For a project I've ordered a bunch of tiles from a Bricklink seller, including our much beloved tiny 1×1 3070. Today I was using these, and to my surprise four out of sixteen used broke in two, neatly along the diagonal.

Now I know Lego parts do not have an infinite lifespan, but in my collection really the only parts that break are typical items like the grey rail track from the 1980s, or larger parts where time and play put stress on the part. Having these break upon placing them on a stud for the first time after buying them (which is, I think, reasonable use of a Lego tile ) is a first for me.

So, I am wondering if these are genuine Lego tiles, or fakes. I have tried to get a photo from up close:

The top two seem like the real deal. These did not break when using them on fresh new Lego plates. The Lego mark and 3070 are clear.

The bottom one is in two parts. I think I've matched two broken parts correctly for the photo. There is again 3070 and a mark which looks sort of like 'Lego', but maybe not quite. All of the broken tiles show this recessed circle. The good parts look neater and up to the high standards of Lego parts we know.

What do the experts here think? Fake? Older flawed design?

I'll let the seller know of course, but I would like to get my facts straight first.

@Freak_NL If those are dark brown (which they appear to be), then it's Lego and was a known issue. They had a period from ~2010 to ~2019 where almost every reddish brown, dark brown, and dark red part had a very good chance of shattering while being used. Some other colors were affected, but less so. it was due to a plastic problem from the ABS manufacturer that was exasperated by LEGO storing the pellets in a unheated / uncooled silo in a warehouse. They fixed this issue no later than 2019.

If these are black, then it might have been an older bad batch. I've had plenty of the printed black 1x1s with letters from around 2011 break on me, which may be related to the issue above... I don't know for sure about that of course - it's just a theory.

Edited December 7, 2024Dec 7 by Murdoch17

33 minutes ago, Murdoch17 said:

@Freak_NL If those are dark brown (which they appear to be), then it's Lego and was a known issue. They had a period from ~2010 to ~2019 where almost every reddish brown, dark brown, and dark red part had a very good chance of shattering while being used

New reddish brown, so that sounds plausible, but was it as bad as this?

I've tested the batch of 30 I bought, and 8 were faulty. Each of those 8 was recognizable by that recessed circle, and broke instantly when placed on a new stud or simply by applying pressure with my fingers (like you would to break off a piece of chocolate).

Did the parts from these bad batches all have that recessed circle too?

What also seems weird to me is how these faulty ones seem to have a much less sharply defined Lego mark in them.

31 minutes ago, Freak_NL said:

New reddish brown, so that sounds plausible, but was it as bad as this?

I've tested the batch of 30 I bought, and 8 were faulty. Each of those 8 was recognizable by that recessed circle, and broke instantly when placed on a new stud or simply by applying pressure with my fingers (like you would to break off a piece of chocolate).

Did the parts from these bad batches all have that recessed circle too?

What also seems weird to me is how these faulty ones seem to have a much less sharply defined Lego mark in them.

Yes it was bad - worse than what you're going through. (I have entire models I can't disassemble for fear of them turning to dust) It was so bad, I still try to avoid buying affected colors from Bricklink unless the parts aren't available from Pick A Brick. ...It's just too much of a risk that they're old and will shatter. I have no idea about the circle bit. It's possible it was molded incorrectly / a bad batch, but who knows when it was made? It could be new old stock from affected era, or a newer one-off bad batch. We will never know for sure!

They look real to me. I've never come across any clone companies reproducing the LEGO logo in their parts and the quality looks too good for a DIY mould and part. Plus, why would some fake a penny part?

 

Have you never had a 1x1 cheese slope break on you? I find those are the most commonly cracked part.

37 minutes ago, MAB said:

They look real to me. I've never come across any clone companies reproducing the LEGO logo in their parts and the quality looks too good for a DIY mould and part. Plus, why would some fake a penny part?

 

Have you never had a 1x1 cheese slope break on you? I find those are the most commonly cracked part.

Good point. Reproducing the LEGO logo by 3rd parties is a good way to have lawyers knocking down your door...

I have that piece in a half dozen colours with the same circle on the bottom and text style, so I think they're probably real. 

10 hours ago, MAB said:

Have you never had a 1x1 cheese slope break on you? I find those are the most commonly cracked part.

Never. These 8 tiles are a first for me. All of them failed upon first use on a stud. The print in those looks like 019, so that would match the time period @Murdoch17 mentions if that represents the year. One of the good ones in this photo has 24 on it, so that's probably the year.

4 hours ago, Freak_NL said:

Never. These 8 tiles are a first for me. All of them failed upon first use on a stud. The print in those looks like 019, so that would match the time period @Murdoch17 mentions if that represents the year. One of the good ones in this photo has 24 on it, so that's probably the year.

That's not the year, though. It's the position on the mold. They mold a lot of them (maybe 40? IDK) at the same time in the same steel mold every few seconds.