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Single-use parts

WesterBricksWesterBricks Member Posts: 844
in Everything else LEGO
I've been thinking recently about single-use parts, that is, molds that were used for exactly one set and that's it.

Examples:
#7998 Heavy Hauler - the green tipper beds
#9748 Droid Developer Kit - the blue turntable

Obviously someone spent a great deal of time designing these parts, it seems a waste to only use them in one set ever.
BumblepantsKungFuKennyBrickchap

Comments

  • FireFox31FireFox31 Member Posts: 265
    Do you have a Brickset database query which lets you find parts which only exist in one color and in one set?
  • WesterBricksWesterBricks Member Posts: 844
    I'm not aware of a query since those are geared toward sets and not parts, I'm just going off of personal experience.  I'm sure there is some way to automagically get a list of parts like these.
  • oldtodd33oldtodd33 Member Posts: 2,694

  • oldtodd33oldtodd33 Member Posts: 2,694

    madforLEGOWesterBricksKungFuKenny
  • AstrobricksAstrobricks Member Posts: 5,478
    edited August 2021
    Oh, so now we’re playing “identify my random part” again :)

    Edit:
    At least you left the ID in the image name: 2619 Monorail motor cover
    Switchfoot55Bumblepantsoldtodd33
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526

    And many similar parts of the theme and era.

    Even now there are also quite a lot scattered through CMF and licensed sets, for example

    YellowcastleKungFuKenny
  • oldtodd33oldtodd33 Member Posts: 2,694
    Astrobricks said:
    Oh, so now we’re playing “identify my random part” again :)

    Edit:
    At least you left the ID in the image name: 2619 Monorail motor cover
       Just two from memory. At least I didn't paste images of pretty much every raised baseplate:)
    Astrobricks
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,351
    ***stops finding pictures of raised baseplates to post***

    Yeah, what they said...
    pxchrisoldtodd33AstrobricksCymbelineKungFuKenny
  • pxchrispxchris Member Posts: 2,384
    To make this more interesting (to me at least) we could be looking for parts that seem like they should be used in multiple sets, but for whatever reason ended up being a single-use part. Obviously there are quite a few highly specialized pieces that only ended up being used once, but what looks like on the outset that it should be fairly versatile, but never got widely used?
    Yellowcastle
  • 560Heliport560Heliport Member Posts: 3,871
    I'm not sure exactly where mine are right now, but the ostriches from the Prince of Persia set, #7170 The Ostrich Race would sure go well in the new City Wildlife Rescue sets!
    pxchrisYellowcastle
  • pxchrispxchris Member Posts: 2,384
    It's a shame how little use a number of the animal molds have gotten. The goats are especially egregious. But the ostridges and camels are other good examples. Even the cows are sparse.

    I'm glad to see more and more animals going up on BnP for fairly reasonable prices which at least gives some people a shot at getting more of them, but even to this day they keep making new animal molds which only get released in a single set or two.
    560HeliportiwybsTkattYellowcastleBrickchap
  • sipusssipuss Member Posts: 259
    How hard would it be to just make a mega "battle pack" of animals and other creatures, covering one theme a year. It'd be a money printer.
    560HeliportYellowcastleCymbelineiwybsWesterBricks
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    Cows were in 2 sets?  But totally agree on the animals.  In this, Playmobil bests LEGO. 
    iwybs
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,787
    edited August 2021
    Dairy cow was only available in the #7637 Farm set, at least the Brown cows have been in the #10193 Medieval market village and #60052 Blue cargo train
    The Larger the animal, the pricier it is, both for LEGO to make and for what it costs in a set.. I mean most are not cheap, which is why I'm shocked to see how cheap the Sheep are (especially given how expensive the #10264 rabbit is).
    Yellowcastlepxchris
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    Forgot the MMV!  What a set.
  • AstrobricksAstrobricks Member Posts: 5,478
    oldtodd33 said:
    Astrobricks said:
    Oh, so now we’re playing “identify my random part” again :)

    Edit:
    At least you left the ID in the image name: 2619 Monorail motor cover
       Just two from memory. At least I didn't paste images of pretty much every raised baseplate:)
    Only the second picture shows up for me.
  • TkattTkatt Member Posts: 472
    If you browse parts on Brickset and sort by set count you can determine how many sets a part was in. It only seems to list them in descending order so you have to skip to the last pages. It looks like there are about 16,000-17,000 parts that only appear in one set. That doesn't mean the part wasn't used in other sets in another color or with a different print though. It would be helpful if you could exclude minifig parts. If you show 500 parts per page you'll have about 30 pages to scroll through. 

