Will a Lego outlive a Twinkie?

November 1, 2008 11:41 AM

Is extra care necessary with antique Lego bricks?

On a recent trip home to my parents they let me sort through all the old stuff of mine they kept. This included some very old Space Lego sets including a Galaxy Explorer and Space Cruiser. I'd love to assemble these and then bathe in nostalgia but I am worried old Lego bricks are likely to shatter. What is the normal working lifespan of a Lego brick? Are these likely to just disintegrate when I start snapping parts together?

posted by chairface to sports, hobbies, & recreation (15 comments total)

It's common for kids to use the lego their parents used to play with (especially when visiting grandparents) and there's no discernible difference in quality over that time period, in my experience.
posted by winston at 12:00 PM on November 1, 2008

Lego is made from ABS. ABS is a pretty tough plastic on the whole (although this is dependent on the exact formulation and the addition of antioxidants), but I've got pre-1970 Lego bricks that are as solid and sturdy as new bricks. A lot probably depends on whether the Lego has been stored away from light, as exposure to UV tends to cause a certain amount of breakage in the polymer chains (if I remember my school chemistry correctly).
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 12:05 PM on November 1, 2008

I believe they have improved the plastic compound over the years to be less brittle. I recall several times as a youth (late Pleistocene) when I shattered the side of a Lego brick with excessive prying, resulting in lovely sharp-edged shards.

You know, for kids!

I don't think Legos shatter like that anymore. Plus, older plastic will definitely become more brittle with age. They're still pretty sturdy, and are highly unlikely to disintegrate on you, but be careful if you are really reefing on some of them to get them apart.
posted by Aquaman at 12:07 PM on November 1, 2008

Based on how to store other vintage plastics: Store them in a covered container when not in use, ideally in a dark area like a closet. Don't let them get exposed to really hot or cold temperatures. Don't store them in a container with different kinds of plastic toys. Stuff like celluloid, old rubber and vinyl can start to break down and off-gas, causing other items stored in the same space to deteriorate as well.

In my opinion, it's good to regularly get vintage toys like this out to gently play with. This way you can inspect them for any age related damage as well as enjoy them.

If they were my vintage Legos and had sentimental value, I'd buy a nice acid free box to store them in and would avoid storing them in another plastic container or a regular cardboard box which may contain chemicals or acids.
posted by pluckysparrow at 12:54 PM on November 1, 2008

My son is playing with my old ones that my mom saved. They're 30 years old, and holding up well under the stress of a six-year old's abuse.
posted by Framer at 1:39 PM on November 1, 2008

I used to play with my dad's Legos from the 50s in the 80s, and the old bricks were still fine the last time I built with them a few years ago. So, the lifespan of Lego bricks seems to easily exceed 40 or even 50 years. (My dad's and my old Legos were stored in a cool, dry, dark basement.)
posted by amf at 1:53 PM on November 1, 2008

legos transcend both time and space
posted by swbarrett at 2:04 PM on November 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

The earliest Lego bricks I own (circa 1964) seem in some cases to have lost their elasticity, so they don't grip effectively. Bricks from the seventies onwards don;t seem to have suffered the same problem: but none of them are brittle, or seem at all likely to shatter.
posted by Phanx at 2:21 PM on November 1, 2008

I grew up playing with 30-year old Lego, complete with yellowed white bricks with bite marks. It's very hard to break a Lego brick. I think I broke one once... but it was a large flat piece that didn't appreciate how much tension I was putting on it. I think a new one would have broken too.
posted by rokusan at 2:51 PM on November 1, 2008

I still play with some of the parts from my Galaxy Explorer. I'm 33. LEGO smell funny when they're kept encased for a while, but other than that, I can detect no difference.
posted by notsnot at 5:24 PM on November 1, 2008

They're tough. Don't sweat it. Only way you're going to break them is stepping on assemblies.
posted by flabdablet at 5:24 PM on November 1, 2008

Great answers everyone. Thanks!
posted by chairface at 6:01 PM on November 1, 2008

I gave my son a lot of my Legos from the same era, vintage space and town, etc. The bricks themselves are fine but I found a lot of the tires disintegrated upon contact. It's like the rubber broke down or something and they split in half. So just be careful about taking the tires off.

I'm totally jealous you have the Galaxy Explorer.
posted by bondcliff at 6:41 PM on November 1, 2008

I gave my son a lot of my Legos from the same era, vintage space and town

Space Lego is vintage now?

Wow I'm old.
posted by rokusan at 11:49 AM on November 3, 2008

Resolved. They are fine, mostly. The clear bricks do not age as well as the opaque bricks and often show cracks. However, none of them have broken.
posted by chairface at 1:36 PM on December 29, 2008