Scala: from ABS to foam
Posted by Huw,
This is the third in a short series about Scala dolls sets, prompted by recent random sets of the day.
If you view Scala in the database chronologically you'll notice that the first sets released were characterised by huge ABS pieces, dozens of unique elements, and intricately-made fabric clothes and housewares, which must have cost more to produce than they were sold for.
However, those released subsequently became much more sparse and by 2000 most of them consisted of little more than foam sheets. 3150 Puppy Playground, containing the adorable foxhounds Sita and Sniff, is perhaps the worst offender, as you will see after the break.
I suppose for a 40-piece set it's quite substantial but other than the baseplate and the dogs most of the other pieces are tiny. The bulk of it is formed from foam sheet.
Perhaps that's a good thing, given people probably bought it primarily for the dogs, so it kept the price down.
The foam pieces come in the box as die cut square sheets from which the shapes are pushed out. There should be four orange foam flowers but I could only find one, unfortunately.
This cheap and cheerful method of construction did introduce two interesting pieces, however.
This 2x2 dome with slots, design 33287, was used to mount the foam vertically. It was used in one non-Scala set, 3423 Freekick Frenzy in 2002, also to hold up a foam piece. Thankfully this method of construction has died a death so this part has too.
You will be familiar with the 1x1 plate with flower edge, design 33291, below. It was first introduced in Scala sets in 2000 and once the theme died it almost did too, only to be resurrected when Friends sets were launched in 2012.
Six years later it was replaced with the 5-petal version, design 24866 which solves the problem with these if you want to place them next to each other: unless they are lined up squarely, you can't.
This similar-looking piece, design 33286, Brick, Round 1x1x2/3 with Flower Edge, was also introduced in Scala sets and was used to join two foam pieces together through 1x1-round brick-sized holes.
It has a stud on one end, an anti-stud on the other, and a 318 hole running through it. It can be affixed in the middle of four studs, so it is quite versatile.
Away from Scala, it found use in early Harry Potter sets, and also in 3451 Sopwith Camel and 10024 Red Baron. It has not appeared since 2004.
Foxhound Sita and her pup Sniff are scaled appropriately for Scala dolls, so are huge compared to minifigs. They are made from single pieces of plastic with no articulation. They are painted well and accurately, and look adorable.
I'm told that the body shape doesn't quite suit a foxhound, and that'll be because it was first used for a dalmatian in 3110 Four Animal Friends in 1998. This set didn't even include a baseplate, just a cloth...
The adult dogs can hold parts with a 318 bar, such as the turkey leg -- also a new part in Scala sets -- in their mouth.
The adult cat lording it up on the furniture was also new in this set in white. Black and dark grey versions were also produced which appeared exclusively in Belville and Scala sets. The kittens were first seen in Belville sets in 1995 although I believe this is the first black one.
Three years later another dalmatian, with different spots and black ears, appeared in 3121 Summer Day Out.
Aren't they all cute!
According to the book Brick by Brick by David C. Robertson, Scala, along with Znap, and the Cybermaster robotics sets that were released at about the same time, 'were all outright failures' and contributed to the company's problems in the first few years of the 21st century. That was primarily due to internal mismanagement rather than quality of the product because, foam notwithstanding, Scala sets are generally excellent.
They form an interesting chapter in LEGO's history and I find it fascinating to look back at them. I hope you do too. I have a couple more Scala-related articles planned so stay tuned for more if so.
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33 comments on this article
Fascinating indeed!
So is Scala going to be 2021's Clickits for Huwbot... I hope not
Great review Huw, it certainly is interesting to look back, especially at all the parts that started in Scala before hopping across to System
Never realised those four petal flowers originated so long ago in Scala!
I like the dogs’ work boots
Right, I remember encountering such foam pieces as well as some fabric items in bulk lots and being a bit stumped by them, I'd have to check if I just threw them away or wisened up in time and kept them in the bag with the other, more obvious, Scala (or Belville? I think there was at least one Belville set there: 5840 , sans doll) pieces (a spiral staircase, lattice panels, those pieces with the special 'flowery' studs, some cats and dogs, a saddle,...) for when the little girl grew up a bit - speaking of which, she's turned four already so I reckon it's time to go check that bag to see what other treasures (well, relatively speaking anyway) I might encounter! :-D
Although I recollect seeing a distinctly *not* 'Friends'-cute light grey dolphin among those pieces which has been in use by my sons ever since I found it.
EDIT: looking at 5840 I finally can check these bows: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=30112c&idColor=44 T=C&C=44 as, indeed, LEGO! They had me in doubt for a long time...
Very interesting! Failure or not, I see some great and interesting parts originating in this theme.
Oh so that’s what those slotted domes were for. I’d see that particular space part pop up in various MOCs and kind of wonder what it was. But by the time I figured out how to search through BL I’d forgotten about it. Ha!
What a strange idea LEGO had.
Always assumed things like the carrots and turkey legs appeared first in things like City. Genuinely fascinating to hear they were first in Scala and were capable of making the jump to other themes
These are adorable! Yes having you for this series!
wait... its not ninjago?
Fascinating to see what parts began in Scala that later moved over to System and used in other themes. I would be interested to see an article covering more about that aspect, Huw.
Those dome pieces could work pretty well in sci-fi MOCs, I'll definitely look into that one.
