Feelings when Dissasembling/breaking up sets or personal projects?

[Grendar]

This is something i find myself struggling with repeatedly, ill build something myself or with my daughter, and i wont want to take it apart for either feelings towards said project or my own daughters feelings towards the set we built together, The reason im considering breaking the sets are for pieces for bigger projects.

Sets im considering breaking up:

7784 - Batman Batmobile

7592 - Buzz lightyear

Buzz isnt too big a deal, My daughters feelings about it may not be as strong as my own as she was willing to disassemble some minor projects we did using the 6177 Builders of Tomorrow set based on instructions from the website(btw, GREAT IDEA if you wanna get a kid into lego, she loves the weekly projects).

The really big deal is the Batmobile, the thing is freakishly massive, and with all those parts i wonder if i could build it again if the parts are all scattered into the main pile(not that its messy mind you, i sort by piece type or color.)

Anyway feedback would be appreciated, or if you want tell your own stories of Break up blues.

[desultor]

I've decided that what I build won't accumulate on a display shelf, but will live instead in my photography. I picked that up somewhere in an interview (or was it in nnenn's farewell?) and it's inspired me to learn amateur studio photography.

Also reminds me of my favorite comic:

[Noworries]

I'm just busy beserking trough my "old" sets, ending up with aprox 60 Sets in boxed. Whole Firefighter Collection of 2009 / 2010, large technic sets and almost all pirat sets. Main reason why 7848, 8052, 8053 and 10194 are still boxed and waiting to be build!

So, the feelings... pain? Bare flesh on the fingertips after disassembling two 8265 one after another, thats just painful.

Reminds me that i actually have to buy some new boxes for the next sets, yargh!

[Sirius Black]

If you have a collection of over 25,000 bricks, don't break a set that you would desire to rebuild. I learned this the hard way with some of my 2002 SW sets, and even now, 5 years after i started rebuilding, I haven't finished. It is entirely your choice, but i typically leave most of the sets that i like together. I just disassembled and cannabalized parts from the MMV, and i may end up regretting that, but for my upcoming project, it is worth it. Siriusly !

Sirius O. Black

[Grendar]

I've decided that what I build won't accumulate on a display shelf, but will live instead in my photography. I picked that up somewhere in an interview (or was it in nnenn's farewell?) and it's inspired me to learn amateur studio photography.

Also reminds me of my favorite comic:

That makes sense Desultor, probably a good idea we take a picture with the model before breaking it up for other stuff, that might make her feel better about breaking it up, but i probably wont be doing what the comic did for a few years lol.

[wolfwing]

I've decided that what I build won't accumulate on a display shelf, but will live instead in my photography. I picked that up somewhere in an interview (or was it in nnenn's farewell?) and it's inspired me to learn amateur studio photography.

Yeah thats what I'm thinking myself, maybe as my collection grows over time I might keep some, but I being able to photograph is nice.

Though on topic a bit more, I always felt as a kid and recently when I made the apple tree house a sort of desire to take apart to build something else, and a feeling like I should keep it built a bit longer even though I'm not going to do anything with it at the moment. Though thats what instructions are for for sets, you can rebuild them again later, MOC's and MOD's of course are a bit tougher, why photography is good, though what I've been wondering is, how many photo's are enough. Do you just need 1, or do you need every angle possible, or just the best angle?

[mikey]

For me a few sets have a totally subjective, irrational, and intrinsic value, so I would never take them apart. But for me these are few and far between, and the majority of sets are built once (if at all!), and quickly sorted to be used for the pure enjoyment of potential MOC.

If you have a collection of over 25,000 bricks, don't break a set that you would desire to rebuild.

...

This depends upon the degree of accuracy that you sort and store. Obviously you will never get the exact same pieces that came in the box, but if your system is well organized rebuilding a set should be hassle free and quick. I try to test my sorting system on this basis, in that a good system to make a MOC without loosing interest looking for that certain element should provide the pieces to recreate a set very easily.

...

Though thats what instructions are for for sets, you can rebuild them again later, MOC's and MOD's of course are a bit tougher, why photography is good, though what I've been wondering is, how many photo's are enough. Do you just need 1, or do you need every angle possible, or just the best angle?

