Your thoughts on baseplates

Arnoldos · May 2020

As a kid, I always desired baseplates as they would provide me with scenery for my Lego playing scenarios, but as bigger Lego sets were still sort of luxury toys in my youth (about 15 years ago), I obviously didn't have many of those.

I remember building a tiny Lego town with a few road plates, a house, a gas station and a fire station and it all looked nice and complete thanks to the baseplates.

Now, from a collector's point of view, baseplates keep the sets tidy and make them look whole and self-contained.

Unfortunately, to my disappointment, I found out that Lego has completely abandoned baseplates in their sets for quite a few years now, and made them a complete mess with lots of loose components.

It honestly discourages me from buying any sets with buildings even though I can afford them.

On a second note, I'm glad Lego released a standalone white baseplate, but it's a bit too late, now that City Arctic is discontinued.

I would still like to see those standalone baseplates in more colors, e.g. Mars Red, for Mars related sets, Dark Grey for City pavement, etc.

What are your thoughts on baseplates? Do you miss them too?

CCC · May 2020

I think it's great that they get rid of them from most sets, as they increase the cost when often they are not justified. When I use a base, I prefer to brick-build from real plates rather than use a thinner baseplate.

JudgeChuck · May 2020

I agree that removing them from most sets allows for more of the budget to be spent on bricks, which is a good thing.
I much prefer being able to get the loose baseplates that I need and place the sets on those.

Apart from the ones that came with my modulars, I have:
Grey 48x48 x2
Old Green x2
New Green x6
Blue x2
Tan x2
White x4
Roadplates (various) x8

At present, that's enough, given my limited display area for now, but I know I'm going to need a ton more eventually!

Paperballpark · May 2020

Apparently they did research some years back now which was clear that most kids preferred building without having to use a baseplate.

If were're looking at how many we each have, I'd estimate the following (excluding modulars):

16x16 green: 1
16x16 dark bluish grey: 1
16x32 blue: 5
16x32 green: 5
32x32 blue: 10
32x32 brown: 5
32x32 tan: 5
32x32 dark red: 5
32x32 dark bluish grey: 5
32x32 green: 140
48x48 light bluish grey: 50

scottdd2 · May 2020

Well as someone who grew up with base plates I miss them on models. I appreciate the cost factor but I prefer them.

JudgeChuck · May 2020

Paperballpark said:

Apparently they did research some years back now which was clear that most kids preferred building without having to use a baseplate.

If were're looking at how many we each have, I'd estimate the following (excluding modulars):

16x16 green: 1
16x16 dark bluish grey: 1
16x32 blue: 5
16x32 green: 5
32x32 blue: 10
32x32 brown: 5
32x32 tan: 5
32x32 dark red: 5
32x32 dark bluish grey: 5
32x32 green: 140
48x48 light bluish grey: 50

Wow.

Aha! I have you beaten on the white ones!! ;-)

Sorry, I didn't mean to divert the discussion over to "how many"...

madforLEGO · May 2020

Yeah, I have too many base plates to count spanning over 40 years (I have five large size bins of them to the point where I need to cull them down to sell as I have more sitting on a shelf that need to fit into the those bins). I'm sure someone out there (probably many) still have many more than I.

I think, that at least with the larger sets (like those city ones that most more than 99 USD/EUR/Etc) have one where it makes sense, same with sets like service stations (I do also missed them with the airports). I mean I cannot see some of the old sets (like #6390 Main street and the #6391 Cargo Center) without base plates, they would just look a bit off to me. While I agree base plates are great to expand a small town (and for certain sets), they do get cumbersome as they do take up space and are not as sturdy as regular plates. I think that right now LEGO makes a great selection of 32x32 base plates for the market and they are not horribly priced (and usually go on sale at some point).

Though I would like to see the 48x48 plates in other colors than gray (like Green and Blue)

Arnoldos said:

....On a second note, I'm glad Lego released a standalone white baseplate, but it's a bit too late, now that City Arctic is discontinued.....

Do not worry, the white plates will likely be around for at least another 1-2 years. or long enough for people to buy them for sets like the Ski resort out now or any of the Winter Village sets. I'm glad LEGO made them at all.

Arnoldos · May 2020

Let me give you an example.

