I think it speaks volumes that whenever I realise that the lever is stuck to the piece below the first thing I do is pull the lever out from the socket because I know I’ll break it otherwise and this way I can just pop it back in once the socket finally comes off.
Ngl I made a mistake on a Lego set I got the other day and I don't have a brick separator so I gently bit it to get it off, wasn't the most proud but it worked and didn't damage the piece 😅
I think the “diminished clutch power” is actually chemicals evaporating from 30 year old abs plastic that increases the hardness of 90s LEGO thus more clutch power. Similar to how unused LEGO tyres from the 90s feel oily when unboxing because the petroleum melts out of the rubber
Part of the curing/treating process LEGO is known fore basically stabilizes everything. My grandpa had the OG Automatic Binding Bricks his da bought him as a kid (with the OG rounded logo on the pips and everything) and they bind just as well all these years later. It'll probably be another 30 years or so before they actually start to lose clutch power on their own. Really the only thing that does it nowadays are micro stressors, such as those found when pulling the lever handle out of the base over and over again, or trying to twist them apart or such.
it is funny how i never had this problem, even though i have played with Lego since the early 90s. i never had a lever snap or get stuck like this. but i can see how you hate it if you had this experience. only problem i ever had with the lever was the opposite, where the base could crack slightly and then be too lose
@@Just_A_Rock__ The clutch power on these varies A LOT over time. I recently went through my collection and some of them slip off and some felt completely fused. If you got a good batch or if the plastic hasn't expanded/compressed as much over time then it makes sense that you've never experienced this. But I can confirm this isn't just Slugger not knowing how to take the piece off.
A few weeks ago, I was shifting around some levers from an Exo-Force set, and had similar observations about how annoying to work with they were. I was having a lot of trouble spinning them. So that's a 2006 example for you.
I always *assumed* the technic skeletons these days were more the natural result of LEGO adopting MOCer techniques as MOCers get hired as designers. But this assumption is entirely based on anecdotally seeing technic skeletons in MOCs before seeing them in sets.
I’d suggest putting your thumb on the open side of the lever base and push diagonally up and across the plate. If that doesn’t work, what you mentioned at 1:55 would be my next suggestion. An X-acto knife or other blade might be able to squeeze between the lever parts and be strong enough for you to twist the base portion. If you’re at the point where you’re willing to sacrifice one piece for the other, clamp the sacrificial piece in a vise until it snaps, freeing the other piece. I had to perform this last resort method when I got a 1x2 brick stuck on a minifig short leg piece.
Every time I've ever tried to use my teeth to separate Lego, no matter how carefully I've done it, it has always left bite marks on the pieces. I don't do that anymore. I'd rather keep trying with my bare hands than damage my pieces. Not to mention my teeth.
Incredibly I also have a lever exactly like this, handle snapped off the base still stuck to a 2x10 plate, so I entirely understand your pain with this.
Piece is overdue a redesign, you're spot on, but do try flipping the brick separator the other way up (imo it always works better that way) and making sure it's a nice fresh one with a clean edge. The crowbar minifig tool should also be in your arsenal - they include it in arts sets for a good reason! My most hated part to separate is ratchet bricks; there's just nowhere to get purchase
I don’t think people realize the older Lego molds had way more clutch power. Modem levers would pop right off if you breath on them, the older parts would BECOME ONE WITH THE STUD lmao
What you could do is start by pulling the handle out first, then take the flat end of the brick separator and insert it in the slit where the handle goes, and apply a sideways pressure to snap it off. It might go flying but at least it's off.
I’m younger than most adult lego fans, but there was one lever in my collection like this when I was young. I’ve removed it properly once before through building a scaffold around it so I could get more leverage and push it by the top. I’ve since then had one lego pick a brick trip with a butt ton of modern recipe antennas, and then I sorted my lego more recently into storage bins. I dread the day it rears that forsaken clutch based stickiness from that foreboding segment that’s dedicated to nothing but levers. I have an immortal creativity, but some day that antenna snail is going to get me.
I watched this because I just got a blacktron set on eBay and had one of these absolutely refuse to separate from a plate piece. It was real then and I just got an example of it to remind me now. I almost used teeth on it out of pure childhood instinct.
I haven't ever had one break, but it's kind of terrible that the best way to get a lever off quickly is to stress it in a way that threatens to snap the lever itself.
