Kalais Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 Hello, I made order on Bricklink, got many good used bricks. But 2 of them are looking wierd. It is http://www.bricklink...tem.asp?P=3063. They both got stud notch, so it should be this mold. But they are smaller then other macaronis I have. It is impossible to attach them to other bricks... What are those? Fake bricks with Lego logo or some very old mold? Quick photos made with smartphone, so quality isn't best, but you can clearly see bricks: 1. On the top Lego, bottom - brick from BL. 2. BL brick, BL brick, my Lego 3. On the top brick from BL, on bottom my Lego. Quote
Mutant Orc Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 That's strange, although I'm afraid I can't help. I'm intrigued to hear the answer myself.... Quote
antp Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 very old part in CA plastic rather than ABS ? as that part exists since nearly the beginning Quote
alois Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 Definitely no fake, but a part made from cellulose acetate instead of modern ABS. So probably from the sixties or even earlier. CA has the tendency to warp and to shrink, but originally the part would have fitted on the modern part. Interesting, but quite useless now. There are people (I mean of course Eurobricks member Legohistorian) who can tell you a lot more about these parts. Quote
zux Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 I would suggest posting same question on BL forums. I saw there quite a few members interested in old stuff, variations and other crazy stuff. Quote
Breakdown Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 More key than colour, composition & size is the orientation of LEGO on the studs. Notice how the lego name is parallel on the BL parts, if someone sources old that has the same its good, if not . . . . ? Font, and orientation are primary ways that I've discovered fakes within the electronics industry. Someone (sorry, usually out of the Asia market) will take a cheap BGA part and sand off the markings and replace them with those from a much more valuable or desirable part. Quote
notaromantic Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 They look like this part to me: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=3063a BL# 3063a Brick, Round Corner 2 x 2 Macaroni without Stud Notch Year Released: 1955-1956 Check out the photo and pay attention to the old-style LEGO logo. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 Oh I have no doubt that those bricks are real.... in the 1950s TLG did some strange things with their molds and plastics. That could have been from one of the earliest LEGO molds of 1955. Is there a "shelf" near the bottom of the outside wall near the base of the brick? That shows at least that it dates to 1955-57. Newer macaroni bricks have the outside curve of macaroni bricks as being equally thin throughout. But earller bricks were thicker at the top, and had a thinner base, hence the "shelf". Also when TLG started making new parts... some of them were made in different plastics, and that may not be Cellulose Acetate, but may be another plastic that appears to have shrunk. Cellulose Acetate warps... but it does not shrink. Here are some early macaroni bricks that came from a mold that TLG produced... but it was for a company in Sweden called GEAS... for their PRIMA bricks.... And here are very rare early TLG 1/2 circle macaroni bricks made out of Cellulose Acetate.... except the yellow one (no LEGO on the studs) was a GEAS PRIMA brick made of Polystyrene. I've had to modifiy several of my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide Chapters to incorporate some of these strange and unusual LEGO "hybrids". Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Some followups on this.... apparently I was a little off my mark... some of the old time collectors do have Cellulose Acetate LEGO elements that have shrunk somewhat, although my experience has been mainly just the warping part of it. The parts may have been stored for many years in conditions not well suited for Cellulose Acetate, such as hot humid attics. So all the old time collectors that I've shown these images to seem to agree that it is indeed LEGO... it just didn't fare too well over the last 50+ years. Quote
weavil Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 I have a 2x4 brick I acquired many moons ago that has shrinkage. It has the old style logo on the studs. Quote
alois Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 I have a batch of CA Lego that has warped and shrunk, including a couple of these macaronis. Quote
Kalais Posted February 22, 2015 Author Posted February 22, 2015 Thx for replies guys. So it seems they are original pieces. Interesting! They are not fitting to any of the bricks I have but I keep them for collection purposes :) They are over 60 years old! Some of you asked for more photos, here they are: Sorry for the quality again, but got no time to setup lights etc. 4. oldschool, oldschool, new Lego 5. Top - Lego, bottom - oldschool 6. oldschool, Lego 7. oldschool, Lego 8. On the baseplate 9. On the baseplate Also there is interesting link about that brick I got on my LUG forum: http://www.historia.com.pt/legos/Textos/bricks/1X2round_vs02.htm Quote
Bennemans Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I'm sorry to dig this post back up, but I'm actually having the same question (I've got 10+ of them). So what's the definitive answer now? Is it suppose to be an old version of the macaroni that has shrunk (and is thus worthless and can be tossed), or is it some 50's (maybe?) version that's a bit smaller and is apparently unknown on BL? I find it hard to believe these bricks can shrink so perfectly, without warping even a bit or leaving any other indication that the part is not in it's original shape. I've got about a kilo of warped or shrunken parts; hell, one of 'm is basically a curly fry, and I've never seen a part shrink perfectly into a smaller version of itself Quote
alois Posted March 24, 2015 Posted March 24, 2015 Some followups on this.... apparently I was a little off my mark... some of the old time collectors do have Cellulose Acetate LEGO elements that have shrunk somewhat, although my experience has been mainly just the warping part of it. The parts may have been stored for many years in conditions not well suited for Cellulose Acetate, such as hot humid attics. So all the old time collectors that I've shown these images to seem to agree that it is indeed LEGO... it just didn't fare too well over the last 50+ years. Read what the Lego historian says... It is the same macaroni, but shrunk. I've got a couple of them, and they will only fit on a plate when applied with brute force. By the way, the only other system of dimensions Lego ever used (based on 0,5 x 0,5 cm instead of 0,8 x 0,96 cm) was modulex, which came later (not counting Primo). Quote
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