Is it worth buying a glued Lego set

[Rail Co]

Hello! I have found on a small auction website some glued models from the eighties. Which apparently were glued for the Denmark Flagship store (or that's what it says). I am wondering if I should buy it as all the doors open and all the play features are there and even the motors still work! I am wondering if it is possible to unglue these lego sets or not. The motors are removable though and are quite rare so even if the set can't be unglued I can still use it and later down the road I could sell the motors.

Thanks

-RailCo

[BrickCurve]

Hello! I have found on a small auction website some glued models from the eighties. Which apparently were glued for the Denmark Flagship store (or that's what it says). I am wondering if I should buy it as all the doors open and all the play features are there and even the motors still work! I am wondering if it is possible to unglue these lego sets or not. The motors are removable though and are quite rare so even if the set can't be unglued I can still use it and later down the road I could sell the motors.

Thanks

-RailCo

It depends on how much cheaper the set is than a non glued version and on the rarity of the set. I suggest sending them a message and asking whether the motors can be removed.

[VintageLegoEra]

I dont buy any glued parts even if it is the cheapest on the world. I feel it is abnormal and will look awful.

[MAB]

It really depends on whether you want a glued version. I wouldn't try to unglue them, you 'd be left with damaged used parts worth nothing.

[mpfirnhaber]

I think glued models can be a nice thing to own as an interesting piece of Lego history. Especially if they were made by model builders for Legoland parks or as store exclusives. I don't own any, but I've considered buying them before.

But if you intend to buy it for parts, then don't bother, you won't get it "unglued".

[davee123]

I am wondering if it is possible to unglue these lego sets or not.

Most likely you can't. These days, LEGO uses a plastic weld to glue its pieces together-- basically, the molecules of ABS bond together as the two plastics "melt" into one between adjacent elements. Most of the gluing is done under the bricks, where you can't see it, but you'll essentially have to break the plastic in order to get them apart, which means you MIGHT break it along the seam, or you might break it somewhere else, making for a big hunk of plastic sticking off your bricks.

Additionally, the effort involved in attempting to break glued elements apart will quite likely leave your bricks scratched on the surface-- you may even need to resort to something like an Exacto knife, which could create deep gashes in the bricks.

I expect your only hope for un-gluing is that they used a different glue back in the 1980s. But I doubt that. I don't know when they started using MEK, but I'll bet it was probably in the late 60s or 70s, after the switch to ABS plastic from CA. But if they DID use a different glue (the kind that your typical kid or parent might use to glue their models together), then you MIGHT be able to dissolve the glue without causing much harm to the ABS. But it'd be a long shot, even then.

Your best bet is probably to leave them intact. Just admire them or play with them.

DaveE

Edited July 11, 2016 by davee123

[Rail Co]

Well the auctions got very expensive very fast so I decided to let the other guy get it. It wasn't worth it to me.

Thanks!

-RailCo

[Mesabi]

Speaking of which, does anyone have a good idea on how to unglue super glued Lego? I bought some stuff at a garage sale and the previous owners were

[rodiziorobs]

I understand soaking in hot soapy water for hours (changing the water so it stays hot) can soften glue up to where you can rub it off with a towel. Might take several cycles of soaking and rubbing, though.

An alternative is to use acetone, but since it eats ABS and makes the colors bleed I wouldn't recommend it.