Does Lego still make non-minifig printed parts?

[danth]

I haven't seen any non-minifig printed pieces in a while and I was just wondering. I don't buy many licensed sets -- is that where all the printed pieces are now? Or is it all stickers these days?

[jonwil]

There are still plenty of non-minifig printed parts.

Take this one for example

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=87079pb156

or this one

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=14769pb003

or this one

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=3039pb45

[LEGO Historian]

Sadly the golden era of LEGO printed parts by language (1955-72) are loooooooong gone....

[Lyichir]

These days, there are five primary uses for printed parts:

Parts with patterns intended for use in multiple sets (examples include old mainstays like dollar bills and newer parts like the Chima "Jet engine" inverted tiles).

Curved parts that would be next to impossible to effectively sticker (examples include any sort of dome shaped windscreen).

Parts meant to represent characters (examples include the eyes of next year's Chima Legend Beasts, the windscreen eyes of the Cars sets, and of course, traditional minifigures).

Parts intended for AFOL appeal (examples include the printed parts in the modular buildings).

And parts intended for sets for early builders (examples include, again, the Cars sets, as well as next year's Juniors sets from the looks of it).

Anything else is more likely than not going to use stickers.

Unlike a surprising majority of AFOLs, I have no problem with stickers. They allow Lego to economically produce more specialized patterns on parts (such as the graffiti on the Space Police III sets that were filled with in-jokes and references, or the individual identification numbers on the Power Miners vehicles, or computer screens in all sorts of themes that show contextually appropriate imagery instead of the classic "green screen of death"). They offer anyone the option of having a piece with or without a pattern, which is wonderful in the case of parts that are new to your collection or otherwise rarer than others. And the era of STAMPS (Stickers across multiple pieces, which used to be one of the primary uses for stickers in sets), is long behind us, with only the Maersk Train using them in recent memory. When I was a kid, I always let my dad apply stickers, since his hands were steadier than mine from years of experience and he could line them up perfectly. So I'm still a little surprised that the majority of sticker complaints I've seen come from adult fans.

[antp]

Curved parts that would be next to impossible to effectively sticker (examples include any sort of dome shaped windscreen).

Parts intended for AFOL appeal (examples include the printed parts in the modular buildings).

But strangely the glass of the recent large XWing was stickered despite being rather AFOL-targetted and rather difficult to apply... (unlike the small XWing which had a printed glass, but stickers for other parts, probably because the glass of that set was used in several others)

Edited December 30, 2013 by antp

[Lyichir]

But strangely the glass of the recent large XWing was stickered despite being rather AFOL-targetted and rather difficult to apply... (unlike the small XWing which had a printed glass, but stickers for other parts, probably because the glass of that set was used in several others)

I'm not sure whether I'd prefer that to be printed or stickered, honestly, if only because that windscreen hasn't been used in any other set in that color. If it had been printed then you'd have to resort to chemical means of removal if you wanted an unprinted one, whereas with a sticker you can opt to just leave it off. But just by looking at it I can tell that that sticker's probably a bear to apply. Again, though, I think they're relying on the assumption that if you're an adult who has paid that kind of money for the set, you'll take the utmost care to make sure the sticker is applied perfectly.

[Dorayaki]

Uhm...... like a map?

Sticker haters can be fewer if future stickers can be enhanced and improved so that we don't worry about wearing out.

[Lyichir]

Uhm...... like a map?

Sticker haters can be fewer if future stickers can be enhanced and improved so that we don't worry about wearing out.

A map? I'm not sure what statement you're referring to. There have been plenty of maps both printed (in the case of ones like the classic Pirates one as well as the overused Indiana Jones one) and stickered (the last of which to come to mind is the large map from the Lion base in the Chima theme).