What people think LEGO teaches kids: **Creativity and how to think like an engineer** What LEGO actually teaches kids: **What anger and frustration feels like**
Clutch power reduction would be a great episode! The only way I know is that technique you mentioned about taking the antenna off and twisting the base. Still worth it, I love this piece!
my 8 year old lizard brain instincts kicked in immediately and I could feel the sensation and taste of removing this piece with my teeth, which is what I would've done immediately
I don't know if I have ever experienced this. I might have once very early in my Lego building years, and then switched to teeth, and finally to the technique I use today, which I will detail in this comment. I definitely think they need to update these with a removal lip, though. First off, I do what you did and clear off anything else that gets in the way. The lever is then adjusted down to its lowest setting. Next, I align my fingers with the slot so that I'm grabbing on to the base section (little to no slot contact) and the lever points towards my hand. I then squeeze the piece together as I rotate the piece the lever is attached to back and forth. The rotation allows you to overcome the static friction/clutch power and it seems to also naturally want to be off of a stud. Most of the time, I also use the base of the lever a little bit for added leverage (ha!) but the force priority is always on the base. Over the years, I've developed a sense of how much I can push on the lever before it gets any sort of permanent/semi-permanent bend in it. Because this process relies heavily on overcoming static friction, it's important to keep it moving until it has come off a bit. You should be able to feel it become less stubborn right away if the base leaves the surface of the piece it is attached to. Extreme solution: Grab an electric drill with an adjustable chuck and clamp it down on the base (this will EASILY crush the piece and most chucks tighten with a ton of leverage, so very light on this!) then manually rotate the piece it is attached to off. If that doesn't work, it's time to run the drill! Note: I have never done this. Any time I think about it, the piece gets scared and comes off by hand.
Related, a small pair of forceps is a super handy tool to have in your building toolkit. Great for snagging or manipulating small pieces in tight spaces. And it has enough grip to overcome old school clutch power (the target may come off worse for wear, though).
Stuck pieces like this got the pliers treatment. Yep, if the dang thing wouldn't come off of it's own accord, pliers got used! If something with grip was needed, it certainly was to remove these stubborn parts!
The lever has one of 3 possibilities for me when removing: 1) assembly removed at once, 2) only the lever is removed and not the fulcrum/base, or 3) the lever is bent out of its shape while removing, regardless of detachment.
Lego actually solved the lever problem already. They now include single stud bricks which, allow for easier removal of the lever piece. I use them all the time for my MOCs without much issue. Also I learned another technique to remove them from a normal brick as well.
As someone who’s golden age of Lego was around 2005 - 2015 I can say that this has never happened to me. The lever just popped off when I removed it with the claw machine method.
That was just painful to watch, seriously. At some point, I'd have dug my teeth in there! They really have to redesign the levers. I was thinking of something along the lines of the 1x1 with the clips (2555) plus a little rod that's about as big as the new Harry Potter wands. Would it look as good? Probably not. But would it work better? Slug yeah.
Being an older piece, it’s likely that the tighter clutch power as well as some wear have gotten it completely stuck. In theory, the parts are so tight that the antennae piece wears down on the inside. Paradoxically, instead of getting looser (like the parts would today), the surface wear increases surface area, consequently increasing friction. Additionally, all plastic worn off piece would be further wedged between the two, causing an almost fusing material transfer. On top of that, the rounded nature of the part makes it especially hard to get a solid grip on. It’s almost like trying to pull a round nut straight off a bolt.
Having watched it through, I will say this. It is so interesting about the clutch power changes! I would love to see your own conclusions and research into it and set design comparisons in general. I only got into Lego in the early 2000s, but my first sets were Rock raiders and a hand full of 90s sets. the lever was just something my siblings and I learned to work around by gripping the round base instead of the lever portion. Is it 100% (or even 90%) effective? No. Yet it also does no harm to any of the parts in an assembly and this is something we could do as children without a brick separator or any tool. That all being said, your points on the flaws of it are valid.
This definitely is a real problem. I broke a lever tiday, dismantlung set 2153 Robo Stalker. One solution would be to put the lever on a 1x1 round plate (ideally of the same color). Most of us likely have lots of spare 1x1 round plates, and the extra height shouldn't matter most of the time. Just leave the two parts together.
