2013 sets contain over 800 new parts

 

  • 2013 sets contain over 800 new parts

    Posted by Huw, 02 Jan 2013 06:49. Filed under Brickset.

    As you know, LEGO recently improved its customer services pages, in particular the replacement parts system, and as a result, many of the inventories it now publishes are complete and accurate. Yesterday, inventories for 123 sets were published and they've now been pulled into the Brickset database so that they are more readily available and easier to use.

    A by-product of having all this data at Brickset, is that it can be analysed and sliced-and-diced in ways that is not possible at LEGO.com. Here are some interesting facts, and links to useful reports:

    • A total of 885 new parts appear in the 123 sets for 2013 that have been inventoried so far. You can view them all on the Parts introduced in 2013 page. Of course many of them are old part designs in new colours, but even without considering at all the cool new minifig parts, there are some interesting new designs:

    • Good news for builders of military hardware is that the number of olive green parts has been expanded considerably, and now includes bricks, plates, slopes and tiles, so it is now a useful palette with which to build your own MOCs in this great new colour.

    Take a look at the list of new parts yourself and let us know what catches your eye.


    35 comments, latest one posted 4 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 02 Jan 2013 07:19

I love the look of the new 6x6 round plate (the rightmost of the five parts above), and the printed speedometer on a 1x1 round tile is fantastic too. Perhaps best of all for me though is the dark brown cell door which comes in the Rancor Pit set. It is particularly useful for creating that grimy look in my upcoming Arkham Asylum MOC.

Posted by Alemas in Germany, 02 Jan 2013 07:20

Wow, so many useful pieces for Technic enthusiasts... Is LEGO becoming too easy? :P

Posted by Zelyonii-Zaktan in Russian Federation, 02 Jan 2013 07:42

http://www.brickset.com/parts/?part=6029587
I think there is something wrong with the name of that new SW minifigure part, isn't there?

About the useful pieces, it's interesting that we are getting these new connectors (the third one in your list, the yellow part) that were introduced in LDD long before, but had had no real counterparts until now.

Posted by ljames28 in United Kingdom, 02 Jan 2013 07:46

@Zelyonii "Ass" stands for "Assembly" :)

Posted by GothamConstructionCo in United Kingdom, 02 Jan 2013 08:17

#6017003 would make a good Olympic torch for the Olympic CMFs albeit a bit late.

Posted by peterlinddk in Denmark, 02 Jan 2013 08:28

Ohh - lots of nice new colors all around!

I particularly like the green bottle, when I saw it in the Horizon Express, I was: "Wohoo, now my LEGO-Citizens can drink beer!"
And of course the red Motorcycle Fairing - finally I can build my own motorcycle!

But the Crystals with knobs, they are completely new, aren't they? They look great for building mines.

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 02 Jan 2013 08:49

^ They are, they are CHI in the LoC sets.

Posted by jditoro3 in United States, 02 Jan 2013 09:05

OK, so even filter out all the prints/colors of existing pieces we have quite a few new pieces.

Remind me again why new molds are verboten for CUSSCO?

Posted by Dimefield in Canada, 02 Jan 2013 09:54

The Fender Strat type part.. too bad its in a 200 piece Friends set... Ill wait for it to show up somewhere else, a CMF hopefully!

Posted by Nabii in Denmark, 02 Jan 2013 12:40

Jditoro3 - Because Cuusoo sets are produced in batches of 10/20,000 whereas retail LEGO sets are produced with a minimum of half a million sets each. Sales pay for the mold which is a very expensive item - until Cuusoo sets go on sale demand is considered hard to predict, so the rule of no new molds was introduced.

Posted by Blockland in United States, 02 Jan 2013 13:35

Yet 24 molds for a cuusoo set were too much. Lego, you really are the best brick company and troll.

Posted by ant1234lego in United Kingdom, 02 Jan 2013 13:49

I got the yellow one in black in utlimate speedor touranment!!!

Posted by followsclosely in United States, 02 Jan 2013 14:35

@Huw,
Can we filter by just new piece without color into the query?