This is the hospital I would like to have, because it has a baseplate which organizes everything this set contains. There is a garage for the car, a landing pad for the helicopter and the main building to which both are connected. There also are some trees and flowers as a nice touch to beautify the scenery.

This hospital on the other hand is terrible. Sure it has more content and the building itself looks better, but it's also completely unorganized. There is no garage for the ambulance and the landing pad is disconnected from the whole structure as if it, along with the helicopter, was a different set in itself. There are no pieces that would serve as scenery and that makes it look barren and unattractive.

The first set looks whole and self-contained. The second one looks like a bunch of smaller sets packed into one big set.

That's how I see it.

madforLEGO · May 2020

#6380 I think is a better example (sans helicopter of course which is why LEGO probably hates this type of set now) Or at least for garage and Helicopter sets like police sets of the late 70's, 80's and 90's had a garage (or two) and a helipad for handing a helicopter.

Paperballpark · May 2020

madforLEGO said:

Though I would like to see the 48x48 plates in other colors than gray (like Green and Blue)

Oh that reminds me, I have one blue 48x48 baseplate.

Paperballpark · May 2020

JudgeChuck said:

Paperballpark said:

Apparently they did research some years back now which was clear that most kids preferred building without having to use a baseplate.

If were're looking at how many we each have, I'd estimate the following (excluding modulars):

16x16 green: 1
16x16 dark bluish grey: 1
16x32 blue: 5
16x32 green: 5
32x32 blue: 10
32x32 brown: 5
32x32 tan: 5
32x32 dark red: 5
32x32 dark bluish grey: 5
32x32 green: 140
48x48 light bluish grey: 50

Wow.

Aha! I have you beaten on the white ones!! ;-)

I do have 5 on order.

Sorry.

oldtodd33 · May 2020

I've got a green 48 x 48 baseplate but it has this big round object sitting on it right now:)

Astrobricks · May 2020

bowling ball?

CCC · May 2020

The problem with (flat) baseplates for play is that it confines the play area. If you are an AFOL with a large budget to tile a large area with baseplates, then you have no restriction. Whereas a kid with one set with one baseplate gets confined to that area and cannot spread out if they want to, without having to go off base-plate. Not being confined to a baseplate allows them to spread out a bit, add other builds, and also makes what they have look larger.

JudgeChuck · May 2020

@Arnoldos I totally get what you're saying and, in many ways, you are quite right. #7892 Hospital does absolutely look more complete but, as @Paperballpark pointed out, Lego's research concluded that kids don't want them.
This leaves us, as AFOLs, with a great opportunity to add whatever baseplates, structures and scenery as we like, to turn the modern set into something really spectacular.

P.S. I forgot all my Classic Space baseplates. I've got plenty of moon craters and landing strip / pad ones. And I need a few more White ones for my Winter Village. ;-)

madforLEGO · May 2020

Yeah, I know the Green and Blue 48x48 base plates have been in sets ( I have a couple of the blue ones), but it would be nice to see them available for 14.99 USD instead of what they go for now.

Paperballpark · May 2020

There's one thing I didn't mention, which is that 48x48 baseplates are awful. They're fine if you have 1 or 2 or so, but if you get 20 or 40, want to tile them on a flat surface in more than one row (e.g. 4x6) and use plates to clip them together, you'll soon find that they simply don't like that.

Specifically, some baseplates are actually slightly shorter/longer than others, which means you end up with bowed baseplates if you clip them together in more than one row. The larger the area you want to do, the worse it gets, until you're literally cursing them for being so terrible. It's not that they haven't been cut correctly at the edges, it's that with some of them, if you clip them together at one end you'll find that the studs at the other end don't line up properly.

I believe that another reason they're now used sparingly is that Lego can't guarantee the quality control of them as tightly as they can with normal bricks.

Oddly, 32x32 baseplates have no such problems, and can be happily tiled to do as big a space as you want to.

LusiferSam · May 2020

I do miss the flat baseplates. They aren't appropriate for all sets, but I think they are used too little these days. I'm with @Arnoldos about a number of sets being a loose mess of stuff and are in need of some containment.