I know that back in the day I never had a problem positioning or dismantling these, from classic Space up until Ice Planet, when I entered my dark age. Which doesn't invalidate your experiences, of course. I grew up in a household with three really heavy cigarette users, so maybe the ever-present clouds of second-hand smoke was acting as enough of a lubricant?
I've never had one get stuck or had a lever break off, but I certainly agree it's an awkward part to get out with fiddling with it. Every spot on your list had thought put into it and I didn't disagree with including the lever at all, a minor mold revision to add the bit at the bottom to lift up on it like tiles do would go a long way. Still doesn't make it easier to push down on though..
This happened to me a few times. I'm a collector of classic space, and I sadly don't think there's a 100% way to salvage both bricks. The most consistent way to detach them for me is using the back of a small hammer and prying it out like a nail. Usually the brick underneath is fine, but the lever stand usually ends up either dented or even cracked in half. The 2nd has only happened Twice but it's still a possibility
ive also had lego levers that were just too loose and never held on either. truly wretched piece. also try putting the parts in boiling water to soften them up
Im unfamiliar with Legos transitions from colored to dyed plastic, but could this have happened when they also had the great color shift? That'd strike me as a great reason why the OG colors couldn't be replicated
From a bit of research, the great color shift happened in 2002-2004, and the ABS change happened in 2006, so while they were unrelated to each other, they did both happen because of financial reasons, to save a lot of costs for the company.
@@johnnytifosi So from my understanding, their proces before was that they already had colored plastic before molding it into the pieces they need. This was a simpler process, however it required expensive and extensive storage of all the different colors of plastic they needed to keep. The new process is they only have one kind of plastic, and they dye it the color they need during the moulding. This is much more complex in nature, and different colors requre different formulas, which is why they had issues with brittle browns and such. But it cuts down the storage costs by a lot.
4:25 I grew up in the Nineties and just watched this footage whilst shaking my head, sorry. 😂 The levers are not that bad, more like design weaknesses than actual flaws. But I can see that in modern Lego sets (with current prices), one should expect an updated version of the piece - your implied suggestion to include a groove sounds sensible. PS: Your original idea (horizontal pressure) was the way to go, just stick with that! 😅
Even you'd have to admit though that this is an unreasonable amount of force required to remove a LEGO piece though, right? Like, "applying horizontal pressure" until something gives is not normal, eh? 😅
@@SlugginAround True, the levers can need more pressure than other pieces, you are right. I think we have so many modified and individual pieces now that it is not very intuitive if one needs special treatment, but I remember the antennae/levers as sticking out from the pack back in the day, so we handled them with extra care. Edit: Spelling.
I've had several levers do this on me as a kid, since then I always pop out the lever and then use a fork's prong or knifetip to adjust/remove the base...!
It’s like removing a hat off a head where the hat is already stuck to the head And the put the head into a random torso doesn’t work because the head is loose
I stopped buying Lego before they put a brick separator in every set, so I don't own one. I always separate bricks with a knife. It's way easier to get it between the pieces! The only thing I scratched up real bad is a wheel rim when I took a particularly stubborn tire off. Now that the tire is back on you can't see it anymore :D
I think you can minimize the chance of the lever breaking and make it easier to remove it, if you pinch the black lever at its base along with the bottom white part at the same time and twist it. I remember I always had a bad felling that the lever would break off if I tried to twist it the way you did it in the video.
I agree with you so much on the lovehate situation with those little things. I think I broke one or two as a kid. Please Lego add a groove to the bottom of these 🙏
Brace the plate with your left hand. Place your right hand's thumb's first joint, the heel of your thumb, against the offending piece, on the side next to the edge of the plate. Push.
Ive usually had the opposite problem with this part. Where they fall off super easily. I've particularly had this issue on my lego star wars AAT (the small blue one)
I think it speaks volumes that whenever I realise that the lever is stuck to the piece below the first thing I do is pull the lever out from the socket because I know I’ll break it otherwise and this way I can just pop it back in once the socket finally comes off.
It's a thin piece of plastic, of course it would.
I found an exacto knife when digging through my childhood lego bin. This is why it was there.
So true!!
Teeth solves everything
Amen to this.
