LEGO parts made of Chinese plastic?

[SpiderSpaceman]

Whoops. Reading comprehension FTW.

I've read the three series "in the middle" (2nd, 3rd and 4th) were indeed more comparable to (some of) the magnet figures in quality than to other figures; I don't remember the exact thread, but I seem to remember reading somewhere around here that it was a noticeable drop from the first volume, and that the fifth one (the all-female one) was subsequently a step back up in quality, albeit still with the "different" plastic (or molds). I haven't touched the three in the middle (in part because of a hesitancy after seeing those quality complaints, and in part because I just never manage to get everything I want anyway), but I do have Volumes 1 and 5. I do agree the figures in Volume 5 are pretty much like the collectible minifigures - a softer, matte-type finish and possibly a different plastic, but nowhere near the horror of the Santa magnet minifigure. I find the volume 5 minifigures entirely satisfactory (and personally am very glad to have the set, since I don't have any of the sets the originals come in, alas). The minifigures in Volume 1 (which I see still hasn't been reviewed here; perhaps I should review it myself) don't even have the minor differences of Volume 5 and/or the collectible minifigures - they have the same shiny finish, the same look and feel of minifigures from regular sets, everything.

Yeah and I like my series 5 too

It let me make my Angry Swiss Barmaid (leia hair, takeshi's face, pirate bodice, fabuland axe)

[Christopher]

How do I find out if a set contains pieces from China in the online Lego Shop?

[Aanchir]

How do I find out if a set contains pieces from China in the online Lego Shop?

No real way of finding that out from LEGOshop.com. I really wish that there were some online database (whether Brickset, Bricklink, or another site entirely) that gave the sorts of details from the box that sites these days tend to ignore (such as recommended age and places of production for each set).

In general, almost all current sets include parts produced in Denmark, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. This includes recent BIONICLE/Hero Factory sets which are produced only in these locations. Other LEGO sets (such as those from the Atlantis theme) usually include parts produced in Mexico and China. The Chinese plant is the only one that is extremely different from the others because as far as I know TLG doesn't own the production facility themselves (many of the other production facilities were previously owned by other companies but were "insourced" in the past several years to give TLG complete control of production).

The Collectible Minifigures (8683, 8684, 8803, 8804, and 8805) are produced in China and China alone. Other parts that are known (or at least, widely assumed) to be produced in China are specially-painted parts or parts with complex printing. These parts are usually individually packed in tiny plastic bags inside a set. Examples include the Rock Monsters from the Power Miners theme, the specialized head pieces from the Toy Story theme, and the treasure rings from the Atlantis theme.

Note also that problems with "Chinese plastic" tend only to apply to ABS parts. I have never heard of any quality issues involving Chinese-made polycarbonate parts, which includes anything glassy and transparent, or Chinese-made polypropylene parts, which includes the "softer" plastic used for BIONICLE weapons (this may of course be because BIONICLE sets have never been produced in China).

And on another related note, keep in mind that the Chinese plant does not use a different plastic to save on production costs. The reason Chinese production began was to open up more capacity for producing parts (with lower labor costs possibly being another unstated reason). The use of different materials was an unfortunate consequence of Chinese manufacturing laws which require a certain amount of the materials for production to come from domestic sources. Despite being a separate plastic, most Chinese parts are still made from ABS in as close a formulation as is possible to that used in LEGO's other production facilities around the globe.

[horizon]

Funny note from the Ninjago serie:

I have a chinese ninja

and a non-chinese ninja

The hood fits much better on the chinese ninja.

The hood is very loose on the regular ninja.

[escortmad79]

Funny note from the Ninjago serie:

I have a chinese ninja

and a non-chinese ninja

The hood fits much better on the chinese ninja.

The hood is very loose on the regular ninja.

Printing is better quality on the Chinese stuff too!

[Piranha]

No, we've been aware of the fact that the Collectible Minifigs were made of China plastic for a while. I'd say TLG thought that 16 different new minifigs of limited production runs would be really expensive to produce and that we wouldn't want to pay $5+ for a single 'fig.

And as far as I'm concerned, they thought right. If I had to pay $5 for one 'fig, I'd probably only get 2-3 of each series. Not to mention what people buying cases, Spartan armies, or complete series would be paying. Besides, for those who don't have a cheat sheet, the cheaper price makes it easier to keep guessing.

there is only one problem, I know find myself paying $5+ shipping on the aftermarket for some of the figs, and yet they are still of a lesser quality. I would have been 100% fine with paying extra for something that is quality, it is quality over quantity for me. But I guess you get what you paid for.

Edited June 4, 2011 by Macoco

[City Triplets]

The Chinese parts aren't that bad. They just feel a little bit lighter, and more translucent. The Collectible Minifigures and specialized parts, such as Gungan's head, are made of that plastic.

[horizon]

Hi,

On the games Robo Champ & Save a Sheep I noticed some parts are produced in Germany, Czech Republic.

[Brickdoctor]

On the games Robo Champ & Save a Sheep I noticed some parts are produced in Germany, Czech Republic.