I don't miss the raised basplates at. I think they are horrible. Other than 6086 and 6276 I'm hard pressed to name a set that uses these well. Super lazy designs, mediocre sets, and nearly every set that recycles one is worst then the source set.

iwybs · May 2020

Baseplates are great for organizing things and for lending a sense of place to a collection of builds, but I don't miss them. They're terrible for building on. They're much thinner and less stiff than regular plates, so buildings that use them are much less rigid and much harder to move around safely. Counting studs from the edge to locate key parts of a build is hard and prone to error; it's much easier to count from the edge of a 16x16 plate as in modern builds. Also, baseplate instructions usually show the whole plate at one time, which wastes space and makes you look harder for where you're actually building. However, I do wish there was a larger variety of baseplates available, sold separately. Just don't include them in sets unless, like with Modular Buildings or the Old Fishing Store, you need virtually the entire thing for the building itself.

iwybs · May 2020

Also, the raised baseplates should never come back! They so severely constrain the structure that everything built on them looks the same. They're huge, fragile, flimsy, and hard to store.

SumoLego · May 2020

I'd rather the cost of a set be concentrated in the bricks and figures.

A baseplate is really only necessary for modulars or larger sets - if it is integral to the build. You can't separate a modular from the baseplate, or the sidewalk/curbs, etc.

Baseplates are expensive, but readily available for those that want that look for their cities.

Fauch · May 2020

I think the new haunted house has the footprint of a modular but doesn't use a baseplate, and I think modulars might be better with this design, if you could open them the same way, but they wouldn't line up because of thickness difference between plates and baseplates.

560Heliport · May 2020

I think many sets look more coherent with a baseplate. I liked the raised plates; I didn't have any get cracked or broken. But I was an adult when the raised plates first came out. (And we won't talk about my extra raised plate from #6983 and black and red Sharpies. Nope, not going there.)

andhe · May 2020

What's up with modern kids? I remember getting a 48x48 plate as a kid and it was one of the best presents ever. Surely everyone loves a play mat, battle ground, roadway etc? I wouldn't read too much into 'Lego research', you can get research to justify whatever you want, and bottom line is the cost, probably why we now only get them in expensive sets. Now lego can sell you the set And sell you a baseplate should you want it. Cha-ching.
#bringbackraisedplates #rosetintedglasses

AdeelZubair · May 2020

Bricks & Pieces has most of the current baseplates for sale individually, although you'll have to wait until the services resume in your country. Otherwise use Bricklink and other sites for discontinued colours / shapes.

I'd suggest mentioning you're concerns to the product feedback system, they usually take those responses in consideration when designing future products. Alternatively ask an appropriate LEGO designer why they've made them very uncommon through an interview / Q&A.

Customer Service: https://www.lego.com/en-gb/service/
Product Feedback: https://www.lego.com/en-us/page/product-feedback-landing-page)

bandit778 · May 2020

I'm not bothered that sets don't come with baseplates but I would like a bit more variety of colour available to buy at the same time.
Blue and Green are obvious choices for standard earth bound vehicles/buildings so understand those and White is a welcome addition for snow but having the Tan plates discontinued was a pain and Black would be a welcome addition to display space orientated builds.

madforLEGO · May 2020

bandit778 said:

I'm not bothered that sets don't come with baseplates but I would like a bit more variety of colour available to buy at the same time.
Blue and Green are obvious choices for standard earth bound vehicles/buildings so understand those and White is a welcome addition for snow but having the Tan plates discontinued was a pain and Black would be a welcome addition to display space orientated builds.

Yeah, but the tan ones will likely return when another gets discontinued, plus the plates are usually out for a good amount of time. I plan on stocking up on White base plates long before they go out of stock.

Another plate I would love to see make a return is a 32x32 crater plate, even though I have a ton of the originals. Would be nice to see the younger generations be able to play with those (heck they can work with Star Wars too, or the recent Space city theme)

KungFuKenny · May 2020

I don’t think we will see raised baseplates come back but I do love some of the older ones - #5978 is a good example and one of my favorites. I think the baseplate added to the aesthetic and added some fun play value as well...

Arnoldos · May 2020

KungFuKenny said:

I don’t think we will see raised baseplates come back but I do love some of the older ones - #5978 is a good example and one of my favorites. I think the baseplate added to the aesthetic and added some fun play value as well...

One of the arguments against baseplates is that they increase the price of a set...

But try to build such a landscape with standard bricks - now that would make the price go up a lot.

That's what saddens me. They took away landscapes (no matter raised or flat) that kept a set together and didn't give any substitute in return.

