Do you work out what you need before buying?

[Hrw-Amen]

When I have been placing orders on Bricklink, I cannot help but add in interesting bits that may be useful in the future. Does anyone else do this or do you simply buy what you need for a MOC?

Having said that whilst I have a good idea of what I want to build useually and the subsequent bits I am likely to need I do not seem to sit down and calculate exactly what I need, I go go for the 'Some of that and a few of them,' method. I normally end up with bits left over, or just have to place another order to finish off, adding some more interesting bits to the order to make it worth the postage.

I have seen on here people using computer programmes to build vitual models first and at one time I figured that was the way to go, however it seems to me that there is always something to change or when I am building I'll have an idea that I work in, or maybe I'll think of something good over night, or whatever.

So what does everyone else do?

[Vincent Kessels]

Well, most times I start with a virtual model of a new building. This gives me a good idea of which parts I am going to need. Then I start building as far as I can get with the parts I already have in stock. This not only tells me which parts I need to order for the model, but also which parts I am out off. So I add these to the order if available for a reasonable price. Then I look for additional parts in specific colors I can use in future models.

So I order parts:

1. Which I need additionally for my model.

2. Which I am out of (or low on).

3. Which are available in specific colors for future models.

[Ralph_S]

When I have been placing orders on Bricklink, I cannot help but add in interesting bits that may be useful in the future. Does anyone else do this or do you simply buy what you need for a MOC?

Having said that whilst I have a good idea of what I want to build useually and the subsequent bits I am likely to need I do not seem to sit down and calculate exactly what I need, I go go for the 'Some of that and a few of them,' method. I normally end up with bits left over, or just have to place another order to finish off, adding some more interesting bits to the order to make it worth the postage.

I have seen on here people using computer programmes to build vitual models first and at one time I figured that was the way to go, however it seems to me that there is always something to change or when I am building I'll have an idea that I work in, or maybe I'll think of something good over night, or whatever.

So what does everyone else do?

Interesting question

I do pretty much the same thing you do. I have a general idea of what parts I need before I start building and I also know what sort of parts I use frequently. If I buy specific parts for a particular model I will always check whether the same seller has some other bits that I know will come in handy in the future such as small plates, finger hinges, jumper plates and headlight bricks. I also always check whether the seller has bits in a few rarer colours. By adding lots of small orders of rare parts over a long period of time I end up having enough parts in an unusual colour to be able to build stuff in rare colours rather than just using them for accents.

I used CAD to design a model last year, to see whether it would be useful for the sort of things I do (and because I was away from my LEGO bricks for weeks on end) but ended up making a lot of changes to the model once I had it in front of me built in actual bricks. If I would have based the parts for that solely on the basis of the parts list, I would have been in trouble. That said, I actually had all of the parts I needed in my collection.

Cheers,

Ralph

[Jareth]

It sort of depends.

I planned a lot this summer. I decided I would like two mill village raids, a blacksmith, a whitecap bay, two mills, a london escape and a captain's cabin. I then decided that two blacksmiths and captain's cabins would be OK if I could get them on sale. This allows me to take optimal use of any BOGO sales. Now I am waiting for sales on the Kingdom sets and WB and LE.

It's also a good idea to have a list (mental or physical) when going to a lego store. I'd love some 2x2 radar dishes in unusual colors. I also wouldn't mind some more 2x2x2 slope bricks (used as dresses) or 1x2x1 panels due to some unusual textures I saw online a while back. Since the lego store didn't have any, I decided to see what else they had.

I plan on making a large "troll Fortress" so brown log bricks are cool, gray log bricks are also usefull for that and for space structures. You also need to have some sort of smaller "Filler" piece so I got 1x1 tiles with clips.

That being said, there's something to be said for impulse buying. It introduces you to pieces that can inspire you. I impulse bought mermaid tails and some other minifig parts, a lego game, Brickley the sea serpent.

Whenever I see clearance lego, I have to decide whether to get it or not. My advise is to get it, save the receipt and look up an inventory online to see whether it is worth keeping or not. Of course, since I'm buying so much this summer, I'm passing up a lot of clearance that I would have kept last year.

