Lego Quality Reference

[Svelte]

Fixed!

I hope this doesn't migrate into colors like normal tan

The low point of tan was in 07 in the 4954 Model Town House set, with lots of different shades for different length 1x bricks. I did find the 6754 Family Home somewhat better in this regard, although not perfect.

[Ricecracker]

I hope this doesn't migrate into colors like normal tan...

I have found inconsistencies in tan myself, I just haven't been able to track which set it's been from since it's from a few years ago. There is the regular tan, and then there is a more yellow-y tan.

[Svelte]

I have found inconsistencies in tan myself, I just haven't been able to track which set it's been from since it's from a few years ago. There is the regular tan, and then there is a more yellow-y tan.

I should take some pics if I have time this weekend. There's a more 'sandy white' tan too. Perhaps its different in US/ non US sets.

I have to say, I think LEGO instructions should be labelled 'SAMPLE ONLY - PRODUCT MAY NOT RESEMBLE THIS WHEN BUILT' since the colours in the pages are always identical which almost never happens now in real life

[Clone OPatra]

The low point of tan was in 07 in the 4954 Model Town House set, with lots of different shades for different length 1x bricks. I did find the 6754 Family Home somewhat better in this regard, although not perfect.

Urgh… I guess it's a good thing that I don't actually buy so many sets anymore. Well, not really a good thing. Two of my 2010 sets have inconsistencies, though common ones. Brown on the Asteroid bank, and green in the Army Men set. The small 2010 made mostly of white was consistent and nice.

In the most recent set I bought, the Taun-Taun set, the Taun-Taun itself has some problems. It's obviously made from two halves, but on one of the halves the end is semi-warped so there's a weird warp midway up the tail. But that's a different, Chinese story.

[CP5670]

Well, I've seen issues in all the primary colours now. The only one that people don't seem to notice so much is black default_tong.gif but I have found marbling in some parts from 2008.

The coloring process for black is apparently the simplest of any color, and I think it has been much more consistent that any others. My Bricklink orders over the last 3 years have been at least 80% black parts.

Dark green is a little patchy too:

That one really stands out. It actually looks like a separate color, right in between normal and dark green.

Urgh… I guess it's a good thing that I don't actually buy so many sets anymore. Well, not really a good thing. Two of my 2010 sets have inconsistencies, though common ones. Brown on the Asteroid bank, and green in the Army Men set. The small 2010 made mostly of white was consistent and nice.

I saw both of those too, although in the asteroid bank the slopes in one shade had obviously been produced earlier, going by the slope textures.

[Aanchir]

This is a very nice list! Great job compiling this!

One change I'd recommend is to change "BIONICLE ball joints" to "BIONICLE socket joints" to prevent confusion.

On a related note, you might want to add a note about the actual ball joint piece (used prior to 2006 on things like Toa Mata chests). Some people noticed that the axle hole on those could become loose after long periods of time.

The last BIONICLE-related quality issue I can think of (for now) would be to note something about the color inconsistencies of dark flesh (known by BIONICLE fans as Metru Brown or by LEGO as just "brown"). It was clearly observable in 2004 and 2005 sets, and I'm not sure if it might have been in others... hard to tell, since it was quite sparse outside BIONICLE, and only appeared in BIONICLE for those two years.

[Zorbas]

I'm building the Cafe Corner for the last 4 hours and I'm taking a small break. Man, I feel like I'm drunk.

Anyway, I've noticed that all 1x1 white tiles are not exactly white, at least not as white as the other tiles in this set. They have a more "creamy" look, or better, they are just like white pieces with a very early yellowing stage. I too noticed the brown inconsistency issue that has already been brought up but I cannot remember if there was any reference on tiles.

Has anyboby else noticed something similar?

EDIT: Typos. No wonder after 4 hours.

Edited February 27, 2010 by Zorbas

[legotrainfan]

The green of my newly arrived Emerald Night is inconsistent. Especially the green of 1x2 bricks sticks out. I'm not going to complain though. They'd just send me some replacement parts with the same inconsistencies.

[soc399]

The green of my newly arrived Emerald Night is inconsistent. Especially the green of 1x2 bricks sticks out. I'm not going to complain though. They'd just send me some replacement parts with the same inconsistencies.

