benredstar

Why are there spare parts in the sets?

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Hello all

This may have been asked before; but why do LEGO sets include so many spare parts and why are they so consistent?

I can understand that production processes might mean they deliberately put extra pieces in the sets to insulate against the risk of the set missing pieces. But the spare pieces are very consistent; suggesting their quality control processes are sufficient to put the exact same spare pieces in each set time and time again. In which case why bother at all; since you can apparently control the set contents so thoroughly?!

Someone said something once about a weighing machine, but not sure that makes any more sense.

/ben

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I always assumed that it is the least expensive small parts that have the greatest chance of getting lost? Or maybe there is something in the factory mechanism that only spits out things like cheese slops studs and antenna's and technic pins in pairs?

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I always assumed that it is the least expensive small parts that have the greatest chance of getting lost?

This, actually.

And the fact that it cost far less for them to include a few more teeny tiny pieces than to have to ship replacement parts.

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Many times the spare parts are of the size that you could easily fit one on your pinky finger nail. It's not hard for me to imagine some KFOL accidentally losing those parts in the couch cushions on Christmas day.

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The spare pieces are actually duplicates of some of the smallest, lightest parts in the set. This is supposedly done because these tiny pieces are so light that the scales used to check inventories will miss them when the sets are being packaged, so Lego plans for extras of some of those parts to make sure they are included in every set.

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I've heard that theory - that it is the lightest parts and that they are included to help the quality control weigh-in, but as the original poster said, it doesn't make sense. It seems to be the parts that are the most easily lost or broken. My theory rests on the Antenna Whip 8H piece (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2569). Clearly it weighs much more than a 1x1 round plate or a 1x1 cheese, yet sets always include a spare. Why? Because I'm sure that part is very easily broken being so thin.

If it was a weight issue, there is no way that the spare parts would never differ... they are always the same, just check against the Bricklink inventory.

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I've heard that theory - that it is the lightest parts and that they are included to help the quality control weigh-in, but as the original poster said, it doesn't make sense. It seems to be the parts that are the most easily lost or broken. My theory rests on the Antenna Whip 8H piece (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2569). Clearly it weighs much more than a 1x1 round plate or a 1x1 cheese, yet sets always include a spare. Why? Because I'm sure that part is very easily broken being so thin.

If it was a weight issue, there is no way that the spare parts would never differ... they are always the same, just check against the Bricklink inventory.

I agree that putting in an antenna to compensate for inaccuracy of the weighting process doesn't make much sense, but putting in 1x1 rounds because they're fragile doesn't either -because they're not actually all that fragile. Getting a duplicate of the long antenna is news to me, by the way. I don't think I've ever seen that, but it's possibly been a while since I bought a set with any of them in it.

Did you consider that there doesn't have to be a single reason, but that both may be true?

Some of the spare parts are so light that they may cause problems with the weighing, so LEGO put in an extra one. For other parts, such as the antenna, they put one in extra because the part is easily bent or broken inside the box.

Cheers,

Ralph

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I always assumed that it is the least expensive small parts that have the greatest chance of getting lost?
And the fact that it cost far less for them to include a few more teeny tiny pieces than to have to ship replacement parts.

Both of you got that right :classic:!

But then sometimes you get different ones, even in small sets. In the 30100 Beach these are the extra parts:

gallery_148_211_85934.jpg

* 1x1 rounds plates - Check!

* Extra pair of flippers - eeeeh :sceptic:!?

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* 1x1 rounds plates - Check!

* Extra pair of flippers - eeeeh :sceptic:!?

I noticed, at least on one occasion, that polybags contain more extra parts (like you, I also encountered more than one extra 1 x 1 round plate of the same colour in a polybag). According to Bricklink, the flippers are pretty light (0.37 grams). The extra parts that are expected are actually there most of the time, so the weighting of sets seems to be pretty accurate.

Maybe an Ambassador has the complete story? :tongue:

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The extra parts that are expected are actually there most of the time, so the weighting of sets seems to be pretty accurate.

isn't 'most of the time' the key phrase here? The spare parts are usually all there, but occasionally they might not be, so Lego errs on the side of caution. Better a spare flipper be not included in a box, than a needed one.

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isn't 'most of the time' the key phrase here?

Sure, it is, and including the extra parts probably still outweighs the costs (labour, shipping) TLG would incur in the rare case that parts were missing.