Arnoldos · May 2020

madforLEGO said:

bandit778 said:

I'm not bothered that sets don't come with baseplates but I would like a bit more variety of colour available to buy at the same time.
Blue and Green are obvious choices for standard earth bound vehicles/buildings so understand those and White is a welcome addition for snow but having the Tan plates discontinued was a pain and Black would be a welcome addition to display space orientated builds.

Yeah, but the tan ones will likely return when another gets discontinued, plus the plates are usually out for a good amount of time. I plan on stocking up on White base plates long before they go out of stock.
Another plate I would love to see make a return is a 32x32 crater plate, even though I have a ton of the originals. Would be nice to see the younger generations be able to play with those (heck they can work with Star Wars too, or the recent Space city theme)

Craters, landing pads, I haven't seen them in a long time and I could really use those for Space sets.

CCC · May 2020

Arnoldos said:

One of the arguments against baseplates is that they increase the price of a set...
But try to build such a landscape with standard bricks - now that would make the price go up a lot.

That's what saddens me. They took away landscapes (no matter raised or flat) that kept a set together and didn't give any substitute in return.

They didn't take away landscapes. There have been loads of playmats released in the last decade or so. They are just not connected to sets any more.

Image: https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/GN/0/5002115.png

Image: https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/GN/0/851325.png

Image: https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/GN/0/853656.png

Image: https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/GN/0/5002936.png

Brickchap · May 2020

@CCC Yay playmats! Like I had when I was about 4 years old... And I cant secure my sets to anything. Awesome! I cant wait to put my extra juniorised city police sets on these!

Sarcasm aside, if this is clearly an option only for quite young kids, then what are the 18+ fans supposed to do? (since lego has now categorised their audience into about 0-8 and 18+)

Also, if baseplates are being phased out, what is going to happen to the modular buildings? They couldnt really make one on plates since 1. it would really require a 32x32 plate since four 16x32's wouldnt be strong enough and 2. most importantly, the technic pins wouldnt line up.

Personally I think we need baseplates. Buildings with regular plates as bases are fine since once can move them around on one's baseplates and the modulars are also dependent on baseplates.

CCC · May 2020

Brickchap said:

@CCC Yay playmats! Like I had when I was about 4 years old... And I cant secure my sets to anything. Awesome! I cant wait to put my extra juniorised city police sets on these!

They are playmats aimed at children to play with LEGO sets aimed at children. I don't really see the problem with them. They aren't really any different to the countless playmats by other companies for the same purpose.

Brickchap said:

Sarcasm aside, if this is clearly an option only for quite young kids, then what are the 18+ fans supposed to do? (since lego has now categorised their audience into about 0-8 and 18+)

18+ AFOLs are supposed to buy modulars and 18+ sets.

Brickchap said:

Also, if baseplates are being phased out, what is going to happen to the modular buildings?

They aren't being phased out. They are just not in every set. They are only used when necessary. Plus you can buy them individually if you feel the need to use them for other sets.

SumoLego · May 2020

Ha! Next thing you're going to tell me that LEGO is for childrrn.

Lyichir · May 2020

Arnoldos said:

KungFuKenny said:

I don’t think we will see raised baseplates come back but I do love some of the older ones - #5978 is a good example and one of my favorites. I think the baseplate added to the aesthetic and added some fun play value as well...

One of the arguments against baseplates is that they increase the price of a set...
But try to build such a landscape with standard bricks - now that would make the price go up a lot.

That's what saddens me. They took away landscapes (no matter raised or flat) that kept a set together and didn't give any substitute in return.

But I mean... sets DO still have landscaping. Look at a set like #21322, #70431, or #71722 and you'll see that modern sets are still doing way more creative things without raised baseplates than older sets ever did with them. Using actual bricks (whether they be BURPs, curved slopes, or differently shaped plates) offers way more possibilities for landscaping than raised baseplates, both in terms of the topography (no longer constrained to one of a scarce few mountain or hill shapes) and in terms of the layout (no longer constrained to a 90 degree grid for the entire layout, with the possibility for hinged sections and more contoured outlines than rectangular baseplates would allow for).

Yes, the most dynamic examples of landscaping will be in higher priced sets, but the same applied to raised baseplates, which not only tended to add to the cost of a set but had a hard physical limit on the size of sets that included them, meaning they would usually be reserved for higher priced sets in any given theme.

