General Part Discussion

[howitzer]

On 12/3/2024 at 12:19 AM, Stereo said:

2 and 3 already have axle/pin versions, not sure the benefit of being all pinholes for ones that short.

The 3L axle/pin connector inverted, as in O+O would be really useful, I've yearned for it so many times. All pinholes version too, but I'd rather take the one with axlehole in the middle if I could only pick one.

[gyenesvi]

7 minutes ago, howitzer said:

The 3L axle/pin connector inverted, as in O+O would be really useful, I've yearned for it so many times. All pinholes version too, but I'd rather take the one with axlehole in the middle if I could only pick one.

Indeed, I had quite a few situations when that one would have worked.

[Lyichir]

On 12/2/2024 at 2:25 PM, R0Sch said:

After pink, now single-use neon/bright green tires and neon yellow rims. And yet, they refuse to make proper F1 rear wheels. :(
 

It's a lot less costly to make existing tires/rims in new colors than it is to introduce a new wheel mold. Which isn't to say it'll never happen, but recolors of existing parts (System and Technic alike) are pretty routine.

[Aurorasaurus]

Often when we see parts in new colors, people speculate the reason for them being recolored. To my mind, outside of a few parts like pins and axles, a recolor in one set has no correlation to that part appearing in another set. But, I think I know why this might be, and I was wondering if someone could confirm it.

Is it because TLG manufactures huge amounts of individual parts, then stores them and dips into their stocks when putting parts together for sets?

That would make sense, but surely recoloring a part isnt difficult, outside of some specific parts into transparent materials. Which even then is easy, now that they changed material...

[howitzer]

On 12/6/2024 at 11:21 AM, Aurorasaurus said:

Often when we see parts in new colors, people speculate the reason for them being recolored. To my mind, outside of a few parts like pins and axles, a recolor in one set has no correlation to that part appearing in another set. But, I think I know why this might be, and I was wondering if someone could confirm it.

Is it because TLG manufactures huge amounts of individual parts, then stores them and dips into their stocks when putting parts together for sets?

That would make sense, but surely recoloring a part isnt difficult, outside of some specific parts into transparent materials. Which even then is easy, now that they changed material...

It is my understanding that different colour mixtures of plastic have slightly different properties (shrinkage, cooling rate, etc.) which means that changing colours isn't trivial but requires some testing and other considerations before mass-production can be started, and sometimes this involves creating new moulds for the new colour. Of course it's still much easier than creating a whole new part and I guess that sometimes it really might be as trivial as putting in the new colour feedstock, especially with parts that are not so sensitive with tolerances, such as the aforementioned tyre part.

[The_Cook]

On 12/6/2024 at 9:21 AM, Aurorasaurus said:

Is it because TLG manufactures huge amounts of individual parts, then stores them and dips into their stocks when putting parts together for sets?

Short answer: yes

Long answer: they don’t have a moulding machine for each element. A moulding machine will make a batch of elements that go into storage; then either the feedstock is changed so that the machine creates the same element in another colour, or the dies are changed to allow the machine to make a different element,

TLG only have a finite amount of warehouse space so there’s only ever so many element/colour combinations that can be produced before the warehousing system is full. When the designers want a new element/colour combination that’s not being manufactured then they will stop producing something else.

Parts then get pulled from the warehousing system and sent to the packing machines which count by weighing, then drop the parts into bags.

[R0Sch]

I guess technically these claws are highly specialized Technic pieces. Could come in handy for a reach stacker of sorts.

[bruh]

Yeah. First thing I think of though, is how would they be motorized to open? It looks like they have pin holes to open around, but no other axle/pin holes. 

[R0Sch]

I just found out set 10313 uses Green 32L Technic axles and now 10342 will introduce these in Dark Green too! So 3 different shades of green + black for a single type of axle and yet, the useful axle lengths are color locked to ugly looking yellow, red, brown etc. :(
At least 32015 Technic Axle and Pin Connector Angled #5 in Green is re-introduced.

Looks like G500, P1 and LRV parts have been added to B&P. The optical fiber in 224 mm length costs 4.06€, 80 mm costs 1.77€
https://www.lego.com/de-de/pick-and-build/pick-a-brick?icmp=PAB_All_Pieces&system=TECHNIC&sort=created_at-desc&perPage=400
 

Edited December 12, 2024 by R0Sch

[Mikdun]

On 12/8/2024 at 3:26 PM, howitzer said:

It is my understanding that different colour mixtures of plastic have slightly different properties (shrinkage, cooling rate, etc.) which means that changing colours isn't trivial but requires some testing and other considerations before mass-production can be started, and sometimes this involves creating new moulds for the new colour.

You are wrong. The difference is minimal, usually not measurable.

The additive that gives colour to the plastic resin is only 2-3 % of the volume.

[R0Sch]

On 12/17/2024 at 12:19 PM, Mikdun said:

You are wrong. The difference is minimal, usually not measurable.

The additive that gives colour to the plastic resin is only 2-3 % of the volume.

