Random part of the day: Antenna 1X1X8
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random part is 47094, 'Antenna 1X1X8', which is a System part, category Signs, Flags And Poles.
Our members collectively own a total of 320,474 of them. If you'd like to buy some you should find them for sale at BrickLink.
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Kind of amazing how, just from "members collectively own..." I can tell that a piece has had a new mould made.
A part that cannot be missed while building a communications center.
What I like with Bricklink is you get all the numbers in one place: 2569, 25699, 47094. Available in 13 'solid' colours and 10 'trans' colours. Appears in 390 sets (quite a few are parts pack).
Oh, weird, this part number has both opaque _and_ transparent colors. I wonder what type of plastic it’s made of now.
Ugh... Kind of in a love-hate-relationship with this element...
I could not imagine '90s Space without it, but it was also prone of falling off of models by the slightest touch. Not to mention how easily it could get warped!
Fun fact: This part was in fact introduced with M:Tron and was originally exclusive to both the theme and it's trademark color trans-neon green.
Also I found almost all transparent parts of this design made between ca. 1992-2005 to have an easily visible air bubble moulded in it's base (the 3.18 section), whilst both the oldest versions from 1990 and 1991 (?) as well as more recent ones do not have this 'feature'. I wonder if the new design number had to do with this.
I love the old whip antenna! Except it really should be fluorescent orange.
It was one of my favourite parts as a kid in the 90-s. In trans-neon color from some space set. I could hardly MOC it anywhere, just enjoyed interacting with it.
@Atuin said:
"Ugh... Kind of in a love-hate-relationship with this element...
I could not imagine '90s Space without it, but it was also prone of falling off of models by the slightest touch. Not to mention how easily it could get warped!
Fun fact: This part was in fact introduced with M:Tron and was originally exclusive to both the theme and it's trademark color trans-neon green."
There were some times when it was attached a bit more sturdily, or the connection was covered up so they wouldn’t get knocked off so easily but yeah a lot of the time these were just tacked on and would fall right off if you looked at them.
And yes I have so many of these in neon green. Not even sure where half of them actually came from!
Found my cat playing with one of these the other day
I remember buying 6833-1 just to get one of these in the new neon yellow colour. I found two spares in the set! I don’t think this does justice to the excitement 8 year old me felt, and looking back, I don’t think I ever did much with them.
They were the days my friends!
When my daughter was about two she quite forcefully shoved one of these into my ear.
I had bent over to pick up a set I’d dropped, when suddenly there was a sharp pain in my left ear. I hollered and stood up sharply, which startled her. I looked down and she had one of these in her hand. I couldn’t figure out how she’d so quickly and deftly crammed it into my ear canal.
Unfortunately she damaged the ear canal close to the drum, causing an ear infection. I had to get some antibiotics to clear it up. Fortunately I didn’t suffer any hearing loss. But I was wary around her at ground level after that.
Got my first ones of these - also in neon green - from 6494 Mystic Mountain Time Lab, my first 'big' set as a kid. They were fascinating parts to me... one of those pieces that I went on to use in more or less *everything* I built for several years from that point, regardless of just how little sense it made!
@peterlmorris said:
"When my daughter was about two she quite forcefully shoved one of these into my ear.
I had bent over to pick up a set I’d dropped, when suddenly there was a sharp pain in my left ear. I hollered and stood up sharply, which startled her. I looked down and she had one of these in her hand. I couldn’t figure out how she’d so quickly and deftly crammed it into my ear canal.
Unfortunately she damaged the ear canal close to the drum, causing an ear infection. I had to get some antibiotics to clear it up. Fortunately I didn’t suffer any hearing loss. But I was wary around her at ground level after that. "
Maybe that’s why LEGO now says 3+ on their packaging.
@Slobrojoe:
Well, it’s used as a laser beam in 76831, so that makes perfect sense.
@peterlmorris:
When I was an adult, with a mortgage, my mom told me that my brother perforated his own eardrum with a cotton swab. He’s four years older than me. Naturally, that’s where I expected this story was going. Anyways, toddlers may not have fine motor skills, but that’s a large target for someone that small.