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 02 Jan 2013 15:43

^ Not yet, but I do intend to add that feature, when I've worked out the best database query to provide it.

Posted by AVCampos in Portugal, 02 Jan 2013 15:54

Of the new parts, the 1x1 speedometer is the one that most catches my eye! As a Technic builder, I might find good uses for the first part you show, but not yet.

And, isn't the claw part on the 42006 "Excavator" (quotes are because I doubt it can excavate anything with that grabber) also new for 2013? I didn't see it in the full list.

Posted by zipsforbananas in United Kingdom, 02 Jan 2013 16:09

Hmm, some of the outrage about Cuusoo seems a little misplaced. Nabii's explanation is very good, and the "over 800" new parts are actually mostly new/different coloured pieces, rather than new moulds. (Saying that, there's a really great amount of new moulds, just nothing like 800!)

Posted by vwong19 in United States, 02 Jan 2013 16:25

I want the dalmatian dog for my fire station...

Posted by Dragon_Master_48 in United States, 02 Jan 2013 17:20

Ah hahahaha ah haha! And they complained about the number of new parts "needed" for the Zelda project...

Posted by Aanchir in United States, 02 Jan 2013 17:32

@Dragon_Master_48: Your point? Nabii already explained above why Cuusoo is different than a typical LEGO theme. Not all new molds are created equal, and it's easier to get molds approved for an ongoing theme than for a single set with small production numbers.

Moreover, the "800+" is the number of new elements, not the number of new part designs. Granted, there are still a lot of new designs, but a lot of people are acting as though this shows TLG can make new molds whenever they feel like it. A new mold is an investment, and in the case of Cuusoo proposals it's an investment with high risk and low reward.

Posted by dougts in United States, 02 Jan 2013 18:04

24 new molds for a single limited-release set isn't anywhere in the same ball park as making new molds which are going to be widely reused in dozens and dozens of mass produced sets for years to come.

Come on guys - think! don't let your Zelda disappointment blind you to the obvious realities...

Posted by Dragon_Master_48 in United States, 02 Jan 2013 20:01

@Aanchir
It was intended to be humorous. -_-

Posted by jinxjinx550 in United States, 02 Jan 2013 21:23

I love the look of everything in the "warm gold" color. Do you think they're going to look as stripey and streaky as the illustrations make them look?

Also, the planet pieces look pretty nice. But what on earth is going to be the function of a hot pink minifig head? I'm trying to figure that one out...

Posted by ninjagoyo in United States, 03 Jan 2013 03:39

^The hot pink minifig head goes with Kraang. It's not visible in the set image, so it would have been impossible to figure out without Huw's handy-dandy hotlink to the set it's in.

I find LEGO's part names and categories so mind-bogglingly obtuse that I never even use pick-a-brick. Bricklink's system is so much more sensible. Seeing pages and pages of random LEGOese on that nifty page of Huw's gives me a headache, yet I couldn't take my eyes away until the very end. Aspirin, here I come.

Posted by murphquake in United States, 03 Jan 2013 04:31

^^but the dark pink minifig head is not a new part. It was the head for the CMF S8 Alien Queen (under the trans-dark-pink "brain" and holding down the face piece)

Posted by Aanchir in United States, 03 Jan 2013 09:09

@murphquake: The CMFs use a different mold (Design ID) than non-Chinese-made minifigures. Of course, the only really visible difference is that these days non-Chinese minifigures heads have mostly transitioned to using the modern "recessed" stud while Chinese-made minifigures heads are still using the style with three holes.

@jinxjinx550: Warm Gold is the official name for Pearl Gold, so some parts in that color do have a streaky, pearly sheen. But none will likely be as extreme or organized as the streaks on the Customer Service renders, which mostly have that texture as visual shorthand for the color.

@Dragon_Master_48: My apologies. I sometimes have a hard time recognizing sarcasm online.

