LEGO® parts 77845 & 77850: rounded plates

Occasionally, a new LEGO® part will present opportunities that I haven't encountered before. The family of rounded plates received two further wonderful new additions in 2023, and although they’re not quite so new anymore I felt that they were worthy of some exploration.

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LEGO round plates 1x4, 1x3 and 1x2

Since their introduction last year, the two new rounded plates have really found their place in the LEGO® System.

• Part 77845, Plate Special 1 x 4 Rounded with 2 Open Studs – Available 6 colours in over 50 sets (white and yellow not shown)
• Part 77850, Plate Special 1 x 3 Rounded with 3 Open Studs – Available in 6 colours in over 130 sets (medium nougat not shown)

photo by Thomas Jenkins

These two parts are of course members of a bigger family that Thomas Jenkins outlined all the way back in February 2023 in his brilliant coverage of set 76918 McLaren Solus GT & F1 LM.

They follow in the footprints of the 1x2 version:

Part 35480, Plate Special 1 x 2 Rounded with 2 Open Studs, was introduced in 2018 and is now available in 23 colours in over 1240 sets. (Medium nougat is not pictured as it had only just been released in 21353 Botanical Gardens and 5009005 Entrance Gate at the time I took this photo.)

I am struggling to work out how I ever built without it. It’s a great little part, and I find myself using it more and more in the exploration phases of my builds in favour of regular 1x2 plates (3023), just in case those hollow studs turn out to be useful! The same is probably true of the 1x1 version (28626, 29387, 85861) introduced in 2009 exclusively to LEGO® Games.

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the rounded 1x4
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the rounded 1x3
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Triangulating rounded plates

Recently as part of our ‘After-Party Fest', I found myself mucking around with the round-ended plates 35480, 77850 & 77845 as a result of some of my experiments with the mini-doll shoes (5107) shown above.

The first thing I found was that the rounded end plates can create a really neat equilateral triangular structure.

There is more to this geometry though; connections that normal plates just won’t allow. It's obviously down to that radius and the ability to pivot on the stud as an axis point.

It helps in established chain-building, and curved wall techniques too.

That wasn’t what really interested me though. It was the simple neatness of the combination of the 3- and 4-module long plates that allows a perfect triangle with 60° corners. To my eyes, they connect in pleasing ways when the idea is extended further too, pushing the idea towards hexagons and tessellations.

That geometry is seldom possible with standard LEGO bricks and plates. However, there are other ways to make equilateral triangles, using LEGO® Technic pieces like the triple axle connector (10288, 49155) for example.

The Batman accessories/weapons family mould of pieces (50018, above top left) which was in a popular Parts Fest we ran in 2019 has a triple bar element that allows similar configurations too. 

As does the weapon holder ring (20612 and the more recent mould adjustment, 1941, above bottom left). Furthermore, those parts can be integrated here.

I was pleased to find that the rounded plates can also be attached to the Nexogon (27255, above top right) too; another Parts Fest favourite of ours.

Tom Loftus's neat technique from his After-PartyFest article using the new cloud piece (5518) can also be used to produce this neat little tetrahedron.

I found it really quite addictive to explore the manifold arrangements, like some weird fiddle toy. I’ve no doubt I have only scratched the surface of this technique and what is possible in a broader sense with these parts.

Possible LEGO Blacktron or Zelda Triforce logo

It’s possible to create a perfect tessellation of the triangle signs (30259, 39728, 65676) using this construction too… although why this particular arrangement of elements might be of interest to fans of late 1980s LEGO Space* is beyond me ;-)

If only I had one of those yellow ones – not seen in sets for 12 years now – I could create a perfect Blacktron logo. For Zelda fans, you'll have to wait for LEGO to release a gold one in order to recreate the Triforce logo!

*see pages 128 to 136 of LEGO Space 1978-1992 by some guy called Tim Johnson.

MOC inspired by parts 77845 & 77850

In a triangle-about fashion, I got carried away with my initial exploration and built a spaceship based upon that original layout of elements.

Part of the inner structure can be "plugged" up with the triangular road sign. I’ve used the current 65676 variant, and mini-doll shoes are essential here to allow this because of a tiny recess at the back of the element between the ‘feet’.

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That basic inner structure is a stack of 77850 & 77845s laced with various other components and brackets to allow the fuselage (bodywork) and wings to be attached.

Mostly it’s buried inside, but the rear view does reveal some of that inner structure.

Triangles make very strong structures and I wanted to make this a functional-looking ship; not sleek and beautiful, but strong and perhaps in the Brutalist design school.

The trans-black canopy (6511015 | 5241) from the LEGO® Icons 10327 Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter and the 2x5 sloped wedges (3504 & 3505) were the perfect parts to continue that blunt, functional look.

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There are most likely many more applications of these techniques, but hopefully I've covered the most important angles.

What have you built with the rounded plates that could not have been achieved otherwise?

View all available colours of 1x1, 1x2, 1x3 and 1x4 round plates on Pick a Brick

READ MORE: We pick our best new LEGO® parts of 2024

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