Most Common LEGO Parts

In February, I launched a completely new LEGO Parts Guide which allows you to explore LEGO parts using a streamlined, well-organized alternative to sites like Bricklink or Rebrickable. I am thrilled to share a new experience that builds on the Parts Guide in an elegant way.

You may have already discovered the ranking data when browsing the Parts Guide — Rankings are now shown for every part.

I believe that having easy access to raking data will be tremendously helpful to people trying to organize their own LEGO Collections. Why? Because it gives people a much better sense about which parts are common and which ones are rare — You probably don’t need a dedicated drawer in your storage solution if a part isn’t very common (unless you have gone out of your way to acquire that part in bulk).

Parts are ranked on multiple dimensions, with a weighted ‘Overall Rank’ at the top which takes multiple metrics into account.

There are two ways to explore the Most Common LEGO Parts:

• Current Most Common LEGO Parts – Explore the parts which you are most likely to find in recent LEGO sets. (This is based on sets released in 2019-2023.)
• Most Common LEGO Parts (All Time) – Explore the most common parts across The LEGO Group’s 70-year history producing interlocking plastic bricks.

Explore the Current Most Common LEGO Parts, sorted by weighted ranking.

The ‘Overall Rank’ is weighted to highlight parts that are most common against three different measures – the sheer number of pieces produced of that part, the number of sets that the part comes in, and the number of unique colors that the part has been produced in. If you want to sort the list in a different way, you can click on the tabs along the top

One of my favorite views highlights those parts which have been produced for the longest time.

Adding parts to the database:

In addition to launching the Most Common Parts section, I’ve added 83 parts to the guide after the initial launch in February. Most of these parts were added because they are highly ranked in the list of Most Common LEGO Parts (All Time). If you are curious, you can check out this list of all of the newly added parts.

This includes a lot of parts which are ‘retired’ because they have not been produced in the past 5 years. (Retired parts are not visible in the Parts Guide but are visible in the lists of most common parts.)

Please spend some time exploring the new and improved Most Common LEGO Parts Guide by visiting https://brickarchitect.com/parts/most-common/ — Thanks!

You can also join an enthusiastic discussion about these new features at r/LegoStorage on Reddit. Your feedback matters, so please leave a comment or email me your ideas!

A fantastic set for younger builders

I had the great pleasure of reviewing an excellent set which was just released on April 1, but I didn’t have to build it (no joke)! I recruited my 5-year old son to build #60439 Space Science Lab which I am pleased to report is one of the rare sets to earn our top Must Have (5/5 star) rating here at Brick Architect.

#60439 Space Science Lab is an exceptional set for younger builders, and a great parts pack for adults.

In our review, I’ve called out some of the noteworthy details from both my perspective and my son’s viewpoint. This includes an exploration of the value in terms of both price-per-part and price-per-gram, and it fares very well in both metrics. He loved the little details like the main door “because it goes up and down”, and in Bag 3 when “I think I’m building a bed because they need to sleep somewhere”.

Even though I’m a bit late in sending this newsletter, I’m happy to report that unlike some 18+ new releases #60439 Space Science Lab hasn’t sold out yet at LEGO.com

April 2024 releases for AFOLs

After releasing a ton of new sets in March, April is looking like a slower month for new releases. Not to worry, two of the sets on the docket are large, impressive, and of interest to many adult builders.

• #76271 Batman The Animated Series Gotham City
  This set is either a really deep mosaic or a really shallow sculpture. Either way, it’s an impressive scene of Gotham City that also appeals to me for it’s architectural qualities.
  4210 pieces, ages 18+, $300, available now at LEGO.com
• #21348 Dungeons & Dragons – Red Dragon’s Tale
  There’s a lot of buzz about this expensive model which doubles as a D&D Campaign – I can understand the appeal!
  3745 pieces, ages 18+, $360, available now at LEGO.com
• #60439 Space Science Lab
  On the other end of the spectrum, we have a cute space set targeting younger builders. I love the decision to include an astronaut with a wheelchair, and a tiny alien.
  560 pieces, ages 6+, $35, available now at LEGO.com

You can see all the rest of the new releases by visiting the lego.com store. (Making a purchase using our referral link helps support this website.)

While widely seen as a bit overpriced, the included campaign makes #21348 Dungeons & Dragons a new way to build and play with LEGO.

Best articles from around the web

While February was a day longer this year, it’s still the shortest month! I still managed to find some great articles to share with you.

• Interview with James May
  James is well known the fan community for his work on the LEGO Ideas lineup, but has contributed to many themes in his 5 years as a LEGO designer. It’s interesting to learn why someone chooses to leave The LEGO Group for other opportunities.
  —Brickset
• Open vs Closed-Back LEGO Models: What’s Up With That…?
  James May returned with this article which explores the history and benefits of designing open-backed LEGO sets. This includes an insight into why he designed the walls on one side of #21341 Hocus Pocus to be removeable.
  —Brickset
• Using Color Theory and Composition in LEGO MOCs
  This article by Oscar Cederwall explains different ways to use color theory to make your model pop, with a bunch of examples showing how to infuse a MOC with color!
  —BrickNerd

The best thing about this article about Color Theory is that it includes a ton of great examples. (Photo: BrickNerd)

• Mid-century Modern Megapalooza
  Paul Hetherington is a talented builder known for his fantastical, colorful sculptures, but you will learn that he is equally talented when designing realistic architectural models.
  —Brothers Brick
• Loose Screws: Official LEGO Parts Hiding Behind Metal Screws
  I love articles like this one by Aiden Rexroad that push the limits of the LEGO hobby. Is it a legal technique to take apart LEGO elements that are connected using a screwdriver then use the parts inside within a MOC. Sure, why not?
  —BrickNerd
• How to Build a World Record Vertical LEGO Mosaic
  This article explores the gargantuan project led by Mickaël Eymann to create a world-record for the largest vertical LEGO Mosaic. I enjoyed learning about the technique used to overlap bricks in a diamond grid.
  —BrickNerd

[the agency] began using the Lego heads at the beginning of 2023 to hide faces of suspects. “We settled on Legos because it seemed to get a lot of engagement,” said Durrant

USA Today

• Lego moves to stop police from using toy’s emojis to cover suspects faces on social media
  Apparently, a police station in California was using LEGO heads to obscure the faces of suspects. The LEGO Group, which has taken actions in recent years to try and protect their trademark on the LEGO Minifigure is not a fan…
  —USA Today
• LEGO x Climeworks (German)
  A few months ago, The LEGO Group concluded that using bio or recycled plastics didn’t help them achieve their ambitious carbon reduction goals. That’s probably why we are seeing them invest in carbon capture technologies like this to solve the problem in a different way.
  —Promo Bricks
• Review: SquirrelUp storage boxes
  While cardboard doesn’t seem like the ideal long-term storage solution for LEGO Bricks, these well-designed cardboard drawer cabinets offer an interesting alternative to plastic drawers and tackle boxes.
  —Brickset