At what point is it futile to restore old sets?

[CyberVinnie]

I picked up a large vintage lot recently primarily for the Classic Castle and Space sets, but it also had several Expert Builder sets, a couple of boats, and a building or two in there also. Of the "scrap" pile, I've managed to piece together the following:

709-1 (95% complete - needs color restoration)

316-1 (90% complete - needs color restoration)

585-1 (about 75% complete)

733-1 (was about 80% complete, but I've been swiping bricks to complete other sets, mostly Classic Space)

844-1 (99% complete - missing the rubber belt for the rear rotor)

I have books, instructions and identifiable parts for a few other Expert Builder sets and what appears to be a large red structure that I have not pieced together yet.

At what point does it become pointless to try to restore these old sets? My completionist mindset has me putting everything into Bricklink wanted lists that's missing from pretty much anything and everything I can identify with few exceptions, but in the case of 585-1, for instance, there are pristine examples on eBay right now for less than $80. So even if I decided to restore them to resell them, I'm not sure it's worth the effort. My LEGO enthusiasm says, "New life to old bricks!" but my logical mind says proceed with caution.

Thoughts? I'll admit, building that helicopter (844-1) was a solid reminder of why they say "Expert" on them, but it was sure a nice trip down memory lane.

Oh, and first post. Hi, everyone! :)

[Off the wall]

Do what you enjoy. I also collect old radios and people talk about 'rescuing' them (they use 'restore' and 'rescue' in the same manner). I don't rescue objects. I rescue living things like dogs. So, there's no real merit in restoring old plastic unless you enjoy it. Or, unless its some rare object that merits restoration and preservation. If it's just a bunch of old plastic, I'd move on to the wonderful new sets that you can find at Lego.com.

Bottom line.....do what you enjoy the most.

[CyberVinnie]

Do what you enjoy. I also collect old radios and people talk about 'rescuing' them (they use 'restore' and 'rescue' in the same manner). I don't rescue objects. I rescue living things like dogs. So, there's no real merit in restoring old plastic unless you enjoy it. Or, unless its some rare object that merits restoration and preservation. If it's just a bunch of old plastic, I'd move on to the wonderful new sets that you can find at Lego.com.

Bottom line.....do what you enjoy the most.

Well, I love both building and collecting. Classic Castle and Classic Space will definitely get restored because not only do I love the nostalgia of building them, I also want to preserve them for a new generation. But at least with those themes they will be worth more than I paid for them after they are once again complete. These other sets, not so much.

My thoughts are that I will restore the Expert Builder sets because I enjoy Technic and I can repurpose them into Mindstorms projects. Some of the parts that these old kits have are not in any of the new sets I've seen. As for the Police and Firefighter sets, I will probably just Bricklink enough pieces together (avoiding the rare bits like the white 8-prong antenna) so they are once again viable playsets and then save them for visiting family members.

Thanks for the feedback.

Edited August 11, 2015 by CyberVinnie

[Off the wall]

Sounds like a good plan. Enjoy!

[VintageLegoEra]

Restoring old sets are fun with all parts available from pick a brick for a cheap price, but in some sets , some parts are not being made anymore and these parts will be sold for crazy prices which sometimes hold me from completing the set. But if you keep searching and spend alot of time finding what r u missing, then the probability to find pieces at good rate is high....

Edited August 12, 2015 by VintageLegoEra

[CyberVinnie]

Restoring old sets are fun with all parts available from pick a brick for a cheap price, but in some sets , some parts are not being made anymore and these parts will be sold for crazy prices which sometimes hold me from completing the set. But if you keep searching and spend alot of time finding what r u missing, then the probability to find pieces at good rate is high....

I am a bit more anal than that. When I find a set has a certain mold with little to no chance of variation, I try to match that same mold. And THAT is where it gets expensive and when I question my own motives. Classic minifigure heads are a perfect example. One of the sets I am restoring was missing three of them, and they were all solid stud at about $0.70 each.

I tried to build the Police Station last night, and it's missing a whole lot more pieces than I thought. Either that, or the boats were missing more pieces and I ended up using parts from the Police Station to build them. No worries, though. It's a fun process trying to determine what I can and can't build. :)