And modern examples of landscaping, since they no longer have to be repurposed from one of a few predesigned landscapes, can be more convincing as well. Like, there's no reason a supposedly remote sphinx should have such a cleanly paved road up to it or a very neatly enclosed snake pit... until you realize that the baseplate used for it was repurposed from a Belville/Paradisa baseplate with a driveway and built-in swimming pool.

Padraig · May 2020

I recently came across an old photo (mid 80s) of me playing with my Lego. I’m lying down in the living room and I’m working on a town set up. And you know what, it’s more cohesive than what I’ve got now with modulars etc. I’d 6, maybe 8, road plates and with the baseplates the whole thing came together incredibly easily. It really was simple to have a really effective lay-out.

I miss the more specialised printed plates; like the ones for garages, or the twin bays for a Fire station, or the island plates for Pirates. Certain themes really suffer from their loss. The modern airports are just pitiful things. I look back my 6392. That was an airport. Can you imagine getting five plates now in a set. The luxury!!

On the point of structural rigidity: I never found that an issue. Remember, it wasn’t just the large base plates. They’d 8x16, 16x16, 16 x32 and there were quite effective in terms of stability in relation to the build‘s size. And I know people are going to point out that surely isn’t a loss, that the modern rigid plates come in those small sizes as well. And that’s true. But they don’t frame a build like the modern sets. The modern stuff uses the entirety of the plate and any ancillary stuff is for the carpet.

I now look at my six year old’s Lego. She’s the same age as I was then. And her stuff is everywhere. I’m constantly almost stepping on swings, wells, trees, bbqs etc. There’s no order to it. Mini builds go missing in days. I give her baseplates but she won’t use it. It’s a disaster. The hunt for Replacement parts from PaB is a monthly occurrence... although this is because it bothers me more than her.

There’s a rumour that comes up from time to time as to why Lego started getting rid of baseplates. The story goes; that Lego when in deep financial trouble, sold the vac forming side of the business to a third party with the obligation to buy in from that sole supplier. Hence Lego was incentivised to cut them as much as possible. It’s probably bull. Can anyone confirm.

TheOriginalSimonB · May 2020

Padraig said:

...I give her baseplates but she won’t use it...

Which kind of proves the point about LEGO's research above.

Padraig · May 2020

TheOriginalSimonB said:

Padraig said:

...I give her baseplates but she won’t use it...

Which kind of proves the point about LEGO's research above.

Not so sure ....

She’s taken after my quirk here. One of Lego’s great strengths is your ability to mod the toy to your needs. I can’t do that. A set has to be as the instructions indicate. I’ve always been that way. Sure, it could be blown apart during play, but it’d have to be put back precisely after. I’ve modded one set in my entire life; that gap above the hairdressers in detectives office... It’s also the only set I’ve reviewed on Lego.com. It still bugs me. She’s picked it up, without ever witnessing the behaviour in me.

Charmiefcb · May 2020

KungFuKenny said:

I don’t think we will see raised baseplates come back but I do love some of the older ones - #5978 is a good example and one of my favorites. I think the baseplate added to the aesthetic and added some fun play value as well...

I love how that baseplate was also used in a Paradisa resort set.

The raised plates do add to a set. They do make them stand out but they are restrictive in their own ways. That said I don't think Lego sets these days really need them. I feel building techniques have outgrown the set specific baseplates.

Arnoldos · May 2020

Padraig said:

I recently came across an old photo (mid 80s) of me playing with my Lego. I’m lying down in the living room and I’m working on a town set up. And you know what, it’s more cohesive than what I’ve got now with modulars etc. I’d 6, maybe 8, road plates and with the baseplates the whole thing came together incredibly easily. It really was simple to have a really effective lay-out.

I miss the more specialised printed plates; like the ones for garages, or the twin bays for a Fire station, or the island plates for Pirates. Certain themes really suffer from their loss. The modern airports are just pitiful things. I look back my 6392. That was an airport. Can you imagine getting five plates now in a set. The luxury!!

