Axle and Pin Connector Toggle Joint Toothed

[dolittle]

Hi

Anyone knows why these are no longer in use? have tons of them :) but no sets appear to use them anymore: ?

Also they used be heavily used with which also has gone MIA

Thanks,

Noam

[DLuders]

The 4273 "Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Toggle Joint Toothed" was extensively used in these 51 Lego Technic sets. Take the 8829 Sand Stormer/ Beach Buggy set, for example. The 4273 part (and the toothed 1/2 Bush) was used to hold the flexible tube at a specific angle; you see them at the front end of the tube below.

With the onset of CURVED Technic Panels, the use of flexible tubes and hoses declined.

[Zerobricks]

And also they were easy to fracture and break.

[jantjeuh]

True, I've got many, many toothed half bushes with broken teeth

[Ralph_S]

And also they were easy to fracture and break.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. I don't know how many I have broken, but a lot and those that didn't break completely often have a few small teeth missing.

One of the uses DLuders didn't cover was connecting two axles at a different angle, as shown here (one of my favourite technic sets as a child):

In that role they were replaced by angle connectors, which are a lot harder to break!

I still use the old parts quite regularly though, and in uses where I can't easily see an alternative. Check out the nosegear on my Flanker, for instance.

Su-27 Flanker_hres by Mad physicist, on Flickr

Cheers,

Ralph

[CP5670]

Those old axle connectors are indeed very fragile, even if you handle them carefully. I liked the teeth in general though. At one point, they were an important type of connection in the Technic system, and there were several other pieces with teeth as well, such as the 1-wide Technic plates in various lengths.

TLG moved away from the teeth in 1997-98 and introduced new, non-toothed, versions of several parts. The only part still left with teeth today is the 16t idle gear. I'm actually surprised TLG has never done the same for it too.

[Tobbe Arnesson]

The 8844 use is pretty flimsy and I remember it was quite challenging to get the angles correct. For that use the angle connectors are a vast improvement, even though I generally don't like when three parts get replaced by one...

Another toothed part that became extinct in 2004 is the Technic plate 1 x ? with toothed ends, like this 1 x 6 (part 4262):

DLuders, in your example the angle is not set by the teeth. The parts are free to rotate around the axle pin...

[bord4kop]

I remember using these quite a lot back in the '80-ies

One can get every angle needed.

Tho they (tooth) indeed broke fairly often..

I really liked them, because of the little space needed to get a nice connection

Edited November 9, 2010 by bord4kop

[Jetro]

In addition to the angle connectors there is the

32039 Technic, Axle Connector with Axle Hole

Although this leaves you with only four possible angles when connected to an axle.