Connecting Clikits and System parts together
Posted by Huw,
For some reason Clikits sets are much derided but many of their parts have the potential to be used with System parts to provide decoration, greebling and even facilitate connections that are otherwise impossible.
While huwbot was busy running the site yesterday I dug my daughters' collection of Clikits parts out of storage and, with the help of Alice and my wife, sorted them out. Having done so I thought I'd have a play and see what they can be used for.
If you're curious, read on...
The majority of Clikits parts have one or more female (left) or male (right) connection points. The basic 'icons' as LEGO refers to them -- the heart, daisy and star -- have a single one in the centre.
When they are connected they click, which no doubt gave rise to the name.
The male connector is very slightly larger than a stud, due to the lip round the top that holds it securely in the female connector. It will just fit into an anti-stud if you give it a push but it will be under stress.
The female one accepts regular studded pieces and they fit securely.
The most obvious use of the icons, then, is as decorations. They work well with the 2x2 tile with one centre stud.
The male Clikits connector does just fit into an anti-stud, as I said above, but they are under stress so LEGO would consider this an illegal connection.
This ring with two female connections can be used to join pieces stud-to-stud. I cannot think of another LEGO piece that enables this to be done in such a small space.
The bracelet strings have male connectors on them so can fit into anti-studs, but will be under stress.
This ring is used to affix icons with male connectors to thin plastic sheets or cloth components. It fits firmly on a stud. Here I've used a 318 bar/wand to keep them, and 1x1 'polo' plates, together. I can see this being a useful greebling technique.
This domed piece has a female connector underneath so will fit on top of studs to make mushrooms.
Several Clikits pieces like this 90 degree bracket can be used to connect plates together albeit illegally because the male connectors are under stress in the holes.
Flexible plastic pieces like these have a square hole in the middle but it's not large enough to accept a 1x1 brick. You can, however, fit the base of a 1x1 round through them, although they are not held securely.
This part is used for bracelets. It has a single female connector in the middle underneath and might make a nice greebly part for a pink spaceship.
Minifig hat?
Several sizes of picture frame were produced in a myriad of transparent colours. This is the smallest. The holes accept icons with male connectors which means you can also insert studs. The holes are spaced two studs apart.
Furthermore, you can insert a stud on both sides of the holes, which might be useful.
Finally, here's a Clikits ring with 1x1 polo plate in its female connector, and a flower with 318 bar connector in its hole.
So, to summarise, Clikits parts with female connections can be used effectively, and legally, with System parts. Those with male ones can be connected into anti-studs, but only at risk of damaging the part if it remains affixed for long periods.
I hope this article has provided you with fresh appreciation of the Clikits system and its parts. Perhaps it will even encourage you to buy a few on BrickLink, where they can be had for a few cents each, and incorporate them in your MOCs!
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46 comments on this article
I'd Clik it tbh
I've been interested in the relationship between Clikits and System ever since i saw a Trans Clear clikits003 Bead Ring and a 2780 Technic Pin joined together to make a.... um, water pipe. :D
Excellent analysis that goes to show LEGO did design Clikits parts with System in mind.
The male connectors with the lips seem to function similarly to Technic pins. Are they able to fit through the holes of a thin Technic liftarm? Do they click the same way Technic pins do? If so, then it would seem that fitting a Clikits male connector into an antistud would constitute an illegal connection just as fitting a Technic pin into an antistud does.
ok, but have you tried to put male clikits into places a pin in technic goes? bc it looks very similar to me... (i don't have any to test it, clikits not technic X"D)
Can the ring piece made for Lotr make a stud to stud connection?
Also excellent article!
Ring is very usefull for 180° rotation in small space. Have some of them! Unfortunalety colors are odd for 'normal' MOCs.
@20cutlero
Just tried it, the ring indeed fits studs on both sides, but one of them doesn't fit all the way in. It's pretty sturdy but technically not a solid connection.
The male connector is not as long as a Tehcnic half pin and does not fit into Technic holes at all.
I believe the LOTR ring can be used but it's not quite long enough for two studs to fit in it end-to-end completely
I could definitely see myself using these for MOCs in the future but I’ll wait until they release them in normal colors. Good article!
Somebody commented on one of the "Huwbot" articles, joking that the Bricklink price of Clickit parts would go up. I think *this* article means a price rise is now guaranteed!
This went from a joke to one of the most informative and interesting articles in a while
Great article! I might have to pick up some Clickits parts now....
Also I guess since Huw is back the sight won’t be changed to Clickset. Sadness.
Wow I haven’t thought about Clickits parts in years. Interesting article, Huw.
@someguy827
Lol, that was me.
I don't actually think the price will rise much. Sure, the pieces have had attention drawn to them, but in the end of the day they aren't useful enough.