Parts have been made at plants there for a while. They're of European plastic quality and are no different from Danish parts.

[r1chard]

For me, this 'issue' is of very little base. The figs that I have that were made in China seem little different from regular sets- The only 'quality problems' I have experienced are loose hips. In fact, my s3 Tennis Girl is inseparable from other figs!

I notice this 'loose hips' too on my Series 2 Mini-figures.

I hope this doesn't worsen to 'loose lip' (sank ships).

The Chinese parts aren't that bad. They just feel a little bit lighter, and more translucent. The Collectible Minifigures and specialized parts, such as Gungan's head, are made of that plastic.

Again, I agree with this (feels lighter), and the yellow is of a different shade. Observed in Series 2 Minifigures.

And now, as I photograph my PofC 30131 set, I noticed this from the back of the polybag

'Components made in DENMARK, HUNGARY, CHINA, MEXICO, and the CZECH REPUBLIC.'

[Aanchir]

I notice this 'loose hips' too on my Series 2 Mini-figures.

I hope this doesn't worsen to 'loose lip' (sank ships).

lol. But for some reason, I never notice any looser hinges in my collectible minifigures. If anything, they sometimes feel tighter than non-collectible minifigure legs and arms. Sometime I'll have to do a more controlled comparison between new collectible minifigures, new "mainstream" minifigures, older and thoroughly-played-with collectible minifigures, and older mainstream minifigures.

Again, I agree with this (feels lighter), and the yellow is of a different shade. Observed in Series 2 Minifigures.

Wasn't there someone a while back who used a precise scale to compare collectible minifigures and non-Chinese minifigures? I can't remember what topic that was in or what the results were, though. I don't think there was a very great difference in weight (and there shouldn't be much, since they're both made of very similar types of ABS-- there are only slight differences based on what company produced that ABS).

And now, as I photograph my PofC 30131 set, I noticed this from the back of the polybag

'Components made in DENMARK, HUNGARY, CHINA, MEXICO, and the CZECH REPUBLIC.'

Had you opened the set yet and seen the minifigure? It always bothers me when somebody has a set but starts to think less of it just after learning where its pieces come from. In any event, seeing all of those countries listed as possible sites of production, I imagine that the only "Chinese" part is probably the hair piece.

You can compare the parts with collectible minifigure parts and more "mainstream" minifig parts to see for sure-- Chinese-made parts currently have newer molds with some visible differences, like molding marks under the arms, the lack of printing on the neck stud, and the word "LEGO" being aligned differently on the top of the legs assembly. Of course, TLG has told us that eventually all of these different molds and processes are likely to make their way to the other production facilities as well, but for now they're an OK tool for identifying the place of production for most regular minifigure parts.

If you do make this comparison, will you share your results with us? I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in knowing.

[r1chard]

Okay. I just checked my Jack Sparrow and my Series 2 Lifeguard.

Neck printing

Jack - white printing on front

Bikini Babe - no printing

Inside Arm

Jack - No indentation but has the word 'Lego' on it (written in Chinese )

Bikini Babe - Rectangular indentation with some numbers

Top Waist

Jack - 'Lego' printed but in a slightly bigger font size than the one on the Bikini Babe

I agree, maybe only the fortune cookie head piece is made in China. It looks great though.

Edited June 7, 2011 by r1chard

[HighFlyer]

Medieval Market Village (10193) is a great example of Chinese plastic. The 2 cows, as nicely detailed as they are, are horrible. This can be confirmed by placing the 1x2 brown brick inside the "gap" in the cow.

So colour difference, and also texture (e.g. shininess, smoothness, etc) are ways to tell.

[Aanchir]

Medieval Market Village (10193) is a great example of Chinese plastic. The 2 cows, as nicely detailed as they are, are horrible. This can be confirmed by placing the 1x2 brown brick inside the "gap" in the cow.

So colour difference, and also texture (e.g. shininess, smoothness, etc) are ways to tell.

Reddish Brown is often inconsistent whether parts are made in China or not. So I don't think those cows are a "great example" of the differences in Chinese plastic. Additionally, texture can be a result of a part's surface finish, which varies depending on the mold and has little to do with the type of plastic. Since to my knowledge all cows are made in China, it's impossible to tell whether the mismatching is a consequence of what type of plastic was used, where the cows were made, when the cows were made, or possibly just inherent qualities of the cow mold.

Many collectible minifigure parts would be better examples in that certain ones from S3 and onward are not, in fact, new part designs, and can be compared with other parts bearing the same part number. For instance, one could compare the banana that comes in the S5 Zookeeper with one from a pre-2009 set and identify differences much more reliably. Or for a thinner part more likely to show differences, you could compare swords from this year's Ninjago spinners with pre-2009 Ninja swords.

Something that I think I ought to mention about Chinese parts that I've observed, which has nothing to do with quality but is an easy way of distinguishing the parts. If a version of a part debuted in the collectible minifigures, then any parts from China will likely use that version. Thus, swords in the Ninjago spinner sets have octagonal hilts and the number 88420, whereas swords from other Ninjago sets will have square hilts and the number 30173 (incidentally, the same number as the classic pre-2010 Ninja swords but a different shape).

