CCBS elements removed from "LEGO Pick a Brick"

[Darking]

I've recently started using the LEGO Shop website, with the reboot of my all-time favourite theme, BIONICLE. I'd always bought my sets on stores, but it was a nice way of getting my new bonkles way before they started apprearing in my country (at least compared to some other places).

So, long story short, I just decided to have a look at the Pick a Brick section, because I clearly remember seeing some CCBS elements there, such as bones, shells and armor add-ons, and I thought it would be an easy and fast way of getting some more pieces for my creations. Imagine the horror in my face when I see that almost all CCBS pieces have just been removed from the system! In fact, the only related piece I could find was element 93571 Ball Cup 3M...

Does anybody know the reason for this? Or if something like this has happened before? It doesn't seem like a good idea from a selling point of view to me, as less pieces to choose from implies less customers are going to use the service... just like is my case. I surely hope they'll add those pieces again.

[DraikNova]

They removed it a few years ago. People apparently didn't understand how to use CCBS without the example of a set, which seems somewhat ridiculous (it's like basic bricks in terms of complexity, only the connection points are 3x as large, so what's the problem?).

[TheOneVeyronian]

I had that surprise a couple of years back with PaB - I had wondered where all the CCBS had got to (I think DraikNova has got it right, it was that people didn't understand it or some nonsense like that) - but if the service is available in your country and you're not considering buying in vast bulk, you could always check out the Bricks and Pieces section of LEGO's Customer Service for your fill of CCBS. It can be slightly more pricey, but many of the CCBS elements are available there for purchase (make sure you follow through this way: enter your country > I want to buy a piece > Bricks and Pieces selection. Then enter a set number to browse parts or, if you know it, the Element or Design ID of the piece you want to buy. Simple). I always use this when it comes to ordering CCBS when Bricklink just won't cut it for quantity or range

Plus, it now goes through the S@H checkout, so it's much the same process as placing a PaB order - and I believe the postage is cheaper also (at least in the UK).

I hope that is helpful to you!

[DraikNova]

Yeah, the Bricks and Pieces service is great, and way cheaper than Bricklink in some cases, although for the really common parts it may be more expensive.

[Mutant Orc]

I went to buy from the Bricks and Pieces bit the other day and after looking there and the price and the price of getting the parts I wanted and a lot more besides by buying doubles of the sets, I came to the conclusion that buying doubles was better by far. Although that would depend on the parts and how many you want...I wanted rather a lot.

[DraikNova]

If, from Onua's set, you just want the large torso plate eight times over and 48 tr. purple limb bones, like I do, it's definitely cheaper than buying doubles. Of course, if you want all of the parts in a set, it's going to be cheaper to buy the set itself; there'd be no reason for LEGO selling the set if it weren't.

[Darking]

Wow, years ago? Seriously? I seemed to recall seeing those pieces just some months ago... My memory is really that bad...

Thanks for the comments. I knew of the Bricks and Pieces services, but I have only used once it for a set that came with some missing pieces. I didn't realise you could also buy spares from there! I'll definitvely give it a look.

[Dorek]

It wasn't YEARS and years ago; I remember getting parts up through 2013, so only about a year and a half, have they been canceled, I'd say. They revamped the Pieces and Bricks service at around the same time, if I'm recalling correctly.

[Lyichir]

They removed it a few years ago. People apparently didn't understand how to use CCBS without the example of a set, which seems somewhat ridiculous (it's like basic bricks in terms of complexity, only the connection points are 3x as large, so what's the problem?).

The problem is that a parent of a kid who only owns standard System and Technic parts might order cool-looking CCBS parts only to find that they're incompatible with their child's collection. CCBS is two degrees separated from standard System building styles, and a buyer could conceivably mistake the connection points for other ones like towballs/mixels joints if they had no familiarity with the system, especially on the online shop where the scale of parts isn't always obvious.

Part of me thinks that now that physical Pick-a-brick walls in stores have rotating "themed" bins (such as pink and purple elements in a "great with Lego Friends" bin), Lego could conceivably bring back CCBS at physical locations by explicitly labeling the parts as "great with Bionicle." But then again, I don't know much about the logistics and marketing of Lego parts apart from what Lego explicitly shares, so perhaps even that would be impractical.

[Aanchir]

The problem is that a parent of a kid who only owns standard System and Technic parts might order cool-looking CCBS parts only to find that they're incompatible with their child's collection. CCBS is two degrees separated from standard System building styles, and a buyer could conceivably mistake the connection points for other ones like towballs/mixels joints if they had no familiarity with the system, especially on the online shop where the scale of parts isn't always obvious.

Part of me thinks that now that physical Pick-a-brick walls in stores have rotating "themed" bins (such as pink and purple elements in a "great with Lego Friends" bin), Lego could conceivably bring back CCBS at physical locations by explicitly labeling the parts as "great with Bionicle." But then again, I don't know much about the logistics and marketing of Lego parts apart from what Lego explicitly shares, so perhaps even that would be impractical.

It's also important to remember that while to an adult CCBS is about as simple as basic LEGO building, to a child it can be a little more challenging. The first type of building kids tend to learn is stacking — this is just as possible with basic bricks as it is with Duplo, but a system like CCBS or Technic where parts attach together at various angles instead of just vertically can take a bit longer for kids to learn, much less master.