Which brick colors to start collecting LEGO

[kofi]

So I hope this is not an entry that anybody else took before I do now! If so please don't blame me too much, but I couldn't find any entry in this forum concerning this topic!

So what I wanna do here is the following:

As a beginner it is very hard to start a collection! Many questions have to be answered! This topic should help anyone who is interested in building his own creation out of LEGO and needs some advice which bricks and wich colors of bricks he should own before getting started.

From my point of view it is important to have a wide range of different bricks in different colors before starting to build his/ her MOC. Because otherwise you won't be able to be as creative as possible.

After reading the last sentence, everyone should shout out: You are silly! That's a lot of money to spend before I can get started!

Exactly that's what this entry tries to figure out: Which parts do I need to get started as soon as possible!

And here I need your help! Please post in this thread which parts you think someone at least needs to get started building a castle for example. Or if you are interested in the space theme and/ or already built something - then you have the experience others do not have, and here is the place where you can share!

What is needed:

First you should post what can be built out of the bricks you post. e.g.: Architecture, Castle, Forest, ...

Second, give a short overview which colors you needed to build your creation. e.g.: for a castle you need dark bluish gray, light bluish gray, black, reddish brown, ...

Third, are there any kinds of bricks that been needed especially to build a great MOC. e.g.: for a castle you surely need these bricks: 98283.jpg and/ or 60808.jpg

From my point of view the quantity of parts is not needed - everyone should make his own decision how many of a kind he/ she want to own.

Finally I will sum up all your posts in this post, so everyone has a quick overview what the community came up with!

I give you an example:

To build a realistic Forest you need the following:

Colors: Plenty of dark green, bright green, green, olive green, black, reddish brown, dark reddish brown

Kinds of bricks: These parts you should not miss in your collection:

2417.jpg, 2423.jpg, 30093.gif, 55236.gif

If there are any other colors or bricks you use when creating a realistic forest please post it and I will add them in my post.

So I am looking forward to read your suggestions and of course if this topic make sense! I will accept any feedback from you! If you say, no we do not need this stuff or you know where I can find something similar in the www please post it!

[TWO2SEVEN]

This seems like a really hard question to answer.

My advice would be to buy some sets that are similar to what you want to build and then mod those sets to fit your wants and needs.

Check out http://rebrickable.com/ for some ideas on what can be built with pre packaged sets.

I hope this helps and have fun!

[Cara]

I think you are over-complicating things. This question can be answered by searching on a photo site such as flickr for Example lego castle, then looking at the images and seeing what is most used.

A basic starting point - light blue gray walls, dark blue grey rock and wall accents, dark brown or reddish brown for anything wooden.

Slopes of the appropriate angle for what you are trying to create, 1x2 bricks for the wall, odd feature bricks such as the masonry one you showed, or round 1x1's stacked three high. SNOT bricks (the ones with the stud on the side) attach tiles to them fo extended stonework, etcetera.

For getting started as soon as possible, it is buy a set that is similar to what you would like to make and look only at the bricks not the instructions! Fiddle, play. From there you should find out which bricks you wish you had more of, or a different colour of. You may find that you dont use a lot of the big panels (like the arch window example you showed) but rather you build a textured wall around a small window piece.

If castles/landscaping are your first goal go over to the Guilds of Historica forum under LEGO Historic Themes. There are some great examples throughout that area for inspiration

LEGO is great because there is no one way that must be followed. Find something you like and replicate it to learn the process. Then think I like or dislike this and I wish it looked like... and then ask for specific suggestions. I think you will get a better response.

[rollermonkey]

You need all the colors:

Red, yellow, blue, black and white.

Everything else is just decoration.

[Duq]

Buy a few sets you like and start building. You'll soon find out what pieces suit your building style and then you can buy more of them.

To quote Mark Stafford: every piece is a space ship piece.

That's the great thing about Lego: you can use parts for anything.

Someone decided a long time ago to do water using trans-blue tiles. That worked well and has been done by many other people. If everyone had blindly followed that example we wouldn't have MOCs now that use trans-blue 1x1 studs for water. Look at Flickr for inspiration but not for building rules. Do your own thing.

[MAB]

Third, are there any kinds of bricks that been needed especially to build a great MOC. e.g.: for a castle you surely need these bricks: 98283.jpg and/ or 60808.jpg

I never use 60808 in my castles. Why use a large part like that, when you can use bricks, arches and arched windows. That way, you do not get the ugly recesses behind the castle walls.

The masonry bricks are nice for a little detail, so long as they are not overused. Especially as the brick patterns don't line up properly if you stagger the bricks.

[kofi]

I think you are over-complicating things. This question can be answered by searching on a photo site such as flickr for Example lego castle, then looking at the images and seeing what is most used.

After thinking about this topic a few days, I think you are definitely right! Why should I give an advice if everything is possible to build out of lego!

To say it with your words:

To quote Mark Stafford: every piece is a space ship piece.

That's the great thing about Lego: you can use parts for anything.

Yes of course! I made this experience too! Take a simple part - and you can use it in many different ways! Thats the great thing to learn with Lego.

So there is no need to tell others which types of bricks they should use in their MOCs - that's true.

I just wanted to help newcomers to get started!

And yes, as you said before, looking at flickr is the best way to get inspired. Or buy some of the amazing LEGO books like "Beautiful Lego" or similar, you get inspired too!

My advice would be to buy some sets that are similar to what you want to build and then mod those sets to fit your wants and needs.

But which ones are good ones to start with? There is a huge range of different big sets! From my point of view, you should buy those sets where you get most inspired, or where you love the colors... and then get started.

I never use 60808 in my castles. Why use a large part like that, when you can use bricks, arches and arched windows. That way, you do not get the ugly recesses behind the castle walls.

The masonry bricks are nice for a little detail, so long as they are not overused. Especially as the brick patterns don't line up properly if you stagger the bricks.

I hardly can tell you if I won't use the part 60808 - I never built a castle! But that is what I wanted to discuss here - to share the experiences of other fans to the newcomers - maybe to get inspired!

You need all the colors:

Red, yellow, blue, black and white.

Everything else is just decoration.

Yes it is up to everyone of us - which color he/ she uses! That is the great thing - there are so many different ways to build great creations!

Thank you all for your interest in this topic and your opinion!

[MAB]

Another thing to bear in mind is that sometimes it is advantageous to build in any random colour first, to learn about the techniques you want to use in the castle / build. You do not need to start building the final model from the start. There is no point buying loads of parts in a specific colour only to find they don't really work as well as you thought they would.