On the point of structural rigidity: I never found that an issue. Remember, it wasn’t just the large base plates. They’d 8x16, 16x16, 16 x32 and there were quite effective in terms of stability in relation to the build‘s size. And I know people are going to point out that surely isn’t a loss, that the modern rigid plates come in those small sizes as well. And that’s true. But they don’t frame a build like the modern sets. The modern stuff uses the entirety of the plate and any ancillary stuff is for the carpet.

I now look at my six year old’s Lego. She’s the same age as I was then. And her stuff is everywhere. I’m constantly almost stepping on swings, wells, trees, bbqs etc. There’s no order to it. Mini builds go missing in days. I give her baseplates but she won’t use it. It’s a disaster. The hunt for Replacement parts from PaB is a monthly occurrence... although this is because it bothers me more than her.

There’s a rumour that comes up from time to time as to why Lego started getting rid of baseplates. The story goes; that Lego when in deep financial trouble, sold the vac forming side of the business to a third party with the obligation to buy in from that sole supplier. Hence Lego was incentivised to cut them as much as possible. It’s probably bull. Can anyone confirm.

Exactly my thoughts, thanks for phrasing that out.

Padraig said:

TheOriginalSimonB said:

Padraig said:

...I give her baseplates but she won’t use it...

Which kind of proves the point about LEGO's research above.

Not so sure ....

She’s taken after my quirk here. One of Lego’s great strengths is your ability to mod the toy to your needs. I can’t do that. A set has to be as the instructions indicate. I’ve always been that way. Sure, it could be blown apart during play, but it’d have to be put back precisely after. I’ve modded one set in my entire life; that gap above the hairdressers in detectives office... It’s also the only set I’ve reviewed on Lego.com. It still bugs me. She’s picked it up, without ever witnessing the behaviour in me.

The same happens with me. I buy sets for what they are, not for what they can be reused for. And modern sets are... well, unattractive for the most part.

When I was younger I did merge sets into something different but it never appealed to me as much as collecting the "stock" sets.

Lyichir · May 2020

Padraig said:

On the point of structural rigidity: I never found that an issue. Remember, it wasn’t just the large base plates. They’d 8x16, 16x16, 16 x32 and there were quite effective in terms of stability in relation to the build‘s size. And I know people are going to point out that surely isn’t a loss, that the modern rigid plates come in those small sizes as well. And that’s true. But they don’t frame a build like the modern sets. The modern stuff uses the entirety of the plate and any ancillary stuff is for the carpet.

I now look at my six year old’s Lego. She’s the same age as I was then. And her stuff is everywhere. I’m constantly almost stepping on swings, wells, trees, bbqs etc. There’s no order to it. Mini builds go missing in days. I give her baseplates but she won’t use it. It’s a disaster. The hunt for Replacement parts from PaB is a monthly occurrence... although this is because it bothers me more than her.

Have you considered that your six year old might actually prefer playing that way?

The aspects of baseplates you see as assets (framing/constraining a build and tying it all together) could just as easily be seen as limiting for kids. A build that separates into multiple smaller sections (often ones that can be repositioned according to your taste) is often easier to move and easier to play with than one that locks everything together onto a single base. By making the "negative space" of a build (the areas between buildings or structures) more flexible, kids can more easily interact with them from all sides without having to turn the entire set around, and can play with different sections of a set independently without having to deal with the entire thing at once.

And for larger, more adult-focused sets like Pirates of Barracuda Bay or the large Hogwarts Castle set, separating into smaller, more irregularly shaped sections both allows the sets to be moved more easily than if they were all linked together into a single massive chunk, and allows for a more contoured base that expands the options for display (since the base no longer has corners sticking out that force the set into a 90-degree orientation or might hang off the edge of a table).

Baseplates still have their uses, of course. For sets like the modular buildings, where the buildings occupy most of the space and connecting the various sets into a rectangular grid layout with standardized sizes is a big part of the appeal, using smaller, more rigid plates would scarcely offer any advantage. And for younger kids "free building", a baseplate can be a good starting point for building a sturdy structure with less risk of it toppling over (as well as, as you mention, for establishing a clear "play space" for kids to make cleanup less of an issue). But for a lot of sets, smaller plates have way more advantages in the long run.

CCC · May 2020

Padraig said:

I now look at my six year old’s Lego. She’s the same age as I was then. And her stuff is everywhere. I’m constantly almost stepping on swings, wells, trees, bbqs etc. There’s no order to it. Mini builds go missing in days. I give her baseplates but she won’t use it. It’s a disaster. The hunt for Replacement parts from PaB is a monthly occurrence... although this is because it bothers me more than her.

