Time to rename Technic bricks?

[Tube Map Central]

Not remotely intending to trigger a debate on studded verses no-stud Technic ...

On Bricklink, and elsewhere, certain types of Lego bricks are named/classified as 'Technic Bricks'.

But, with a quick bit of random sampling, I observed that these days, the one type of modern set you can be almost certain won't contain Technic Bricks is Technic sets! That's not a surprise, Technic has evolved its own way, and these types of bricks (and plates) have many unique uses in System.

There must be people here who have never seen a Technic set containing Technic bricks. Time for a new name?

[TeriXeri]

I don't think a new name would change much, a 2022 1x4 brick with 3 holes is still a Technic brick, and still compatible with technic set designs going back to 1977.

While Technic sets might never had this color of 2020-2022 brick in a set, it's still a Technic design from dating back 1977.

 

Technic is all over System sets these days (both studs and studless can be in the same sets) but still uses pins, axles, gear etc that are still seen in Technic sets.

Technic Bricks still use the same holes as they always have to fit those Technic pins.

In 2022 sets, like the Friends Main Street, or Ninjago Dojo, Technic pins in Technic Bricks of various types are used to connect several sections together in non-permanent ways so it's easy to change a layout.

"System" is also something that has not been on boxes for 2 decades now, I think the last time the System logo was used was 1999.

Edited February 9, 2022 by TeriXeri

[Feuer Zug]

By the same token, we should rename the "headlight" brick. It hasn't been used as such since the 90's. Just kidding.

I think at this point, the name is a near permanent part of the lexicon and should stay as such. As @TeriXeri mentioned, the design is still the same. 45 years of having the name probably means its stuck with it, whether it's used for its original purpose or not.

[1963maniac]

Technic bricks will always be Technic; they have Technic pinholes to accept Technic pins!

[dr_spock]

Holy Bricks, Batman.  What do you propose renaming it to? 

 

 

 

[metalgeekzy]

What Technic set dosent have Technic parts?

[Maple]

On 2/9/2022 at 10:15 PM, dr_spock said:

Holy Bricks, Batman.  What do you propose renaming it to? 

Exactly. Rename them 'holy bricks', just like the new two stud tall piece is called a 'prick'.

[Johnny1360]

Even if there were a valid reason for renaming it, it would always be refered to by it's original name, Technic Brick

[Erik Leppen]

The difficulty with technic bricks is that over time, there have been several parts with holes that could just as well have been "technic plates", but aren't.

All of these are "plates, modified".

 

And these two are somehow "technic connectors".

Whatever naming scheme you imagine, there will always be parts not fitting. I once had a discussion long ago about why the 1x2 brick with axlehole was called a technic brick, because he used the axlehole as a decoration for castle walls.

[Lira_Bricks]

4 hours ago, Erik Leppen said:

I once had a discussion long ago about why the 1x2 brick with axlehole was called a technic brick, because he used the axlehole as a decoration for castle walls.

Spoiler

Not really a nice decoration for a castle wall! </joke>

Strange there are three versions of that brick tho...

[howitzer]

Quite a many Technic sets actually have Technic bricks also nowdays, but usually only a couple. They are commonly used for attaching System-built decorations, and sometimes for their greater rigidity than beams (for example in the boom of 42082). Smaller sets tend to not have any though.

[Christoph1970]

Often naming is very difficult because of the high variety. I think, technic bricks remain technic bricks, because the today used parts mostly are beams. And this quite is an other name.

[allanp]

Names, and words in general, are just sounds we make to convey some meaning. The sound itself is harmless and meaningless but the meaning we attribute to those sounds is what does the work. We all know what a technic brick is which is what makes the description useful. To change it would only make it less useful until everyone is caught up. 

[AColtsFan]

On 2/15/2022 at 3:49 AM, Erik Leppen said:

The difficulty with technic bricks is that over time, there have been several parts with holes that could just as well have been "technic plates", but aren't.

All of these are "plates, modified".

 

And these two are somehow "technic connectors".

Whatever naming scheme you imagine, there will always be parts not fitting. I once had a discussion long ago about why the 1x2 brick with axlehole was called a technic brick, because he used the axlehole as a decoration for castle walls.

I have no idea, but if someone knows I'm curious--did the parts in the first group make their first appearance in non-Technic sets, while the parts in the second group first appear in Technic sets?

[Lyichir]

On 2/15/2022 at 4:49 AM, Erik Leppen said:

The difficulty with technic bricks is that over time, there have been several parts with holes that could just as well have been "technic plates", but aren't.