As many photo as are necessary to document the creation, all angles, photo of different layers, and of the intricate bits. It is the beauty of a Digital Camera that photos are essentially free. I do not keep any MOC assembled, as soon as I am happy with it, or more usually lost interest/ got the next 'big idea', I am sorting it back ready for the next possibility. I think I enjoy the 'process' rather than the 'finished object', when it comes to building. I am never entirely satisfied, but always have that glimmer of hope that the next might just be perfect. The excitement of starting afresh is better for me than seeing it to completion. But I always take loads of photos, and also use a Digital CAD to document interesting or difficult bits, in case something might prove useful as inspiration or a solution in the future.

[Modulex Guy]

Sets, I do not mind breaking up, all of my sets, except a few sculpture sets, in my collection are broken down and sorted, I always keep the instructions, so if I have the desire to rebuild sets I pull the booklet out and build.

MOCs are a bit of a different story, I have two kinds of MOCs, stuff that goes to our NILTC club shows, and personal MOCs.

The MOCs I bring to shows have about a 6mo. to a 1 year or so cycle, after that, its time for something new, so i have no problem breaking them up.

Some of the personal MOCs I have that I built just for the sake of wanting to build them, I might never take them apart.

A example of one of my personal MOCs (well its still a WIP) is a massive starship I've been working on for the past year and a half (on and off project), once that will be done I will probably never take apart. If I need any parts from it, I'll just bricklink them all and resupply my inventory.

[Brickdoctor]

Personally, even with a big collection, I still don't have very many of the more valuable MOCing pieces (I've only got one telephone- that's right, one ) , so I carefully document each and every build. Then, I don't go right ahead and disassemble it, I just let it sit around until I need a part from it, and then pull the part out. That will go on until the model is structurally unsound and unrecognizable, and then I just toss it into the 'to-sort' bin.

[fred67]

I hate taking sets apart. In fact, I don't think I've ever taken apart a large set as an adult... maybe some of the little impulse buys, but nothing substantial.

Yes, I ran out of shelf space and need more. I have a lot of sets I haven't built because I have no room to put them.

In fact, any set that I want the pieces from, I have to buy two - one to build, and then I can use the pieces from the other one.

I have less of a problem taking apart my MOCs, although it depends how much time I spent on them.

It has a lot to do with the fact that I buy the sets I'm interested in... like I'm a train fan, so I won't take apart my trains unless they're terrible (Railway Express), and even then only when I might need the parts. I'm a castle fan, so won't take apart my castles. I'm a city fan (goes with trains), and I won't take apart my modular buildings...

But that's the thing... I buy Green Grocer because I want the Green Grocer, not parts. I buy the Emerald Night because I want the EN, not the parts(*). If I need pieces, I do PAB or Bricklink.

(*) EN is an interesting exception... I bought three for the cars and because I can use the extra train pieces for MOCs, but if I wasn't getting the cars I wouldn't have bought them just for the pieces, I would have gotten train wheels, for example, from Big Ben. After being inspired by Eric87's Red "Emerald" Night, I made one of those. But this was a second set... if I only had one EN, I wouldn't have done it.

[drdavewatford]

I'm not too sentimental about deconstructing sets after they've been on display for a while because I take loads of photographs beforehand. Also, deconstructing a set means I have display space to build another one !

The real problem is my obsession with inventorying all the pieces to make sure none have gone missing while the set was on display. I really wish I didn't feel the need to do this as it takes ages. I will never forget the pain of dismantling and inventorying 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer <shudder>

:-)

[Grendar]

. I will never forget the pain of dismantling and inventorying 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer <shudder>

:-)

I wouldnt either, its GINORMOUS!!

[CP5670]

Most of my sets are built up, although often with modifications. I buy sets only if I like the set specifically, although I make exceptions if they have rare pieces I need for a MOC. I buy more common, bulk parts off Bricklink.

As for MOCs themselves, so far I haven't needed to take apart any of the "major" MOCs I've made. If I really needed specific pieces in them for something else I would do it, but I typically just go to Bricklink instead to replenish my spare parts.

But I always take loads of photos, and also use a Digital CAD to document interesting or difficult bits, in case something might prove useful as inspiration or a solution in the future.

I used to do this at one point for the whole model. My older MOCs all have ldraw versions I made after the MOC was completed. I stopped doing that though since it was too time consuming, and I was ending up keeping them built anyway.

[dr_spock]

Depends on the set or MOC. If I am not particularly attached to it, I'll take pictures and then take it apart. If I really like it, then I won't disassemble.

[frogstudio]

Yeah thats what I'm thinking myself, maybe as my collection grows over time I might keep some, but I being able to photograph is nice.

