Part 42022 in Dark Purple - Non-Existent in Bricklink

[DrJB]

I have several of this part in Dark Purple. It comes from a set I bought a while back, but I do not recall which it is. I did a search in Bricklink, and such part does not exist in Dark Purple ... Anyone has a clue which set such part comes from?

Edit: It turns out the parts are not dark purple, but discolored blue from Set 4957. There are 32 such parts, and after several years in storage (inside dark closet), some of them have remained blue while others show some noticeable discoloration. Also, the blue vs others come from different molds (looking at the inscriptions underneath). They appear dark purple to me, but apparently many who responded disagree. So be it.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by DrJB

[Alexandrina]

My initial instinct was to check the Bricklink listing and see if it came in any similar colours. The closest colours Bricklink lists are trans-purple and lavender. I haven't got any trans-purple on hand to check against, but I suspect you'd know if it was transparent. As for lavender, it's hard to mistake it for dark purple. So that idea's a bust.

Are you certain that the parts came from a set? If they were part of a job lot, it's possible they originated from a Pick a Brick wall at some point, or were a test done at some point that escaped the factory and found its way to market. Though if this was the case - especially if it was ever part of the Pick a Brick selection - I suspect Bricklink would have at least a record of it having been listed for sale at one point. That it doesn't - changing the URL to point directly to Dark Purple's colour ID yields this page, which has no image of the brick and no record of any sales or anything at all - suggests that you're correct and the part doesn't exist in Dark Purple. Or at least, it's not supposed to. Clearly it does if you have some.

Are the bricks definitely genuine Lego? Can you perhaps attach a photo? The only likely answer I can think of is that they're from another manufacturer - the Lego logo on the studs would confirm this to not be the case, but I don't know where else they might have come from.

[Brickbuilder0937]

I seem to recall that Mega Bloks had a bunch of Halo sets with a lot of purple parts. If you search "mega bloks halo covenant" you might find what you're looking for.

[DrJB]

Thank you Alexandrina. Those are definitely from a set as that's typically my only source. The only extra parts I buy are usually 'new' from bricklink, and they are Technic. Also, I recall, I have several Ninjago sets (the kids were into that a while back) and the dark purple was a common color in that theme (same as lavender is for friends today). My suspicion is that the bricklink inventory could be inaccurate (I've seen that few times).

Is there another site out there that would have such information? I tried Peeron but to no avail   

@Brickbuilder0937. These are definitely not megablocks as I only buy new lego sets. Plus, the studs have 'lego' on them.

I did check the color again, against parts from set 2263 (I have such set). There are few parts in there that are dark purple(visible in the photo below), and the color matches perfectly. So, it is a definitely dark purple. Which set is it from? ... that's the nagging mystery.

[DrJB]

I have these dark purple parts mixed in with many (blue) from set 4957. Could it be possible that somehow blue got discolored into dark purple? Typically discoloration happens unevenly (whichever part is facing the sunlight). Unless somehow I got a set with mixed colors ??? 

 

Edit: Yes, all parts were blue when I got the set new. After few years in storage, some have decided to morph into a different shade ... that some on here call 'Brittle Blue'.

Edited February 14, 2021 by DrJB

[Lira_Bricks]

That would be really strange, if a discolouring changes a colour in a perfect match of another existing Lego colour.

Could you share some pictures of the element?

[JaBaCaDaBra]

Or Bricklink is wrong, as often happens.
There are VERY much missing parts, sets and colors and they do nothing about it.

[MAB]

5 minutes ago, JaBaCaDaBra said:

Or Bricklink is wrong, as often happens.
There are VERY much missing parts, sets and colors and they do nothing about it.

If you can prove it appears in a set, they will correct it.

3 hours ago, DrJB said:

Thank you Alexandrina. Those are definitely from a set as that's typically my only source. The only extra parts I buy are usually 'new' from bricklink, and they are Technic. Also, I recall, I have several Ninjago sets (the kids were into that a while back) and the dark purple was a common color in that theme (same as lavender is for friends today). My suspicion is that the bricklink inventory could be inaccurate (I've seen that few times).

If you think that bricklink is wrong, then check the instructions for the sets you have. Find the parts in the Inventories at the back of the instructions, then inform bricklink.

[1974]

No, BL is not often wrong. It's the most complete catalogue on the planet. More complete than TLG's own records

And it's community driven, you got something to add, add it it instead of complaining on another website

There are also a ton of parts in colours that do not come from official sets, nothing odd about that. Most likely that's how you got your dark purple parts

Cheers,

Ole

[DrJB]

12 hours ago, MAB said:

If you can prove it appears in a set, they will correct it.

If you think that bricklink is wrong, then check the instructions for the sets you have. Find the parts in the Inventories at the back of the instructions, then inform bricklink.

