Hi,
I still consider myself a noob here, and love what I see. Scrubs (and others also in admin somewhere) - you do an amazing job. Thank you for this amazing site.
I have a question about part numbers. So far I have completed two models (70434 Supernatural Race Car, 8283 Telehandler) and am about half-way through a third (42070 6 x 6 All Terrain Tow Truck). I build from official instruction books downloaded in .pdf format from the Lego Website. Almost none of the parts I look for can be found by searching the MB database using the number shown in the official instruction (I think I found just 1 part using this method). To a noob like me, this is intensely time-consuming.
I'm getting better at finding parts as I gradually learn which categories I'm likely to find them in. But, because the official instructions have only a number and not a name, some are a complete guess.
Example: I'm currently building Technic set number 42070 - All Terrain Tow Truck 6 x 6. The headlights on the truck are listed in the official instruction book as part number 6081343. Searching through scores of parts manually in hosts of likely-looking categories didn't reveal it. (I didn't think to look in Electric Parts, as on its own it did not look like an electrical piece at all to me.)
I finally found it by searching the library for the set number and found two (mostly) completed efforts, both with the headlights. By loading one of those models into the editor and selecting the light, I learned the MB part number is 58176 and its name is "Globe". I searched the part number and got it loaded into the model, but still had no idea of its category - until the name "Globe" made me think Electric Light. And it is indeed in the Electric Parts Category. Sigh... never thought of that!
How do I best find parts when the Lego numbers and MB numbers are so different?
Thanks
Murray
Hi Murray!
For each part, Lego assigns two numbers: the Design Number and the Element Number. The Design Number references a physical molded part. If you look at a physical brick, this will be the number molded into the part. The Element Number incorporates color and any decoration as well. So for instance, a 2x4 brick of any color will always be Design Number 3001. However, if you want to specify say a Black 2x4 brick, you can use an Element Number of 300126. This is what Lego puts in the back of the book. But on Mecabricks, the parts are not tied to any color, so the Mecabricks part numbers (generally) match up with the Design Number. In any case where the part number is not the same, there is still an alias section in the parts manager where Scrubs will put the Design number as well. So if you search the design number, it will pull up the correct part. There are also many parts that are virtually the same piece, but Lego has made minute changes in the molds and changed the number. Then on top of all of this, there are sites like Bricklink, Brickset, and Brickowl for instance that may have their own numbering and naming schemes for bricks and colors. However these sites can also allow you to cross-reference the Element and Design numbers. Now having said all of that, you probably deserve an answer to your question:
The easiest thing to do would be to open a parts list from Bricklink or Brickset. Then you can use that to look up the parts that you can't readily find. Mecabricks uses Lego's official part and color names, which are different from Bricklink's traditional community names. If you pull your parts from Brickset, they also use the Lego offical names, so it will be easier to cross-reference colors and parts from there. But then you'll be stuck with tan colored parts brick yellow and such, which sounds dumb to me. If you use Brickset, I would recommend the "View as table" option. That being said, once you get used to the colors I think using Bricklink is easier and it loads much faster as well.
Hope this helps!
Thanks heaps @B1Trash. Using the Bricklinks page as an interface is a godsend.
You can see the dilemma I have been having in this example:
Take this commonly used part in any Technic model, a 5 x 3 Technic Beam (Thick). Here are the part numbers listed in the official instruction book for the various colours used in the set 42070 - 6 x 6 All Terrain Tow Truck:
3 x 5 Beam, part no. 4143154 (Red),
3 x 5 Beam, part no. 4142823 (Black),
3 x 5 Beam, part no. 4144022 (Yellow),
3 x 5 Beam, part no. 4211713 (Light Bluish Grey).
None of these numbers will produce the part in MB. But using these same numbers in Bricklink finds the (M😎 part number (32526) and colour! Yippee!
PS: I tried Brickset for 30 seconds and got blasted by ads - for women's clothing yet - perhaps because I browsed without creating an account and signing in.
Thanks again @B1Trash. 😃
Murray
Hello OutOfTheWoods,
LEGO part number is a pretty complicated topic and B1Trash made a good introduction summary.
bricklink.com now belongs to LEGO and doesn't need money to run hence no ads visible. On the other hand Brickset.com requires a fair amount of cash to remain online. If you create an account, all the ads will disappear and the site is awesome to use.
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