Though on topic a bit more, I always felt as a kid and recently when I made the apple tree house a sort of desire to take apart to build something else, and a feeling like I should keep it built a bit longer even though I'm not going to do anything with it at the moment. Though thats what instructions are for for sets, you can rebuild them again later, MOC's and MOD's of course are a bit tougher, why photography is good, though what I've been wondering is, how many photo's are enough. Do you just need 1, or do you need every angle possible, or just the best angle?

Rebuilding official sets has no problem. Comcerning MOCs or MODS, I do the following. I photograph each step of the unbuilding. Then, I rename the files in inverse order and what have I got of that???? My building instructions for that moc!!!! Just my two cents. :)

[XimenaPaulina]

This is my personal belief: MOCs are works of art (like a painter's painting, a sculptor's sculpture, a musician's musical piece), and no matter how simple or complex they are they should never be destroyed. If you put a lof of time, effort and valuable resources to create a certain lego build, disassembling it after sometime just doesn't make sense. All of my MOCs are kept, stored in all their glory in my rather small mini-lego viewing shelf.

As far as official lego sets are concerned, since they are just purchased sets and not really my own design, I have much easier time disassembling them. But rarely do I do that, just in cases when I direly need additional parts for my projects, but I usually replenish them on my next stop at BL.

[Superkalle]

The absolute main problem with breaking sets is to keep the color matching if you want to re-build them. Color tone and richness varies over the years, and one of the worst things I know is rebubilding a set and having it look like a mosaic.

The second problem is the stickers. Do you peel them off, or keep them on. I try to keep them on, but then there are those that stretch over multiple bricks.

I've just de-parted about 20 kg of sets, and even though it hurts, it's worth it - I need the parts for MOCs and can't afford to buy all the bricks needed AND at the same time have all those sets just standing in the shelf.

[TheWarden]

I fall into (I guess) the most common category... Display for a few months (hopefully to show off to real life friends once), take pictures, then dissemble and sort.

Exceptions for me are only one so far: 4504 Millenium Falcon. Everything else is assimilated. EVERYTHING!

But... I see the other side. If you can afford it, keeping a small number of sets / MOCS fully assembled makes sense.

[blueandwhite]

From my point of view, very few sets are absolutely untouchable. I purchase LEGO with MOCing in mind so I have very little difficulty dismantling anything. If I need a part I'm more than willing to dismantle almost any set (of course there are a few exceptions). I place more value in MOCs which are for the most part one-of-a-kind as opposed to sets which are mass produced. Whatever you decide to MOC, it belongs to you and only you. A set is somebody else's idea. While many sets are wonderful models, they pale in comparison to a great MOC.

I can certainly see how this might be more difficult for somebody who doesn't do a lot of MOCing. The same may be true for a person who isn't particularly confident in their building skills. Even in those circumstances I still prefer MOCs to actual sets. LEGO is all about innovation. I wouldn't hesitate to dismantle a set if there is an amazing (or even so-so) MOC following it up.

[wolfwing]

Taking sets apart isn't hard, but mocs...I can see that being a struggle that gets easier as time moves on, at first when you have very few parts and pieces, a single good sized moc might take up half your collection so if you want to build anything else you have not much choice.

[XimenaPaulina]

From my point of view, very few sets are absolutely untouchable. I purchase LEGO with MOCing in mind so I have very little difficulty dismantling anything. If I need a part I'm more than willing to dismantle almost any set (of course there are a few exceptions). I place more value in MOCs which are for the most part one-of-a-kind as opposed to sets which are mass produced. Whatever you decide to MOC, it belongs to you and only you. A set is somebody else's idea. While many sets are wonderful models, they pale in comparison to a great MOC.

I can certainly see how this might be more difficult for somebody who doesn't do a lot of MOCing. The same may be true for a person who isn't particularly confident in their building skills. Even in those circumstances I still prefer MOCs to actual sets. LEGO is all about innovation. I wouldn't hesitate to dismantle a set if there is an amazing (or even so-so) MOC following it up.

Amen. You couldn't have said it any better.

Taking sets apart isn't hard, but mocs...I can see that being a struggle that gets easier as time moves on, at first when you have very few parts and pieces, a single good sized moc might take up half your collection so if you want to build anything else you have not much choice.

In my case, my MOCs comprise more than 80% of my total lego collection, so I don't dismantle them at all. If I want to build something, what I do is "borrow" parts from MOCs, make a rough build (LDD for others), then order the parts from BL, and return back the borrowed parts. That way, my MOCs remain intact, and at the same time creating new ones without dismantling anything.

Edited September 9, 2010 by KielDaMan