If anything, Scala and Belville introduced a plethora of new parts. Most of them were only useful within the dollhouse system, but some (mostly minifig accessories) perservered. Looking back, it's fun to think that even a weird theme like Scala has left a lasting impression. First in having some of the smaller parts appear in non-Scala sets like the flower stud parts and parts like 33089 stand (used memorably in 7313 Red Planet Protector from 2001).
Then there is the recurring use of an obscure part like 6942 5x5 dish (used in some star wars sets, one creator set and a ninjago set). And the 1x1 flower petal stud in particular found its way in so many sets it felt like it came from Friends, not Scala!
And most minifig-scale food was from here. The apple, banana, carrot, turkey leg etc. All from Scala.
And the perfume set even appeared in a 2007 Harry Potter set (5378 Hogwarts Castle 3rd edition).
I love how stuff like the hinge system of Galidor (not the parts themselves) or the aeroplane engine from Jack Stone (43121 Engine, Large and x577 Blade) still live on today :D
I think my sister bough some of these Scala sets, I even have that orange chair.
The Scala kittens re-appeared in System as adult cats. I have the black kitten/cat which came in Fright Knights set 2872 .
It wasn't the first time LEGO had changed a creature's age by re-scaling it. In 269 , the temporal reverse was done when an adult minifigure was used to represent an infant.
@Brickalili said:
"Always assumed things like the carrots and turkey legs appeared first in things like City. Genuinely fascinating to hear they were first in Scala and were capable of making the jump to other themes "
It does explain why they're so oddly scaled. Apples as big as a minifig head, bananas as long as a leg...
All in all these sets weren't bad. But they had nothing to do with Lego.Znap ... there are no words to express what I think of that sets.
Other sets of the era were guilty of using paper cardstock pieces. The original Hogwarts Castle and Hagrid's Hut had cardstock roofs. Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Common rooms had massive cardstock backdrops. Life on Mars had a cardstock piece to cover a hollow gap in the main human shuttle.
Regarding the flower plates, you might be able to tessellate them if you rotate them all 22.5° in the same direction (I’m unable to check at the moment, so this is just an educated guess). This should nest the tabs of one plate in the notches of any adjacent plates. However, you would be very limited in what else you can place next to the, since the tabs will all stick out a bit. I’m not sure if I even 1x1 bricks, plates, tiles, or cones would fit.
>I have a couple more Scala-related articles planned so stay tuned for more if so.
I never asked for this
@Peeeeeeet said:
" @Brickalili said:
"Always assumed things like the carrots and turkey legs appeared first in things like City. Genuinely fascinating to hear they were first in Scala and were capable of making the jump to other themes "
It does explain why they're so oddly scaled. Apples as big as a minifig head, bananas as long as a leg..."
I honestly always assumed that was just how they were supposed to look; lots of minifig props are massively over scaled, with garages full of man sized wrenches and oil cans you could fit your head in
With all of these Scala articles, are we sure that Huwbot has not become sentient, taken over Brickset, and is using Huw as a human battery? Maybe a wellness check is in order?
2x2 dome is incredible element:
https://brickshelf.com/gallery/subix/VillDeSeppi/vila_de_seppi_-_stara.jpg
@legoninjago69 said:
"wait... its not ninjago?"
It would be interesting to combine the two.
I had so much fun with both sets as a kid.
I remember even back then I saw mosta sets as part pack and firat set gave me not only food but also dishes!
@xboxtravis7992 said:
"Other sets of the era were guilty of using paper cardstock pieces. The original Hogwarts Castle and Hagrid's Hut had cardstock roofs. Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Common rooms had massive cardstock backdrops. Life on Mars had a cardstock piece to cover a hollow gap in the main human shuttle. "
Not cardstock but Vinyl, which lasts longer and is more resistant to creasing. At least to me, cardstock is a paper product and I can say for certain that two of the sets in your list have vinyl sheets.
Really enjoying these articles, maybe some about Gallidor and/or Znap may be possible in the future.
So you LIKE the foam (not withstanding) or not (excepted)?
This is not Lego, so I don't know why you even mention it...
@Altair1970 said:
"This is not Lego, so I don't know why you even mention it..."
Because…this is LEGO?
As a company, they've produced far more than we're familiar with over their 50+ years of operation.
Your statement seems ignorant of their history as a toy company, like someone finding Nintendo-Brand playing cards and assuming they must be fake since they're 'obviously' not a video game.
LEGO started manufacture with wood! Their original patents regard carving processes.
Personally, I'm enjoying these articles that explore the history and failures of a company whose products I otherwise enjoy.
The Breyer dogs are bloody expensive, given that they seem to have retired the Traditional-scale "Companion Animals"years ago; and only occasionally do the dog molds pop up; typically a small to medium breed dog in a set with a horse or two (I think the last one was a cattle dog included with a calf and cutting horse). And it didn't help that the Golden Retriever I'd had for 15 years had the tail break off when she fell off a shelf (typical brittle Breyer plastic). A replacement is gonna be like $30 alone. I remember paying $15 for the two pack contaning her at a small local variety store whose main thing at that time was being a Breyer dealer. The Scala dogs on Bricklink are MUCH cheaper.
While I'm not a big fan of foam elements, I actually quite like cloth ones. Huge tarps and banners are always fun!
@Galaxy12_Import:
If the LoM set is the one I'm thinking of, that fits over the center of the ship like the cloth on a covered wagon (except there's really nothing underneath), but the material is a type of plastic they refer to as "foil", much like what was used for the Forma sets.