Why the reduction in usability of Macaroni bricks?

[Hrw-Amen]

I had not realised this prior to today. I used to use them a lot but recently not so much. What am I on about, those curved 2X2 macaroni bricks (Bricklink 3063.) of the type used to make round tubes that were essentially 4X4 round.

I had a few of these from my old LEGO collection that I used to use for making rockets and other stuff of that nature. It was quite easy to just overlap each consecutive layer by a stud so that they fitted together to form a tube of however many long you wanted.

However I have not yet recovered all of my old LEGO from my parent’s house and the few I had were not enough for what I wanted to build. Therefore I ordered a few from Bricklink thinking that it would be fine to use these again.

But no, what di I find, they are no longer stackable in offset mode making it impossible to build a tube of them longer than just one brick in height as they will no longer build other than by directly on top of each other, this being apparently due to a change in the internal structure that is not backwards compatible with the old style of bricks.

I just wonder why they have made this apparent backwards step which had reduced the usableness of the curved bricks, making them well, pretty useless really to those who want to make tubes with them.

When did this change occur, obviously at some point in my dark age between say 1995 and 2006’ish? I also wonder when they name changed to become Macaroni Bricks and if this was at a similar time as the design change as the older style were never referred to as 'Macaroni bricks' that I am aware of, we always called them just plain and simple 'round corner bricks.' I am wondering if the renaming has anything to do with the peculiar unconnectability of the new design?

[JopieK]

well, if you use them like me, for making chimneys for factories, one prefers the new variety. Of course the old variety is still very useful for other applications!

Afols have also called the old style bricks macaroni's, at least for a decade now.

B.t.w.: 3063 Released: 1955 - 2011 (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=3063)

85080 was introduced in 2008.

This was the most recent set the old style were used in:

http://peeron.com/inv/sets/5770-1

[mysteriouspi]

If you want my guess, LEGO probably made this change so that the newer macaroni bricks would be more difficult to break.

[JopieK]

I think it has to do with clutch power... I did never experience a broken old style macaroni, did you?!

[Rick]

If you don't need an open tube, 4 x 4 round bricks make a sturdy 4 x 4 round column. 30023 Lighthouse uses them, in alternating layers with macaroni bricks.

[JopieK]

yes but if you make houses with a hinge like we do:

In this case you can't use those 4x4 ones but the new macaroni's make the chimneys better...

[AndyC]

As far as I'm aware, the primary reason for the change is because the old style bricks can lead to builds which get "out of system", since it is possible to place them at fractional offsets unintentionally. The new design, on the other hand, forces the build to remain in system at the expense of allowing certain kind of flexible designs that were otherwise achievable.

As to the name, I think "macaroni" bricks is just an AFOL term and not a LEGO one, in the same way AFOLs refer to "slopes" where LEGO consider them "roof bricks".

[Hrw-Amen]

The 4X4 round bricks would provide a solution, the same as we (Or at least I.) used to sometimes use the old fashioned turntables if I ran out of the old macaroni ones when I was younger. But it seems like having two bricks when one would have done.

I understand about having offsets that were not exactly lined up with the other bricks, but that was one of the benefits of them in my opinion and not a disadvantage in any way, it gave more possibilities. You could also build them in such a way that the tower could be scrunched producing a very odd shape that can in no way describe but those of us who have done it will no what I mean. I guess that would also be considered an illegal build and to be honest although I have done it I cannot think of a good reason to do it on purpose right now.

I have to say that I never thought about making houses with hinges where the chimney hinges in half, but I guess that would be a good use for the newer type of bricks. Maybe one day I will try that?

The clutch power argument would stand up I think, several times with the older style ones I have found that it became a requirement to bury a slack brick into tighter ones just to use it and not have the structure collapse so yes I can understand that. I have never had one actually break, though I assume it is possible.

Some good ideas coming from this discussion though, I had not expected such a response. I wonder though with the redesign when they did it would it not have been possible to do it in such a way to still allow an offset build, if only they had considered it?

[1974]

Everything must be in system now. Hence the redesign of many old parts. I do understand the reason and it gives a lot of new possibilities to make snot actually work (new brackets, hinges and headlight bricks) so old stuf like those curved parts are phased out

Evolution. Don't like it, buy your dinosaur at Bricklink

[Aanchir]

Nabii (Mark Stafford) confirmed here that it was a matter of improving clutch power and making the part easier for kids to place. Overall, I don't see a huge reduction in usability. It's true, you can no longer build tubes with just macaroni bricks, but all in all I can't think of too many practical applications for that besides Great Ball Contraption modules or any place you want a "spiral" motif on a column. The new one, in contrast, adds at least a bit of versatility in that it no longer needs to be connected at two points to be secure. So there's a sort of a trade-off in the long run. Whether it's a worthwhile trade-off depends on your personal building style.

[Rick]

It's true, you can no longer build tubes with just macaroni bricks, but all in all I can't think of too many practical applications for that besides Great Ball Contraption modules or any place you want a "spiral" motif on a column. The new one, in contrast, adds at least a bit of versatility in that it no longer needs to be connected at two points to be secure. So there's a sort of a trade-off in the long run. Whether it's a worthwhile trade-off depends on your personal building style.

I just thought of this new part. It allows you to build sturdy tubes when used in alternating layers with macaroni bricks.

[LEGO Historian]

The macaroni brick... known as the "rounded brick" in local languages of many LEGO catalogs... was the very first of the "specialty" parts... introduced in 1955 with the advent of the Town Plan system of play. These originally were produced in 4 types... two of the 2x2 with and without missing notches of plastic, and two of the 2x4 (half circle) with and without the missing notches of plastic.

Alll but the 2x2 with the notch of missing plastic were retired in 1957.

The macaroni brick has been used as columns in many LEGO display buildings... the one I remember best was a 1980s Miniland size build of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington. It too staggered the bricks at every other level. Now any attempt to build a Miniland column will have the notches lined up along 4 corners of the column, rather that in a staggered pattern.

Besides a few special uses for the brick... I think that a good percentage of the buildable possibilities were lost with the new bricks. Granted the old brick was less sturdy than the new in buildings, but in most cases that was not an isssue.

[DanSto]

Recently, I designed a castle ruin with two towers for which I used these bricks :

Old design New design

With the new design bricks, I had to include a 4x4 round plate on top to get the tower stable but the final aspect is completely different because the new version gives a too smooth tower.

Definitively, I don't like the new mold.

Edited May 21, 2013 by DanSto