I haven't had problems with stickers wearing out in some time, and I collect a lot of themes with stickers—Exo-Force, Agents, Power Miners, Atlantis, Space Police, etc. Then again, if environmental factors play a role in stickers wearing out, then it could be different for other people. The only stickers of mine that have worn out are ones that were removed and replaced (like, unfortunately, the ones off my UCS Naboo Starfighter), or ones that have come off due to poor placement (the Exo Force and Spongebob themes in particular had some poorly-thought-out stickers around 2x2 round bricks, which seems to be a bit too much of a curve for the stickers to maintain effectively). All my other stickered parts were doing fine last I checked.

[jodawill]

I agree that stickers are better in some situations. I actually think the way TLG uses stickers is usually for the best because I would rather have a lot of those parts without decals because I can use them in other situations. (For example, I have a lot of sloped bricks with a race car number number on it, which makes it useless for building roofs).

The only use of stickers I can think of that bothers me is when they put it on tiles. In the Silver Mine Shootout, for example, a sticker was used for the "Keep Out" sign, which is unfortunate because that was one of the pieces I was looking forward to the most in that set. I don't normally apply any stickers, but for The Lone Ranger, I applied only the stickers I felt were necessary because I'm a big western fan.

[LEGO Historian]

For the most part sloped LEGO elements have a textured sloped surface. These parts almost always have a printed pattern. The reason for this is that the textured surface is a very poor surface for adhering a sticker to... they come off relatively easily, unless the sticker also attaches to the smooth side of the slopes.

If given a choice between a poorly adhered sticker, or a slope with a printed pattern, the latter is usually preferable.

[jodawill]

For the most part sloped LEGO elements have a textured sloped surface. These parts almost always have a printed pattern. The reason for this is that the textured surface is a very poor surface for adhering a sticker to... they come off relatively easily, unless the sticker also attaches to the smooth side of the slopes.

If given a choice between a poorly adhered sticker, or a slope with a printed pattern, the latter is usually preferable.

That's a good point. I honestly hadn't thought of that.

Can you think of a set where stickers are applied to a textured surface?

[62Bricks]

Of course many of us will remember stickered minifigs - I have several firefighters and a few classic space astronauts with stickered torsos rather than printed. I don't recall having to apply the stickers, though - were they applied at the factory?

[LEGO Historian]

That's a good point. I honestly hadn't thought of that.

Can you think of a set where stickers are applied to a textured surface?

One example that I can think of (off the top of my head) is the very old 376/560 Town House set of 1978...

The 1592 Town Square set of 1980-83 is another....

Of course many of us will remember stickered minifigs - I have several firefighters and a few classic space astronauts with stickered torsos rather than printed. I don't recall having to apply the stickers, though - were they applied at the factory?

I don't have any classic space minifigs with stickers applied (all of mine were printed)... but I do have some of the 590 Engine Co. No. 9 stickered minifigs.... from a sticker sheet... the button down uniform front...

Edited December 31, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[jodawill]

I used to have some of those firemen with stickers. I think I might have sold them. They're not very useful today, but it's really cool to hold a piece of history in your hand. I also had some of the big figures and the original minifigures without moveable legs.

[LEGO Historian]

I used to have some of those firemen with stickers. I think I might have sold them. They're not very useful today, but it's really cool to hold a piece of history in your hand. I also had some of the big figures and the original minifigures without moveable legs.

The minifig stiffs were replaced by LEGO minfigs in 1978 (although pre-1978 introduced sets still had the older stiffs).

But one interesting set... the 1592 Town Square Set of 1980-83 (UK and Dutch set versions)... came out with the last use of those minfig stiffs... the Town Square black statue with black 1x1 minifig head and stovetop hat.... as seen in the box top image in post #13.

Edited December 31, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[jodawill]

The minifig stiffs were replaced by LEGO minfigs in 1978 (although pre-1978 introduced sets still had the older stiffs).

But one interesting set... the 1592 Town Square Set of 1980-83 (UK and Dutch set versions)... came out with the last use of those minfig stiffs... the Town Square black statue with black 1x1 minifig head and stovetop hat.... as seen in the box top image in post #13.

That's really interesting. I've seen pictures of that set many times and I never even noticed that.

