New Periodic table of LEGO colours now available
Posted by Huw,
WLWYB has produced a new version of its popular periodic table of LEGO colours. Version 3 features more hues than before and is easier to read.
Furthermore, Brickset readers can enjoy a 10% discount on the retail price of €49.99 when using the code Brickset at checkout when purchasing at wlwyb.com.
Take a look at it close up after the break.
We reviewed the previous version back in 2021 and in terms of construction this one is much the same. The chart, which measures 300x400mm, consists of genuine LEGO pieces stuck onto a sheet of thick plastic card which is printed with information about the colours.
Version 2 of the chart featured 65 colours, this one has 75, and the boxes surrounding each one provide more information than before, including LEGO and BrickLink names and numbers, the number of sets containing the colour and the years of production.
The coloured square in the top left corner indicates whether it's a solid, glitter, transparent or other type, although that is largely obvious from the LEGO piece.
Luckily there's a key at the bottom which explains it all.
The current batch of 1,000 also has a holographic sticker in the bottom corner with a unique number written on it.
It's a vast improvement over version 2 both in terms of design and the information provided. The only thing that bothers me about it is the superfluous 'the' in the 'periodic table of the LEGO colours' title at the top, but that's probably subjective.
There are a few errors in the dates of introduction, which is frustrating, particularly as some have been carried over from v2.
If you don't know your bright yellowish green from your spring yellowish green then you could do worse than hang one of these in your LEGO room for reference.
It's available now from wlwyb.com and is priced at €49.99, but Brickset readers can enjoy a 10% discount by using the code Brickset at checkout.
Thanks to wlwtb for providing a sample to examine. All opinions expressed are my own.
131 likes
46 comments on this article
Color me impressed.
Is this available for shipping to the US?
EDIT: Answer, yes. Reading and research. They’re fundamental, kids.
It’s great, but I really can’t see past that unneeded ‘the’, it reads wrong every time I look at it!
Can't they just make proper table with ALL colors? They gonna add 10 every year? I have ~20 more colors in my inventory and I don't consider myself as a pro.
@_Callie_ said:
"It’s great, but I really can’t see past that unneeded ‘the’, it reads wrong every time I look at it!"
It's not just me then...
@Semigod said:
"Can't they just make proper table with ALL colors? They gonna add 10 every year? I have ~20 more colors in my inventory and I don't consider myself as a pro. "
To be fair, the chart probably includes every colour for which a 1x1 piece is available and which has not been obsolete for years.
Nice, but it looks incomplete even if I usually understand why.
That being said, are we sure the information provided is accurate? For example, it seems to imply that Light and Dark Bluish Grey have been introduced in the early nineties, which seems doubtful (most sources point to 2003-2004, as does my memory).
Missing a few colors.... Sand red and sand purple come to mind, though sand green and sand blue are there.
@Tupperfan said:
"Nice, but it looks incomplete even if I usually understand why.
That being said, are we sure the information provided is accurate? For example, it seems to imply that Light and Dark Bluish Grey have been introduced in the early nineties, which seems doubtful (most sources point to 2003-2004, as does my memory).
"
There are some anomalies, mostly to do with date of introduction, sand green is another example.
@Murdoch17 said:
"Missing a few colors.... Sand red and sand purple come to mind, though sand green and sand blue are there."
Good luck finding enough sand red 1x1 cones to make 1,000 of these and AFAIK there were never any 1x1 pieces made in sand purple.
@Murdoch17 said:
"Missing a few colors.... Sand red and sand purple come to mind, though sand green and sand blue are there."
There's a lot of older retired colors not present, most of which don't really exist viably in 1x1 pieces, so the exclusions make sense. The only one that comes to mind for me is Satin Trans-Dark Pink, a 65092 should do there.
Over all, I don't see any glaring issues on this iteration! :) The only thing would be the years on the Stone Greys, as Tupperfan pointed out. Both of those should start at 03. Metallic Silver could also mention "Cool Silver, Drum Lacquered" (the ID is already there).
