Element of the decade?

[Blackheart Brit]

I have been thinking about this for a month or so now.

I got the Imperial Flagship on Jan 1 and the use of the Exo-force robot arms to hold the rigging struck me as a brilliant use of that element, so I began thinking of other great elements beyond typical bricks and some of the amazing uses. Another good example is the Droid arms. They have had a million other uses besides arms, ladders, greebles, holders of all sorts, etc. The cheese wedge has made a fast and huge impression as well. Even the Exo-Force robot hands have appeared everywhere. If one of these parts or another could be considered part of the year 2009 and even part of the decade which would you choose?

The part of the year does not need to be first produced in said year but used in constructive ways in that year by either LEGO officially or by any of us or all of us. An example of that might be the small round 1x1 used as canonballs in shooting canons being used to construct a rook to look like Spanish tiles. It is a very old piece but a newer construction use for it.

Element of the year 2009 I nominate the cheesewedge.

I am still debating part of the decade.

What are your thoughts on this?

[The Green Brick Giant]

The Exo-Force theme really did have some great parts.

I'd also have to say the City car... the thing that goes over the car wheels. That piece has defined City for the last several years, good or bad, and made LEGO City/Town seem to have a point to it and get it out of City Junior slump, even through I liked the short lived World City. It's been used at the top of windows, and just is a neat piece.

I also like the part LEGO makes a munch of new hair pieces, now only if they used them more in City.

[Sumendar]

For the decade in general LEGO, cheese, hands down. There's hardly a MOC around without at least one, in most cases several of them, and they have been used in wonderful ways in the official sets too. For a theme of personal interest, Technic, the IR remote and receiver gave us true remote control for the first time.

[Erdbeereis]

For me, the cheese slope by a mile. I have never made a MOC that doesn't use them, and they have so many possibilities.

Nice topic idea!

[Dennimator]

The Exo-Force theme really did have some great parts.

I'd also have to say the City car... the thing that goes over the car wheels. That piece has defined City for the last several years, good or bad, and made LEGO City/Town seem to have a point to it and get it out of City Junior slump, even through I liked the short lived World City. It's been used at the top of windows, and just is a neat piece.

I also like the part LEGO makes a munch of new hair pieces, now only if they used them more in City.

No offense, but.. Boo!

I personally don´t like tht piece at all. It´s big, oversized and ugly, and just looks wierd. On cars, that is. It´s great for windows, but as Element of the decade? Naah.

For the decade in general LEGO, cheese, hands down. There's hardly a MOC around without at least one, in most cases several of them, and they have been used in wonderful ways in the official sets too. For a theme of personal interest, Technic, the IR remote and receiver gave us true remote control for the first time.

My vote should go to the cheese slope as well. It has greatly changed the way of building MOCs and improving sets. Nowadays, as you say, there´s hardly a MOC without them.

Cheese slope On!

Edited January 25, 2010 by Dennimator

[CP5670]

I agree with what others have said about the cheese slopes. Those are really ubiquitous these days.

I would also bring up this piece, introduced in 2002. It's not used extremely widely, but I personally have found this to be the single most useful structural element (among the ones released this decade) for studless Technic construction. There are tons of places where it comes in handy for holding together a frame.

No offense, but.. Boo!

I personally don´t like tht piece at all. It´s big, oversized and ugly, and just looks wierd. On cars, that is. It´s great for windows, but as Element of the decade? Naah.

Yeah, I don't like that mudguard either. It looks out of proportion on cars and gives them a strange, old fashioned appearance.

[Commodore Hornbricker]

Yes the cheese slope is a good one. I also really like the new shako.

[Ratshot]

The new telescope piece for me, it can be used as a railing pole, a telescope (Though this is a given ), a torch holder and many other things.

I like the new shako as well.

[Legorski]

The Stud.

This piece is the element. Used for Everything. 8D

The Cheese.

Like the stud, but newer, and cheesier! XD

The Clip/Hand.

I'za clip, used in the most amazing and awesome ways. 8D

Edited January 25, 2010 by Legorski

[RileyC]

cheese slope definitely! You can do so much with them

[lightningtiger]

I say three things .......

These parts have more than one use for them each, cheese pieces can be lights, lens or mirrors on vehicles.

The lever, as a lever or even antenna on a police car.

The tap, can be a tap, shower head, lightshade bracket or part of a pump to pump fuel/oil/water.

Very handy pieces !

I'm a conformist! !

[Modulex Guy]

I also agree with the Cheese Slope.

Its kinda funny how we consider the best elements to be the tiny ones, I mean come on, the cheese slope is one of the tiniest LEGO elements out there, but the potential use for it is endless! Its Brilliant!!

[ILikePi]

When I read the title of this topic, I thought of cheese slopes in an instant. They're used in almost every set, and are just too cool!

I also get very happy whenever I find that a set that I just purchased includes a couple of cheese slopes. I rarely feel this way for any other common building piece (not accessories).

Edited January 26, 2010 by ILikePi

[RocketClone]

The cheese slope, and the new Star Wars blasters hands down.

[CMP]

Telescope, all the way.

[Piranha]

Cheese tile for me too

Endless potential, featured in almost every set nowadays

[prateek]

Cheese slope, what's a cheese slope? All I know of is a 1x1x2/3 slope.

Edited January 26, 2010 by prateek

[dr_spock]

I would say the piece that looks like a piece of cheese is very useful.

[Athos]

I'm not a huge fan of the cheese tiles. Maybe if we got them in a few more dimesions I'd like them more.

And it seems to me they throw in about a dozen of them (often unnecessarily) to raise the piece count.

Steve

[Thee Pirate]

I agree with most of what's been said..

For element of the decade, the cheese slope, new telescope are strong contenders.

Lego has produced some extremely nifty little pieces over the past 10 years. I also like the 1X2X2 slope they started using, and the 1X4 lightsaber rod.

I think that good ol 1 by X bricks deserve a great nod too :-p without them, few mocs would be built

[Tereglith]

Hmm.... The cheese slope is pretty useful, but I think I'm gonna have to go with the 4-long minifigure-hand-fitting rod (lightsaber rod). It's compatible with SO many pieces and useful in so many ways (even more than the cheese slope), that I think it deserves the title. Think about it - lightsaber blade, magic wand, staff, greeble, connector, extender, and on and on and on. According to bricklink, it appears in a whopping 364 sets, from almost all themes of the past decade!

Edited January 26, 2010 by Tereglith

[drdavewatford]

Cheese slope for me.

Now we need an INVERTED cheese slope !

I also like the Light Saber Blade and the 1 x 2 Tile with Grille.

Dr. D.

[Blackheart Brit]

The Lightsabre/magic wand 4 stud bar is a great one I totally forgot. I use that all the time.

The Lightsabre hilt is also a strong contender. Use that a lot too. Which is a very similar piece to the new spyglass piece.

There are a lot of amazing little weird pieces. It is amazing to me how versatile LEGO elements are. No surprise LEGO has so many fans around the globe.

[Captain Blackmoor]

Great topic!

It is the cheese slope for me by far! So many possibilities! A rock can't live without some.

The telescope piece is coming close, but it's rather expensive and not avaible in every colour.

The bionicle spine is a great piece to have as well, it does such an enormous great job as foliage/roots!

[AndyC]

Lovely as the cheese slope is, I still think Brick 1x1 with studs on two opposite sides would win it for me. Would the cheese really be quite as good without it?