During the early part of the pandemic, specifically in the Spring of 2020, the factory that produces our NY Fats and Lego caps sent us multiple notifications that they would be discontinuing both products. Apparently, their non-graffiti related aerosol business was growing and moving towards a predominately male–valved world. It had been decided that they would “rationalize”, or terminate, their female valve line that matched to these two awesome, versatile caps. We eventually discovered that part of the thought process behind this decision was due to the condition of the molds used to create them. They were constantly being repaired, and additionally, the assembly equipment used for final production was not in great operating condition. These factors, in the manufacturer’s eyes, made NY Fats and Legos the optimal choice for discontinuation. At the time, we were told that the last date of order would be September of 2020. However, the pandemic caused a lot of delays and shortages, forcing their grand plan to be delayed which ultimately allowed us to continue purchasing them until the Fall of 2021. At this time, we were told that we were no longer able to purchase additional materials, and it appeared that NY Fats and Lego Thins as we knew them would become relics of graffiti history. This was not something that sat well with us due to our own history, especially with the Lego.

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We created the “Hybrid” Thin in 2014. At the time, we asked the factory to combine the body of a NY Fat cap with the black “dot” of a Boston Thin. We didn’t even request or test samples as we were sure this combination would be perfect. We guessed right! Our next challenge was that these tips were not available in custom colors in low quantities, and we were certain that they would surely get mixed up with NY Fats (they looked identical since they both came stock white only). Concerned, and having already been custom dying our Boston Fats in small batches for years, we decided that was what needed to be done for the new caps as well. We had done a small run of Boston Thins in yellow for the 2008 or 2009 Celtics/Lakers finals for a store called Proletariat in Cambridge, MA. We loved this yellow, and it worked marvelously well on the white base…we knew from the get-go that this was our color. We dyed a box or two and started sending sample packs to graffiti shops around the US and Canada.

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Above and Below: Original manufacturer inquiry into what would become the Lego Thin.

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After sampling the caps out to multiple shops, we received more good feedback than we ever expected. When we first named these caps, we thought of a few names such as Popcorn Thins, Mac–N–Cheesy Thins, and we particularly LOVED Lego Thins (since they resembled the yellow heads of Lego mini-figs), however we were concerned with being sued, and in the end (or beginning in this case), we went with the plain-Jane selection of “Hybrid Thins”. A month or two after testing with different shops, we got a call from Identity Customs in Louisville, KY.

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To paraphrase, “Hey man, my customer wants to know if you have more of these yellow Lego caps?”

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“Lego Caps…who calls them that?”

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He said, “My customer, that’s what they’re calling them.” 

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For us, it seemed like it had to be fate. We had to roll with it, right? We discussed internally and from that point on we dubbed them Lego Hybrid Thin caps. Eventually, they became such a hit that we were supplying some of the bigger spray paint brands and selling them worldwide. For a long while (*YEARS*), every Lego cap you got your hands on was passed through our little warehouse. Naturally we could no longer keep up with hand dying due to demand, and starting in 2015 we began buying factory dyed Legos half a million at a time (the factory minimum). That’s a lot of caps, so the news of their demise was particularly devastating.

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.Below: Original factory color chip (partially Photoshop redacted).

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Naturally, we weren’t going to let something that we created, and you all helped name, just die a slow and quiet factory induced death. These caps were part of what helped to shape our identity, and they remain one of our most popular products to this day. We see you using them to make your art, sometimes even as part of your art, and in your photos and videos. We easily spotted them being used in a somewhat recent Showtime documentary, and we love seeing them pop up in every far-off corner of the world. I even once saw them on some Montana Cans products Risk was using during a Monster Energy drink commercial, which played on my screen at a damn gas pump…first time I’ve ever been amped to watch an ad while I filled up.

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When we were cut off by the factory, we hatched a plan. We had a finite number of caps remaining. We decided we were going to make our own. We didn’t know how…but we were going to figure that shit out. We rationed our remaining supply for both Legos and NY Fats. We only told our fantastic wholesale partners what was really going on, as we didn’t want to cause panic buying. We wanted the supply to last until a new source could be found. Eventually parts of the story got out, but we had already changed our business model. On our website, you were only able to buy 50-100 at a whack. If you were wondering why at the time, this was the reason. When they eventually got really low, stores were only able to request a maximum of 2-3,000 per wholesale order, and preferably less, for the same reason. If you were able to get more than that out of us during that time, just know that we really like you!

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Once we were somewhat assured that we would conserve our last remaining stock, we began researching options. As a side note, researching can sometimes be the most enjoyable part of this whole operation.

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“Shit, molds are expensive!”

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“What do you mean it’s two parts (an “outer button” and a “dot”) and requires multiple molds?”

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“Times 2 cap models? Fuck…”

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“Wait, there’s also an assembly requirement, and it turns out it is a custom-built machine with super fine timing required? You’re kidding me…”

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We began traveling to trade shows, bringing along our original sample caps for show and tell. We hit 25 booths at our most promising show. We came away with 5-6 leads for companies who all showed minimal interest in assisting us but heard us out regardless. After follow–ups, only 3 factories felt it was a fit for them. Only 2 decided to provide estimates. Both were well over $100K for molds and we’d need an expensive machine for assembling (inserting the “dot” into the “button”). Plus, there would be a fee for completing the assembly, and a healthy dollar amount per thousand for each finished plastic piece produced. We quickly realized that going this route, the final price would be outrageous, and almost unaffordable (and at that price, not worth even doing). We realize these caps fit their own niche within this world. We intend for them to be and remain the cheaper option on the market. They’re basically Dodge Neons in a Bentley cap dominated world. We believed a writer would not pay more for these when an arguably better banana cap sits two slots over at the local spray candy shop.

