Tips for sorting and rebuilding

[meyerc13]

I have a problem much like the Modular Meltdown thread, but my problem was created by a busy two year old and not by a shelf failure. My son and I had setup an approximately 4x3 base plate (32 stud) city. My daughter got into it and I now have several storage tubs filled with bricks and pieces of assembled sets. I'm really overwhelmed and don't know where to begin on sorting out and rebuilding this mess. Anyone have any suggestions or experience on how you'd tackle something like that?

To give you an idea of what I'm facing, some of the sets are:

-7739 Coast Guard Patrol Boat and Tower

-7641 City Corner

-4996 Beach house

-7208 Fire Station

-7686 Helicopter Transport

-7743 Police Command Center

Plus lots of vehicles like the Camper, Dump truck, Front End Loader, Police Cars, Tow Trucks, Fire Trucks, Ambulance, Recycle Truck. Not to mention lots of bricks and plates that were part of various MOC vehicles and buildings.

I know there are threads on how to organize and store your bricks, but when you have 10,000+ bricks from ~50 sets intermingled in various degrees, how do you begin to put it all back together?

By the way... I know full well that LEGO isn't appropriate for <3 Years old, but my daughter is almost 3 and doesn't put things in her mouth. In contrast, her brother was still putting things in his mouth when he was >4 years old, and from a safety perspective we have had to supervise him around LEGO more than we have had to supervise her, but you'd be amazed how quickly a 2 year old can destroy a LEGO city.

[peterab]

My daughter got into it and I now have several storage tubs filled with bricks and pieces of assembled sets. I'm really overwhelmed and don't know where to begin on sorting out and rebuilding this mess. Anyone have any suggestions or experience on how you'd tackle something like that?

I think all of us that have emerged from a dark age have faced this in one form or other. I'm sure we all feel for you.

Some reasonable things to start with;

1. build any sets with east to find unique parts first, ie boats with one piece hulls, the big planes etc.

2. any colours that can be easily sorted out, ie orange bikini bottom spongebob etc.

3. sort into colours, and maybe roughly by part, for example bricks, plates, everything else

4. build the mostly one coloured stuff first, and the colour you have the most of.

The idea is to make your pile of parts shrink in the quickest way possible, so you make finding the remaining parts easier to find.

Don't get stuck on making things perfect, if it's taking too long to find something just move on, you might want to keep notes on whats holding you up for each set.

[streifen]

i would think there is not much of a shortcut besides having partly-assembled sets in your tub.

as mentioned by "Peterab", do the "unique" ones 1st e.g. boats. then go on to Fire Station (Red bricks) and proceed.

I would think it can be fun rather than "headache" as you get to "replay" your sets again.

Always look on the bright side of life.