Storage and Sorting LEGO

[Palms]

having just gotten out of my dark age i only 1 of thesefor my lego that i don't have displayed

[Kingboy]

I'm considering using Ziploc bags to sort my LEGO rather than plastic containers. I'm trying this specifically to save on space. Comments?

I do this for my bulk bricks and plates. Bricks and plates are separated into 16 qt. Sterilite boxes by colour, then within each box I sort each type of brick or plate into a labelled zip top bag. Makes it very easy to find a specific number of a particular brick in a needed colour (i.e. 12 1×3 bricks in Light Cool Grey).

Some of my brick colours are growing numerous enough that I may have to start separating bricks and plates into their own boxes. When that time comes, having them already sub-divided into bags should make that quite easy.

[Piranha]

No Craft stores around here but the next best thing is the Craft Section at Wal-mart

I bought some of those very handy 2x3 bags. They cost about $1.10 for a 100 pack.

Along with those they had the next size up which I also grabbed, about $1.50 for a 100 pack.

These will now become quite handy for minifigures and accessories.

[KimT]

Whew! I am (once more) sorting my LEGO and this is the system that I intend to use.

Primarily sort by colour (black, blue, red, yellow, green, brown/orange, tan/purple, trans and type; technic parts, wheels).

Secondarily sort each colour by plates - bricks - other.

Once I'm done, I'll post some pics.

So many elements yet to be sorted

[Follows Closely]

Whew! I am (once more) sorting my LEGO and this is the system that I intend to use.

Primarily sort by colour (black, blue, red, yellow, green, brown/orange, tan/purple, trans and type; technic parts, wheels).

Secondarily sort each colour by plates - bricks - other.

Once I'm done, I'll post some pics.

So many elements yet to be sorted

This is my method. Works very well. I also have a few tackle boxes of 1x1 - 1x8 tile/plate/block pieces.

[cagri]

Here's my humble colelction:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=410060

I store most small parts in icecream tubs. Cheap for your pocket, expensive for your belly :)

[Disturbia]

I store all my surplus System pieces and assorted (non-SW & Bionicle) sets in one big box, unorganised and messy. Another box is filled with larger, built models from themes like Power Miners, Indiana Jones and Aqua Raiders. All my Star Wars lego is stored in two cabinets (I like to display them), while another cabinet is filled with 2009 Bionicle sets and about 5-6 boxes full of built Bionicle sets from previous years.

Well, that's my storage sorted and in a nutshell.

[Aquila D'oro]

I store complete sets by theme in 48 Litre containers, except for pirates.. as only the small ships (carribean clipper size or smaller) will fit in them ..... and there are a lot of ships (cant wait till 2010 for the 10210 )

still running into problems with preventing white peices from yellowing, any suggestions? as this is getting quite annoying

P.S. they are stored away from sun light... still the problem continues

[radar92]

I have converted almost all of my storage to these

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?...uct_id=11014789

I use diffrent sizes based on need.

I sort by colour and then based on how much I have and use of that I separate the 1X plates and 2X plates out. I also have a few multi compartment containers for special parts, like tiles and transparents. So far it works and stacks well.

[Karto]

still running into problems with preventing white peices from yellowing, any suggestions? as this is getting quite annoying

P.S. they are stored away from sun light... still the problem continues

If the sets are kept away from the sunlight and cigarette smoke, you shouldn't have any problems with discoloration (even if the place is hot and humid). Even the old, extremely sensible cellulose bricks from 1952 are still perfect now, if they were stored correctly. Maybe you should try to cover the containers to avoid any light (also indirect sunlight). From my experience, the best result is to store the set in its original box.

[DarkKnight]

I started using my big tool box that I used for my rc Cars to store my Technic lego then I decided to get something better so I got these.

Which were £2.49 from Home and Bargin

And these were £1.49 from Home and Bargin

I got this from ebay with some Technic lego which cost me £15 with atleast £60 worth of Technic lego inside.

but soon ran out of space so I got these at the weekend which cost me £53 for 4.

[I Scream Clone]

My new Lego room is half complete. Here is a pic of my new storage, had fun building it with the incorrect instructions. I can fit up to 4 large tubs in each hole, so its nowhere near full yet. There is loads of rubbish in the 4 drawers too. This isn't all of it though

Further to Blackmoor's post.