So she likes to spread her stuff out for play. Many kids do, rather than be rigidly confined to a baseplate.

I find a large piece of painted MDF or plywood is much more effective if you want to confine your kids to a certain play area. We have one that is about 4 foot square with green and a road/track on it on one side, all blue with a bit of beach on the other side. It is an ideal flat play surface, they are not confined to stud directions but have a free layout, but tend to stay in a certain area for play.

daewoo · May 2020

I use baseplates to build MILS. When I do get around to roads, I will brick build those and not use road plates. Yeah, it's more expensive, but I think it looks significantly better.

Arnoldos · May 2020

So we could say baseplates come down to personal preference, whether one likes his set organized or spread out.

As someone who prefers order to chaos though, I can't help but feel discriminated by Lego at this point.

560Heliport · May 2020

I wish they still made crater plates. I 'd love a few in Dark Orange, to represent Mars.

CCC · May 2020

Arnoldos said:

So we could say baseplates come down to personal preference, whether one likes his set organized or spread out.
As someone who prefers order to chaos though, I can't help but feel discriminated by Lego at this point.

I don't get why you use the word discriminated. They sell individual baseplates. If you like to use them then buy them. If you don't like them, then don't buy them.

Putting them in sets would be worse for people that don't use them, as they are forced to pay for them if they want the set.

Lyichir · May 2020

Arnoldos said:

So we could say baseplates come down to personal preference, whether one likes his set organized or spread out.
As someone who prefers order to chaos though, I can't help but feel discriminated by Lego at this point.

So build the existing sets onto baseplates if you want? One nice thing about standard plates is that unlike baseplates, you can attach them on top of other studded surfaces like baseplates with no fuss whatsoever. For most sets it wouldn't take much to make a more rigid, orderly layout—at most you might need to add plates and tiles to make the surface integrate well with the set's "default" base and/or accommodate hinged sections for sets that don't follow a strict 90 degree layout.

Arnoldos · May 2020

CCC said:

Arnoldos said:

So we could say baseplates come down to personal preference, whether one likes his set organized or spread out.
As someone who prefers order to chaos though, I can't help but feel discriminated by Lego at this point.

I don't get why you use the word discriminated. They sell individual baseplates. If you like to use them then buy them. If you don't like them, then don't buy them.

Putting them in sets would be worse for people that don't use them, as they are forced to pay for them if they want the set.

Oh yeah? Then show me where Lego sells individual baseplates with garage driveways, separated driveways, airstrips for those baseplateless City airports or any baseplate that's not a basic colored 32x32 or 48x48. I must have missed it.

benbacardi · May 2020

"Discriminated against" is a ridiculous phrase to use in the context of a company not producing the exact product you wish they produced.

Legopants · May 2020

560Heliport said:

I wish they still made crater plates. I 'd love a few in Dark Orange, to represent Mars.

Picked up a couple of crater plates off eBay Germany just last week. No damage or discolouration on either plate. 10 EUR each (plus shipping), which isn't too bad :-)

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5015319/uploads/editor/dv/zvqimypyj102.jpg

CCC · May 2020

Arnoldos said:

CCC said:

Arnoldos said:

So we could say baseplates come down to personal preference, whether one likes his set organized or spread out.
As someone who prefers order to chaos though, I can't help but feel discriminated by Lego at this point.

I don't get why you use the word discriminated. They sell individual baseplates. If you like to use them then buy them. If you don't like them, then don't buy them.

Putting them in sets would be worse for people that don't use them, as they are forced to pay for them if they want the set.

Oh yeah? Then show me where Lego sells individual baseplates with garage driveways, separated driveways, airstrips for those baseplateless City airports or any baseplate that's not a basic colored 32x32 or 48x48. I must have missed it.

They don't. They sell the basic ones and you have to decorate them with parts to make what you want. If you want a driveway, get some grey tiles / plates and design one on top of a regular baseplate.

No matter what LEGO do someone will complain. One person's wish for a highly specific printed part is another person's part that cannot be used for anything else. Personally, I think it is good they don't include things like a driveway baseplate in sets, as it is probably even less useful than a T-junction.

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