LEGO Gun/Revolver? LEGO doesn't make guns

Where LEGO used to mainly use large parts and many standard blocks in sets, nowadays there are numerous special parts that determine the shape of the constructions. Sometimes parts are used in an unexpected way, which is known as "Nice Part Usage" (NPU) . Over the next 12 months, we will be highlighting a piece that has been used in a unique way in a set each month. This month's piece is the LEGO revolver.

The LEGO revolver started out as a weapon but is now seen as a minifigure tool or accessory. Introduced in 1996, it was originally used as a weapon in the Western theme. In 1998, it appeared in the Adventurers theme, where it was used by Indiana Jones or a villain. From 2010 onwards, the revolver got a new role; it became a detail piece under the neck of the LEGO 8129 AT-AT Walker. This was, as far as we know, the first time the piece was used in an innovative way.

In the LEGO world, this part is known as the Revolver with Design ID: 30132 and the new Revolver with Design ID: 77078. This part has only been released in six different colors so far, with Silver Metallic being the rarest color. Here is the part with details and a link to LEGO's Pick-a-Brick page.

LEGO Revolver design IDs: 88419, 30132, 77078

• Name: Revolver
• Design ID: 88419 (CMF only), 30132 (1996 – 2022), 77078 (present)
• Category: Minifigure Accessories – Minifigure Tools & Accessories
• To colour: 6 different colours
• In production:
• 30132 from 1996 – 2022
• 88419 from 2010 – 2015
• 77078 from 2022 – present
• PaB link: LEGO Revolver 30132 | LEGO Revolver 77078

The turret has been used less frequently as an NPU than previous NPU components. Initially, this part was only used for the purpose for which it was originally designed. However, its creative applications have increased in recent years. In 2010, two dark gray turrets were used for the neck of the AT-AT. Shortly after, they were used as part of the aircraft engine in LEGO The Ghost Train. The first time the turret was used in a technically advanced set was in the LEGO Ferrari F40 for the V8 engine. This was also the case for the LEGO Ideas Caterham Seven 620R from 2016 and the LEGO X-wing Starfighter from 2018.

Although the applications are creative, they seem quite similar. However, designers do not limit themselves to motorcycles. For example, the revolver was used effectively as pedestals for the Eiffel Tower in LEGO Eiffel's Apartment. In the Big Bang Theory set, it functioned as the arm of a desk lamp. For the legs of the Hulk Buster: Ultron Edition, it served as a detail. The most recent example of inventive use of parts is in the LEGO The Insect Collection, where four revolvers in the new color Sand Green form the legs of the praying mantis.

We have made an overview of the sets in which the LEGO revolver is used. The mentioned sets and their applications can be seen in the image above. These are just a few examples where the part is used as an NPU. Let these sets inspire you when you start working with the LEGO revolver in your own constructions.

LEGO 10248 Ferrari F40 – in Dark Stone Gray for the V8 engine

LEGO 21307 Caterham

LEGO 9467 The Ghost Train – in Dark Stone Gray for the engine of the plane

LEGO 40579 Eiffel's Apartment – ​​in Dark Stone Gray as the feet of the Eiffel Tower

LEGO 21342 Insect Collection – in Sand Green as praying mantis pots

LEGO 21302 Big Bang Theory – in Dark Stone Gray for the lamp

LEGO 76105 Hulk Buster – in Dark Stone Gray for the legs of the Hulkbuster

LEGO 75218 X-wing Starfighter – in Dark Stone Gray as detailing around the engine

LEGO AT-AT Walker – in Dark Gray as detail around the neck of the AT-AT (unfortunately no detail photo)