    I found one I'd never seen before that only comes in one color and in only in one set.
    46456 from #8635 Tuneable Racer

    YellowcastleBumblepantsKungFuKennyWesterBricks
  • AstrobricksAstrobricks Member Posts: 5,478
    edited August 2021
    Tkatt said:
    If you browse parts on Brickset and sort by set count you can determine how many sets a part was in. It only seems to list them in descending order so you have to skip to the last pages. It looks like there are about 16,000-17,000 parts that only appear in one set. That doesn't mean the part wasn't used in other sets in another color or with a different print though. It would be helpful if you could exclude minifig parts. If you show 500 parts per page you'll have about 30 pages to scroll through. 

    I found one I'd never seen before that only comes in one color and in only in one set.
    46456 from #8635 Tuneable Racer

    #8635 is Mobile Command Center. Try #8365.
  • oldtodd33oldtodd33 Member Posts: 2,694
    Astrobricks said:
    oldtodd33 said:
    Astrobricks said:
    Oh, so now we’re playing “identify my random part” again :)

    Edit:
    At least you left the ID in the image name: 2619 Monorail motor cover
       Just two from memory. At least I didn't paste images of pretty much every raised baseplate:)
    Only the second picture shows up for me.
        The first picture is this.  https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=bb0085&in=S
    Astrobricks
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    I imagine that all the designers often compete (and/or are encouraged) to find novel ways to use what have otherwise been relegated to few (or one) sets.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    sipuss said:
    How hard would it be to just make a mega "battle pack" of animals and other creatures, covering one theme a year. It'd be a money printer.
    But in the same way as a battle pack would kill sales of sets with those same figures in, it is not necessarily a good idea.
    Bumblepants
  • sipusssipuss Member Posts: 259
    edited August 2021
    CCC said:
    sipuss said:
    How hard would it be to just make a mega "battle pack" of animals and other creatures, covering one theme a year. It'd be a money printer.
    But in the same way as a battle pack would kill sales of sets with those same figures in, it is not necessarily a good idea.

    Small sets could get different animals not included in the "battle packs", while big ones... well, shouldn't matter for them because they don't sell just because of the animals, right?
  • TheOriginalSimonBTheOriginalSimonB Member Posts: 1,780
    ^ & ^^ Do them with different colours or prints, or just don't have them on sale at the same time.

    Of course there's always Friends animals...
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    I did a database query last night to see if I could help answer the question but there are so many minifig and printed parts with a single use that it's hard to see the interesting stuff
    YellowcastleTkattAstrobrickspxchrisWesterBricks
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    sipuss said:
    CCC said:
    sipuss said:
    How hard would it be to just make a mega "battle pack" of animals and other creatures, covering one theme a year. It'd be a money printer.
    But in the same way as a battle pack would kill sales of sets with those same figures in, it is not necessarily a good idea.

    Small sets could get different animals not included in the "battle packs", while big ones... well, shouldn't matter for them because they don't sell just because of the animals, right?
    They will still compete with larger sets with animals in. Give people a cheap way of getting roughly what they want and many would avoid the more expensive items. Yes, they'll sell cheaper sets but at the expense of larger ones.
  • sipusssipuss Member Posts: 259
    CCC said:
    sipuss said:
    CCC said:
    sipuss said:
    How hard would it be to just make a mega "battle pack" of animals and other creatures, covering one theme a year. It'd be a money printer.
    But in the same way as a battle pack would kill sales of sets with those same figures in, it is not necessarily a good idea.

    Small sets could get different animals not included in the "battle packs", while big ones... well, shouldn't matter for them because they don't sell just because of the animals, right?
    They will still compete with larger sets with animals in. Give people a cheap way of getting roughly what they want and many would avoid the more expensive items. Yes, they'll sell cheaper sets but at the expense of larger ones.