Perhaps in a similar fashion to how Metallic Gold/Silver are handled with two LEGO Ids, Dark Pink and PDG could also mention 22 Medium Reddish Violet, and 148 Dark Grey Metallic.
@Huw said:
" @_Callie_ said:
"It’s great, but I really can’t see past that unneeded ‘the’, it reads wrong every time I look at it!"
It's not just me then..."
The subject matter is called “The periodic table of THE elements.” Sooooo…
Shame it's already outdated with the new Trans-Black. Producer should allow "Add-ons" for people who have bought this.
It is cool for modern colors, but I would be interested in one with all the real crazy collectors colors from the 2000's. Maersk Blue, Sand Red, Flip Flop Yellow/Silver/Copper, Pearl colors, etc. LEGO's colors went really wild for a while back then.
@Huw said:
" @Semigod said:
"Can't they just make proper table with ALL colors? They gonna add 10 every year? I have ~20 more colors in my inventory and I don't consider myself as a pro. "
To be fair, the chart probably includes every colour for which a 1x1 piece is available and which has not been obsolete for years."
Well, just increasing piece size to 1x2 will alow to double the chart in color numbers. And making them 2x2 will cover 99% of colors, just saying.
I understand that they want it to be tidy but it already isn't with all those different shapes ;)
My mind can’t cope with the different bricks.and pieces used. Gotta bricks, plates or tiles but not a mix :-D
With version 3, now we can be collectors of collections of colours too?
RIP Trans-Neon Orange 1993-2022
so the question stands unanswered in V3 ... what exactly is periodic about the colours presented here?
there is no logic at all to arrange colours in a chemical elements sorting system that just looks how it looks because that's how quantum physics makes the elements to be.
it will never work, it will never be logical, it's just a imitation of a popular form that falls apart the moment one thinks about it.
I was definitely interested and the design of v3 is definitely the best (without the distracting bright yellow color of the background from v2), but given that some incorrect information is there (even carried forward from v2) AND it's missing quite a few colors and showing an incomplete table, I really can't justify ordering one to put on display near my Lego collection. I could deal with it not being accurate after 2023...but the errors and omissions to Lego history will constantly bug me.
Even if those older pieces aren't easily available and the table needs to not include physical representations of those colors, it would be nice to have the space on the table so that we could add the missing and hard-to-obtain pieces on our own...and they at least wouldn't be ignored.
I mean, it really shouldn't be that hard to make sure the table's data is accurate. Did WLWYB even ask anyone to double-check their work?
@Snail said:
"so the question stands unanswered in V3 ... what exactly is periodic about the colours presented here?
there is no logic at all to arrange colours in a chemical elements sorting system that just looks how it looks because that's how quantum physics makes the elements to be.
it will never work, it will never be logical, it's just a imitation of a popular form that falls apart the moment one thinks about it. "
My thoughts were similar, there is nothing "periodic" about colour when compared to elements. It would be more appropriate if the colours were arranged a la ROYGBIV.
@Quinnly said:
" @Huw said:
" @_Callie_ said:
"It’s great, but I really can’t see past that unneeded ‘the’, it reads wrong every time I look at it!"
It's not just me then..."
The subject matter is called “The periodic table of THE elements.” Sooooo…"
Yes. My thoughts exactly. The official download and print of the subject matter is called The Periodic Table of THE Elements as published by the The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) organization. Scientists, are not exactly known for their creativity or artistic styling though.
As far as the periodicity of colors, I can't argue with what's been said. It is funny how many things are made to look like periodic tables that lack periodicity. These facsimiles are created by artists who see the table as a style, perhaps. Artists are not known for their adherence to strict complexity to patterns such as the foundational pattern of the periodic table.
Double 1:2
Double 1 Double 3: 2,6 or 8
Double 1 Double 3 Double 5: 2,6,10 or 18
Double 1 Double 3 Double 5 Double 7: 2,6,10,14 or 32
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s3 3p6 4s2 3d10 4p6 ....