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Putting in extras to prevent missing parts from slipping through the weight check has always struck me as the most likely scenario, since that tends to be the typical reason in mass production for including more than the needed amount of something. Just include one of each lightweight part, and it might be left out without being caught by the weight check. Include two, and it won't matter if one of them is missing. And if both of them are missing, then it will make a bigger difference in weight than if a single part were left out.

Other common extra parts include some minifigure accessories like handcuffs, visors, binoculars, revolvers, etc.

Even the antenna doesn't seem to be an exception. It's not the lightest part by any means, but according to Bricklink it's lighter even than a 1x3 plate. And since it tends to be bagged together with larger parts rather than tiny parts, it may go through a less precise weight check than bags containing lighter parts like 1x2 plates and tiles.

That isn't to say there aren't exceptions, though. The Taj Mahal set had 17 extra 1x6 plates all bagged together, a decision the weight check cannot possibly explain.

Edited by Aanchir

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I still don't think it has to do with weight, I still think it is parts that are more easily lost. Why do they include extra 1x1 round plates, tiles, and cheese, but not extra 1x1 square plates? I think because some are more likely to bounce and get lost, and others tend not to bounce and roll or slide away.

Not to mention, who here hasn't found a round 1x1 plate stuck in the corner of the bag? I know I have on more than one occasion when I'm missing the extra part I expect to find.

Edited by meyerc13

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From 1955-58 TLG made a #1247 Esso Service Accessories packs with an Esso Sign, a set of 3 Esso Gas Pumps, and 3 Esso Oil drums (which were discontinued by 1958). After 1958 the packs were numbered #231, and no more oil drums.

If you were lucky enough to find more than 3 small oil drums (1x1 round bricks with an Esso sticker) in your pack... you were lucky indeed!!! They are among the most valuable of all 1950s LEGO items... and today (depending on condition), can command $75-$150.... EACH!!

6335060664_191a6c444a_b.jpg

Edited by LEGO Historian

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It is simply incase some of them get lost, I like it as it is something I will use.

it is normally done with parts such as bushes, pins, round plates, small tiles and square plates, axles, and lift arms from what I have seen.

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I still don't think it has to do with weight, I still think it is parts that are more easily lost. Why do they include extra 1x1 round plates, tiles, and cheese, but not extra 1x1 square plates? I think because some are more likely to bounce and get lost, and others tend not to bounce and roll or slide away.

Not to mention, who here hasn't found a round 1x1 plate stuck in the corner of the bag? I know I have on more than one occasion when I'm missing the extra part I expect to find.

To be honest, I think the lack of 1x1 plates as extras provides further evidence that it's primarily related to the weight check, since 1x1 tiles are, in fact, included as extras, and 1x1 plates are not. How are 1x1 tiles more likely to bounce than 1x1 plates when they have more smooth surfaces to land on? Plus, many small Technic parts are not included as extras, specifically because they are included in bags with smaller parts which would go through a more precise weight check. And flick-fires, perhaps some of the most likely parts to get lost since they are designed to go flying through the air, are not normally included as extra pieces.

The likelihood of parts getting lost doesn't strike me as nearly as good a reason for extra parts as the likelihood of parts not getting packaged in the sets in the first place due to not sending up red flags during the weight check.

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Or maybe there is something in the factory mechanism that only spits out things like cheese slops studs and antenna's and technic pins in pairs?

It is always +1 and not rounded to the even number, if I'm right.

However, I remember that in the 80s the 1x1 round plate always came in pair, as they were still attached together.

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I wonder if they use a high-speed camera recognition system like they have in food processing. Coupled with a accurate scale, this would ensure that each set has the perfect amount of spare parts.

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However, I remember that in the 80s the 1x1 round plate always came in pair, as they were still attached together.

Thanks for the trip to memory lane. I remember it too, from these two sets. :wub:

1509-1.jpg

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Wow nice rallye sets :wub: I never saw these, I guess that we didn't had these in Europe :sad:

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Wow nice rallye sets :wub: I never saw these, I guess that we didn't had these in Europe :sad:

I think that's the case, or at least unavailable in most Europe countries. Because I ended up selling mine (who came with box) to a Spanish AFOL in early 2003 (who had an impressive array of classic town sets himself) who told me he never had it available when he was a kid.

Of course, I regretted selling them almost immediately, so I re-bought them again on BL for a fraction of the price I sold them, but this time without the box (bricks were good though). Curious thing is, the seller I bought it from was from UK.

Nowadays it's very easy to re-build these sets since all parts are very common (aside from a few printed pieces maybe)

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