Random part of the day: Plate 1X2 W. Hinge

I have only had the old style hinges in clone brand sets, and they sucked. How are they in actual LEGO compared to click hinges?

I got one of these in black

It seems huwbot is refering to the part in the specific color. But it doesn't specify that in the post, so it seems the part is rare, but only that color is. In other colors this part is extremely common.

These were awesome. Prone to snapping, but far nicer than click hinges.

Lots to like about these; continuous range of rotation, single plate height, extended part family like the 2x2 turntable and 10L bar... Solid part design all around and pulled their weight until the current standard was introduced.

Huwbot seems to have Pharos on the mind again (or server?)

Oh, finger hinges, you're unreliable and die early, but I still miss you so, so much!

@cody6268 Off-brand finger hinges are often slightly thicker than thes from lego and don't work as smoothly. LEGO finger hinges have a better fit.
Other than breaking off their biggest problem is wear (which can happen to c-clips as well).
So, for excessive movement play, toothed hinges are the most durable, they but take up space and loose aesthetics.
Ball joints are also awesome but need even more space =)

I will not miss these pieces. Quite a few of them have broken in my old sets.

As a kid it always seemed like I didn't have enough of these to go with various two finger hinges.

@PurpleDave said:
" @cody6268:
Finger hinges, click hinges, and bar/clip hinges each have their advantages and disadvantages. One trick with finger hinges that can’t be replicated with any of the other options is a stud reversal that’s only one plate thick. All three types can be used for aesthetic purposes, where nothing can achieve the same look. I’ve used this exact design in black as part of a car grille. The click version might stick out too far and hit the panels these were nested within. The clip version won’t work because the clip extends below the bottom of the plate. You can also mount lever handles in the 3-finger hinges, which gives you two levers in the space normally occupied by one.

@oldfan:
Even click hinges have had their issues. Early on, they were too loose, so the landing gear on 7669 would collapse with the slightest bump. Then they got so stiff that closing a cockpit canopy would often rip its moorings loose. Finally, they kept the stiff design but changed the tooth patterns so it has less resistance in a few key positions but otherwise retains its strength.

@gonzalo_prestia:
No, it says this only came in one color, which wouldn’t make sense if it had picked a specific color. Plus, there’s no mention of which color that would be."

Yeah the original Jedi Starfighter in 2002 (ish) had this exact issue too. Always assumed it was just my set as a kid!

The finger hinges are nostalgic but honestly I prefer the clip system we have now. It's a bit bulkier but feels much more versatile.

@drussell said:
"Wasn't part no. 2452 made in a bunch of colors? Or is it a slightly different design?
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?id=107&idColor=2&ccName=4173831 T=C&C=2"
On the Bricklink page you liked to, it says in the additional notes that "This part has variants with differing underside pins." I suspect that means that the Brickset data, coming directly from Lego's official inventories as it does, specifically differentiates between those mould variants - and that this specific variant was only found in that one set / colour - while Bricklink simply groups them all together because they're so similar.

That's my guess, at any rate.

EDIT: ...or the other variations simply aren't in Brickset's data at all. At least, no version except this one seems to be turning up in my search for it.

@ThatBionicleGuy said:
" @drussell said:
"Wasn't part no. 2452 made in a bunch of colors? Or is it a slightly different design?
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?id=107&idColor=2&ccName=4173831 T=C&C=2"
On the Bricklink page you liked to, it says in the additional notes that "This part has variants with differing underside pins." I suspect that means that the Brickset data, coming directly from Lego's official inventories as it does, specifically differentiates between those mould variants - and that this specific variant was only found in that one set / colour - while Bricklink simply groups them all together because they're so similar.

That's my guess, at any rate.

EDIT: ...or the other variations simply aren't in Brickset's data at all. At least, no version except this one seems to be turning up in my search for it."

There were versions with a hole in the pin (like many modern parts) and ones without it (those were the older variant). However I am not sure when the transition took place. But given that all known colors were available in it's final years of production, I'm at least certain, that the 'hole-in-pin' variant exists in all of it's colors, while the older version does not.

When talking about these types of hinges, I still do prefer them over click hinges out of their aesthetics. They can achieve things that click hinges simply can't, because they are too large to fit in smaller spaces or have some 'bulbs' sticking out from otherwise smooth surfaces.

However I clearly remember having a lot of them either break or becoming so loose, they would not hold anything. This happened far less, when I grew older and took better caution when using these. It is highly advisable to avoid disassembling these, because every time you would wear out the tiny pins/holes that are hidden inside the fingers.

Those type of hinges (and also the round version in sets like 6155 : Deep Sea Predator) , just won't really stand the test of time, in durability, as pieces get older.

@oldfan said:
"While the current click hinges will be absolutely rigid throughout their useful life, the angles are limited to just a few positions around 180 degrees. Overall I prefer the older style, but to each their own."

There's still the clip + bar option or the small ball joints.

Example of a modern set using mostly clip bar arms : 11939 31041 30477

But it's understandable LEGO often chooses click hinges for durability or supporting weight even in 2 of those sets I listed the crane arm / tongue is supported by a click part.

The addition of part number 18649 Plate 1x2 w. 2 shafts ø 3.2 in 2015, and 26047 PLATE 1X1 ROUND W/3.2 SHAFT in 2016 certainly also expanded clip+bar possibilities in the last few year, maybe not as revolutionary as the 2014 mixel joint, but still great plates with bars to extend clips on like those old 3 teeth hinges could.

@MisterBrickster:
Or maybe it was Obi-Wan’s version I was thinking of. Whenever it happened, they were about as stable as wet spaghetti, but the problem got fixed pretty quickly. However, I think it was around the same time they started messing with the lever bases, so there are some bases that barely had any clutch, others that would force themselves back off the stud, and then they got back to normal-ish clutch (I think the current ones have just a tiny bit less than the originals, so there would be four different clutch strengths).

@ThatBionicleGuy:
I really doubt they generate new design ID numbers for something as trivial as this. What @Atuin refers to is a hat-pin hole, like on the Robin Hood hat. You can plug feathers into the center of the bars on the underside of a 1x plate, so it is a functional difference, but not one that I’ve ever seen used in any official capacity. For them, it’s really just about saving a fraction of a fraction of a Kroner per part by leaving voids where there used to be plastic, and perhaps changing the external aesthetics a smidge by preventing dimples (far more critical on tiles than plates). When they change the design ID, it’s for stuff like the 1x2 jumper plate, which started out like a regular 1x2 plate with only one recessed stud in the center. The next version added a tile-style groove around the base so you could pop them off with the chisel end of a Type 2 brick separator. And the third got rid of the underside bar and replaced it with special spurs that allow it to be centered on top of a single regular stud. In each case, they intentionally altered the functionality in ways that they probably have made use of.

I’ve sold a lot of these on bricklink since adding a bunch a couple months ago. They seem very popular still and done are pretty expensive.