Thank you. I have about 250 sets, and going through them will be long and laborious. I started buying Lego in 2003. Back then, TLG did NOT provide parts lists in the instructions. I did ask a question in the BL forum, and now waiting for answers there as well.

11 hours ago, 1974 said:

No, BL is not often wrong. It's the most complete catalogue on the planet. More complete than TLG's own records

And it's community driven, you got something to add, add it it instead of complaining on another website

There are also a ton of parts in colours that do not come from official sets, nothing odd about that. Most likely that's how you got your dark purple parts

Cheers,

Ole

Well ok, not often, but sometimes ... happy now? I have proofs and would keep a list but who has the time for that? In any event, here is example to prove this point: Look up the part below 48912c01  https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=48912c01&idColor=85#T=C&C=85

BL says set Set 8369 has two of such part ... WRONG, I have such set, and it came with only one. Oh yes, I did inform BL many years ago about this, it has not been corrected yet.

Correction - It turns out I have the B-model. The A-model uses 2 springs, the B-model only 1. BL is thus correct and I am wrong... but I learned something new today... that the Racers came in A & B alternate builds.

Now, your point about BL being community driven ... this means it's volunteer work i.e., no rigorous checks & balances process, and this means most likely there are mistakes in there. I'll add this, many men (17%) have some sort of color blindness, where they cannot tell the difference between blue and purple (true fact). Could it be possible that, the set that has my purple parts was inventoried by a well-intentioned man, who was also color-blind? Not criticizing BL, just trying to find possible explanations.

Here are photos. In fact, I suspect these were mixed in set 4957 Ferris Wheel. The set comes with 32 such parts, and I only have 32 of them (total). Could this be color variation? Incidentally, looking at the underside of the parts (photo below), it appears the two colors came from different molds. The set was manufactured/sold in 2007. Did TLG have color consistency issues back then?

 

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by DrJB

[Murdoch17]

Hey, @DrJB, that's not dark purple.... that's a very sun-faded regular blue. Almost looks dark blue to me.

[DrJB]

Thank you @Murdoch17. I've seen sun-faded bricks, and the fading is usually not uniform (especially visible in white bricks as some sides are yellowish, others white). How do you explain that the colors are uniform? Plus, the parts have not been exposed to sun at all. They were in storage in a closet in plastic containers. Also, the true blue parts have all the same mold, whereas the 'purple' parts have different mold markings. Could TLG have sourced parts from 2 different plants/locations, and one of them had non-stable color chemistry ?

I said dark purple because the color matches those bionicle parts ... my own color expert (my daughter) says it is Dark Purple  :)

So the issue then is ... unstable chemistry formulation that leads to discoloration? If so, is there a way to recover the original color? 

Edited February 14, 2021 by DrJB

[1974]

Those parts are definitely not dark purple. Are you colour blind?

TLG have had serious colour problems since they switched to diy + clear pellets around 2003-4

Cheers,

Ole

[dr_spock]

Chemical breakdown of the plastic over time can cause colour variations too.  It's most noticeable with the white bricks. I do see variations in the blue bricks of sets I have from the 1980s.

[koalayummies]

2 hours ago, DrJB said:

Well ok, not often, but sometimes ... happy now? I have proofs and would keep a list but who has the time for that? In any event, here is example to prove this point: Look up the part below 48912c01  https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=48912c01&idColor=85#T=C&C=85

BL says set Set 8369 has two of such part ... WRONG, I have such set, and it came with only one. Oh yes, I did inform BL many years ago about this, it has not been corrected yet.

Brickset's inventory also lists 2 and they state that the data is obtained direct from Lego's customer service replacement parts page. "Important note: We do not control this inventory and cannot currently make changes to it. Use it as a guide to the contents of the set, or to find out part numbers when requesting replacements."

Also I found two listings for sale of this set and it clearly shows 2 of the spring piece in both, one from Nevada and one from Austria. https://www.ebay.com/c/1200724970 https://www.ebay.com/c/149215073

[Evans]

Your parts are "Brittle Blue", it was a very large production error that affected many parts in 2007-2008. With time, these are darkening like this. Just try to stick it to two studs, tilt it a bit, a normal part will deform and stay good, and yours will explode in pieces. So this is a known problem, which is very far from being genuine dark purple.

I did the experience with a friend that wanted to give me his bulk lot from 2007 (production code on the bucket), I showed him with a 1x6 brick, it was the first time I did that deliberately... But unfortunately, my childhood sets are also affected, as the City concrete mixer for which the mixer part is brittle blue. I don't want to touch it, that would be a too impressive explosion...

I did an experiment to de-yellow brittle blue parts and it did work fine, I've just been afraid to use these yet! 