[ziljin]

I sort of do. What I try to do is buy castle sets and castle type sets like Prince of Persia and NinjaGo. I will get 1 of each set unless I really really don't like it. I mostly get it for the exclusive minifigures (yea I know bricklink exists, but I just can't justify spending 10-20 dollars for just a minifigure)

And then buy a bunch of the smaller sets for more minifigures. Specifically the ones that have a ratio of 5 dollars or less per minifigure.

[lightningtiger]

I usually plan ahead, choosing the sets I really want first and then any others on well I'll buy it if it's on clearance.

Parts, I buy on ad-hoc basis of crap, I need some parts to finish this job, dam it only available overseas....2 month wait....redesign time...more spare parts to buy.....and so forth.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I usually start with pieces I need and from there I check out other unique pieces that I plan to use. I find it a tad bit frustrating to acquire pieces for some MOCs/MODs. I had to go through four different vendors for all the parts needed for an orange small car... Two just to get a right and left door It does give a good chance to find lots of certain parts I could use around my future city design

[dr_spock]

I have a rough idea what I need to get. Then I end up ordering more than I need. I could always use spare parts.

[domdubya]

I have an ongoing (and never ending)wishlist. As I get new projects I add the parts I need to it so I have a nice bulk list of needed bits. If I see any bits I like, I add to bottom of the ongoing list. I do this because any one store will seldom have many of the bits I need. When I've finished going through a store, I have a browse to see if there's anything else I like, usually big plates but recently I've been buying the odd cheap torso with flesh coloured hands as this seems to be cheaper than buying the hands separately

[treeboy]

My situation is simple, I don't have many Lego parts and those "I" do have are ostensibly my sons so I design my model in LDD and order all the parts through BL that's until I get a bone-yard going then who knows.

[CP5670]

It's a mixture of both for me. When I'm working on a MOC and find that I am missing something, I add it to a wishlist that I keep. I start looking at BL stores when the list becomes large enough. My typical orders contain not only specific things from the list, but also generic parts I see for good prices (usually in black, as it's a neutral color that fits into any model and has the least quality problems) as well as rare parts that the particular stores I'm looking at happen to carry. I don't build CAD models in advance to plan things out, as I find that it takes too long.

I find it useful to place the order off a laptop near my parts stash, so I can see exactly what I need. For large orders (100+ lots), it can take a few hours to put together the order and make sure I have the correct amounts of everything. I make sure I have enough time to finish it before I start adding any pieces. Bricklink has an annoying bug that makes it empty your cart automatically after something like 36 hours, so the order needs to be submitted the same day.

Edited June 19, 2011 by CP5670

[AmperZand]

I only MOC minifigs so the situation is a bit different for me. That said, I usually plan far ahead, often before the minifigs I intend to MOC are out. For example, I ordered a whole bunch of swords, spears, helmets and plumes from BrickForge long before the release of the elf from Collectible Series 3. I do the same sort of thing on BrickLink.

However, I do get tempted on both BF and BL and order parts I don't need for a specific MOC but might come in handy.

Amps

Edited June 19, 2011 by AmperZand

[brickmack]

Well I don't use Bricklink much, but when I go to places that sell individual parts (or the PAB wall), my method is basicly:

1. Think about what I might need for any of the big projects I'm working on.

2. Get those parts, and any I might need for smaller things.

3. Get any parts that look at all useful.

4. Get any parts that I can't think of a use for but they look vaguely useful and I figure I might use them eventually

5. Get 10-30 more of most of the parts, just in case I need them...

[charlieboy]

When I have been placing orders on Bricklink, I cannot help but add in interesting bits that may be useful in the future. Does anyone else do this or do you simply buy what you need for a MOC?

Thats me too! When i go shopping on BL its usually for specific parts/minifigs but i always check through the shops inventory too just in case there are any bits i might need for future builds. Ive got an entire drawer full of 'you never know!' parts!

[Si-MOCs]

I think I'm one of the oddities here where I don't really plan out my MOCs and purchase pieces towards it. I tend to prebuy useful pieces for MOCs then build with what I have. I'll typically look at pieces and think of potential uses for it, For example:

I might see some wedge plates and be like - well these are cheap - I can build a a corner of a wall with 15 of these. I'll probably 4 walls - so that's 60 plates. and throw in a buffer so maybe I'll order 80.