[danth]

There are still plenty of non-minifig printed parts.

Take this one for example

http://www.bricklink...sp?P=87079pb156

or this one

http://www.bricklink...sp?P=14769pb003

or this one

http://www.bricklink....asp?P=3039pb45

Awesome, thanks for the examples. I forgot about the computers; those are still printed obviously.

These days, there are five primary uses for printed parts:

Parts with patterns intended for use in multiple sets (examples include old mainstays like dollar bills and newer parts like the Chima "Jet engine" inverted tiles).

Curved parts that would be next to impossible to effectively sticker (examples include any sort of dome shaped windscreen).

Parts meant to represent characters (examples include the eyes of next year's Chima Legend Beasts, the windscreen eyes of the Cars sets, and of course, traditional minifigures).

Parts intended for AFOL appeal (examples include the printed parts in the modular buildings).

And parts intended for sets for early builders (examples include, again, the Cars sets, as well as next year's Juniors sets from the looks of it).

Anything else is more likely than not going to use stickers.

Thanks for the list. That makes sense.

Sticker haters can be fewer if future stickers can be enhanced and improved so that we don't worry about wearing out.

Not sure what you mean but I am a big fat sticker hater. I'd prefer just a few printed parts to the gratuitous stickers we get today. I mean look at Vermin Vaporizer. Those stickers don't really add much other than visual business. The set looks cool without them. Why not just print a couple parts with the Galaxy Squad logo and forgo the busy stickers altogether?

For the most part sloped LEGO elements have a textured sloped surface. These parts almost always have a printed pattern. The reason for this is that the textured surface is a very poor surface for adhering a sticker to... they come off relatively easily, unless the sticker also attaches to the smooth side of the slopes.

If given a choice between a poorly adhered sticker, or a slope with a printed pattern, the latter is usually preferable.

That is a great insight and is incredibly good news to me. That means the sloped bricks for the Benny's upcoming space ship might be printed with the Classic Space logo!

Edited December 31, 2013 by danth

[Cult_Of_Skaro]

That's a good point. I honestly hadn't thought of that.

Can you think of a set where stickers are applied to a textured surface?

The Imperial dropship from (I think) 2008 has this.

[Rick]

Can you think of a set where stickers are applied to a textured surface?

[antp]

If it had been printed then you'd have to resort to chemical means of removal if you wanted an unprinted one, whereas with a sticker you can opt to just leave it off.

Indeed, for sets that I buy mostly for the parts I like stickers: I can then not apply them

But for the sets I intend to keep, I prefer the printed parts. I apply stickers rather well (compared to some reviews I see ) but stickers can damage with time...

Can you think of a set where stickers are applied to a textured surface?

The 5550 Model Team Rally Van

cf my collection : http://www.brickshel...y.cgi?i=5783717 only one still has the sticker on the front slope (the one not visible there, visible here: http://www.brickshel...y.cgi?i=4358115 )

There was also this house: http://brickset.com/detail/?Set=6372-1

I got it secondhand when I was kid, the stickers were glued on the slopes by the first owner, but despite that they still didn't stay on them...

http://www.bricklink...m.asp?S=30192-1

Is it textured? As now they seem to also produce smooth slopes

Parts meant to represent characters (examples include the eyes of next year's Chima Legend Beasts, the windscreen eyes of the Cars sets, and of course, traditional minifigures).

To confirm that point, in http://www.newelementary.com/2013/12/nature-in-tooth-and-claw.html I read yesterday that the head of the tiger ( http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pVt3Kfb2fBQ/UpZXz1kjC6I/AAAAAAAAA_k/7MoBNScD1VY/s1600/Untitled1.png ) are printed but the paws are stickers - despite both use the same part and that there are four paws for one head

Edited December 31, 2013 by antp

[naf]

For the most part sloped LEGO elements have a textured sloped surface. These parts almost always have a printed pattern. The reason for this is that the textured surface is a very poor surface for adhering a sticker to... they come off relatively easily, unless the sticker also attaches to the smooth side of the slopes.