[Alexandrina]

Just to add to the chorus, that's not dark purple, not even close. It does look exactly like many blue bricks I have myself from my childhood (so the 2001-2010 period) that have been stored in drawers not exposed to sunlight for much of their lifespan. Blue bricks naturally discolour, and I think that is what you have 

[DrJB]

57 minutes ago, koalayummies said:

Brickset's inventory also lists 2 and they state that the data is obtained direct from Lego's customer service replacement parts page. "Important note: We do not control this inventory and cannot currently make changes to it. Use it as a guide to the contents of the set, or to find out part numbers when requesting replacements."

Also I found two listings for sale of this set and it clearly shows 2 of the spring piece in both, one from Nevada and one from Austria. https://www.ebay.com/c/1200724970 https://www.ebay.com/c/149215073

Good point. I was thinking of a different car (not 8369, but something similar) ... and the inventory sometime back said it had 2, when in fact the one I have has one. Maybe they corrected it after all. In any event, it seems the part I'm after does not exist after all in dark purple ... yet its color looks very close to dark purple ...  This is just some parts fading after years in storage. What I found 'strange' is that all parts that have remained blue are from one mold, and those that faded are from a different mold. I recall reading sometime back that Lego builds parts at various locations ... With the mold information above this suggests that different plants have better color/chemistry control than others.

7 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

Just to add to the chorus, that's not dark purple, not even close. It does look exactly like many blue bricks I have myself from my childhood (so the 2001-2010 period) that have been stored in drawers not exposed to sunlight for much of their lifespan. Blue bricks naturally discolour, and I think that is what you have 

The more the merrier  :)

Edited February 14, 2021 by DrJB

[koalayummies]

But which set/car are you talking about that might have the incorrect information regarding the spring part then? Lets check it out.

These databases have been thanklessly compiled and maintained so lets at least verify before dismissing the entirety of the archive as inaccurate or suggesting that those that put in the work are unqualified or colorblind based on one potentially misremembered error.

[DrJB]

Now I realize what the issue is. I bought my Dirt Crusher used/assembled off eBay. It came with only one shock absorber. However, I just checked the instructions, and there seems to be 2 models (A&B). Apparently, the one I bought off eBay was the B model. The A uses two springs, the B uses only 1. Fair enough, I learned something new today. Was not aware of A vs. B models on the Racers series. Look at page 40, where they remove the rear spring, for the B-model. Here are the building instructions:

https://www.lego.com/cdn/product-assets/product.bi.core.pdf/4248620.pdf

 

19 minutes ago, koalayummies said:

But which set/car are you talking about that might have the incorrect information regarding the spring part then? Lets check it out.

These databases have been thanklessly compiled and maintained so lets at least verify before dismissing the entirety of the archive as inaccurate or suggesting that those that put in the work are unqualified or colorblind based on one potentially misremembered error.

I'm not dismissing the entirety of the archive ... all of us have different experiences with the archive. There were times where their inventories did not agree with what I have. If you check the forums within BL, there were many instances where users reported on incorrect listings ... nothing new nor unique here. Are we beating down on BL? ... absolutely not! 

Edited February 14, 2021 by DrJB

[koalayummies]

1 hour ago, DrJB said:

Now I realize what the issue is. I bought my Dirt Crusher used/assembled off eBay. It came with only one shock absorber.

Ah, that stinks about the ebay seller missing the part.

[DrJB]

Those springs were very expensive a while back, especially the yellow version (on red bike). I was hoping to get 2 springs, then when I saw the car assembled, I thought it was a mistake ... only today I realized it was a B-model ... live and learn. 

[MAB]

BL users will usually use a sealed set to check inventories. They won't allow changes based on a used set bought from ebay - that is probably why they rejected your suggested change.

But it is true, there are a number of errors and I have found BL catmins correct them if there is reasonable proof or the error.

[JaBaCaDaBra]

On 2/14/2021 at 9:57 AM, 1974 said:

add it it instead of complaining

So I did with a very special set that was only given away as a present on a show years back
a very small set, mini mindstorms
It even has an official LEGO number
So I added it...never a reaction...
Half a year later I realised I didn't get a reaction and it was neither added
So I added it again, sometimes things go wrong..
This time I got an answer, extremely rude, mismannered.
And a remark that it's not a LEGO set.
WTF?
I have the thing here, right now, physycally in my hands.
I made a remark back that I could prove it
No answer
Oh well then i made a remark that communication is not their best skill
They threatened me to ban me

Bricklink volunteers?
It's just a bunch of egocentric megablocks, nothing less

Edited February 15, 2021 by JaBaCaDaBra

[DrJB]

Not to change the topic completely, but I had my share of issues with BL as well. I had some old/sealed sets I put for sale, Two buyers from Europe never paid me (and I did not send the sets) ... BL charged me $50 ... I tried to reason with them, but they insisted that the buyers paid me by 'other' means (not paypal) and that I 'violated' them i.e., took advantage of them ... I could not prove my case, and neither could they do theirs ... but the management (pre Lego) was not the best. Here I am ... complaining again. 

Edited February 16, 2021 by DrJB