@MeisterDad said:
"With version 3, now we can be collectors of collections of colours too?"
I collect collectors of collections of colours. Welcome to my collection!
I have the previous version of this and I like the new design even more - it looks less 80s and more modern. Also, the company has good service - my first table had a couple small indented scratches in it, so they sent me a new one free of charge and let me keep the old one (I'm guessing it's not worth the return shipping).
Ordered one during the first lockdown and it never arrived. Customer services did zero to help.
When are they gonna distinguish the 2 different types of trans neon orange? It is annoying that no distinction was ever made despite the coloration change.
My head can deal with the extra 'the', but not with the missing 'u'...
Seems they don't like the 'the' either as it only appears on the chart itself, everywhere else on the webpage refers to it as 'Periodic Table of LEGO Colors'
@Quinnly said:
" @Huw said:
" @_Callie_ said:
"It’s great, but I really can’t see past that unneeded ‘the’, it reads wrong every time I look at it!"
It's not just me then..."
The subject matter is called “The periodic table of THE elements.” Sooooo…"
But the name is "Periodic Table of the LEGO Colors" not "The Periodic Table of the LEGO Colors." Left is better, but no "the"s should be better in this case.
Sorry. Couldn't look past COLORS. I suppose there is at least a degree of mercy that Lego don't call any colour Aluminium!
2x2 would look better for a "periodic table"
This is a AMAZING product, both from a collector point of view and seller.... especially if you are a seller cuz then you can make sure to match the colors for listing on Bricklink or what not.
I do really like this. The updates have solved most of my issues with the previous iterations. However, I just don't think I have room for it anywhere. Hmm....
I recommend one, especially after my experience with the company. I bought one, and it has a foam sticker on the back which has a hole to hang it up. After a few months the glue failed and it fell to the floor cracking the board. I let them know what happened and they sent me a new one out. Cant ask for better customer service.
While these are very nice to look at, there are definitely some glaring inaccuracies. A product that sells itself as reliable cannot rely on BrickLink’s information as a source. Dark Tan and Dark Red are not from the 1960s, and the stone grey years are horribly inaccurate. They need to consult with experts for version 4. :)
I am just wondering why the blue, green and pinks in the bottom right corner 'Std', 'Stg' etc are not placed under the corresponding columns in the middle of the table or insert new column leaving the right most columns just for the mono greys, whites, black etc. as in version 1.
@Snail said:
"so the question stands unanswered in V3 ... what exactly is periodic about the colours presented here?
there is no logic at all to arrange colours in a chemical elements sorting system that just looks how it looks because that's how quantum physics makes the elements to be.
it will never work, it will never be logical, it's just a imitation of a popular form that falls apart the moment one thinks about it. "
That's because it's art, not science.
Entirely fair to not enjoy it because of that, but its existence is valid as an art piece.
@_Callie_ said:
"It’s great, but I really can’t see past that unneeded ‘the’, it reads wrong every time I look at it!"
Now I can't unsee it!
Looks like the batch number was originally '424', then hastily renumbered to be '444'. Looks messy, but human error.
It reminds me of a 'Periodic Table of Alum Bay Coloured Sands' souvenir I once had!
I do really like it.
But I think that a brick-built one on large grey baseplates, with printed tiles would be better, allowing for expansion and endless fun re-arranging it all !!
Who is buying these? All I ever see is the paid sponsorships.
Does anyone make something simpler for colorblind people? That looks cool and all but has a wealth of useless information. I just need something to help me identify grays from the bluish grays, etc.
I bought one, arrived after 2½ weeks. Its gorgeous, well made, sturdy and visually great. Well worth the money. Now I just need to get it framed.
I ordered one of these in mid July. It is yet to arrive and they say they shipped it on the 8th of August. It must be on a life raft crossing the ocean.
i saw this about ten minutes ago and ordered it immeditely. really great stuff for hardcore collectest :D
Has anyone received theirs yet?