Interesting Baseplates

[Red Bricks]

Does anyone know where to find a baseplate that is raised in places, then have dips in the middle, To make a fort on.

Links or searches welcome

[Big Cam]

You could always go to www.bricklink.com and search baseplates as a start.

[Aanchir]

You could always go to www.bricklink.com and search baseplates as a start.

Specifically, anything that fits those criteria will be in this category. Good luck with your fort!

[Big Cam]

Specifically, anything that fits those criteria will be in this category. Good luck with your fort!

I had no idea there were so many raised baseplates.

[Lego Otaku]

Looks like we won't be hearing from Red Brick for a while ;) Everytime a new person finds BL, he's gone for days and comes back a few thousand dollars lighter.

[Big Cam]

Looks like we won't be hearing from Red Brick for a while ;) Everytime a new person finds BL, he's gone for days and comes back a few thousand dollars lighter.

I thought that was the point

[Red Bricks]

So many!

I was thinking perhaps thinking this one for a fort:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=44510pb03

[Aanchir]

So many!

I was thinking perhaps thinking this one for a fort:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=44510pb03

That one's pretty cool, although I'll warn you that I'm pretty sure it's thicker than a regular baseplate (same thickness as an actual plate), so if you intend for your fort to be part of a larger display it might not fit in perfectly with other baseplates. Still, it might suit your needs sufficiently.

[Red Bricks]

I'm not that sure how big I want it. That's the good thing about LEGO, You don't you until you get there

[Blondie-Wan]

That one's pretty cool, although I'll warn you that I'm pretty sure it's thicker than a regular baseplate (same thickness as an actual plate), so if you intend for your fort to be part of a larger display it might not fit in perfectly with other baseplates. Still, it might suit your needs sufficiently.

I have that one, and I can verify that it is a little thicker, though I'm away from my LEGO at the moment and can't say exactly how thick it is. It is indeed possible that it's as thick as a regular plate, but I'm not sure.

[Brickdoctor]

It is indeed possible that it's as thick as a regular plate, but I'm not sure.

I've encountered that mold before, and it is as thick as a regular plate.

[Athos]

I can't remember the thickness, but I really like that plate. Its perfect for a little seaside village MOC. You can kind of see the thickness in that picture.

Steve

[Tugarin]

I've encountered that mold before, and it is as thick as a regular plate.

This brings up two questions: Why are baseplates normally not as thick as typical plates? What other baseplates have the same 'abnormality' as this particular raised baseplate?

[Aanchir]

This brings up two questions: Why are baseplates normally not as thick as typical plates? What other baseplates have the same 'abnormality' as this particular raised baseplate?

Well, I'm not sure why baseplates are normally half as thick as regular plates rather than totally as thick as regular plates. I imagine they're as thin as they can be without being too fragile, since there are very few thinner LEGO parts. Or, to put it differently, as thin as a regular plate would probably be without the stud cavities (anti-studs) on the bottom.

It does create a few advantages, though. A normal baseplate sitting on top of some studs will be pretty much lined up with a normal plate or tile attached to those same studs. This is a great way to make a building or other scene modular, with separate removable "layers". I have some moderately ambitious ideas of a way to make simple roads for a layout of modular buildings based on this principle.

As for which other baseplates are this thick, I don't know for sure, but I imagine any that do share this characteristic will probably be from Belville, just as this baseplate was originally.

[davee123]

This brings up two questions: Why are baseplates normally not as thick as typical plates?

I believe this is a result of the technique used to create them. They're not injection-molded in the same way that regular LEGO elements are-- they're pressed into forms, and flat baseplates are then cut into appropriately-sized rectangles. Because they're cut AFTER being formed, it makes them more difficult to have the edges bent down to make them plate-sized (like the raised baseplate in question).

DaveE

[ie10421]

I believe this is a result of the technique used to create them. They're not injection-molded in the same way that regular LEGO elements are-- they're pressed into forms, and flat baseplates are then cut into appropriately-sized rectangles. Because they're cut AFTER being formed, it makes them more difficult to have the edges bent down to make them plate-sized (like the raised baseplate in question).

DaveE

DaveE, I seem to always learn something interesting from your posts.

Chris