As far as I know certain elements are color locked exactly because any change would lead to different clutch power/tolerances, hence the grey for the plate modified with ball joint.
Transparent elements used to be from PC instead of ABS, so a different mould had to be used. Nowadays they can use the same tooling since they switched to MABS.

[LegoTT]

So the lego weight #73090b

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=73090b&name=Brick, Modified 2 x 6 x 2 Weight - Bottom Sealed, Dimple on Ends&category=[Brick, Modified]#T=S&O={"iconly":0}

can have a hole at both ends.

I can see from the instructions from the listed set with this part on brickink that it is exactly 2 bricks tall, but I fail to find any instruction using the holed version.

So I can't really know at which hight are the holes...

If I put the weighted brick on a big plate and a  Brick 1 x 2 with Hole #3700

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3700&idColor=85#T=S&C=85&O={"color":85,"iconly":0

on its side, will the holes be aligned ?

 

Will they be aligned if I put the brick 1x2 on a plate ? On two plates ?

 

Regards.

Edited December 20, 2024 by LegoTT

[Stereo]

It's not a pinhole, it's a mold mark.  So the usual dish-shape with a nub in the middle where the injection molding got clipped off. I can't find any normal combo that centers it on a pinhole.  The top edge of the circle is 2 plates from the top of the brick, and it's about 1.3 plates diameter so the middle is 2.6 ish plates from the top edge (and thus since it's 6 plates tall, 3.4 from the bottom)

 

Photo on imgur - black piece so it's a bit weird to photograph but this should bu usable to measure if you want, the plates are touching the end of the brick.  The other end of the brick's a different mold so it's not necessarily identical but they seem pretty close.  This one's probably from set 4012, got it in a used lot

Edited December 20, 2024 by Stereo

[pleegwat]

I own that part as included in 8868. There are no pinholes, which is not surprising given the era the piece originates in.

[LegoTT]

11 hours ago, Stereo said:

It's not a pinhole, it's a mold mark. 

Photo

Thank you !

If a pin can't fit in it, maybe a 1x1 brick can ?

And if si maybe it would be at the right height if there is a vertical plate like in this picture ?

https://imgur.com/a/vs2fPEh

Edited December 21, 2024 by LegoTT

[howitzer]

11 hours ago, pleegwat said:

I own that part as included in 8868. There are no pinholes, which is not surprising given the era the piece originates in.

It originated as a boat weight, for example 4030 Cargo Carrier had I think 6 of those.

21 minutes ago, LegoTT said:

Thank you !

If a pin can't fit in it, maybe a 1x1 brick can ?

And if si maybe it would be at the right height if there is a vertical plate like in this picture ?

https://imgur.com/a/vs2fPEh

It's not usable as any sort of connection point.

[SNIPE]

LEGO should stop mucking about and make all pins have BAR HOLES

So, make new parts with unique part IDs for:

15461 , 87082 , 2393 , 55615 , 15100 , 6558 and 32054

Also despite newelementry and lego.com saying pick-a-brickhas normal service everywhere except for canada/USA my pick a brick order is very delayed, anyone else having this problem?

[LegoTT]

4 hours ago, SNIPE said:

Also despite newelementry and lego.com saying pick-a-brickhas normal service everywhere except for canada/USA my pick a brick order is very delayed, anyone else having this problem?

My last order on pick-a-brick in France took a whole month, when I expect fast delivery I use Bricklink.com

[RussianGuy]

Has anyone ever used the new engine disk, part 4368, for something other than a fake engine?

[R0Sch]

2 hours ago, RussianGuy said:

Has anyone ever used the new engine disk, part 4368, for something other than a fake engine?

You can just use it as a cam piece to transform a rotating movement into a transversal one or make a wave generator. I tried making a radial pump but only the 4369 small pistons connects loosely to the ring and not the regular clips or hinge parts.

[Bricktrain]

On 12/22/2024 at 1:25 AM, SNIPE said:

LEGO should stop mucking about and make all pins have BAR HOLES

So, make new parts with unique part IDs for:

15461 , 87082 , 2393 , 55615 , 15100 , 6558 and 32054

Also despite newelementry and lego.com saying pick-a-brickhas normal service everywhere except for canada/USA my pick a brick order is very delayed, anyone else having this problem?

My order of bestseller parts placed on 28th October shipped 2 days ago. 

[kopylov]

Hi all! This is part #6641. As you can see, it has a big hole in it, so that the part itself can slide on an axle:

But, it has not always been so. Previously, the part had an axle-shaped hole:

Does anybody know whether the old design allows the axle to slide freely as well, or it is more of a firm grip?

[Aurorasaurus]

54 minutes ago, kopylov said:

Does anybody know whether the old design allows the axle to slide freely as well, or it is more of a firm grip

If I recall correctly both versions slide smoothly, but I may be wrong.

[N-4K0]

The old version with + hole also slides freely with no friction, it's never had any kind of grip as far as I know, by design.

[astyanax]

1L liftarm coming in yellow