All of these are "plates, modified".

 

And these two are somehow "technic connectors".

Whatever naming scheme you imagine, there will always be parts not fitting. I once had a discussion long ago about why the 1x2 brick with axlehole was called a technic brick, because he used the axlehole as a decoration for castle walls.

To be honest that's one of the things that frustrates me about Bricklink's categorization of parts—I'd sooner consider all of these Technic plates. Similarly it's frustrating how bricks with Technic pin holes are considered Technic bricks, but bricks with Technic pins are not (like 1x2 or 2x2 bricks with Technic pins, the latter of which has a Technic axle hole connection through the center to boot).

But of course, part of that is the inevitability of any taxonomic enterprise—eventually you might end up having to make arbitrary sorts of judgment calls when things could reasonably fit into more than one category. One thing Brickset has started doing (which I think shows a lot of promise) is using a tag system in addition to more rigid categories, so that you can group parts with similar features or connection types and even search for parts that can adapt one kind of connection to another.

[AColtsFan]

27 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

But of course, part of that is the inevitability of any taxonomic enterprise—eventually you might end up having to make arbitrary sorts of judgment calls when things could reasonably fit into more than one category. One thing Brickset has started doing (which I think shows a lot of promise) is using a tag system in addition to more rigid categories, so that you can group parts with similar features or connection types and even search for parts that can adapt one kind of connection to another.

I'm reminded of Borges's Celestial Emporium.

[1963maniac]

 Erik Leppen you are right. Yes, I think part names ought to be more appropriate, too. I mean if the part has a pin, pinhole, axle or axlehole, it's name ought to start with Technic (whether it's a brick, plate or tile), Bricklink's nameing evolved over time as new parts came along. So, it's not even their fault! It would be much easier to find parts too.

[TeriXeri]

Personally I consider most parts with a pin or axle hole Technic by function (I don't have any actual Technic sets from after 2000), but I understand over time, parts changed, hinges changed, such "Technic" parts have become more part of system and vice versa in reverse functions.

 

Technic uses system for decoration mostly (look at the new ferrari car for example), and System uses technic for mechanisms or structural strength.

There are parts that makes it harder to categorize, like the 2x2 round brick/plate (and relevant rocket parts) has a + shaped axle hole which fits either an axle or a pin, or is used for different reasons like less clutch on purpose. 

Classic Space sets had rockets with multiple round bricks with axle holes, but even while the rockets had no axles in them, seeing how technic axles got changed after 1977 to black, and classic space sets appeared in 1978, I doubt it's just random happening.

 

Later on LEGO made those lattice/scaffold parts as well , and Spike Prime 2x4 bricks have started making it into system sets.

Overall, LEGO parts have expanded a lot, some systems have been retired in favor of others like the older 2 & 3 finger hinges aren't made anymore, and many clip/bar/click hinge took their place.

A lot of bar and hollow stud parts appeared, tiles with different offsets etc, even "system" became a lot more technical like that if you just use clips, bars and hollow studs.

Some recent bricks have started to double as "technic" functions in different ways as well , formerly would need 2 technic pieces to get something similar, but this can't rotate around a pin, which is both a pro or con, but likely mostly designed to be non-rotational compared to a half-pin even a friction blue one.

Edited June 8, 2022 by TeriXeri

[MAB]

9 hours ago, 1963maniac said:

 Erik Leppen you are right. Yes, I think part names ought to be more appropriate, too. I mean if the part has a pin, pinhole, axle or axlehole, it's name ought to start with Technic (whether it's a brick, plate or tile), Bricklink's nameing evolved over time as new parts came along. So, it's not even their fault! It would be much easier to find parts too.

If everything with a pin, pinhole,  axle or axle hole got labelled as technic, the name technic becomes almost useless as so many things would have it in the name. It becomes a redundant search term. It is the same with the categories, some of them become overly large and almost impossible to browse effectively.  Some have had to be split in the past due to this.

If it is a brick with a pin on the side, then I'd expect the name to include brick and pin but not technic. As to the category, is it a (modified) brick with a pin or a (technic) pin with a brick. What would help here is if there was a flowchart to show how to determine the category, and this has been discussed at bricklink. The downsides are that it would probably mean long existing parts get changed which can mess up some sellers' Inventories and also that it is very difficult to come up with consistent rules that apply to all known and future unknown parts.

 

A much better route would be tags and allow filtering based on multiple tags. Apparently BL is working on this but how it will look is still unknown.