LEGO Set Design Variations by TLG is nothing new...

[LEGO Historian]

I'm a big fan of the Maersk sets (who isn't?)... and the 10152 that came in 3 versions... the 2004 and 2005 Maersk Sealand Ship variations... and the 2006 Maersk Ship are among the more recent.

But I love it when due to design changes, or in some rare cases a logo change caused some changes to LEGO sets. I've often told people that my 2,800 page collectors guide (on DVD/download) would only be about 600 pages long if TLG only did 1 little teeny weeny thing... STOPPED Lego set variations!!

One of my favorite LEGO sets of all time is the 325 Shell Station of 1966-70. This is in the classic Town Plan scale (door= 3 bricks tall), with the first classic yellow windows/door. This set also had unique garage doors of the early 1955-70 flip-up variety. Because this set was produced for 5 years (66-70), there were quite a few changes and variations to this set, which ironicaly was never sold in USA or Canada.

This set was sold in continental Europe with trans-clear garage doors outlined i yellow panels. In Britain, Ireland and Australia, this set had solid colored yellow doors, although the box top shows the continental trans-clear versions.

Also since in 1969 the Shell corporation changed their logo from upper case "SHELL" to upper/lower case "Shell"... the set came with a unique 2x4 "SHELL" brick from 1966-69 (either embossed or printed on), and a 1x6 "Shell" brick from 1969-70 (this same brick was used in later sets such as the 149 Shell Refinery Train Set, and other sets).

Not only did the logo change, but also the decals on the 1:87 Shell Tanker truck. Early versions had "SHELL", and later versions had "Shell"... with several variation to the Shell emblem as well (sometimes as a square emblem, other times as an oval, other times missing altogether).

There were also variations in the Shell gas pumps.... ARRRGGG.... so many changes... it makes online LEGO inventory Admins CRAZY!!!

But I love all these variations... it's what makes the 8,000+ LEGO set database more like 20,000+ if you include all the little changes that I have spent 6 years pulling my hair out over... but since I love playing LEGO Sherlock Holmes... it keeps some sanity in me.... Here's some of the variations of which I speak... and this is just 1 set!!!!

Edited January 24, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[LEGO Historian]

One of the most bizarre and yet interesting of all LEGO sets was a USA exclusive... the 157 Four Car Auto Transport set... which was a USA Sears Department Store exclusive set of 1970-71.

This set came out in 1970 in a nice box... and contained 4 LEGO 1:87 vehicles (from among the 261, 262, 264, 265, 266, 267 or 268 autos)... with their own plastic garages (4 in the set).

Then about 1971 Sears wanted the production of this set to continue, but in a plain cardboard shipping box, as a catalog mail-order item. Only 1 problem with this... USA Samsonite LEGO ran out of the 261-268 1:87 vehicles, which were discontinued in Europe back in 1966 (the USA must have gotten the leftovers).

So for the first time that I can recall... a LEGO set had identifiable NON-LEGO product... namely they used British based Minix cars to replace the depleted supply of the 1:87 scale LEGO vehicles.

Here's what the Minix cars looked like of that era...

http://www.home.railscene.com/garyscars/minix/history.htm

Here's some images of the very rare and highly collectible 157 set from my LEGO DVD/download chapter on USA/Canada LEGO Department Store Exclusives & Mail Order Sets.... The 1970 version came in the nice colorful box with instruction, parts and 4 LEGO 1:87 cars in their garages. The 1971 cardboard box version only came with the instructions and parts plus the 4 Minix cars....

[LEGO Historian]

The Minix cars as shown in the previous post are the only time that I can recall where TLG used another "labeled" specific brand non-LEGO item in LEGO sets. These Minix cars for the 1971 157 set (above right) were 1:76 scale, and have not appreciated to anywhere near the level that LEGO 1:87 vehicles (above left) have. The Minix cars used for later 157 Four Car Auto Transport sets, as well as later 536 Designer Sets (another USA only Samsonite LEGO Sears exclusive)... were always Triumph 2000 cars, which were produced by Minix in the 1960s and 1970s. These cars are worth about $12-$15 in mint, maybe $20 MIB. Similar 1:87 LEGO vehicles would sell for about $75-$200 (depending on rarity of the color of the model), and a MISB 1:87 car sealed in the clear plastic LEGO garage (with a banderole around it to keep it sealed)... would sell for $200-$400, again depending on color.

Here hare images of the Minix Triumph 2000 used in these rare USA Samsonite (only) sets of 1971...

http://www.home.railscene.com/garyscars/minix/rc4.htm

[UrbanErwin]

Your LEGO historie knowledge is incredible, it is always interesting to read about (LEGO) historie.

[LEGO Historian]

Your LEGO historie knowledge is incredible, it is always interesting to read about (LEGO) historie.

