LEGO grip strength/clutch power decreased?

[rogue27]

Every once in a while, somebody will pop onto a forum and complain about the quality of LEGO bricks going down, clutch power getting weaker, reduced tolerances, etc. I have generally been of the opinion that this was nonsense.

LEGO bricks have a strong grip today. People are just complaining because they want to. Aren't they?

Last night, I was able to open and assemble a MIOB 6048 Magical Workshop set from 1993. (Woohoo! ABS sword!) Guess what? The clutch power of the bricks was unbelievable!

These bricks took a great deal of force to connect completely, and the parts had a harder and sharper feel to them. Many of them would connect with a very audible snap, squeak, or creak, and even a single stud connection would hold on very tightly and release with a sharp pop. Newer parts will snap and pop when connected and separated at times, but it is more dull sounding.

I am also experiencing a phenomenon I had completely forgotten about from my youth. I am getting LEGO Hands! Pushing on a bunch of small plastic parts with hard edges wears away at your skin, and it starts to grow in a bit thicker. This is quite similar to what happens to a guitar player's fingertips. Now that it is happening to me again, I do remember this from when I was younger. For some reason, newer LEGO parts do not do this to me.

I am fairly convinced that LEGO has done something to make LEGO parts a bit softer. However, the above story is not the only reason I think so. Consider this:

I stick two 2x4 plates together so all 8 studs are connected. I grab two brick separators, put one on top and one on the bottom, and then squeeze them together to separate the plates. The plastic on the bottom of the bottom plate will become permanently disfigured by the studs of the brick seperator. I hate that because those two connections are then permanently weakened. I need to test whether the same thing happens if I do this with older plates.

Finally, KK2 knight minifig arms. Has anybody found them to be very loose after swapping them? They seem to be looser than usual right out of the box too, and they are easier to remove from the torso. It seems to me that the KK2 torsos and/or arms are not made out of the same plastic that was used on the minifigs I have from a few years ago.


Anyway, if I am right about the plastic being softened over the years, it is not necessarily TLC decreasing quality to save money. Perhaps the parts were softened so the kids buying the 4+ sets would be strong enough to attach the bricks? Perhaps some kids don't like getting LEGO hands? Perhaps softer bricks retain their clutch power longer because of added flexibility? I can't say what their real motivations are. I'm not even 100% sure the plastic has been changed, but I have a strong suspicion.

[Formendacil]

Well, considering that I am not really willing to spend the money on an MISB set from more than a decade ago (as much as I would love to be able to), I can't really replicate this experiment.

As far as my experience goes, I never really noticed a change. On the other hand, I have pretty much only gotten sets that were relatively new.

Here's a theory though:

LEGO bricks harden a little as they get older. This happens inside and outside boxes, mainly to bricks that aren't used a lot, and thus not kept "supple".

Of course, this is only a theory that I'm making up on the spot, but what do you think anyway? COULD abs harden if unused for a decade or more?

[Robin Hood]

You have some good pionts there Rogue. I know what you mean, at least for KK2. When a purple visor of mine is put a helment other than the one it came with it is realllly lose.

This is a interesting idea Mike. Though for some odd reason I doubt it.

Dan

[Jojo]

Hello!

Last night, I was able to open and assemble a MIOB 6048 Magical Workshop set from 1993. (Woohoo! ABS sword!) Guess what? The clutch power of the bricks was unbelievable!
These bricks took a great deal of force to connect completely, and the parts had a harder and sharper feel to them. Many of them would connect with a very audible snap, squeak, or creak, and even a single stud connection would hold on very tightly and release with a sharp pop. Newer parts will snap and pop when connected and separated at times, but it is more dull sounding.

I know exactly what you are speaking about. When I opened a 6082 that I won in the ISCC2 last year (I only say that to explain why I opened an otherwise probably relatively expensive MISB set) I had the same experience. And I have got an assumption:

Those new parts from 1994 (it's been from the 1994 production run) were dry. But new bricks from recent sets have some kind of lubricating film on them, maybe some remaining lubrication grease from the production molds that helps seperating the brick easily from the mold. When you touch the new bricks you leave finger prints. But this grease does not only help seperating the bricks from the mold but also does it "help" separating bricks from bricks because the lubricating effect impacts also the bricks among each other.
That's just an assumption of course.


Bye
Jojo

[TheOrk]

If theres a problem with LEGO I won't admit to it openly.
But....
The qaulity of Megabloks is climing every 4 to 7 years.