    Every new set of anything means some other set will sell less. How many big sets are sold just for animal figs vs how many packs would get sold if they were available? I don't think LEGO would lose here, customers certainly wouldn't.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    sipuss said:
    CCC said:
    sipuss said:
    CCC said:
    sipuss said:
    How hard would it be to just make a mega "battle pack" of animals and other creatures, covering one theme a year. It'd be a money printer.
    But in the same way as a battle pack would kill sales of sets with those same figures in, it is not necessarily a good idea.

    Small sets could get different animals not included in the "battle packs", while big ones... well, shouldn't matter for them because they don't sell just because of the animals, right?
    They will still compete with larger sets with animals in. Give people a cheap way of getting roughly what they want and many would avoid the more expensive items. Yes, they'll sell cheaper sets but at the expense of larger ones.

    Every new set of anything means some other set will sell less. How many big sets are sold just for animal figs vs how many packs would get sold if they were available? I don't think LEGO would lose here, customers certainly wouldn't.
    You don't, but I do. 

    There is a reason that lego put exclusive characters into expensive sets, and don't put the same character (even slightly different versions) into smaller sets. Their business is primarily selling brick based sets. It is the same with animals. If they made a $50 set with a small farmhouse and a cow, it would probably sell well. If they also did a $15 set with four or five farm animals, (some) people wanting a lego farm would buy that instead and not bother with the set with bricks in it. Someone wanting a toy farm for their kid probably wouldn't buy either,  since the animals are expensive compared to other moulded toy ones.

    Battle packs are great for people that don't want more bricks,  but that is not necessarily a good thing for lego. I used to buy loads of the castle and fantasy battle / blister packs and not bother with the sets unless they genuinely added a good build.
    Fizyx
  • sipusssipuss Member Posts: 259
    I guess I might be underestimating the number of big sets sold just for a few animal figs, then.
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    When I discovered BnP, I definitely stopped chasing some bigger sets that had desired pieces.
    TkattvizzitorCCCBumblepantspxchrisFizyx
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    ^ me too.

    If they did a City farm or zoo, I doubt they would do battle style packs of animals. More likely a pig, a pig farmer, and a little bit of scenery.  A bit like the equivalent Friends sets - an animal or two, a figure or two plus a building component. 
    560HeliportYellowcastle
  • ModeltrainmanModeltrainman Member Posts: 1,221
    So...If I make 'The Piggy Goaty Swim Floaty Battlepack(with required helicopter)' and put it on IDEAS, will all you guys vote for it? 
    560HeliportFizyxoldtodd33
  • BrickchapBrickchap Member Posts: 1,355




    This was strangely used in 60161 Jungle Exploration Site and never again!

    This part is perfect for tri motor aircraft such as Ford Trimotor or Junkers Ju87, Ive also used it (on LDD) to make a DC 3 since one can attach a 4x4 dome piece on the front.

    I really dont know why Lego would go to the trouble of designing a whole new aircraft piece for a rather random set and never re use it.
    They could have easily used a pre-existing aircraft cockpit piece or built one out of bricks, especially given that the plane was meant to be crashed.

    Furthermore, if they wanted to do an old fashioned aircraft there was no reason it HAD to be a trimotor and Im sure there are ways to build a trimotor front without requiring a specialised piece.

    The bar at the back is used to tip the whole assembly forward, to make the crash site less static, but this limits the usability of the piece, and once again, the problem could easily have been solved without specially moulding the piece like that.

    Finally, there are suggestions of attachment points in the back of this piece where a windscreen piece could be attached, as with similar aircraft pieces, however no such windscreen piece was ever made, making this piece again very difficult to use.

    Id love to see this piece return, with a windscreen piece, in another set. Ideally it would be a trimotor 1930s/40s aircraft in City or a similar line, or this piece could be used creatively in some crazy fantasy vehicle in be it Ninjago or Monkey Kid or something.

    I can understand making specific pieces to capture a special vehicle, structure or character from an IP or in order to make a specific model work but as noted above this piece was highly unnecessary but is also rendered pretty useless in many respects.

    As a side note I did manage to get one of these, along with the bottom part for it (again specialised although it has since been used in 5 other sets) and remake the 2016 Cargo Plane (a modern jet) into a 1930s aircraft as described. The lack of a windscreen really sticks out though...


    BumblepantsAstrobricksYellowcastle560HeliportWesterBrickspxchrisFizyxoldtodd33
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