That was my first thought. As a child that for sure would have been my strategy lol
Ngl I made a mistake on a Lego set I got the other day and I don't have a brick separator so I gently bit it to get it off, wasn't the most proud but it worked and didn't damage the piece 😅
I have resorted to this for sure
They need to make a new brick sep thats just like a pair of teeth
I will say I’ve never seen a lever, even a vintage one, with THIS much clutch power. It’s frankly amazing
I think the “diminished clutch power” is actually chemicals evaporating from 30 year old abs plastic that increases the hardness of 90s LEGO thus more clutch power. Similar to how unused LEGO tyres from the 90s feel oily when unboxing because the petroleum melts out of the rubber
Part of the curing/treating process LEGO is known fore basically stabilizes everything. My grandpa had the OG Automatic Binding Bricks his da bought him as a kid (with the OG rounded logo on the pips and everything) and they bind just as well all these years later.
It'll probably be another 30 years or so before they actually start to lose clutch power on their own.
Really the only thing that does it nowadays are micro stressors, such as those found when pulling the lever handle out of the base over and over again, or trying to twist them apart or such.
An interesting theory!
Clutch powers? THE clutch powers?
Legends say he’s still trying to separate these pieces ‘till this day.
it is funny how i never had this problem, even though i have played with Lego since the early 90s. i never had a lever snap or get stuck like this. but i can see how you hate it if you had this experience. only problem i ever had with the lever was the opposite, where the base could crack slightly and then be too lose
I've never had the problem either so idk whats up with r.r. slugger
@@Just_A_Rock__ The clutch power on these varies A LOT over time. I recently went through my collection and some of them slip off and some felt completely fused.
If you got a good batch or if the plastic hasn't expanded/compressed as much over time then it makes sense that you've never experienced this. But I can confirm this isn't just Slugger not knowing how to take the piece off.
I also never had this issue with the lever. I love the thing to bits!
@@Alesan99same my first thought was “is this the actual piece or just how certain variants of this piece flat out degrade badly over the years.”
Thank you!! The gaslighting in the comment section has been wild, haha. 😂
No yeah, the lever having bad design that can easily brake is a valid reason why it would be considered a bad piece.
You got to use the forbidden brick removal technique.
TEETH.
As soon as the lever broke... I would have turned to pliers.
After all, the base of the part isn't as useful if the lever is already broken.
A few weeks ago, I was shifting around some levers from an Exo-Force set, and had similar observations about how annoying to work with they were. I was having a lot of trouble spinning them. So that's a 2006 example for you.
mixel ball sockets wish it had that much clutch power
...am I crazy or I don't think I've ever had this issue before. I need to try this sometime
It's nearly impossible to replicate with modern parts, but older parts could sometimes seize up like this.
I usually pull the lever handle out, then use a flat-head screwdriver to twist the base until it comes loose
I always *assumed* the technic skeletons these days were more the natural result of LEGO adopting MOCer techniques as MOCers get hired as designers. But this assumption is entirely based on anecdotally seeing technic skeletons in MOCs before seeing them in sets.
As a kid, I had to pull the handle straight out and then use my thumbnail to lever the remaining piece out
epic hiker mike intro
I’d suggest putting your thumb on the open side of the lever base and push diagonally up and across the plate. If that doesn’t work, what you mentioned at 1:55 would be my next suggestion. An X-acto knife or other blade might be able to squeeze between the lever parts and be strong enough for you to twist the base portion. If you’re at the point where you’re willing to sacrifice one piece for the other, clamp the sacrificial piece in a vise until it snaps, freeing the other piece. I had to perform this last resort method when I got a 1x2 brick stuck on a minifig short leg piece.
Nothing a little bit of tooth work can't fix.
Every time I've ever tried to use my teeth to separate Lego, no matter how carefully I've done it, it has always left bite marks on the pieces.
I don't do that anymore.
I'd rather keep trying with my bare hands than damage my pieces. Not to mention my teeth.
@@ShyGuyXXL I don't think there's a way not to leave teeth marks lol. That's just what you live with, makes it yours.
My first instinct was "teeth!!". Really took me back to being a kid lolol
Paper/felt/cloth over pliers works every time for me, no marks or anything
Incredibly I also have a lever exactly like this, handle snapped off the base still stuck to a 2x10 plate, so I entirely understand your pain with this.
A pair of pliers will make swift work of that stuck piece.
At that point you just gotta use pliers :(
The BGM unlocks memories, now I am watching one of my old favourites again. Thanks, mate. :)
Piece is overdue a redesign, you're spot on, but do try flipping the brick separator the other way up (imo it always works better that way) and making sure it's a nice fresh one with a clean edge. The crowbar minifig tool should also be in your arsenal - they include it in arts sets for a good reason!
