Forbidden Elementary: The Spurious Sprue

While some fans will be thrilled at the return of LEGO® Harry Potter, we were more excited about the arrival of the new wand element (Design ID 36752) which Elspeth De Montes examined recently. But as she now explores, there is more to the element than simply two wonderful wands: there is a little piece of plastic designed to hold them neatly together in the mould – the sprue.

Due to numerous reader questions, comments and ideas across social media, we’ve decided the wand sprue is worth a closer look. It is anchor-shaped and approximately half the depth of a tile, with a flat side and a slightly rounded side.

The sprue is fairly even in depth all around so two sprues can be held together by a minifigure hand in any position. The points that connect the sprue to the wand are a little thicker so it can be a little tight there, but the plastic is more forgiving than that of a regular LEGO element.

How to connect the wand sprue 

There are two main ways I found to connect the sprue; firstly, it fits snugly between the gaps in Radiator Grille 1X2 (Design ID 2412).

But my preferred connection was  in the slotted base of the Mini Antenna ‘lever’ (Design ID 73587) with the lever removed.

Both of these connections work whether you leave the wands on the sprue or remove them for use.

READ MORE: Original spaceship design using only the parts from the latest Star Wars sets

If the wands are still on the sprue, this obviously adds more potential connections. The central thickened band is 3.18mm, so any clip will fit. I found that the gap between the two wands was slightly less than two studs. As you can see, using two Brick 1X1 W/Holder Horizontal (Design ID 60475) connecting with the wands, the thinner end of the wands are not sitting perfectly centrally over the studs (tap/click any image to enlarge) but it still holds.

On my post about the wand, New Elementary reader Hobbythom asked about the curved shape at the top of the sprue and whether it fit any LEGO arches neatly. The image below uses a Brick W. Bow 1x4 (Design ID 3659). Again, you can just see below that the wand on the right is slightly off-centre within the clip.

When placed into the arch, the remaining length of the wands on sprue is approximately four and a half plates in height.

I played around a little to see how best to ensure a neat, secure fit. Using a five-plate -high gap was too large and the sprue would fall out. Using a Plate 1X1 W. Up Right Holder (Design ID 2555) to ‘trap’ the sprue was enough to stop the sprue from falling out but allowed too much movement.

At this point,  I realised that the Mini Antenna ‘lever’ (Design ID 73587) would be perfect.

With the wands still on the sprue I think it looks like decorative ironworks, perhaps for fencing, railings or windows.

Using the Mini Antenna, the sprue can also be attached to a Chain 16 M (Design ID 60169) and
becomes an anchor.

What other uses can you imagine for the spurious sprue?

More wand connections

While exploring the wand and sprue, I found a few more wand connections.

Only the first of these, using Skeleton Arm (Element ID 4142875), still works with the wands on the sprue.

Spurious Sprues and Where to Find Them

The two wands on sprue (Design ID 36752) are available in the following sets (excluding those to be supplied in LEGO Minifigures 71022 Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts). Links in this list all go to Amazon USA; if you're buying your sets or anything from Amazon, please consider that as an Amazon Associate, New Elementary earn from qualifying purchases.

Black (Element ID 6232209)

• 75956 Quidditch Match
• 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall
• 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow
• 75952 Newt's Case of Magical Creatures

Dark Brown (Element ID 6235076)

• 75955 Hogwarts Express
• 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall
• 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow
• 75950 Aragog's Lair

Reddish Brown (Element ID 6232210)

• 75955 Hogwarts Express
• 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall
• 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow
• 75952 Newt's Case of Magical Creatures
• 75950 Aragog's Lair

Dark Orange (Element ID 6235072)

• 75952 Newt's Case of Magical Creatures

Sand Yellow [TLG] / Dark Tan [BL] (Element ID 6235074)

• 75956 Quidditch Match
• 75955 Hogwarts Express
• 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall
• 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow
• 75951 Grindelwald’s Escape

Medium Lilac [TLG] / Dark Purple [BL] (Element ID 6236260)

• 75951 Grindelwald’s Escape 

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READ MORE: Detailed interview with LEGO Voltron designer Niek van Slagmaat about the process of designing the model

Products mentioned in this post were kindly supplied by the LEGO Group. All content represents the opinions of New Elementary authors and not the LEGO Group. All text and images are © New Elementary unless otherwise attributed.