In the LEGO hobby, people are sometimes divided over the issue of modifying parts. Whether you do or don’t, as long as you are having fun that is what it is all about.
However, for Halloween I decided to pick a scary LEGO train mod from LEGO’s past advertising. This ad dates from 1988. On the surface, it would appear to have nothing to do with trains. Can you spot the train mod?
I’m guessing that it is the green alien. None of the parts that it is made of existed in 1988. Parts # 4735 (Robot arm) and #4592 (lever base) do not exist in green today. Part #4733 (1×1 brick the studs on 4 sides didn’t show up until 2003. Same with the 1×1 tile. It didn’t appear until 2006. So paint or not to paint…that is the question?
Hi Scott,
I didn’t even think about that and the oddball colors hadn’t even crossed my mind. That’s a pretty good guess but not the answer.
I don’t think the parts are painted because LEGO did produce parts in “non-production” colors back in the 1980s. They even made them in colors not available in their standard palette. Some of these, such as tan, would eventually see a later release. These parts were typically produced for use in the model shops for LEGOland models. It is also possible they were at the disposal of the people who created this ad.
Believe it or not, if you go on BrickLink you will be able to find robot arms and lever bases in green, so some of them “escaped.”
The signal flag is my guess (red dot at the end)
Hi Larry,
You are correct!