Some parts are not to be substituted

Count Blacktron · Post by **Count Blacktron** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 11:06 pm

Dear LEGO,

As I lay about parting sets out I realize that you have slipped a few oddities in the bags in a somewhat random manner.

These parts as listed in the Peeron.Com database are:

'Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Axlehole' (32064)

and

'Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Axlehole - Type II' (32064b)

DO NOT mix well in my creations.

Why are they often substituted in set inventories? It's often impossible to predict which will be included. I can understand the usefulness of Type II if you are concerned about rotational torque (I think), but since that is not the focus of my building I don't need them. Set pictures and catalogs might show one and then I get the other LIKE IT DOESN'T MATTER... IT DOES. The horizontal and vertical cross pattern of the first is VERY USEFUL in my Castle MOC model building and I actually look for sets that have a high repetition of the first example.

LEGO often disapoints me as I rumage through my newly purchased parts to find that they have no regard for which one goes in a set.

So can the kind folks of LEGO please provide me with a mailing address which I can send all the useless Type II bricks back for a replacement with the original example? I'd really like to unload in favor of the superior part.

Or at least send me a 'Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Axlehole' (32064) Detector so I can figure which sets to avoid. Or perhaps you can use one yourselves at the factories???

Donut · Post by **Donut** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:05 pm

Did you get these sets from online or the store? Regardless I think calling customer service is appropriate here, they maybe able to get you replacement parts.

Post by **SavaTheAggie** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:09 pm

I could be wrong but I have a feeling that type II was designed to save on plastic, not for any functional need. Granted, there isn't much of a cost savings per piece, but when you make 10,000 peices...

--Tony

Count Blacktron · Post by **Count Blacktron** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:33 pm

Donut wrote:Did you get these sets from online or the store? Regardless I think calling customer service is appropriate here, they maybe able to get you replacement parts.

Everywhere. It's only just occured to me in the last two months as I have been sorting some 300+ odd sets...

Maedhros · Post by **Maedhros** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:19 am

Actually I can't tell the difference but that might be because of the background on the second one, I take it that one has a round hole?

Brickzone · Post by **Brickzone** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 9:05 am

The second is the newer Technic axle-hole - which has only two proper corners to hold the cross-shaped rods - the other two corners are replaced by little tabs that fit into the rods, but don't contribute to stopping revolution of the rod.

Personally, I think it's cheap and tacky just to skimp on plastic.

E of Alshire · Post by **E of Alshire** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 2:33 pm

Brickzone wrote:Personally, I think it's cheap and tacky just to skimp on plastic.

Regardless, the old style (I'm fairly sure) isn't in production any more.

Also this (old style) was a worse connection than this (new style). Not everything has gotten worse.

plums_deify · Post by **plums_deify** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 5:49 pm

Some of it may be to save on plastic, but others are to improve production. A lot of pieces have undergone design changes that help them work better with existing product, and make quality control more consistent in the production facilities. It has to do with the design of the mould.

Post by **davee123** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:49 pm

Personally, I'd guess it's easier for kids to attach, although I'm not sure. I know I've been told that in Lego's testing, younger kids struggle *enormously* to put bushings onto axles, so therefore you won't see axle/bushing connections in sets below a certain age range. It's also why you see elements like the 1x2 brick with the pin sticking out-- it's because younger kids had a hard time sticking the pin into the hole, but the "fused together" version is larger, and easier for them to manipulate.

I'd guess that the newer version was slightly easier for kids to use, and provided no functional difference as far as Lego was concerned, so Lego started preferring the newer design. Could be that it was for the lower plastic consumption, but I kinda doubt it for some gut-telling-me-otherwise reason.

Chances are, they continued to put the already-molded old designs into sets until they ran out, which may have effectively been in the middle of a run. We've been told this has been the case for some old gray/new gray parts, where they've been mixed into newer sets (although they've probably been exhausted by now).

Hence, your best bet at finding these pieces is to buy sets from 2003 or earlier, since it looks like 2004+ sets have a chance of including the newer element design.

DaveE