In each of the coloured drawers I have:

1x1 modified plates, tiles and cheese

1x2 tiles

2x2 tiles

bley and dark bley tiles

reddish brown 1x4 and 1x6 tiles

all other coloured tiles

1x1,1x2,1x3 plates of all colours

headlights

1x1 round plates

1x1 round bricks (i love this drawer)

small and large bley and dark bley plates.

In the tubs, for the most part are single coloured plates and bricks. There is a full tub of 1x2 bley bricks and a tub full of black roof slopes too. The rarer colours live in takeaway containers.

Trees etc are in drawers, figures are still unsorted...

Dark Knight, your storage is great but way too organised for me, I still like the "thrill of the chase" when looking for parts.

Cheers

ISC.

[Captain Blackmoor]

Time to tell how the Captain keeps his LEGO organized.

I have several containers, and I put all kinds of bricks in them.

One for the prefabs (ship's hulls, rocks, baseplates etc...)

Several for the basic bricks in all colours.

One for the modified bricks (headlight bricks, jumper plates etc...)

Two for the minifigs, plants, utensil, weapons, animals etc...)

One for the technic bricks. I don't use that one much.

A small tray for the tiles.

And one for all the plates.

I also have some smaller crates for the special bricks from which I don't own that much. Small things like coins and gems and rare heads.

Finally I have a large crate to store all the car bricks, fabuland and pieces I don't use that much either.

Perhaps it sounds not organized at all, but I can find every brick in there.

[antp]

My storage looks similar to DarkKnight's

Plates, small bricks and rare colors are sorted in these:

In the transparent boxes on the right there are more special parts, accessories, small windows, technics, etc.

Base plates, large amounts of bricks, doors & larges windows, slopes, wheels and minifigs are stored there:

All train-related stuff is stored in a separate box (rails, train bases, etc.)

Primary sort criteria is color (previously it was part shape), that makes things much easier for MOCs, I find.

Previously I had all the parts in various tool boxes, but having to take all of them out of the closet each time was annoying. Here most of the parts are directly accessible at the desk, for building.

[Legorski]

I really need to get some nice plastic containers for my Lego. I got storage, but some colors are in bags, which angers me.

I also have to start sorting my technic. The quest to sort Lego never ends, Does it?

[SuperChris]

And I thought I had OCD!

My LEGO is sorted into small tubs for each colour, then stored at the bottom of my wardrobe. My oddment pieces are in a huge blue tub as well.

Then my LEGO Harry Potter I like to keep in their official boxes in my wardrobe, in order of release. They fit just perfectly!

Then I have some sets out on display. Usually a set on my bedside table, my windowsill. on top of my speakers and then I have a mini table in the corner of my room for LEGO sets as well.

[desultor]

Man, some of these collections are inspirational! I did a full census of my LEGO collection recently, and just tonight took pictures of my storage solution. With a little over 20,000 pieces (210 sets), I prefer the bins 'n baggies method. It may just be jealousy talking, but I think tackle boxes or miniature drawers would be cumbersome, not to mention expensive. (But then I'm like Tommy Boy's girlfriend - I prefer to stack piles of file folders instead of putting 'em in filing cabinets.) I prefer under-bed bins, since they're convenient and shallow; I like to pop the top and see all my bags at once. I got these bins at an after-Christmas sale at Target for $4 each. Throw in a box each of gallon- and quart-sized Ziplocks, and here's a complete storage solution for $30.

I keep all the ziplocks unsealed in the bins, ready for easy access. I mix all the colors together in each bag, as I find that my brain can quickly spot a desired color among others. I throw all types of a given length in together, for a similar reason. For example, I throw all my 2x6 bricks and plates, and 1x6 bricks and plates, of all colors, in one bag. It takes barely any time to find any required piece in that bag. For more info and a look inside each bin check out my gallery.

If you're just starting out with organizing, I highly recommend buying a couple boxes of Ziplock (or generic brand) sealable bags. You can throw them in whatever boxes or bins you already have, and experiment with your sorting preferences. You may find that the bins & baggies method works just fine!

[legomaniac83]

Wow what a great thread! It's nice to see other peoples storage system and ideas, as it helps to make your own better. My system right now is pretty good. A mix of totes and storage bins, along with binders for instructions. Once I buy a house, I will have my own room dedicated to my Lego, so I will have a lot more room.