[Brickadeer]

Hi,

I recently experienced the "low quality" issue when I got some of the new Star Wars Sandtroopers (set 9490) with low quality helmets and some with normal quality helmets. The difference in terms of beauty or "appearance" is striking; the low quality helmets simply look bad. The "low quality" issue doesn't bother me as such. What bothers me is that there is no chance to know what quality I'll get before I buy a set. That is especially true for such crucial parts as helmets.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Brickadeer

[brickmack]

Hi,

I recently experienced the "low quality" issue when I got some of the new Star Wars Sandtroopers (set 9490) with low quality helmets and some with normal quality helmets. The difference in terms of beauty or "appearance" is striking; the low quality helmets simply look bad. The "low quality" issue doesn't bother me as such. What bothers me is that there is no chance to know what quality I'll get before I buy a set. That is especially true for such crucial parts as helmets.

If you got both low and high quality versions, its probably just a production error rather than the factory/plastic is completely bad. I'm sure LEGO will send you replacements if you contact them about it, which will probably be better.

[Brickadeer]

If you got both low and high quality versions, its probably just a production error rather than the factory/plastic is completely bad. I'm sure LEGO will send you replacements if you contact them about it, which will probably be better.

Thanks for your reply.

I didn't get them in the same box.

I got set 9490 2x. Every set contains 2 Sandtroopers. The 2 in set one had "low quality helmets", the 2 in the other box had "low quality helmets".

Do you think it makes sense to contact lego anyway?

[antp]

Medieval Market Village (10193) is a great example of Chinese plastic. The 2 cows, as nicely detailed as they are, are horrible. This can be confirmed by placing the 1x2 brown brick inside the "gap" in the cow.

So colour difference, and also texture (e.g. shininess, smoothness, etc) are ways to tell.

For the texture, there are some parts which seem different

For example that one from the 80s:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4873

I do not know from which set I have it,

According to bricklink the only red-like known color is red, but the one I have is obviously another color and another kind of plastic. There are several listed as "rust" instead of "red" in shops.

In the same way, there is also that part which has a strange feeling (same kind of color & texture than the bar mentioned above) compared to other Lego parts :

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2651

also "rust" rather than "red".

And at that time these were not made in China.

Edited April 5, 2012 by antp

[A2L]

My main concern about Chinese parts are not so much to do with their texture and color. Yes these are very annoying, but every time I have been told that such problems existed even before production was shifted/sourced to/from China. My main concern is high levels of lead, cadmium and other harmful chemicals (**if any**) similar to those found in many other Chinese manufactured toys. Though it is mainly a concern for children (and parents) and not (mostly present here) AFOLs, I'd still like to know of any tests that the TLC performs on all the parts and particularly the Chinese parts. Does anyone know about them. other than the generic statements available on TLC's site?

Edited April 16, 2012 by A2L

[Captain America]

This is a list of all the countries that I have seen on a LEGO Box over the years.

Denmark: Being about 99%

Switzerland: Being about 99%

Hungary: Being about 99%

Czech Republic: Being about 99%

Poland:

Sweden:

Germany:

United Kingdom: 1%

Malaysia: 1%

Hong Kong: 1%

China:

Mexico:

Korea:

There has been so many different countries mixed, however every single set has had incredible quality! No complaints at all :)

[Fugazi]

United Kingdom: 1%

Malaysia: 1%

Hong Kong: 1%

Oh? I wasn't aware of part factories in those countries. Or are we talking about non-core products such as ice-cube trays and whatnot? Do you remember which sets had parts made in the UK?

I'm merging this with a very similar discussion thread.

[danim]

for a short time 2x4 bricks were made in the UK, these can be identified by the Lego logo being printed verticality rather than the horizontal printing that is usually seen

[Fugazi]

for a short time 2x4 bricks were made in the UK, these can be identified by the Lego logo being printed verticality rather than the horizontal printing that is usually seen

Thanks for the information! Do you know roughly what years we're talking about, and where in the UK were those bricks moulded?

[danim]

unfortunately that is all the info I have

I actually own one of the sideways bricks

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/7030615981_7108499222.jpg

some of them were also made in the usa

[LEGO Historian]

Actually... in my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide (1949-90s)... available as a DVD or as a download... I mention that British LEGO Ltd., the Courtauld's Corporation licensee for LEGO from 1960-92 had a Courtauld's plant in Wrexham Wales, that produced LEGO parts for Britain, Ireland and Australia.

Some parts such as streetlights, 1:87 vehicles, trees/bushes, and other specialty parts were produced in Denmark... and the parts pack boxes of UK/IRE/AUS mention "Made in Denmark" on those parts pack boxes.

But regular bricks, plates and other parts were produced at that Wrexham Wales plant until 1992, when TLG bought the LEGO license back from Courtauld's (a UK textile/chemical maker), and all parts since 1993 have NO LONGER been made in the UK.

Also, old 1960s British style Town Plan boards (#200) were produced by Waddington's... a British game board maker.