Lego shop, never been and need advice on available types of items.

[PaddyBricksplitter]

Hi guys,

I need some advice. There is no Lego shop in Ireland. A relative is off to Glasgow where they do have a Lego shop :D They asked me what I want? I have never been so I don't know what they sell :(

I understand that they would have some items not on sale in Toys r us etc. Is that true?

If so what exclusive items do they have?

And are there all type of bricks available in pick a brick?

Any tips on shopping there would get greatly appreciated.

[dr_spock]

If you are not going with them, then it is best you have them to send you photos of the contents of the Pick A Brick Wall and then you can let them know what you want. The contents on the wall changes on a regular basis. At least monthly with Pick A Model offering.

The Store has exclusives and hard to find. Toy'r'Us may offer some of those "exclusives" too. I can't think of quick way to determine what they are, other than comparing their websites of the exclusive items or your relatives send you pics of the store shelves.

[eurotrash]

Here's an old link to the contents of their PAB wall http://www.brickbuildr.com/index.php/view-store/?store=112 and a more recent one http://www.wallofbricks.com/pab-display.php?country=UK&pab_store_id=112

And get your friend to ask if there are any damaged sets around the back - they get sold sometimes at a discount or extra points.

And don't forget to get your friend to use your Lego ID for points.

If they're up for it then a Skype walk through sounds like a great idea.

[PaddyBricksplitter]

Thanks guys that's helpful!

I guess you pay a set amount and then fill a container or the like?

I've seen photos of mini fig packs and seasonal sets, thats what I'm after.

I wish I was going along too.

[eurotrash]

I guess you pay a set amount and then fill a container or the like?

^^Yep. If your friend is so inclined and has time then there are whole threads dedicated to PAB-Cup packing strategies. These'll let you want to maximise the booty as there's a massive difference in piece count between randomly throwing the pieces into the Cup and building/packing.

[zux]

If I remember correctly, LEGO ships from their online shop (Shop@Home, S@H) to Ireland. In such case there shouldn't be an issue ordering required sets online. Including Exclusive stuff. You can shop for bricks alone online as well, but it is just not the same experience as with Pick A Brick Wall (and maybe price).

[Iria]

^Agreed. If LEGO online ships to your location than there often isn't much you can find in the store that is unavailable online in terms of exclusives. The major exception being Pick a Brick wall, which can occasionally be substantially less expensive than anywhere online, especially if you take your time with packing or there are bricks of particular significance /rarity (though selection is random and limited in store). Still, it's worthwhile to visit a LEGO store at least once. I like the suggestion of a 'skype walk' that a poster mentioned above, so you can see what available. Or even if your friend could give you a call and describe what's on the wall.

[PaddyBricksplitter]

I think I'll ask them to fill a cup (now I looked up the videos) and get them to video call me to show me what bricks they have.

Thanks guys.

[AmperZand]

I've seen photos of mini fig packs... thats what I'm after.

I don't know about the Glasgow store, but other UK LEGO stores I've been to have a Build-A-Minifigure (BAM). You get a selection of heads, headgear, torso assemblies, legs and accessories/weapons. The idea as presented in store is that each minifigure consists of one of each of those elements and you create three such minifigures that you enclose in a blister pack they provide.

But that's just what the sign says. In fact, you can create a single minifigure if you like; it doesn't have to be three. But the cost per minifig is higher if you get just one.

Also, your 'minifigs' don't have to have just one of each type of element as long as each 'minifig' has only five parts. So, for example, if you wanted to get two heads, one hat, one torso assembly and a set of legs but no accessory or weapon (a total of five parts), you'd be fine. That would count and be charged as a single minifig. If you wanted to, you could get 15 weapons and accessories; that would be charged as three minifigs.

The BAM parts change regularly, so unless someone has been to the Glasgow store recently, it's impossible to say exactly what will be in there. But you tend not to find extremely rare parts or any that are obviously from licensed ranges. They usually have a half dozen or so of each type of element to choose from (6 different head designs, 6 headgears etc).

[PaddyBricksplitter]

I didn't know that thanks. I'll definitely want some mini figs from this section:)

[the_ref]

just to confirm, (as AmperZand wasn't sure), Glasgow shop has Pick a Minifig stand. The only time I've been (2 months ago roughly), it seemed to have a few Halloween type things - my kids picked a couple of witches hats and skeleton heads. There was also a neat wee soldier's hat, which I had never seen in any sets.

I don't think Pick a Model was there - there was a blank strip of empty holes, which I've read on other threads can indicate an out of stock pick a model. But, as I said, only time I've been there, so not sure how they are usually setup.

[Blondie-Wan]

But that's just what the sign says. In fact, you can create a single minifigure if you like; it doesn't have to be three. But the cost per minifig is higher if you get just one.

Also, your 'minifigs' don't have to have just one of each type of element as long as each 'minifig' has only five parts. So, for example, if you wanted to get two heads, one hat, one torso assembly and a set of legs but no accessory or weapon (a total of five parts), you'd be fine. That would count and be charged as a single minifig. If you wanted to, you could get 15 weapons and accessories; that would be charged as three minifigs.

I'll chime in here to add that the advice I've quoted here, while true for many stores, does vary from store to store. In my experience, some individual managers / associates at individual stores can be bigger sticklers than others about adhering to the prescribed minifigure formula. Some might insist that you only make complete figures with an accessory apiece, while others might let you throw in any crazy mix of parts into the blister pack as long as they add up to fifteen pieces. I would expect most who do the latter would construe it as an abuse of the system if you filled the container with fifteen torsos and nothing else, as I assume those are the costliest minifigure parts to produce, but I've never tried.

Also, policies might vary for headgear or accessories that are themselves two pieces - for example, a helmet with a visor. At least once I outfitted a couple minifigures with helmets but no visors, as I just assumed the piece rules were tightly applied to each individual piece and I wanted accessories for my minifigures so I opted to omit the visors. The sales associate who helped me out noted I didn't have any visors on the helmets and suggested I get some to complete them, and wound up walking me back over to the BAM kiosk and not only depositing into the package enough visors for the helmets I had, but also a couple extra in case of loss or breakage, since those parts always have extras in regular sets anyway. But I don't know that all associates would be so accommodating, and I'm sure few would actually throw in extra visors themselves with even being asked as this one did.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Blondie-Wan

[L@go]

I'll echo what Blondie-Wan said - a piece of friendly advice: Just ask politely whether it's OK for them that you pick any 15 elements. I've yet to get a negative response on that, but it's so much better to ask before you start picking than when you're ready to pay.