I have close to 500 sets, and around 85,000 pieces. All but around 10 sets have been sorted, (keeping the 8421 and 8285 together for show of course!) so that's an awful pile ot Lego! Most of my collection is sorted by piece, not color.

Here are some pics of what I have going right now:

This is the shelf unit one of my friends managed to grab from TRU when he worked there. Worked out great for the smaller totes!

I have 8 storage bins that have worked out well. One bin is for angle pcs, two for car and vehicle parts, one for minifig parts and accessories, one for hinges and plates, etc.

The Lego contianers hold: minifigs, 1 wide bricks, and odd plates and pcs (like snowboard halfpipe and NBA Arena parts)

Totes contain either parts, or sets. Most of my Technic sets I have taken apart and put in a tote. Some totes have 1 set, some have multiple.

The 4 sliding drawers are sorted by 2 wide plates up to 2x6, another for longer plates, one for pilars, and the last for plates over 8 wide.

And instructions. Binders work well for most. I have the big books in full page sleeves and smaller books in 4x6 pictures album holders (works great!) The oddly shaped books I am still trying to find what to do with them.....

Thats it!

I will one day have all the Technic sorted my piece as well, but need a couple more storage bins.

Cheers!

Edited January 29, 2010 by legomaniac83

[gotoAndLego]

I need some suggestions folks.

I have under 20k pieces with almost all being SW sets; I can see moving into the modular houses, but not castles/prince of persia/what not. I don't have and base plates or foilage (a shrubbery!!!) so there is nothing too cumbersome. I recently picked up some of those Ikea Glis boxes and my problem is the dividers are too fiddly and loose. If I had them in my car and hit a bum they'd ride up and I'd get mixed parts; heck, I even had that happen with the opening and closing of them. I've been looking at the Plano cases on Amazon and wanted to know how they fared. Do the dividers ride up with jostling and bumps? If so, what are some alternatives? Any with fixed dividers?

PS> I'm in the US.

Edited February 10, 2010 by gotoAndLego

[Modulex Guy]

The Plano boxes are the best, the dividers to not move around during transport, heck, you can even throw them on the floor and they wont move.

[k_peek_2000]

I am being upgraded into my brothers room which has a 6'X8' walk in closet lined with shelves. I plan on putting a work desk in the back as well as turning it into my full time lego room!!!! I'm soo excited X)

[Legononymous]

I'm in the habit of keeping my sets together. For example the police car. It's complete. I can see where I'm out of room to put things. Taking them all apart and storing them seems to be an option. What I don't understand is what do you do with the stickers? All are already on my models and some stickers cover more then one piece.

[Modulex Guy]

What I don't understand is what do you do with the stickers? All are already on my models and some stickers cover more then one piece.

Simply just to not apply the stickers.

I have gotten to the point now that I have not used a single sticker on any of my sets because I know that they will eventually come apart and I would have no use for the sticker parts.

I just keep all the sticker sheets in a little folder on the side.

[CP5670]

I hardly ever use stickers that cover multiple parts but I often use single part ones, depending on the material they are made of and the rarity of the piece they go on. I treat the stickered parts like printed ones and store them alongside those, and the remaining stickers that are still on their sheets go in a 6954 Renegade box. The stickered parts can often be useful in MOCs.

Edited February 11, 2010 by CP5670

[Danpb]

As a kid, I put all the pieces into huge plastic bins. I also thought it would be a great idea of I put some action figures in there along with their weapons. Even better? Add some pens, pencils, rubber bands and anything else I could find.

Seriously, I really don't know what I was thinking and now that I've made my first sort-through by color, I want to shake my 10-yr old self violently asking "what were you thinking!?"

So now, my collection (circa 1980s-1996) is sorted by color (some bricks are lost, some are used as Xmas decorations at my folks' house). I'm not too worried about the pieces being used as decorations (namely, a gigantic santa).

What I am worried about is getting a decent storage solution while trying to buy sets. I'm looking to update my collection, so for now, I am using ziploc bags and lots of them (25 or so right now)

I am sorting by type and using even more bags - really not enjoying this, but I am finding it hard to get storage with sets like Grand Emporium out there :)

Love this thread - lots of good stuff here :)