Showing posts with label Quatro. Mrs. Dagsbricks on the LEGO prowl this week. Bunch of random fiddly bits including half of a technic shock absorber. Plus a Quatro brick. Nice finds Mrs. D! Mrs. Dagsbricks is definitely tuning her eye. She was rifling through a large box and grabbed a plastic studded piece. She saw Megablock on it and then realized she had seen other pieces as well. She went back through a little more carefully and came out with a whopping pile. First is a bunch of system with some Knights Kingdom in there. Then an assortment of DUPLO with a couple of Quatro figs. At the end, she had just grabbed a paper bag with a bunch of stuff in it for me to go through. A few extra LEGO bits but also a large collection of Nanoblocks. I would never buy the stuff but it was neat to have some in person. This might be the basis for an occasional Techniques post on clone bricks.After several weeks of very little to nothing, there was a small haul. All over the map too.
First, a black City briefcase and dark bley knit cap. Then a Bionicle mask, weapon and random piece (hooked on the Technic ring), plus a Knights Kingdom helmet. A Technic ring that's likely from the Ninjago spinner arena set. Plus a Quatro piece and a Tub lid. Over the past several weeks I've been taking a look at different sizes of LEGO sub brands and comparing them to the System standard. From little to big those have been Modulex, DUPLO, Quatro, Primo, and Tubs and Cups. Unfortunately my collection is devoid of any Jumbo Bricks or Soft Bricks. When and if I can get my hands on some I'll be sure to post about them. From what I've seen on the interwebs, Jumbo is between DUPLO and Quatro in size while Soft Bricks are about the same size as Primo, stud notwithstanding. Want to score mega bonus points with me? Send me a yellow 2x2 Soft Brick and I'll gush about how wonderful you are in your very own blog post. Some of these systems are immediately compatible with each other, some take a little more tinkering and ingenuity.
If you need a little help with size comparisons and what might fit where, take a look at the handy-dandy chart I created and made public. If you have definitive dimensions to help fill any of the voids please feel free to share. Jumbo Bricks and Soft Bricks could use the most help. I feel like I did a good job of hitting all the sizes. What else did I miss? Quatro makes DUPLO look like LEGO. See, DUPLO is a double sized LEGO brick. You can see that in the name itself. Quatro is an even larger scale of LEGO brick that is twice as big as DUPLO. The line was produced between 2004 and 2006 with only 10 sets. I'm assuming LEGO stopped at the Quatro brick because Octro is a terrible marketing name. Though there is Octan... Quatro comes in 5 basic shapes; 1x2, 1x4, 2x2, 2x2 curved slope and 2x4. There is also a 2x4 vehicle base and a massive truck. And a minifigure (Quatrofigure?). Much as DUPLO to LEGO, Quatro studs are hollow to allow the bottom tubes of DUPLO to set inside them.
Integrating Quatro directly with LEGO is a little difficult. It would be easier to step down with DUPLO first. However there are a very limited number of pieces that could help. First, a minifig head fits nicely into the bottom tube of the Quatro. This is a very dangerous way to lose a perfectly good head unless you are willing to drill a hole in the top of your Quatro block. If you want to integrate this way, it would be better to shove some 1x1 round brick on the hole to keep the head from going to far. The inside of the open stud is about 15mm, just shy of a round 2x2 brick. Further (just like all hollow studs) there are four little bits of extra material in there to create clutch. What I did find to fit was a small tire which could have a wheel inside which then attaches to the appropriate modified plate. When I first built my Dag Bricks, I was calling them Tetra Bricks to not be confused with the official Quatro Blocks. Given that the scale is the same it should be no surprise that Quatro stack on top of Dag Bricks.
Unfortunately the converse is not true. Which is a shame. Thankfully Dag Bricks are still compatible with System. Using Quatro might not be your best choice unless you already own some or know of someone who is tossing them. The pieces are pretty cheap on Bricklink but they will almost certainly be more expensive to ship any quantity due to their volume. However your tireless hours of creating filler inside your superstructure may be reduced to mere minutes. And the overall weight will be much lighter as well.Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Before you reach for your credit card, this amazing Batman-themed jacket made from over 10,000 pieces of Lego isn’t available for sale. It was a one-of-a-kind creation made to tease every Lego and Batman fan who will never be able to own it. The jacket was custom made for DC Comics president Diane Nelson who recently wore the amazing piece at the premiere of the Lego Batman movie. However, we’re going to assume she took it off before attempting to squeeze into a theater seat as the jacket doesn’t look very flexible—or comfortable.
Featuring Batman and Joker on the front, with the Batman logo on the back, the jacket was created by Lego artist Nathan Sawaya who was responsible for a similar piece worn by Her Universe’s Ashley Eckstein at San Diego Comic Con 2016, and a life-size version of the Batmobile assembled from over half-a-million bricks. It took over 100 hours to painstakingly attach the 10,000+ pieces of Lego to the coat, but at least last-minute alterations were presumably as easy as adding a few more strips of Lego where needed.[DC Comics via The Brick Fan]Try going back to the homepageFor the Kinder Duplo confectionery product, see Kinder Chocolate. Duplo (trademarked as DUPLO) is a product range of the construction toy Lego, designed for children aged 1½ to 5 years old. Duplo bricks are twice the length, height and width of traditional Lego bricks, making them easier to handle and less likely to be swallowed by younger children. Despite their size, they are still compatible with traditional Lego bricks.
Initially launched in 1969, the Duplo range has gone on to include sets with figures, cars, houses and trains. Duplo is manufactured in Nyíregyháza, Hungary. Duplo bricks alongside a smaller red regular-sized Lego brick Duplo and regular-sized Lego compatibility demonstrated Duplo bricks were introduced in 1969, in four colors: red, yellow, blue, and white. The following year, two more sets were added with blue and red wheel plates. In the product catalog for 1971, the sets were described as being for children from 1 to 2 years, but were still sold mixed with Lego bricks, normally designed for ages 3 to 12. In 1972, the Duplo brick with two rows of two studs was introduced. In 1975, Duplo became its own product brand, with five sets made up exclusively of Duplo bricks. New additions included a round-topped two-by-two stud brick and a small four-wheeled wagon with two rows of six studs. With these new Duplo sets, Lego began targeting children 1½ years old with the intention that when the children became older, their Duplo bricks could be used together with regular Lego bricks.
In 1977, the Duplo name was dropped in favor of Lego Preschool. Small figures the size of two-by-two bricks were introduced, made up of a cylindrical head and a tapered, limbless body, similar in design to Fisher-Price's Little People. Another new brick was a half arch. The new sets included figures, doors, and two-by-six brick wagons that could act as a car or train. The name Duplo was brought back in 1979, along with a new reworked logo. Some brick sets were sold inside a plush version of the rabbit from the logo, that zipped closed. In 1983, other Duplo figures appeared, often called Duplo people. These figures have a moveable head, arms, and legs and look like large Lego minifigures, but cannot be taken apart, making them safer for small children. Also in 1983, set number 2700 was introduced with a model of a steam engine with two train cars. In 1986, a Duplo doll house with sliding doors was introduced. This included a Duplo people mother, father, and smaller child.