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Sometime in the Fall of 2022, we stumbled upon a supplier just by chance. We spoke, and we mutually felt our project was a good fit. In addition to their mold capabilities, they were also known for producing custom machinery, which was initially what caught our eye. They could also manufacture the plastic parts and assemble in-house, and their specialty was already in the aerosol industry. Up to this point we had been targeting general plastics manufacturers with no clear-cut specialty. This gave them an edge, and the factory rep reviewed our technical drawings of the caps that we had custom made reverse–engineered. We, in turn, reviewed samples of some of their other existing products, and their quality appeared to be great. We felt the tide had turned and that we had finally found our match. 

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Molds on their own are damn expensive. To top it off, special insertion assembly equipment also needed to be made which allows for the black “dot” to be pushed inside the cap “button”. It is a delicate process and requires perfect timing and tons of finesse. We commissioned the molds and put a down payment on our own assembly machine. We put literally all our money in, the most I’ve personally ever spent in my life, like, on anything. It cost more than my state university education.

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This was a huge risk for us, handing over all our money to an unknown entity and trusting that they’d come through for us and do what they said they were going to do. To make us a bit more skeptical, they’d also told us there were some small but key changes they would have to make to the design of the caps. We were told it was necessary to be compatible with their existing production equipment. They sent us some initial prototypes with these changes in place and holy fuck we were NOT impressed. We pushed back, provided some cans for them to test with and got them more info about why our existing setup was a necessity. We felt like there was a whole subculture of writers collectively holding their breath, regardless of everyone not really knowing what was going on behind the scenes. We went back and forth for months, testing, rejecting, revising, retesting, providing feedback. We wanted to get it as right as possible.

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By Spring of 2023, we were starting to feel the pressure from customers and wholesale partners who were concerned that they were running low on stock. Finally, and just in time, we received some samples that tested well. In June of that same year, we decided to proceed with production and chose to do a soft launch. We received completed product later the next month. It’s pretty fucking exciting to work on something for a long time, develop it, test it, and see it go from a digital file into a tangible, functioning, “perfect” little piece of plastic being held between your fingertips. It was quite a special feeling.

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We decided not to make a public announcement for the initial launch, but we caught our wholesale partners up to speed and made them aware of our new version. We asked stores to provide any feedback they heard from their customers. We told a lot of our writer friends and asked for their thoughts as well – many of whom had already assisted with our prototype testing. The color of our New York Fats was noticeably different – slightly off white, but we kept hearing that people loved the way they sprayed. The Legos on the other hand were decent but not quite as good.

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The Legos sprayed well, they were a bit more powerful spraying than the originals, but they were controllable and still seemingly as usable as the OG’s. However, we had noticed and also received feedback that paint was pooling at the exit hole of the “dot” and leaking into the area around the valve. We felt they just weren’t good enough for prime time. We continued to stock them pending their replacement, but we went to work on fine tuning their performance.

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Do you know what affects the spray pattern of a cap? A hell of a lot. A number of annoying little things affect how hard it sprays, how wide, how fast, and so on. We had our work cut out for us but at this point we were too far along to let up.

Above: snippet of technical drawing. Slit denoted in diagram E (circled).

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The stem of a cap features a “slit” at the base. The slit controls how much paint and/or air flow is let into a cap. A smaller slit width is typically seen on a thin cap, a wider gap in the slit is usually seen on a fat cap. For example, look at the slit of a Cream cap versus an Astro and you will see drastically different slits. The height of the slit also affects the spray. If it is a longer or taller slit, it means more paint will be let in, if shorter, less paint and possibly even some “skipping” during use. Additionally, inside paint valves there is a little plastic cradle/seat that the cap “sits” in. For most Euro cans, if you look into a valve from above, you’ll see a little green or black plastic piece at the bottom – this is the seat. If the inside diameter of a cap isn’t just right, it won’t sit well in that seat and it can cause the cap to sit just the slightest bit higher in the valve. This would also allow more paint in since more of the slit is exposed. Lastly, the exit hole, or orifice, of the black “dot” in a cap also greatly affects the spray pattern. A hole that is smaller allows less paint output, whereas a wider hole (like your mom’s) allows more paint to escape. If you have a wide slit and a large hole, they work in tandem as an ultra fat cap. If you have a small slit, and a small hole, you get a super soft skinny.

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Additionally (this part is getting off track and is kind of just my theory anyway), when you use an adapter on a male valve can of Rust–oleum, the slit on the stem of a cap essentially becomes null and void because it is pretty much bypassed. It no longer controls the flow of how much paint is let in. The male valve can only pass so much paint through and because the slit is now enclosed inside the adapter, the only remaining spray pattern factor is the exit hole within the black dot of the cap. This is why thin and medium style caps work best on adapters – there is not enough paint flow for a super fat to spray the same way it would on a female valve. It’s also why those “ultra-wide” spraying male-valved cans usually have a huge male stem – to let more paint through.

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ANYWAY, for our newest version of the Lego, we made some minor tweaks to the slit, the inside diameter of the stem, and the exit hole within the black dot. This refined how the cap sits within the valve seat, slightly closed up the input hole of the slit and resulted in a smoother, less powerful spray pattern that we feel is nearly identical to the original Lego. We would be interested in hearing what YOU think of our newest effort. Please drop a comment or send us an email to let us know.

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One more thing…

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We are not the only reissue game in town. There is a large paint brand (we will refer to as LPB) that also produces their own version of these caps and the NY Fat. Additionally, we had a 1^st generation release (the mentioned soft launch above). These different cap versions have justifiably caused some confusion since they are all out on the market at the same time. Eventually our 1^st generation “reissues” will be gone off the market, however the LPB version and our version 2 are here to stay.

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Please see below for how to best identify OUR caps.

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