Cheap, Awful Parts

[Stash2Sixx]

Peppy is right. No matter what you put on a box, anything can happen. Do I need to find the McDonald's coffee story?

And do me a favor, easy with the stupid comment. Yes, we have some foolish policies in place, and then there are other issues. Don't lump everyone in because I live here too and I do not consider myself stupid. Thanks.

[blueandwhite]

Peppy is right. No matter what you put on a box, anything can happen. Do I need to find the McDonald's coffee story?

And do me a favor, easy with the stupid comment. Yes, we have some foolish policies in place, and then there are other issues. Don't lump everyone in because I live here too and I do not consider myself stupid. Thanks.

Unfortunately, in an overtly litigeous society (and that isn't something that is exclusive to the United States), companies like LEGO have absolutely no incentive to make parts out of harder, brittle plastic. It's fascinating how as a society we campaign against legislation which restricts our choice as consumers yet when we make poor choices, or by our own incompetence we manage to injure ourselves we are always looking for somebody else to take responsibility.

Still, while many of these decisions are based on safety legislation, others certainly are not. The substandard Chinese minifigs we've encountered last year certainly had little to do with child safety laws and everything to do with poor quality control. Changes to certain molds (the 1x4x5 half-arch for example) which have made the piece less versatile than their predecessors also have little to do with these laws. In recent years there has been a shift in quality. It may not be major at this point for most people, but it is a slippery slope. LEGO is still head-and-shoulders above the competition but I want to see them stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Let's not forget that "Only the best is good enough"! I won't condemn LEGO for changes that have occured owing to safety standards. Changes in colour and quality are another story entirely.

[BobaFett2]

I agree with the above comment. I'm not saying that people in the United States are stupid though.

[Front]

You can write whatever you like on the box of the toy you wanna sell. No warning or anything is gonna save you from making sure the product inside conforms with the safety regulations required.

Or you can produce a toy that does not conform with regulations, and off course you are free to sell it, in as high a quantity as you want, as long as it is not on planet earth.

[BrickPerfection]

Actually the part I had most quality issues with is this one!

Some of these don't grip properly, gripping power is too light overall.

Also the bar part doesn't always stuck in holes and sometimes it sits too tight.

About 40-50% of these parts are faulty compared to other grips...

However I have to admit I used them for mast caonstruction, so I expected a lot from them of course.

[Palms]

If LEGO listens too to us AFOLs/TFOLs and makes the pieces more brittle, harder, tighter, ect. Then some greedy parent could sue LEGO for millions of dollars because their child was "Phisically and emotionally traumatized" because their toy cut them or whatever. Which would even if the parent lost the law suit produce bad publicity for LEGO lowing LEGO's profit and forcing them to cut costs and soften the parts. So in a roundabout way lowering risk while "hopefully" retain quality and business. I have absolutely no idea what I just said so I'm probably crazy .

[Dharkan]

I want to add flick-fire missle parts to this list aswell. I got a few of them which doesn't fit well.