Lego Chair piece not that great for minifigs?

[ziljin]

My cousin just got the City Tow Truck set yesterday. When I built it, I noticed the nifty blue chair brick. Then saw that it only has two studs. I thought I am sure it will be properly seated. But lo and behold, the minifig gets loose rather easily. That's a shame. I still want to buy the set for myself though.

[Millacol88]

You raise an interesting point. I never really wondered why there's only two studs on there, but I think it has something to do with it being easy to remove the fig. I've never had any problems with it being to loose or minifigs popping off before, I think it grips just enough.

[JCC1004]

I think it's so the figs can be removed easily. But yeah, they are very loose and upsetting.

[ziljin]

I guess my cousin just plays with it too roughly. He is 5 years old afterall. The minifig always pops out when he plays with it.

[Siegfried]

In related news, I just realised that the steering wheel piece doesn't actually steer the wheels. Shocking!

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

I don't have problems with mine

And I think the reason lego made it with two studs is because it makes it easier to pull the fig out. You wont pull the chair out of the set

[TeddiGramz]

In related news, I just realised that the steering wheel piece doesn't actually steer the wheels. Shocking!

Really? Thanks for pointing that out, only a walrus would notice.

But it seems a bit pointless to complain, and then say the problem exists because your cousin is rough with his Lego.

[Siegfried]

And I think the reason lego made it with two studs is because it makes it easier to pull the fig out. You wont pull the chair out of the set

I think you're 100% right.

Really? Thanks for pointing that out, only a walrus would notice.

Glad to be of service.

[ziljin]

But it seems a bit pointless to complain, and then say the problem exists because your cousin is rough with his Lego.

Well his minifigs from other sets don't pop out from rough play. So basically rough handling + two studs only = not so great chair. I imagine if you don't move the truck around much the minifig will remain seated. It's not like I was saying anything bad about the piece. I looked through both the tow truck review threads and no mention of the chair piece.

And if you are wondering what is the point of this topic, well where else am I going to talk about the lego chair piece?

Edited August 11, 2009 by lego40k

[Siegfried]

And if you are wondering what is the point of this topic, well where else am I going to talk about the lego chair piece?

To be honest I'm just surprised that you're even talking about it; it's been a common part for 27 years afterall.

[Svelte]

To be honest I'm just surprised that you're even talking about it; it's been a common part for 27 years afterall.

There has been some discussion about whether the chair mould has been changed by Lego in recent years (like the loosening of the 1x1 round antenna base thingy).

If you own the 10195 AT-OT for example, it is extremely annoying that the Clones do not seem able to sit still and constantly pop off the dark green chairs.

There was some debate about whether this was due to weak minifig legs or an adjusted chair mould, since some chairs seem to extert a stronger pull on minifig behinds, but I don't think it was ever resolved.

[JCC1004]

The one in my Jungle Cutter has a very firm grip. I can try to pull off the figure and the chair stays on. It evens pulls the 2x4 plate off!

Edited August 11, 2009 by JCC1004

[The Who]

There has been some discussion about whether the chair mould has been changed by Lego in recent years (like the loosening of the 1x1 round antenna base thingy).

Hope I'm not pointing out the obvious here, like a steering wheel related post I read, but all of the newer chairs I have bought have a small circular indention on them, as to where the older ones did not.

However, most to all of them still work fine for me, with the exception of the odd failure that gets tossed out of my expanded Mos Eisley Cantina.

[Siegfried]

There has been some discussion about whether the chair mould has been changed by Lego in recent years (like the loosening of the 1x1 round antenna base thingy).

Yes, I remember that, but his post implies that it's a new part, not a just a new mould. On a side note, mine doesn't have that problem/

The one in my Jungle Cutter has a very firm grip. I can try to pull off the figure and the chair stays on. It evens pulls the 2x4 plate off!

That would be annoying. Have you tried other figs?

[Jar Jar]

Well, it's better than the steering wheel, the minifig arms can't reach it!

[simonwillems]

You do have a point: I own hundreds of seats and they are all fine and sticky except for the ones in the new camper 7639. I realised yesterday that the figs indeed come off more easily (they fall of if the camper is held upside down).

About the different moulding, there are two types of seats nowdays:

There is the normal version

And there is the one with the center sprue mark

But I don't know whether the sprue mark has anything to do with the stickyness of the seats...

[cusaeng]

Personally I have never had an issue with the fact that the seats only have two studs and like most other people find it helpful as it makes it easier to remove the mini figs. Years ago before I had any sets with seats I remember fashioning a similar system from a 1x2 plate and a 1x2 tile. If I didn’t do this every time I pulled a mini fig from a vehicle I would usually have to take it apart to recover his legs

[Fluyt]

I don't really have any trouble with the chair-piece, they work just fine, not too loose or anything.

In related news, I just realised that the steering wheel piece doesn't actually steer the wheels. Shocking!

Mystery solved , I always wondered why there were so many accidents in my LEGO-town (and why the ambulances never seemed to get to the site of the accident).

[ziljin]

Well it's a new piece to me. I only have childhood bricks from over ten years ago and a few sets that I bought within the last week or so. I just got into legos again.

Just built myself a dozer and the chair is a tight fit for the minifig. Perhaps the fact that the Tow Truck's chair is right next to the door rather than the center. So the window brick prevents the minifig from being completely seated. When my cousin gets home, I will see if adjusting the chair to the center will stop the minifig from popping out.

In fact I made this account the day after I started buying legos again.

Edited August 11, 2009 by lego40k

[prateek]

Only one of my chairs have the problem of being too tight, and one being too loose, but maybe it's all chewed up

[mikey]

Mystery solved , I always wondered why there were so many accidents in my LEGO-town ...

Maybe this is the reason that the Lego City Fire Department needs to be redesigned and released every year?

[CP5670]

In related news, I just realised that the steering wheel piece doesn't actually steer the wheels. Shocking!

This is why you need to have some Technic around.

[ziljin]

Well I changed the Tow Truck's chair to the center and now its fine. The minifig barely comes off anymore. I guess the window brick prevented the minifig from being properly seated into the chair combined with the two studs making the piece incredibly loose.

[brickzone]

Bad news folks. It seems to be that the new chairs are fine - it is some of the new minifig trousers that sit loose on them. I tried the girl from camper van on old chairs and she was still loose on them, and tried old figs on the new chairs and they sat on them as normal.

So I wonder if the "cheap minifigs" is really a Tic Tac Toe/Chess issue or something creeping into all minifigs?

Or am I over-reacting?

[Big Cam]

Those seats have been around since the eighties, I've never had a problem, they are easy to get in and out. All my chairs hold my figs in tight.