Citations › Citation ID: 154

C154. BOOK: Daniel Konstanski, The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks: The Inside Story of a Design Icon (Unbound, 2022), p. 292-294.

There was another challenge with the transparent windowpane component which fitted in the frame – something which wouldn’t bother children but may very well annoy adults. It was called the bullet hole.

LEGO elements are made by plastic injection. Moulds with cavities in the shapes of whichever brick is being produced have molten plastic injected into them at high pressure. While small, that point of injection inevitably leaves a small mark behind, usually in the form of a little nub or circle. Part of the process of designing new moulds is to think through where these nubs will appear and hiding them as much as possible. In the case of the large windowpanes, their injection points had been placed right in the centre, about two-thirds of the way up, leaving behind a large, circular blemish, later christened the bullet hole by model makers. There was nothing to be done in the moment, but Jamie made a mental note of the problem and, as luck would have it, several years later was in a position to do something about it. ... Jamie Berard became an element ambassador and ... also reduced the bullet hole in the large windowpane and moved it to a corner so it would be less obvious.

Jamie Berard advocated for redesign of window glass to move the injection point to a less noticeable corner.