I've been really enjoying this clickit articles. I've never appreciated them until now and developed quite an interest in them. I hope this doesn't lead to me to collecting them.
Damn you, Millington!
Just tried buying some on Bricklink, and can't find any - all SOLD OUT !! the Brickset effect, ha ha !!
:-)
In 80101 the vases really look "upside down". I used LOTR rings to turn them over. It looks great
It's the Brickset effect.
A month or so ago, Huw wrote an article about the rarest piece, a white Technic connection piece that was only available in the Japanese Asimo sets (but Huw encouraged readers to check it out for themselves, since Asimos were cheap and easily available on Bricklink).
Within a week, there were a lot less of those Asimos left on Bricklink. I know, because I bought one as well.
That piece that allows double sided building is amazing! I actually need a few of them now... lol
@Huw Once again thanks for this analysis. I would assume that all the 'male' connectors would be legal using 318 bars. Right?
Set 7535 and 7537 would have some type of 'peebles' items. One of the two 'squarish' beads will have legal connection and might be used as a (2x2) peeble type of texture.
Under stress? They must need counseling.
I do believe that Huwbot is still controlling Brickset or else we would not have this article.......
@HOBBES, the holes inside the male connector are larger than 3.18mm so don't hold a bar securely.
What's a peeble? Do you mean pebble, and yes, they probably do. I'll have a go.
Of course pebble, not peeble. My bad.
Yesssss. Thanks for showing potential of these!
Great article! At first, I thought huwbot was the author.
^ No, he's been put back in his box now.
There are a lot of stressed males in the Clikits world.
I seem to remember way back in the day that someone observed that one of the heart shaped pieces would fit upside-down in the mouth hole of Toa Nokama's mask piece.
That Stud to Stud ring seems *very* handy. I'm surprised LEGO hasn't kept it around, it could create some interesting builds!
The problem with it is that it's wider than a 1x1 round as you can see and parts joined by it are out of 'system'
The One Ring has a smaller diameter but also is not as deep so two studs don't fit in it end-to-end, although it's close enough to keep them secure.
Huwbot actually did a good job, he needs a raise and more recognition (I think the article of the sale at Shop @ Home is true), glad that you brought these tips to our attention, wonder if there are any Lego developer reading this post.
Thank you, Huw.
It's always great to see how parts can be used in novel applications. I probably wouldn't collect Clickits sets, but I may just have uses for the parts some time.
Huwbot has been returned to his box. Did you at least lock the box or hide it somewhere, Huw?
All so pretty. I have a handful of Clikits pieces so I might have a build with them later.
Liking Clickits is a thin line between fanboy-ism and bad taste :P
Wow, why did lego make that?! This theme is rubbish.
Interesting use of the Clickits parts there. Nice article, I like the mushrooms.
Generally speaking I find those 'sets' disappointing. Possibly a Lego embarrassment! IMHO. But I like the idea of using those decorative parts in prettyful MOCs.
@Huw:
While the One Ring isn't as strong a connection by itself, if you're tricky about it you can make it work. Long before the Tron Legacy set came out, I made my own lightcycle as many others had, building the wheels around the 41531 Technic cylinder, with 4x4 radar dishes for the covers. The problem is, it's two studs wide, centered on a beam that's one stud wide. So, you have to build out half a stud, or 1.25 plates, to get flush with the rims. I figured out a trick that gave me studded surfaces to connect the radar dishes to, and it uses a pair of the One Ring inside each wheel. But there's no clearance to fit these without filing them down.
One thing I noted was that the One Ring works best when you're attaching two hollow or recessed studs to each other. Logo studs stick up higher where the logo's printed, which spreads the parts farther apart and significantly decreases the amount of clutch.
The "mushroom" top parts would work really well as Jellyfish.
@Trigger_:
I've used the baker's hat for the top, and a stack of the old 4-petal flower plates for the tentacles, but I might have to give that a try. I've got two more Aquaman Vs displays to build, and jellyfish is one of the common elements I plan to include in all four displays.
Nice article. I have some Clickits. Our local LUG got some freebie giveaway bags few years ago with couple of strings and some decorative elements, and recently I got bunch from a friend. I've been using those on few MOCs recently. They have plenty of possiblities.
http://cyclopicbricks.blogspot.com/2018/10/radiant-exert-iv.html
http://cyclopicbricks.blogspot.com/2018/12/soar-swift-iv.html
http://cyclopicbricks.blogspot.com/2019/02/havoc-dissection-iv.html
Very nice work!
Some of these pieces would be great for MOCS.
my small clickits MOC for a fishing boat: https://bricksafe.com/files/tsi/parts/clikits.jpg
Why didn't they just design them with studs?! Where they not strong enough to hold jewelry together?
These parts need to be reissued somehow in other colors. I would like a lot of these connectors in Light Bluish Grey at least.