You should complain. I recently started calling customer service to get replacements whenever I noticed a poorly colored or ill fitting brick. I suspect Lego will work harder to correct these issues if we all start demanding replacement parts instead of just passing along our dissatisfaction.

[Svelte]

Funny you should mention the Emerald Night.

I bought one when it first came out and the colours were pretty good!

I bought one recently and there had been noticeable changes. All the 1x6 plates were especially lighter than the other dark green bricks.

It's a shame as it's clear that since the set had been backordered, these were newer parts than the original release but at lower consistency

Anyway, I've noticed that all 1x1 white tiles are not exactly white, at least not as white as the other tiles in this set. They have a more "creamy" look, or better, they are just like white pieces with a very early yellowing stage.

I noticed this in 1x1 white tiles produced in 2008 - in particular, the ones on the Creator Street Speeder set were very bad (the small green Creator car).

[Whittleberry]

My Emerald Night had good colour consistency, it was one of the ones that were sold here in Australian Myer stores. If you have a problem, report it. If they send you dodgy replacement parts, report it again. Voicing dissatisfaction is the only thing that's going to make LEGO wake up, it seems.

That said, the sets I have bought so far this year have been quite good. My Atlantis Wreck Raider, Green Army Men and Seaplane have all been up to scratch, although my Army Men Helmets were a little on the light side (I think the helmets are made in China, since a quarter of them have to be decorated there anyway).

My Fire Brigade is also good.

[lightningtiger]

The main problem I keep comming across is Dark Bluey Grey - I can have up to three different shades of this tone in either plate, tile or brick - just noticed it real bad in 2x1 grill bricks - two different shades I picked out of my parts selection.

Goodness I hope things with improve, but from what have read backorder sets have been having these problems with colour/tone - could it be second grade parts with colour being the only fault being used to get the orders out ?

Just a theory of mine..........I'm a conformist! everyone !

[ziljin]

So for Prince of Persia Claws, and Katanas they suffer from a similar problem as the Atlantis tridents I think. As in they get scratched up when you put them in the minifig hands. Here is a picture as example.

[CP5670]

I'm noticing this issue on increasingly many minifig accessories too. From the pictures I've seen, a number of the accessories in the collectible minifig packs are also like this.

This stuff really feels cheap and waxy. TLG has shifted from ABS to more dull-looking plastics on small pieces in the past, but that was usually because they were more flexible and less prone to taking damage. That obviously isn't the case here.

[Sandy]

So for Prince of Persia Claws, and Katanas they suffer from a similar problem as the Atlantis tridents I think. As in they get scratched up when you put them in the minifig hands. Here is a picture as example.

This is nothing new. The broomstick pieces (which have been around forever) also scratch and flake when used, I've noticed. It's definitely the fault of the softer plastic used in them.

[Svelte]

I've got a fair amount of these new Prince of Persia minifig pieces and I haven't noticed any issues so far, whereas the Trident issue I noticed almost immediately.

Didn't you say you had problems getting these pieces in your figs hands? Maybe the extra force needed is causing the peeling. I don't know why that would be, perhaps some variance in width.

[ziljin]

I've got a fair amount of these new Prince of Persia minifig pieces and I haven't noticed any issues so far, whereas the Trident issue I noticed almost immediately.

Didn't you say you had problems getting these pieces in your figs hands? Maybe the extra force needed is causing the peeling. I don't know why that would be, perhaps some variance in width.

Yea I did. Some minifig accessories go in the minifig hands effortlessly so they don't get damaged. But some require force to be inserted into the minifig hand and even taken out. That causes the scratching. Maybe I am being too delicate and should just shove it in?

[Aanchir]

Yea I did. Some minifig accessories go in the minifig hands effortlessly so they don't get damaged. But some require force to be inserted into the minifig hand and even taken out. That causes the scratching. Maybe I am being too delicate and should just shove it in?

Question: are you sliding the tools in vertically, or pressing them into the hand-clips? Not sure if that makes a difference...

But anyhow, I think in the case of some tools (like the Atlantis tridents) the softer plastic is a safety consideration. I know that's the case with a lot of BIONICLE parts that use softer plastic. Perhaps they're afraid that the tines could more easily break if they were standard ABS, and I can imagine the dangers those could present. Not sure how that applies with other minifig tools and weapons, but it could be a similar deal.