My most hated part to separate is ratchet bricks; there's just nowhere to get purchase
Padded needlenose pliers may be a worthy investment for this sort of thing.
I am the kid who separated 2 stuck plates using his teeth and yet i never had this problem, skill issue i guess my sluggy friend
I don’t think people realize the older Lego molds had way more clutch power. Modem levers would pop right off if you breath on them, the older parts would BECOME ONE WITH THE STUD lmao
Don't let them gaslight us slug. I have had the same experience with that issue. although I still like the part.
If only most marriages were half as strong as that bond 😭
Nevermind this is my favorite slugger video now
What you could do is start by pulling the handle out first, then take the flat end of the brick separator and insert it in the slit where the handle goes, and apply a sideways pressure to snap it off. It might go flying but at least it's off.
I’m younger than most adult lego fans, but there was one lever in my collection like this when I was young. I’ve removed it properly once before through building a scaffold around it so I could get more leverage and push it by the top. I’ve since then had one lego pick a brick trip with a butt ton of modern recipe antennas, and then I sorted my lego more recently into storage bins. I dread the day it rears that forsaken clutch based stickiness from that foreboding segment that’s dedicated to nothing but levers. I have an immortal creativity, but some day that antenna snail is going to get me.
I watched this because I just got a blacktron set on eBay and had one of these absolutely refuse to separate from a plate piece. It was real then and I just got an example of it to remind me now. I almost used teeth on it out of pure childhood instinct.
Guess even a nokia phone will break if you use it as seperator
I haven't ever had one break, but it's kind of terrible that the best way to get a lever off quickly is to stress it in a way that threatens to snap the lever itself.
use your teeth, be gentle, some marks are unavoidable but it works
I distictly remember using my teeth for parts like this lever and plate pieces in the 90s. Great vid!
The background music from 0:02 the begining is from some cartoons called Sticking Around
What people think LEGO teaches kids: **Creativity and how to think like an engineer**
What LEGO actually teaches kids: **What anger and frustration feels like**
Clutch power reduction would be a great episode! The only way I know is that technique you mentioned about taking the antenna off and twisting the base. Still worth it, I love this piece!
Damn, I’ve literally never had this problem, thoughts and prayers that you get it unstuck 🙏
my 8 year old lizard brain instincts kicked in immediately and I could feel the sensation and taste of removing this piece with my teeth, which is what I would've done immediately
I don't know if I have ever experienced this. I might have once very early in my Lego building years, and then switched to teeth, and finally to the technique I use today, which I will detail in this comment. I definitely think they need to update these with a removal lip, though.
First off, I do what you did and clear off anything else that gets in the way. The lever is then adjusted down to its lowest setting. Next, I align my fingers with the slot so that I'm grabbing on to the base section (little to no slot contact) and the lever points towards my hand. I then squeeze the piece together as I rotate the piece the lever is attached to back and forth. The rotation allows you to overcome the static friction/clutch power and it seems to also naturally want to be off of a stud. Most of the time, I also use the base of the lever a little bit for added leverage (ha!) but the force priority is always on the base. Over the years, I've developed a sense of how much I can push on the lever before it gets any sort of permanent/semi-permanent bend in it. Because this process relies heavily on overcoming static friction, it's important to keep it moving until it has come off a bit. You should be able to feel it become less stubborn right away if the base leaves the surface of the piece it is attached to.
Extreme solution: Grab an electric drill with an adjustable chuck and clamp it down on the base (this will EASILY crush the piece and most chucks tighten with a ton of leverage, so very light on this!) then manually rotate the piece it is attached to off. If that doesn't work, it's time to run the drill! Note: I have never done this. Any time I think about it, the piece gets scared and comes off by hand.
Related, a small pair of forceps is a super handy tool to have in your building toolkit. Great for snagging or manipulating small pieces in tight spaces. And it has enough grip to overcome old school clutch power (the target may come off worse for wear, though).
Stuck pieces like this got the pliers treatment. Yep, if the dang thing wouldn't come off of it's own accord, pliers got used! If something with grip was needed, it certainly was to remove these stubborn parts!
The lever has one of 3 possibilities for me when removing: 1) assembly removed at once, 2) only the lever is removed and not the fulcrum/base, or 3) the lever is bent out of its shape while removing, regardless of detachment.
