Remnants ... from a Studded Era

[Thirdwigg]

Someone mentioned the old 16t gear, and that finally they changed it and removed the teeth. I thought that now you can put a regular pin into the hole, but I surprised to see that only one side of the gear has the needed groove. So I think that the new 16t idle gear could be improved further.

Agreed. Placing a 16t gear on a pin rather than an axle would be great at times.

[1974]

...which was originally released for a Technic engine model kit in 1980

Nope, it's from 1966 way before Technic

The good thing is that studded Technic bricks have become increasingly common in other themes, as long as you aren't too picky about the color. You can also get them from Lego Education, at about the same $1 price for 1x16s. So there is no shortage of pieces for studded builders like me.

The 1x16 Technic brick was in 13 sets in 2013, so no they're not leaving the System anytime (I'm a studded builder myself)