Experiment

What’s up with white? Part 2: Comparing the effects of twelve months of environmental exposure on pigment 426 White and 1 White.

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An image showing a label on a black surface with the title 'What's up with white?' and details on comparing the effects of twelve months of environmental exposure on two white pigments, alongside a cautionary note 'do not touch, science in progress'.
A close-up of a light switch covered with black tape, featuring a label that reads 'do not touch science in progress'. The switch is mounted on a yellow wall.

It is a property of ABS and other plastics that they will undergo photooxidative degradation – the materials will yellow with age, particularly in response to ultraviolet light.

In 2025, the LEGO Group introduced a new white pigment in selected sets. This colour, referred to as 426 White V3 is more opaque than the 1 White that has otherwise been in use since LEGO® Bricks started to be coloured by adding pigment to raw ABS stock in the early 2000s. Given the relative opacity to 1White, I wondered if there might be a difference in the yellowing exhibited by these elements after prolonged exposure to sunlight. So I masked off some tiles,

I will apologize for drifting back into high school science practice write-ups and the lack an a priori power analysis, and subsequent dodgy statistics, as we set out to answer the question “Is the new LEGO pigment 426 White V3 less susceptible to yellowing when exposed to sunlight?”

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Are LEGO® Plastic Bags Waterproof? Stress Testing Internal Plastic Bags II

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A couple of weeks ago, I subjected some of the forthcoming internal paper bags to some stress testing, to see if they were going to withstand travelling in a ‘deboxed’ fashion, as well as holding together while soaking in water. The bags held together, but waster certainly got into the bags, and I drew the conclusion that the bags were likely to be typically fit for purpose, but might not stand up to floodwaters in the way that plastic bags might.

Readers Sue Ann and Trevor got in touch, and suggested that I might be overselling the ability of the plastic bags to protect the LEGO® elements from flood waters (with their associated stink and filth). And so, I put them to the test.

What did I do? And how did they perform? Read on, after the break

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