Lego actually solved the lever problem already. They now include single stud bricks which, allow for easier removal of the lever piece. I use them all the time for my MOCs without much issue. Also I learned another technique to remove them from a normal brick as well.
Grab a pair of pliers and just grab and pull.
This takedown of levers should be enough to make even Archimedes rethink his fascination with them.
I always used to press my thumb against the side of the piece and it always flung out at an angle
I'm actually insane and would probably just use my teeth to remove it lol
I just bite em off...
Technic brick hole over the lever then pull it cross wise the plate piece.
It's funny, I was a '90s kid playing with this piece and I never experienced this issue, weird. Got lucky I guess!
This happened to me many times to me as a child and even as an adult. Broke a lot of them and now i don't want to touch the levers ever again.
As someone who’s golden age of Lego was around 2005 - 2015 I can say that this has never happened to me. The lever just popped off when I removed it with the claw machine method.
Literally none of the lever pieces I’ve ever owned had this problem. I’ve got some really old legos too
Lucky!!
Why must you torture me with more levers. There were _kitchen knife scratches_ on some of the levers my legos had, they were hell to detach.
This video is 2nd hand pain.
You can't just play Stickin Around and not expect us to notice
bro had the RECIEPTS
That was just painful to watch, seriously. At some point, I'd have dug my teeth in there!
They really have to redesign the levers. I was thinking of something along the lines of the 1x1 with the clips (2555) plus a little rod that's about as big as the new Harry Potter wands. Would it look as good? Probably not. But would it work better? Slug yeah.
Imagine having brown levers. It would be broken before it comes out of the factory 🤌
Being an older piece, it’s likely that the tighter clutch power as well as some wear have gotten it completely stuck. In theory, the parts are so tight that the antennae piece wears down on the inside. Paradoxically, instead of getting looser (like the parts would today), the surface wear increases surface area, consequently increasing friction. Additionally, all plastic worn off piece would be further wedged between the two, causing an almost fusing material transfer. On top of that, the rounded nature of the part makes it especially hard to get a solid grip on. It’s almost like trying to pull a round nut straight off a bolt.
What I used to do was use my teeth. Grip the lever base between a set of molars and just twist the other piece.
Having watched it through, I will say this. It is so interesting about the clutch power changes! I would love to see your own conclusions and research into it and set design comparisons in general. I only got into Lego in the early 2000s, but my first sets were Rock raiders and a hand full of 90s sets. the lever was just something my siblings and I learned to work around by gripping the round base instead of the lever portion. Is it 100% (or even 90%) effective? No. Yet it also does no harm to any of the parts in an assembly and this is something we could do as children without a brick separator or any tool. That all being said, your points on the flaws of it are valid.
Get a pair of pliers.
I have very many original pirate, caste and space, I have never had this problem personally.
Lucky!!
This definitely is a real problem. I broke a lever tiday, dismantlung set 2153 Robo Stalker.
One solution would be to put the lever on a 1x1 round plate (ideally of the same color). Most of us likely have lots of spare 1x1 round plates, and the extra height shouldn't matter most of the time. Just leave the two parts together.
I believe this is what we call *_pain._*
I know that back in the day I never had a problem positioning or dismantling these, from classic Space up until Ice Planet, when I entered my dark age. Which doesn't invalidate your experiences, of course.
I grew up in a household with three really heavy cigarette users, so maybe the ever-present clouds of second-hand smoke was acting as enough of a lubricant?
Interesting! 😮
I've never had one get stuck or had a lever break off, but I certainly agree it's an awkward part to get out with fiddling with it. Every spot on your list had thought put into it and I didn't disagree with including the lever at all, a minor mold revision to add the bit at the bottom to lift up on it like tiles do would go a long way. Still doesn't make it easier to push down on though..
