One Shot Wonders: Single-Instance LEGO Colours
/Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published February 9, 2022.
Sometimes… (who am I kidding? frequently) research for an article throws up something you hadn’t considered before and sends you off on a tangent. In this instance, it was the convergence of research for two creature-related articles: Scala creatures and creature colours. I promise both those articles will be coming soon, but in the meantime follow me off the track for a few minutes into single-instance colours.
Image courtesy of Bricklink.com
I recently added this Very Light Orange (Bricklink colour naming) cat to my creature collection.
Whilst adding it to my Beastiary I realised I was adding a new colour to the rainbow list my creatures cover. So, out of curiosity I looked up Very Light Orange to see what other parts came in that colour and discovered there were… none. My little cat/kitten is the only part to have ever been made in that colour.
That made me wonder if there were any other colours that had only been used for one part. I love the Bricklink Colour Chart—sooo useful if you’re building in a specific colour or palette. I looked down the full list it covers and found a total of six colours that have only ever been used for one part. There are two Chrome colours, two Glitter Trans colours, one Satin colour, and Very Light Orange; the only solid colour.
Being Nerdly to the max, I thought that was worth a few words and pictures.
Image courtesy of Bricklink.com
Solid Colour
Very Light Orange
Chrome Colours
Chrome Green
The Rock 1x1 Crystal 5 Point, 52 comes in a surprising 19 colours (although BL only lists 17 as ‘known’), and over 230 sets/minifigs/books/gear across a wide range of themes and building systems.
Image courtesy of Bricklink.com
The Chrome Green version is only used in two sets, both part of the Town: Space Port sub-theme in 1999-2000.
A space rock so toxic that the minifigs have never been allowed near it again?!
Chrome Pink
The second of these is Chrome Pink. This was used for Belville, Clothes Crown Mini, x250 in 9 Belville Fairy Tale sets. Aside from one Harry Potter set (4704-1), the crown is only found in Belville Fairy Tale sets in Chrome Blue, _Gold, _Silver and _Pink.
The Chrome Pink version came in sets from 2001 to 2007, the part in all its colours was current from 1999-2007.
Satin Colour
Satin is the newest type of colour in the LEGO palette. Since their introduction less than two years ago in 2020, there are already seven colours in 55 parts across 105 sets.
Satin Trans-Purple
The Satin Trans-Purple is one of those used for Container, Box 3x8x6 2/3 Half Front, 64462 which is the front half of the Friends Play Cubes that were released in six waves over 2020 and 2021.
Each Friends character retains their signature colour for the backs of the cubes across all series and Satin Trans-Purple was the colour for the fronts of Series 4, the Jungle Cubes.
As an aside: I have a love/hate relationship with these cubes. In each wave, each Friend character is allocated a particular creature. Each creature is produced in four different colours, which are the same across the whole wave. These are then blind-packaged into the sets in the little question-marked pack shown above.
At a total of 20 individual creatures per wave and six waves so far, that’s 120 new creatures for 2020-2021 in these sets alone. Add to that an inability to feel the packs to check the colour, their somewhat limited distribution in the UK, and consequent scarcity in UK Bricklink stores, and you realise they are challenging to collect.
Pros? A whole host of new creatures to collect, yay!
Cons? A whole host of new creatures to collect, help!
Glitter Trans Colours
The ubiquitous cone 1x1 with top groove comes in a dizzying array of 37 colours, between 2006 and 2022; solid, trans, metallic, glow-in-the-dark, and glitter-trans.
Image courtesy of Bricklink.com
Glitter-Trans Neon Green
I must admit Glitter-Trans-Neon Green (2015-2018) seems a little indulgent when Trans-Neon Green (2008-2021) already existed and was active for years on both sides of Glitter-Trans-Neon Green’s existence, but someone thought it an important enough distinction for a Friends, a Disney Princess and a Ninjago set, all released in 2015.
This single-instance colour is the one that has appeared in the most sets and across the most themes. Three variations of the Disney Princess line; Whisker Haven Tales, Sleeping Beauty and Alladin (Jasmin). Three Ninjago sub-themes: Possession, Skybound and the LEGO Ninjago Movie. Friends, as mentioned above and the Fantastic Beasts sub-theme of Harry Potter.
Glitter Trans-Orange
This last one, is a truly unique single-colour/single-part/single-appearance piece.
The harpoon head of Star Girl’s Cosmic Staff is Glitter Trans-Orange, from the DC Super Heroes Collectible Minifigure Series in 2020.
Star Girl’s mythology is not my strong point, but I can only imagine that the IP team decided the glitter version of Trans-Orange was necessary.
DC Super Heroes, colsh-4
Musings
The colours from the late 1990s and early 2000s are one part of The LEGO Group’s well-known troubled years, and it’s no surprise that they are were culled.
I *was* surprised by the more recent ones; I mean, was the glitter in the Trans-Orange harpoon head really that much of a deal-breaker? Maybe 2022 will see it used for something else. Every other Satin colour has been used for other parts, so maybe we’ll see other parts in the future in Trans-Purple, but nothing I’m aware of yet.
I guess the story and rainbow of LEGO colours will always evolve, and we’re not done yet!
What is your favorite LEGO color? Let us know in the comments below.
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