown here in bronze, has a convex design with plenty of room for decals or painted touches. The shield is slightly bigger than the LEGO part with a diameter of 2.2 cm, theoretically providing more coverage. The BF round shield comes in several flavors including black, blue, bronze, brown*, dark blueish gray, dark gray*, dark orange, dark tan, light gray, red*, silver*, tan, and white.

The Doru Spear

The doru was a spear seven to nine feet in length with a leaf-shaped spearhead and a spike called the sauroter, or 'lizard killer', on the other end. The rear spike was used to leverage the spear against the ground. The rear spike could also be used as a secondary weapon if the doru were to break.

Top to Bottom: Classic LEGO Spear, BrickForge Javelin, LEGO Spartan Spear

The picture above compares three types of spears in the brick-based arsenal. The top most spear is the classic LEGO design, a shade over 7L in length, and composed of a single shaft tapering into the spear point. This part has appeared in many colors over the years including black, brown, dark-blue violet, dark brown, green, trans-light blue, trans-neon green, pearl dark gray, pearl light gray, and metallic silver.

Next we have the BrickForge javelin. The javelin, like the doru, has spear points on both ends, and is approximately the length of a 7.5L bar. The javelin comes in 12 different colors: black, blue, bronze, brown, dark blueish gray, dark gray, dark orange, light gray, red, silver, tan, and white.

Finally we have the new Spartan spear that comes with the Series 2 Collectible Minifigure. Similar in length to a 8L bar, this new weapon is composed of two pieces. The spear tip is light pearl gray and fits into a pearl dark gray shaft. The spear tip is not easily removed, however. There is no rear spike on this new LEGO spear.

The Spartan Spear - LEGO (left); BrickForge (right)

Both the BrickForge javelin and LEGO Spartan spear fit tightly in the hand of the minifigure without any slippage issues.

This concludes our comparative reviews of the LEGO and BrickForge Spartan arsenals. Whether you are looking to outfit 3 or 300 Spartans, we hope this review has given you some ideas on the alternatives that exist for your minifig hoplites. If you have other suggestions on insights, please let us know in the comments.

Additional Stats - BrickForge Hoplite Helmet

Custom House: BrickForge

Website: www.brickforge.com

Location: United States

International Shipping: Yes (see site for details)

Colors Available: Bronze, Black, Blue*, Brown, Dark Blueish Gray, Dark Gray, and Silver

Retail Price: $1.50 USD

Additional Stats - BrickForge Officer Plume

Colors Available: Black, Bronze, Red, Silver, Trans Dark Blue, Trans Green, Trans Red, White, Blue, Brown, Dark Gray, Dark Orange, Light Gray, and Tan

Retail Price: $0.50 USD

Additional Stats - BrickForge Commander Crest

Colors Available: Black, Bronze, Red, Silver, Trans Dark Blue, Trans Green, Trans Red, and White

Retail Price: $0.50 USD

Additional Stats - BrickForge Round Shield

Colors Available: Black, Blue, Bronze, Brown*, Dark Blueish Gray, Dark Gray*, Dark Orange, Dark Tan, Light Gray, Red*, Silver*, Tan, and White

Retail Price: $1.00 USD

Additional Stats - BrickForge Javelin

Colors Available: Black, Blue, Bronze, Brown, Dark Blueish Gray, Dark Gray, Dark Orange, Light Gray, Red, Silver, Tan, and White

Retail Price: $1.00 USD

*This item is currently out of stock.

This a collection of three articles that originally appeared on The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink minifigure blog. Changes were made by the author to collect this into one overall review.

[The_Customizer]

Wow, the Brickforge and Lego items are very similar, I like the Lego Helmet and spear better, but the Brickforge shield is better.

[Klay]

Thanks for the comparison! The BrickForge one is definitely more expensive. It may be my purism talking, but i prefer LEGO's version.

Edited September 22, 2010 by Klay

[prateek]

I like Lego's version, but kudos to BF for making the helmet "modular"

[XimenaPaulina]

Very good comparative review Cygnet! I'd go with TLG's helmet and spear, looks 'cleaner' and much more professionally done. Both shields are just ok with me, so it's a tie. Overall, I'd take TLG's Spartan gears over BF's.

[Magnus the Great]

Thanks Cygnet! This is a review I have been looking for. I like the shape of TLC's helmet better, but I am disappointed that the plume and helmet is in fact one piece. I have been uncertain over the helmet color. It seems too 'goldi' for my taste and your review shows that it is true. In the case of the shield, it is very disappointing. BrickForges is much better. Overall I am happy that I spent most of my money on the torso. Though I have replaced Legonidas yellow arms with blue arms. A sad thing I noticed is that Legonidas yellow arms fit very loosely on other TLC torsos.

[Masked Builder]

While I like Lego's color better I need the interchangeable feathers for a Moc so I'm going with Brickforge's helmet.

[fred67]

Wow! That's a great write up, Cygnet! Thanks for all the work.

I have to agree with the others - I like the LEGO helmet better. It seems more detailed and the details are sharper. The shield is kind of a "wash" for me... I don't like the big stud in the middle of the LEGO shield, but I like it better otherwise... on the other hand, the BF shield is definitely more accurate and lends itself to decalling. Unlike others, I like the more detailed BF spear, too, although it seems a "realistic" spear would be longer.

[frogstudio]

I might be the only one to prefer Brickforge's stuff!!! Much ore accurate, in my opinion... adn above all, they've been providing these for long before TLG ever considered the possibility of producing a spartan minifig. Thanks BF!!!!

[Mrlegoninja]

Everything lego did better except the shield.