Editing Baseplates (section)

== History ==

The first LEGO baseplates appeared in the late 1960s (with supplementary sets such as the 10×20 baseplates in 1966). Before that, large solid bricks (such as part 700e) were sometimes used for similar base-building purposes. 

Standard flat baseplates became widespread with the introduction of the [[minifigure]] and modern LEGO System themes in 1978–1979. Road plates with printed markings debuted around the same time and remained a staple of [[LEGO City]]/Town layouts for decades.

'''Raised baseplates''' (3D terrain pieces with hills, craters, pits, or ramps) were introduced in 1979 for the [[Space]] theme (the iconic grey crater plate) and became popular in [[Castle]], [[Pirates]], and other themes throughout the 1980s–2000s. The last raised baseplate appeared in 2011 ([[7327 Scorpion Pyramid]]).

Flat baseplates continue to be produced as of 2026, primarily in the Classic theme, though printed road plates have largely been replaced by smaller modular road sections in modern City sets.