Posted by zipsforbananas in United Kingdom, 03 Jan 2013 09:37

Just noticed I've been humorously misspelling mold. Ooops! :D
(In my defence spellcheck doesn't like it without a u, silly thing!)

Posted by SuperDKong in United States, 03 Jan 2013 10:09

@dougts

In the end, after understanding LEGO's problem with new pieces, MINGLES proposed only two new molds for the set... Look at a single Chima set and count the number of new molds. I understand why LEGO might be hesitant as to new parts, but after seeing so many this year, I'm beginning to wonder why LEGO actually rejected it.

Posted by dougts in United States, 03 Jan 2013 12:44

@SuperDKong

I was quoting the numbers quoted by someone else above in regards to new parts. I don't give 2 cents about Zelda, so I haven't followed the project.

Like we all probably suspect, Cuusoo projects reaching 10,000 are probably sometimes rejected for more than one reason. Using the "special molds" reason - while true, and my points above still stand - is probably only one of the reasons it was rejected, mostly likely the easiest one to "sell" to the fanbase. In reality, the facts that Zelda is not a currently hot IP, that Nintendo has a relationship with a competitor, and that it might be too close to other fantasy-type sets already in production are probably also reasons why it was rejected.

Posted by Aanchir in United States, 03 Jan 2013 13:05

@SuperDKong: A single Chima set will have a lot of new molds, it's true. It will also SHARE most of those new molds with several other sets in the theme's initial wave, and many of the parts will probably be used dozens of times before they are discontinued. In a Legend of Zelda set, that might not be possible, since most of MINGLES's new part designs were very strictly based on the in-game item and costume models-- would Nintendo really allow those parts to be used in other themes?

It also can't be forgotten that when MINGLES's project was new, it wasn't just one set with a few new parts -- it was a huge showcase of new parts MINGLES had designed for 3-D printing. How many supporters gave their reason for supporting as "I'd love to have all these excellent Legend of Zelda items for my LEGO minifigures?" That's something we can probably never know. But there's a certain point after which changes to the project description are too little, too late-- a number of people will have supported what the project WAS, and their support will be more or less invalid if that isn't considered when designing a set based on the successful project.

By the way, just glancing at the Cuusoo project description, I see this: "Along with a set representing an iconic moment of the series, I feel it is also necessary to include multiple swords, shields and items as they play such a large and important role in the series." The scene he has chosen, by the way, includes at least six new molds: New sword, new shield, new head piece with pointed ears, new hat, new hair, and new giant crystal capable of holding a minifigure. Coupled with the desire to include iconic item molds like, for instance, the Ocarina of Time, the project quickly becomes infeasible. To be honest, I'm wondering how many people suggesting the Zelda project was feasible are actually looking at what the project description says would be included.

Posted by Hygrotus in Poland, 03 Jan 2013 13:42

Tracked down missing part to finally build Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder (Comic-Con 2012 Exclusive), part 11291 in dark red color http://www.brickset.com/parts/?part=6016771 it is form 60017-1 Flatbed Truck.

Posted by sitkawitka in United States, 04 Jan 2013 00:40

You guys have said mold so many times I have to feel a mini figure to make sure my favorite toy isn't clay in the form of a character! LOL!!!!!!!

Posted by sitkawitka in United States, 04 Jan 2013 00:57

Congrats Nabii you just turned this post into a debate about why they turned down a stupid project! Oh yeah smart using this post as evidence! As for every one who didn't take a side thanks for trying to keep us on track! for those of you who are upset about this just vote for another project another person has this same idea but well thought out. So quit attacking Lego

Posted by caperberry in United Kingdom, 07 Jan 2013 03:01

Loved going through these thanks Huw. So many exciting new bits and bobs.

I see the "duck eye" 1x1 round tiles are available in a proper set. Great news.

Posted by ETAV8R in United States, 12 Jan 2013 03:02

So this means anyone can purchase these pieces using pick a brick?

Posted by Starwarsgeek500 in United States, 13 Jan 2013 16:20

I like the one in the middle. Useful in black as a bipod for rifles.

Commenting has ended on this article.