Random part of the day: Plate 2X4, W/ 2 Knobs

Why wouldn't you just place two of 87580 next to each other instead?

@Legodud9898 said:
"Why wouldn't you just place two of 87580 next to each other instead?"

The same reason you wouldn't use 6 1x1 plates instead of a single 1x2 brick.

^or 2,304 1x1 plates to get the similar feel to a XL baseplate, with slightly higher height!

@Legodud9898 said:
"Why wouldn't you just place two of 87580 next to each other instead?"

People have given a few memey answers, but the specific reason:

Minecraft sets use 87580 to create loose connections for removable parts.

Minecraft sets used to use 2x4 bricks to elevate their baseplates and connect baseplates together.

Eventually Minecraft decided to stop elevating it's baseplates, but still need a way to connect baseplates together without ruining the aesthetic.

I consider jumper type pieces like this to be tiles with knobs (i.e., modified tiles) rather than modified plates. Plates suggest studs on a grid pattern, which none of these types of parts possess as they are offset.

@Legodud9898:
You’re thinking up, but not down. I use 2x2 tiles to make parking lots and display plates for my cars, but I use 2x4 tiles to link the baseplates together. Sometimes you need a larger part to hold what’s beneath it together, to bridge a gap, or to provide a more stable base for what you’re building above it.

@Modulus said:
"Why does this post and the database claim there are 45 total sets, when only 39 are listed? Comparing with Bricklink, I think 39 is the correct number of sets this piece has appeared in. Is the total 45 the result of a programming bug? None of the previous RPotD entries seem to have this mismatch."

Usually the culprit is the inclusion of "set collections" in the count in addition to the sets themselves. For example, this part might be included in some of the Mario CMFs, so it also gets counted in the complete box of that CMF series. Haven't checked to confirm, but just a hunch.

When I saw the thumbnail, I thought, “This is one of those parts where someone’s going to ask why people don’t just use two of the obvious component parts.”

Clicked on the comments and I was not disappointed!

@MeisterDad said:
"I consider jumper type pieces like this to be tiles with knobs (i.e., modified tiles) rather than modified plates. Plates suggest studs on a grid pattern, which none of these types of parts possess as they are offset."

I prefer to think that tiles have no studs at all. Like real tiles.

Riddle me this:
At Bricklink
plate 2x4 w/ 2 knobs is a plate (modified), but
plate 3x4 w/ 4 knobs is a tile (modified)?

( @huw, no emoji can be put in comment?)

It does seem to be mainly used to hold neighbouring plates together in minecraft, with 21161 including 14 of them, where a smooth 4x2 tiles would also work in most cases but I guess this still allows an attachment if needed to secure a figure or object.

I don't think I actually own any of these! The 2x2 jumper tiles are still the cool new kid on the block to me.

@MeisterDad:
There are three major differences between plates and tiles. Plates have studs, while tiles don’t. Tiles have grooves around the base, while plates don’t. And tiles sit just a tiny bit lower than plates, which are a full 2 LDU tall. Since most of us don’t walk around with calipers handy, the latter isn’t a very useful metric. It really comes down to studs or grooves. Several parts are partially studded, which you could argue either way, so the groove is the most reliable way to differentiate the two. There are two problems with this. One is that not everyone agrees (there are three camps, which are “studs = plate”, “smooth = tile”, and “it depends”). And the other is that this would split the original jumper plate into both categories as the groove was added to Type 2 and Type 3 jumpers, but was not present on Type 1 jumpers.

@Galaxy12_Import:
I think we can rule out the Mario packets, as this is only used in three Mario sets, none of which are blind packets.

@gsom7:
Yeah, that doesn’t make sense. The former is only 1/4 (3/12) studded, with a groove. The latter is 1/3 (4/12) studded, with no groove. By any metric, at least one of those is in the wrong category.

To clarify my opinion, when I hear “plate, modified” I think “I started with a plate and made changes to it.” In this case, I would have started with a 2x4 plate, eliminated all the studs, effectively making it a tile (groove or no groove is a modification as well depending from where you start) and then add the two knobs as shown.

When I suggest “tile, modified,” I do the same thing except I start with a tile instead of a plate. Since the starting piece more resembles a tile to me, it makes more sense in my opinion to call it a modified tile.

Now the actual production process LEGO uses may very well begin with a plate (presence or not of groove, overall dimensions and so on), so it would follow this element is a modified plate, but by empirical observation the tile seems more fitting to me.