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Changes to 2x4 brick

Recently I was given a biscuit tin of old Lego when a relative moved house. Nothing very interesting in it so it'll probably go to a charity shop. But I did notice that some of the 2x4 bricks were missing the little reinforcement thingy on the middle tube underneath the brick which is present on modern bricks. I'm curious when that change happened. Anyone know?
The picture shows what I mean. Top, newer bricks; bottom, older bricks.


Comments

  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,837
  • FizyxFizyx Member Posts: 1,364
    Looking at Bricklink, it looks like the 2x4 bricks with were produced up until around 2006.
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,837
    I think the brick missing their posts occurred stayed until around the early to mid 80's IIRC, but that is just a guess (I think that @Istokg may have already addressed this in another thread, but I am too lazy to look for it)
  • FizyxFizyx Member Posts: 1,364
    Fizyx said:
    Looking at Bricklink, it looks like the 2x4 bricks with were produced up until around 2006.
    @madforLEGO said, there is an even older version that didn't have center posts, although I'm not sure what the timeframe on those was.
  • FizyxFizyx Member Posts: 1,364
    Fizyx said:
    Looking at Bricklink, it looks like the 2x4 bricks with were produced up until around 2006.
    That's very, very wrong.  Somebody screwed up the inventory on 2006 Maersk ship 10152.  The 2004 and 2005 version don't have these, and they are basically the same set.

    Glad to be corrected.  I just did a surface level scan on BL, and that's about as deep as my knowledge goes :)
  • DeMontesDeMontes Member Posts: 745

    Fizyx
     said:
    Glad to be corrected.  I just did a surface level scan on BL, and that's about as deep as my knowledge goes :)
    Not just wrong, but very very wrong...oh dear that'll teach you to not do a thorough in-depth research article before posting on a blog ;-)
    Fizyx
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,837
    I think the brick missing their posts occurred stayed until around the early to mid 80's IIRC, but that is just a guess (I think that @Istokg may have already addressed this in another thread, but I am too lazy to look for it)
    Sorry, I meant the ones missing the post reinforcements where phased out in the 80s IIRC
    FizyxLEGOFan2
  • LusiferSamLusiferSam Member Posts: 574
    Sorry that didn't come across the way that I indented it.  A lot times databases like BrickLink, Peeron and even here, will make blanket statements on topics that have a lot of subtlety to them.  And I realized that after my last post that there are a couple of different answers being offered to EvilTwin's question which has a lot of subtlety to it.  I frankly am just as guilty of making a blanket and not dealing with the subtleties of the issue.  So I'll apologize for that.

    My answer was about when the elements were created.  Fizyx's answer was about when the elements were used.  The blanket statement is this normally happens around the time same.  For rare colors or rare parts the answer is a lot more nuanced. 

    If you have a rare color like Maersk blue elements could have been created 30 or 40 years ago.  Maersk blue is used only in Maersk models or set as far as I know.  Lego run short on 2x4 Maersk blue bricks for the #10152.  Rather than mold new 2x4 they got some from the model shop.  This model shop bricks were from the late 70s or early 80s. 

    So what I said to begin with was basically wrong.  Fizyx was right when he they were last released in 2006.  But that doesn't mean that's when the bricks were made, which is what I was try say and failing to get at.  The bulk of the transition happened in the late 70s and early 80s.   But some of these transitions happen at lot later.  And it still is possible that model shop still has some older rare bricks that could released.  It seems unlikely but the case of #10152 shows that it is possible.
    FizyxdrdavewatfordLEGOFan2
  • FizyxFizyx Member Posts: 1,364
    Ha, no problem!  I didn't take it badly at all.  Like I said, I just did a cursory search of Bricklink, and you're 100% right that BL doesn't take into account all the things you said!  I actually think the fact that they would dip into a stash of much older bricks for a set with rare elements/colors is a really neat tidbit that I never would have considered in a million years.  I think it just goes to show that you're exactly right:  There's not a good black and white answer to a lot of questions like these even in easy cases (as the molds gradually change for popular pieces/colors), but especially when it comes to more rarely produces elements.

    Actually, I had some fun finds of my own yesterday when I got my own order of used 2x4 bricks from Bricklink... as I was sorting through them, I noticed at least three different mold variations, which I never would have picked up on without your very informative comments!



    LEGOFan2LittleLori
  • LusiferSamLusiferSam Member Posts: 574
    Aleydita said:
    OMG that's great resource!  I knew about the leggodt page.  But this WRme2 flickr album is fantastic.  There's a ton of detail I've not seen before.  I'm going to be digging through these for days.
    LEGOFan2pxchris
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