LEGO finally relents and introduces a piece 60 years in the making

This summer’s VIDIYO sets are about to introduce a piece that will rock the LEGO Group’s element library to its core.

Plates with a single stud width have been around for nearly 60 years, but in all that time the LEGO Group has famously shied away from introducing odd-numbered stud lengths – with the sole exception of the 1×3 plate, which debuted all the way back in 1977.

Now, New Elementary has pointed out that the LEGO Group has seemingly finally come through with the heavily-requested 1×5 plate in June’s 43115 The Boombox. Two white versions of the piece can be seen on the underside of the set’s folding top in its primary product photo.

Given the LEGO Group has resisted introducing a five-stud-length plate for almost six decades, this piece represents a pretty seismic shift for the company’s element design team. Our most recent five-stud-wide brick arrived in The LEGO Movie 2’s 70827 Ultrakatty & Warrior Lucy! in 2019, but at two bricks tall – and with printing on either side – it wasn’t particularly useful.

The 1×5 plate, on the other hand, will open plenty of new doors for both official and fan designers alike, offering a more uniform and universal solution than the 1×5 Technic rotor. That element – first introduced in 1998 – is rounded at either end, and has a central cross-axle hole rather than five studs, limiting its application in both form and function.

While we’ve only glimpsed the standard 1×5 plate in white so far, it’s safe to assume that now the mould exists, the LEGO design team will be putting it to good use across its entire colour palette in the months and years to come. You’ll be able to pick up the first examples in 43115 The Boombox from June 1.

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