Baseplates

[Cyberfounder]

Hello all,

I just stopped by 2 of my local toystores to pick up some baseplates, unfortunately they were sold out. (48 x 48 gray and 32 x 32 blue)
I asked the an employ when they would return and in both shops they told me LEGO is discontinuing baseplates. 

Is this true???

 

[Mylenium]

Dunno if it's true, but it's at least not impossible, given that only Modular buildings still use(d) them at all in official sets. I wouldn't be surprised if they scrapped them for good in favor of the more rigid standard building plates that can be assembled to nearly any shape as needed. In any case, there are enough third-party offerings out there even with a wider choice of colors, so why not give them a try?

Mylenium

[Peppermint_M]

I have  not heard this.  But if it means that I get less judgement for using cheaper plates; no worries! 

[The Cobra]

Baseplates are in the June-December catalogue. So I would think "No".

[Cyberfounder]

I hope they keep making them, they are a good base for moc's. 

[coinoperator]

At least the 48² is still available at the Lego shop without any notice that it will be discontinued.

[ks6349]

Rule Number One. Never trust what the salesman says

Trees, roads, and baseplates are always the basic building blocks of LEGO city. Maybe Police station will be gone some day, but baseplates will never

Edited July 6, 2019 by ks6349

[Vindicare]

I wouldn’t imagine they’re cancelling them altogether, they just repackaged the road plates last year. Maybe the 48x48 is getting discontinued in, and didn’t blue 32x32’s get discontinued for a time a few years back?

[TeriXeri]

LEGO has been experimenting with those 32x32 double sized cardboard City/Friends playmats, but I don't see those ever fully replacing baseplates.

Those 2017 City/Friends playmats (both contained 5 plates) eventually went on 50% sale on LEGO store, and 2018 put them under the Xtra theme as more specialized (water/grass/road) packages. But for €9  for 2 (double sided), that's too much.

However 2019 also repackaged the actual studded road plates again after more then a decade

I don't see them discontinue baseplates for Creator Expert Modulars anytime soon unless they one day make 32x32 or 16x32 regular plates with enough structural strength that won't warp easily.

[Boettner Builds]

You can buy most of them though Bricks & Pieces, some of them cheaper than the regular LEGO store prices!

[AmperZand]

Not only should LEGO not discontinue baseplates, they should re-issue old ones. If LEGO ever re-released the moon crater baseplate (below), a thousand wild horses couldn't keep me from the LEGO store!

  

Edited July 9, 2019 by AmperZand
Typo

[Masked Mini]

3 minutes ago, AmperZand said:

Not only should LEGO not discontinue baseplates, they should re-issue old ones.

I agree with the sentiment. i'd also like to see new base plates that work into the old designs. example the lunar crater baseplate, why not have one with a straight ridge or an S shape?
Maybe a base plate with a raised area on one half matching the old castle bases with ramp, so you could use one each and have a ramp in the middle of your castle/space base?

Sadly Lego doesn't make base plates, they used to contract them out. It'd take a bit more than an internal effort to find molds, unlike bringing back bricks *cough GOAT cough*.

[ks6349]

Baseplates will never retire, but the price will always go up over time. We should stock baseplates whenever there is any special sales.

Edited July 10, 2019 by ks6349