When I build, I like to have pieces in hand so I can shape and see what works. Occasionally I'll come up with something that will need special parts to be ordered.

Lastly, I work primary in Bley - so it's pretty easy for me to skim through a store looking for pieces I know I will (eventually) use and what's at a good price.

And of course I know my most commonly used pieces and I'll keep restocking those pieces.

This is not the most cost effective way, but it seems to be the most flexible-creative way for me.

[Hoboman]

Do you work out what you need before buying?

For me, I go to a particular store for an item, but I always end up looking around and buying more then I planned at first.

[Moz]

While I'm making a bigger MOC I have a mental list of parts that I need (usually in a particular colour - MOC prototypes tend to be multicoloured so the structure is there but the colour is wrong), but really must move to keeping that list one the computer because I sometimes over-buy if I make a second order before the first one arrives. I mostly do this with bigger or more specialised parts, and just add small/cheap/common parts based on what I see browsing through. This can mean ordering $100 worth of "what I need" plus $300 worth of "that might be useful".

I have two main strategies:

- buy a specific set or two, then add whatever interesting parts the seller has, and sometimes a small set if it looks useful. This is usually based on a big set being available cheaply somewhere, so I buy 2-4 of them and fill out the order with small stuff. Often I'll be ordering one of those sets for someone else to reduce postage costs. Being in Australia can suck at times - postage is ridiculous from many places.

- make a want list and search for the stores with the best combination of availability and price, then make a spreadsheet (with formulas) so I can work out the cheapest way to get everything. I've discovered that it's sometimes cheaper to buy parts I only need a few of at a much higher price because of postage quirks, and it's not always intuitive (paying 25c each instead of 10c for 50 of something because postage is "free" from the more expensive seller, in that it doesn't add to the existing postage cost, even though I'm also ordering from the cheaper seller but the extra would kick the postage up too much).

[Legofan4ever88]

First order from BL, I got some extras. Second order(out of 2 i've done through BL), I stuck almost completely to my needs list. I did decide to get an extra 1X6 thin lift arm incase I need another one.

[Jargo]

Usually it's a case of finding what I want and then if I haven't already exceeded the minimum buy I hunt around for anything interesting to reach it. Although if I'm not counting pennies I'll just browse and add stuff that I might use or like the look of or just add if it seems really cheap.

I never really have a specific project in mind but I know the way I build and the colours I'll use. Which makes things a bit easier. I've set myself a limit of £38 GDP because if buying from American sellers over £40 and I get slapped with customs duties costs. so I'll probably visit a number of stores to get the best deal on the largest amount of parts for the cheapest price. I can spend a few days hunting before I finally purchase.

[HighFlyer]

I spend alot of time planning and working out exactly what I need for MOC. Even this takes a little more time, it does save money. If I buy bricks in bulk, I never end up using many of them (I'm not a huge MOC'er ), which is a waste of money. So I just concentrate on the pieces I need for 1 MOC at a time, instead of confusing different pieces for different MOCs, that just makes my head go

[K-Nut]

Nah... I just look up something I want, find a good price for it, and see what else the seller has. Usually works.

[L@go]

I always (I say always, but I haven't really been MOCing for more than eight months) plan my MOCs in detail in MLCad first, being careful to check parts for colour availability with BL as I go along, and then create a parts list in Excel from the list in MLCad. Then I add more MOCs as I design them digitally. When the total amount of pieces is big enough that I feel I can justify placing BL orders, I start either by visiting stores I'm familiar with and faithful to, or stores where I have coupons (logically, that's often the very same stores), or stores that have particular items that I need.

I always end up with some pieces in the end that are hard to find, and are only offered by a few, most likely different stores. That's where the extra pieces come in. If I need to add to my cart to meet the store minimum, or if the amount of parts is just too small to justify paying the shipping costs from, say, the US to Europe, I stock up on pieces I know I'll need later, either because they're pieces that I tend to use a lot, or because I have specific MOCs in mind. Either that, or I buy some extra minifigs.