It's a simple fix, one the Legi will not share. The forbidden technique👄
We'd get bins of Legos from tagsales and I definitely remember levers being a real pain. Teeth were commonly deployed lol
This happened to me a few times. I'm a collector of classic space, and I sadly don't think there's a 100% way to salvage both bricks. The most consistent way to detach them for me is using the back of a small hammer and prying it out like a nail. Usually the brick underneath is fine, but the lever stand usually ends up either dented or even cracked in half. The 2nd has only happened Twice but it's still a possibility
secret clutch power trick: glue
ive also had lego levers that were just too loose and never held on either. truly wretched piece. also try putting the parts in boiling water to soften them up
The best way to get it off with out using your teath or braking the parts dip the parts in hot water it’ll soften the plastic and it just just pop off
Im unfamiliar with Legos transitions from colored to dyed plastic, but could this have happened when they also had the great color shift? That'd strike me as a great reason why the OG colors couldn't be replicated
From a bit of research, the great color shift happened in 2002-2004, and the ABS change happened in 2006, so while they were unrelated to each other, they did both happen because of financial reasons, to save a lot of costs for the company.
@@leonhaato nice to know! Thank you!
what is the difference of colored and dyed plastic?
@@johnnytifosi colored plastics are already made in a certain color, dyed plastics have to be made into a certain color
@@johnnytifosi So from my understanding, their proces before was that they already had colored plastic before molding it into the pieces they need. This was a simpler process, however it required expensive and extensive storage of all the different colors of plastic they needed to keep. The new process is they only have one kind of plastic, and they dye it the color they need during the moulding. This is much more complex in nature, and different colors requre different formulas, which is why they had issues with brittle browns and such. But it cuts down the storage costs by a lot.
Yeah, thats why not a few of my lego parts have teeth marks. It aint a elegant solution, but it is one.
4:25 I grew up in the Nineties and just watched this footage whilst shaking my head, sorry. 😂
The levers are not that bad, more like design weaknesses than actual flaws. But I can see that in modern Lego sets (with current prices), one should expect an updated version of the piece - your implied suggestion to include a groove sounds sensible.
PS: Your original idea (horizontal pressure) was the way to go, just stick with that! 😅
Even you'd have to admit though that this is an unreasonable amount of force required to remove a LEGO piece though, right? Like, "applying horizontal pressure" until something gives is not normal, eh? 😅
@@SlugginAround True, the levers can need more pressure than other pieces, you are right.
I think we have so many modified and individual pieces now that it is not very intuitive if one needs special treatment, but I remember the antennae/levers as sticking out from the pack back in the day, so we handled them with extra care.
Edit: Spelling.
I've had several levers do this on me as a kid, since then I always pop out the lever and then use a fork's prong or knifetip to adjust/remove the base...!
It’s like removing a hat off a head where the hat is already stuck to the head
And the put the head into a random torso doesn’t work because the head is loose
The worst!
You could try relentlessly beating it against the edge of a desk.. Sooner or later something will happen
This is physically painful to witness. Slugger, why must you torment me so!?
For the lever and plate problem, I suggest bracing the side of the plate on a table and pushing down on the lever base with your thumb.
That might work! Pliers might be involved too, haha.
its pretty easy, just put the stick completely vertical and pull it on the direction left or right of where it hinges on. itll come off pretty easily.
Take a small flathead screwdriver and just kinda
Jam it down. The lever socket separates pretty easily.
Oh yeah - plenty of little levers stuck exactly like this. Although mine never bent and broke, the lever part would just come out
I stopped buying Lego before they put a brick separator in every set, so I don't own one. I always separate bricks with a knife. It's way easier to get it between the pieces!
The only thing I scratched up real bad is a wheel rim when I took a particularly stubborn tire off. Now that the tire is back on you can't see it anymore :D
I think you can minimize the chance of the lever breaking and make it easier to remove it, if you pinch the black lever at its base along with the bottom white part at the same time and twist it. I remember I always had a bad felling that the lever would break off if I tried to twist it the way you did it in the video.
You could try putting in under hot water, I forgot the science behind it, but it can loosen up
never had an issue with those
if any would get stuck id pull out the antenna piece out leaving the bottom with groove big enough to grab it
I agree with you so much on the lovehate situation with those little things. I think I broke one or two as a kid. Please Lego add a groove to the bottom of these 🙏
IS THAT THE FUGGIN’ “STICKIN’ AROUND” THEME SONG I HEAR?!
Brace the plate with your left hand. Place your right hand's thumb's first joint, the heel of your thumb, against the offending piece, on the side next to the edge of the plate. Push.
0:11 You mean *exasperation* (annoyed frustration).
"Exacerbation" means to make a problem worse.
Good catch!
You can try the forbidden method. Teeth
Ive usually had the opposite problem with this part. Where they fall off super easily.
I've particularly had this issue on my lego star wars AAT (the small blue one)