That's Not Lego!
 |
| Debut: December 18, 2014 |
| Episodes: 52 |
| Opening Theme: N/A |
| Cast: Draco (host, editor) |
That's Not Lego! is a Gatorbox side-series produced by Gator Company where knockoff and bootlegs of Lego building blocks are reviewed and assembled. It initially debuted in 2014 with a limited run of four episodes before being shelved, however in 2023 Draco taped a staggering 48 episodes of the show in order to clear out the Prop Closet and free up some space for new things. The initial test of That's Not Lego was filmed offline but the 2023 reboot was taped live; rather than introduce That's Not Lego as a new "First Friday" opener Draco instead elected to use every second Monday from the Gatorbox &CHILL streams to record the show. Filming took approximately two and a half months to shoot 48 new episodes which will debut in succession every Sunday from fall 2024 to summer 2025.
Format
A standard episode of That's Not Lego focuses on one "brand" of knockoff Lego. This is either one reasonably sized set or two or more smaller sets from the same company. Packaging, piece quality, sturdiness, hold, and the overall look of the blocks are critiqued throughout the video as Draco assembles each set. Instructions are usually visible to the viewer by way of the Loot Cam 2000 camera feed. Upon completing a set Draco will summarize his feelings on the quality of the product and either praise or demean the company responsible. More often than not reviews are negative citing bad piece quality or lack of originality with the set.
Because the entire series was taped in a relatively short period of time only a few running gags developed during production. The more noteworthy ones include Draco's video introduction always going off topic, dropping each video's block sets in front of the camera, and referring back to companies such as Best Lock as always looking out for the common man and Block Tech as being "chaotic evil".
Episodes
As of October 2023, 48 episodes have been taped for the That's Not Lego reboot. These are currently being edited and Draco has stated that the series comeback likely won't happen until fall 2024. He's also expressed interest in making episodes of the show available early to fans who support the show on Patreon and/or Twitch.
Reception
The original run of That's Not Lego in 2014 saw noticeably higher viewership than the average for the channel at the time putting it behind Your Level Sucks but slightly ahead of most installments of GatorUNbox. Feedback was generally positive, however Draco opted not to continue the show into 2015 citing issues with filling dead air and feeling too reliant on using sped-up footage of assembling sets to the Lego Racers theme which he felt would eventually start to annoy viewers.