[ziljin]

Question: are you sliding the tools in vertically, or pressing them into the hand-clips? Not sure if that makes a difference...

But anyhow, I think in the case of some tools (like the Atlantis tridents) the softer plastic is a safety consideration. I know that's the case with a lot of BIONICLE parts that use softer plastic. Perhaps they're afraid that the tines could more easily break if they were standard ABS, and I can imagine the dangers those could present. Not sure how that applies with other minifig tools and weapons, but it could be a similar deal.

If you slide them in vertically the bottom of the handle gets scratched/damaged. If you press them into the hands, wherever you press into gets scratched/damaged. Haven't really done tests to see which method does more damage though. Like someone said earlier it might be a variance in the size. Because I noticed for some of my sets that minifig heads fit nicely onto most torsos and go in and out easily. While some torsos resist a little and require more effort to remove and put on.

[Zapp Brannigan]

Your thread is very thorough and detailed . I have experienced similar problems with some of my older Lego bricks, what with the cracking headlight pieces and cracking 1x1 round transparent pieces. You might also want to add that 1x1 and 1x2 bricks also start to develop cracks after some years of use. I don't know if you've noticed, but bricks that are one stud wide (1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x6 etc.) can have either solid or hollow tubes underneath. The solid-tubed bricks clasp stronger, while the hollowed-tubed bricks have a noticeably weaker clasping power.

Also, you've talked about how the plastic on the walkie-talkie peel off as a result of trying to put it into a minifigure's hand. You can avoid this by sliding the handle into the hand, from the top or bottom of the hand, and it won't damage the piece.

[Blackicep8ntball]

I had issues with the bridges, such as the one included in 6278 from the Islanders series, breaking at both ends and sort of collapsing inwards. I believe I had probably 4 or 5 similar bridges, and after several years (only light use though), all the bridges are broken.

[CP5670]

I updated a few things in the first post. I hadn't gotten around to doing that in a while.

Your thread is very thorough and detailed. I have experienced similar problems with some of my older Lego bricks, what with the cracking headlight pieces and cracking 1x1 round transparent pieces. You might also want to add that 1x1 and 1x2 bricks also start to develop cracks after some years of use. I don't know if you've noticed, but bricks that are one stud wide (1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x6 etc.) can have either solid or hollow tubes underneath. The solid-tubed bricks clasp stronger, while the hollowed-tubed bricks have a noticeably weaker clasping power.

Also, you've talked about how the plastic on the walkie-talkie peel off as a result of trying to put it into a minifigure's hand. You can avoid this by sliding the handle into the hand, from the top or bottom of the hand, and it won't damage the piece.

The 1x1 bricks and plates do sometimes crack with extended use, although I think it doesn't occur on its own on built models the way it does with the round 1x1 plates. As for the solid and hollow tubes, in the past 80s bricks had solid tubes and bricks after around 1993 had hollow tubes, which followed the general trend of gripping power reduction back then. However, in 2007 the Flextronics-produced bricks had solid tubes again and were generally weaker than previous, hollow tube bricks. I think TLG has gone back to hollow tubes again since then, at least in some of their factories, but I've seen a mix of both types in modern sets and haven't really noticed a connection to their gripping strength.

I think you're right about the walkie talkies though. It suggests that the recent problem with minifig accessories is not only caused by the type of plastic used but also the dimensions of the handles being too large.

[freakwave]

... I think in the case of some tools (like the Atlantis tridents) the softer plastic is a safety consideration. ...

That's for sure, TLG is afraid of an insane US lawsuit involving massive $$$ after somebody poked himself or other persons with those minifigs accessories...

sad but true. Earlier accessories were made of much harder plastic...

[Tom Bricks]

This is nothing new. The broomstick pieces (which have been around forever) also scratch and flake when used, I've noticed. It's definitely the fault of the softer plastic used in them.

That is honestly one of the most annoying things I have ever noticed. I hope the new ones coming out later this year don't have the same problems.

[BearHeart]

I noticed that the paint on the chrome longswords from the castle themes chips on the handles where the minifig holds it.