Random part of the day: Fric/Stump With Cross Hole

huh, that's a great name for that part. Also this is one of my favorites, all the classic creator sets that included these parts were cool.

Stumps, huh? I think that should stick.

Ah, the new version without the cutout slots in the sides. I honestly don't know which version I like better visually.

idk how, but all of the opposites of this piece I have are now loose and unusable :t

This is the kind of piece that's always missing when you buy used sets... I tend to buy them when I'm ordering from Bricklink because of that. Fortunately they're usually very cheap.

These things are SO handy! I’ve used’em for robotic tentacles, fingers, snake-bot tails, sciencey bits, and even a double-ended mech sword!

(Sorry, no jokes this time, just facts.)

What's your favourite Lego part? That's easy, it has to be Fric Stump

I'm surprised the original version of this part was new for 2001; I would have been sure it was older. I guess that makes the first set I encountered it in also one of its fairly early appearances overall: the flame jets mounted on the back of the skis of 6771, Ogel Command Striker.

Oh yeah, Fric Stump with Cross Hole
I've got their first album on tape somewhere

Fric Stump sounds like a insane hillbilly cousin of Forrest Gump.

Wait... I can hear "dueling banjos" and smell moonshine! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! IT'S FRIC STUMP!!!

@GSR_MataNui:
That depends on which generation you use.

@Lip_McTile:
There are at least three generations of these parts. The first ones felt tight enough when you were just ratcheting a pair of click hinge parts with nothing else attached, but they used them for landing gear on 7143, which would collapse the instant you tried to pick the model up. I once made a spider mech with these, and it would collapse under its own weight unless I placed it on a studded surface where the feet had something to brace against.

The next generation overcorrected the amount of friction, such that trying to open canopies would often rip the connecting bricks free from the model. But they were great for posing models, since they could support a significant amount of weight.

The third generation removed a few key teeth so friction was reduced at specific angles, while presumably keeping the amount of friction between individual sets of teeth consistent. When closed, click hinged cockpits have less resistance to moving. Once you get them started, they tend to ratchet cleanly through all the positions without any trouble, kinda like inertia, plus the clutch strength of the attached bricks is going to vary based on the angle of pressure exerted by pressing on the windscreen.

@TransNeonOrangeSpaceman:
I once read that truck tailgates were an auto part that thieves like to target. They tend to be left unlocked for owner convenience on trucks with open beds that anyone can just reach into, and once opened, many of them can be quickly removed with no tools required. Plus, there’s a huge market for used tailgates because so many people have to replace them after having theirs stolen.

Maybe when you buy these sets Used, the missing click hinge parts have been listed separately by the same seller, or will be at a later date.

@ThatBionicleGuy:
Remember that these aren’t original parts, but a single system of parts to replace several types of incompatible finger hinges. These specifically replaced the old bendy arms from the Homemaker maxifigs that predate the minifig, and which saw a lot of alternate use in various Space and Aquazone subthemes. There was also a system that used either a 1x4 plate or 1x4 tile as the mount, and the system with the 1x2 plates that could be used for stud reversal. I believe the lone holdout to this shift is the lever w/ base, which was compatible with the 1x2 plate w/ 3 fingers, but is just too small to accommodate the bulky click hinge design.

Took me awhile to figure out that fric = friction.

Using long chains of these looks like a rubberhose cartoon (like first Mickey Mouse animations)