If given a choice between a poorly adhered sticker, or a slope with a printed pattern, the latter is usually preferable.

Also, Lego produces 2 types of stickers. Clear stickers that seem to have a plastic backing and are similiar to decals model builders apply. The other kind are on a paper backing, and seem to be of a much lower quality and tend to peel off after a while. I have Lego train sets from 20 years ago that have the clear stickers on that still look like new. A lot of my sets with other type are peeling off. If Lego stuck with the better quality clear stickers I'd be happier with them.

What also annoys me is that the same piece that's printed in one set is a sticker in the other. The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit theme does this a lot. I have printed pieces for maps 2x2 tiles and the wood textured 1x4 tile in some sets, but they're stickers in others. If Lego has already gone through the effort of producing a printed tile, it seems like a waste to provide it as a sticker for some sets.

Another issue is price point. Tower of Orthanc, for example, has stickers to apply. I think for large, expensive, AFOL-targeted sets Lego should go the extra mile and provide nice printed pieces instead of stickers.

That's a good point. I honestly hadn't thought of that.

Can you think of a set where stickers are applied to a textured surface?

7879 Hoth Echo Base, and the various snowspeeders in the star wars theme have stickers on textured slopes. They started peeling off a month after applying them

[Blondie-Wan]

Of course many of us will remember stickered minifigs - I have several firefighters and a few classic space astronauts with stickered torsos rather than printed. I don't recall having to apply the stickers, though - were they applied at the factory?

They used stickered torsos much more recently than those, for some of the Soccer / Football sets from the LEGO Sports line of the early 2000s. In these, stickers were used to give builders options for what country a team plays for, and/or what jersey numbers individual players should get. One example:

This kind of use (to let builders "customize" their decorated elements by giving them multiple versions of stickers for the same pieces) has been seen on other, non-minifigure elements at least as recently as the late 2000s, for LEGO City Police sets (with black or blue "POLICE" stickers, and green "POLIZEI" ones), as well as the second version of the Republic Gunship from Star Wars (for different nose art for the vehicle).

[LEGO Historian]

Thanks for the info Blondie-Wan! I think that TLG first attempted that type of "multi-national" sticker sheet back in 1978 for the 164 Passenger Wagon for the 4.5V trains...

http://www.bricklink...tem.asp?S=164-1

That set had a sticker sheet that had covered 8 train systems of central European nations (several of which are Swiss)...

Edited January 2, 2014 by LEGO Historian

[JopieK]

There are a whole lot more sets that have stickers on torso's (especially from the 1970 - 1990 period).

@naf: LEGO could use stickers for sloped surfaces with extra adhesiveness of course. I think they don't produce stickers themselves, they buy them from printing shops that they work together with.

The quality is always an issue, certain stickers falling apart etc. that would not be the case if LEGO would make it themselves (it would be at least less prone to quality variations I think).

[Faefrost]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned one of the big reasons for the stickers in a broader range of sets, and less appearance of printed parts. Kids actually prefer them. For kids they view the stickering as a fun part of the build. It is a feature, not simply a cost saving measure. And they are the target audience.

The other reason we see fewer custom parts is inventory control. Not so much costs of printing parts. Rather its once you print them, what do you do with them? If you print a part with Alien bug GS paterns then you have to create a special bin in the warehouse to stockpile these things. and unless it is something like printed wood grain pieces or commonly used signs and maps, those parts will be sitting in those cubic meters of warehouse space for a long time. Whereas the stickers have very few downsides as far as TLG is concerned. The kids actually prefer them. By using them they can use off the shelf pieces that are then easier to further use and spread around. And as we have said, it is much easier to do a simple 2d printed sticker sheet than to go through the production step of printing on 3d parts. The only downside is longevity. But while Lego is reasonably accomodating of the collectors and nostalgia markets, it isn't their primary target audience. They make these things to be played with, and play does have an expected lifespan if you will.