Thank you so much UrbanErwin! Your country (The Netherlands) also had some very interesting an unique LEGO items over the years... that were found nowhere else. Here's a few items.... the 271 Policemen accessories parts pack was only sold in 3 countries... Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands....

http://www.bricklink...Pic.asp?O=271-2

Also those spare parts pack boxes from the early 1960s were produced in 10 outer sleeve designs... with an 11 design only ever found in the Netherlands.

Here is an image of all 11 designs (left image). Of the 2 in the bottom row, the one on the right is the one that was only found in the Netherlands (oddly not found elsewhere). These box sleeves (outer sleeve with inner box as seen in the upper right image of the 2x4 brick packs 218)... are worth about 3 Euros each. But that rare Dutch version is worth about 25-50 Euro's.

All these images are from the over 6000 images and 1/3 million words of text, in my 2800 page Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide as DVD/download... found in the Eurobricks Bazaar!

Edited February 28, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[LEGO Historian]

Now for some more modern set variations....

LEGO stickers were introduced in circa 1972. Prior to that LEGO sets would have printed bricks... mostly in the 1x6 and 1x8 sizes. However with the advent of stickers, the printed bricks became much less used in LEGO sets, thus saving a lot of money in production costs.

One of the first sets to have LEGO stickers was the 1972 introduced 685 TRUCK WITH TRAILER SET (see images below). This set came with 7 stickers. However, this set was first designed in 1971, and production must have started before the introduction of stickers was implemented. So early 1972 685 sets did NOT have a sticker sheet in the set, and also the instructions and box did not include stickers. Then soon after the introduction of this set, a redesign of this set included stickers, and this redesign included an new box and instructions, as well as the sticker sheet. This later version is much more common than the earlier version, which shows that the change was introduced soon after production started. These 2 685 set types make for a very interesting set variation.

These variatons and promotional sets are found in chapters of my LEGO DVD download... in chapters on small model sets, and promotional sets (over 100 promotional sets listed since 1955)... along with many other LEGO set variations.

Edited February 28, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[LEGO Historian]

One of my favorite LEGO sets of all time was the 1956-65 Esso Service Station. This set was produced in Denmark, Norway and Sweden from 1956-58 using the 1310 set number, before switching to the 310 set number in 1958. It started production in Germany in late 1957 using the 310 set number, and unlike the sets of other countries (which had an "ESSO SERVICE" 1x8 printed brick), the 310 set had an "ESSO WAGENFLEGE" printed brick.

Shown here are early LEGO Esso Service Station boxes for Denmark, Germany and Sweden. It is interesting to note that the same artwork was used in all 3 boxes... but the color or printed brick were different. The German box may have been sold in Austria starting in late 1957,

The only other country that had a different printed Esso brick was Finland... which had a rare "ESSO HUOLTO" printed brick. All other countries either had the German or International printed brick.

These are only 3 of 6 box designs for the Esso Service set. There was an earlier and 2 later box designs that were much different.

Note: The German language Esso Box top design was a recent find (by German collector Lothar Gastleiter), and will be in the next version of my LEGO DVD download (free downloads to current owners).

[Zaterdag]

In Iceland LEGO sets were licensed to be assembled by a Tuberculosis Clinic called REYKJALUNDUR. So those boxes have that name on the sides... very very rare and probably 200-300 Euro!!

Imagine that... it's bad enough that you have Tuberculosis in 1960... but they make you work too... putting LEGO sets together (as in this 1960 image below).

Thank you for this interesting info. My parents are from Iceland and learning about it is very interesting to me and of course I love LEGO too.

[LEGO Historian]

Here's an image of Continental European LEGO parts pack boxes. 3 of the 4 of these are normal... the 4th one seems to be a big mystery... but it's typical LEGO Mayhem...

1) The upper left box is the parts pack box style of 1966-67 and has a 4xx pack number, with a square cellophane window.

2) The upper right box is the parts pack box style of 1968-69 and has the same 4xx pack number, with a round cellophane window.

3) The lower right box is the parts pack box style of 1969-72, and has a new 9xx pack number, also with a round cellophane window.

Now... the 4th box type (lower left) is a big mystery... it has the set number of the #2 set above... but the box type of the #3 set above. Where was this set sold? Why is it different? We don't know... neither do the folks at the LEGO Archives. the LEGO flags sets were discontinued in 1969 (with box type #2).... but some must have been left over to continue production... so they did with the same number but the new box design. We don't know where this box originated from. But instead of a specific 8 flags a found in the 492 and 493 sets of 1966-69.... this set came with 9 random flags. A mystery yet to be solved...

This rare and unknown box type will find its' way into my next version of the LEGO DVD download... still available... and the updates free to download owners. If you have the physical DVD... you too will be able to get the new download for free, as found in the Eurobricks bazaar....