Recommended Posts

I'm still waiting to see some real "manias". Like always building in tin-foil hat or Hello Kitty underpants or washing parts before building or whatever

When disassembling a model, I always first take everything apart, and only then start sorting.

Also, I tend to disassemble models in a sort-of tidy sense, keeping things mostly symmetrical during the disassembly. I can't stand the mess that happens when just tearing things apart.

Does that count?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

At the moment I'm sorting all the grey parts by separating in DG/DBG and LG/LBG. I have some rare older sets, and want to have assembled them in original parts, I hate mixing the old/new grey colors. To see the color difference, an can do the sorting only in clear day light, from late morning to late afternoon. It's nearly impossible to see the color difference in artificial light.

I'm using a 5600K (daylight) studio light when building. Separating old and new grays under that lamp is easy. I can even build black things. :classic:

I also place the pins and bushes in the same direction as in the instructions.

I used to do that until I encountered an instruction manual where they changed direction between steps. Now I align them according to my own preference.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks to everybody for have my same manias! This make me feel a bit better! :laugh:

But my worst is that I need to sort all the parts for a set (I don't care about the numbered bags), by color, dimensions and type, the biggest in the back and the smaller in the front with an almost standardized configuration.

It 's so nice to see everything so neat and well organized! :grin:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I'm still waiting to see some real "manias". Like always building in tin-foil hat or Hello Kitty underpants or washing parts before building or whatever

Grum64 - your reply to this post was quite modest, but don't you exhibit one of the so called real "manias" as descrbed by Lipko?? i.e. washing - no not just washing - but steralising parts before building :wink:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Grum64 - your reply to this post was quite modest, but don't you exhibit one of the so called real "manias" as descrbed by Lipko?? i.e. washing - no not just washing - but steralising parts before building :wink:

Yes, I'll admit to being a little over enthusiastic with the cleaning routine.

Firstly parts are all soaked overnight in Milton sterilising solution then, especially if very dusty, they get soaked for 24hrs in a detergent solution to loosen the dust etc.

The parts are then put in a net bag and put through the dishwasher on the Extra Care low heat setting. My Wife then inspects and if necessary cleans each part using a detergent solution, a toothbrush & a pipe cleaner. Parts are then rinsed in clean water, dried and are ready to be used.

I wouldn't call this a mania though, more self preservation.

Remember, I build by mouth. You never know where parts have been or worse, where the hands of the previous owner had been prior to/during the last time they handled the parts! :sick: :sick: :sick:

In case you're wondering, all parts are cleaned exactly the same way before I sell a set I've previously built :classic:

Edited by grum64

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've found many of my "manias" in previous posts and also have one that wasn't mentioned yet. I NEVER mix parts from different sets together so I keep all parts in their original sets and always building just out of one set. Only exceptions are PF parts and gears. In this case I make note what I've added to particular set and remove it during dismantling immediatelly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I like my sets complete, so I end up buying all the extra parts for previously purchased used sets.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I like my sets complete, so I end up buying all the extra parts for previously purchased used sets.

Me too! Original boxes also. I'll try to buy a box if a used set I've bought doesn't have one. Oh, and stickers. I always try to get an extra set just in case those applied start peeling etc,.

When I first read this thread I was sure I had no 'quirks' associated with my building but the more I read the more I realise I'm as 'mixed up' as everyone else here & happy to be so :classic::classic::classic:

Edited by grum64

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Is it bad that I do ALL of the aforementioned "mania's"? With the exception of grum64's.....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am at a loss here, because I have no such symptoms...

I dont care if a model is built from different sets, its asymetrical, how pins are aligned and if colors match (except I tend to use new gray where possible)...

Only thing I do is with cross pins, where there are higher loads is to to orient them so they dont get squeezed, but thats only where needed...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Me too! Original boxes also. I'll try to buy a box if a used set I've bought doesn't have one. Oh, and stickers. I always try to get an extra set just in case those applied start peeling etc,.
Yeah, boxes and stickers too if these are decently priced.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Whenever I build something, I always replace the black friction pins even if I have to go through a large number of them, if I feel that they don't sit well enough.

This is something I have noticed with different colors on liftarms, that some pins sit tight and well in the holes of certain colors, but not quite as well with other colors.

I must have them sitting well :laugh:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm still waiting to see some real "manias". Like always building in tin-foil hat or Hello Kitty underpants or washing parts before building or whatever

I always listen to hard rock and always start with Lordi Edited by LXF

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have most of these "manias", but my biggest one is building symmetrically. It always feels like I am tearing something inside when one of my builds isn't perfectly symmetrical. I also try to keep the interior color scheme the same. And I usually listen to music, and I wear a pink polka dotted tinfoil hat. :P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I see a lot of stuff in here that is common sense kind of stuff, but I definitely have a few manias that don't fit this category.

I organize all of my technic parts in trays pretty specifically (like a lot of us do). My bulk bricks however are currently simply sorted by colour in large stackable buckets. My collection isn't as large as others here (only about 500000 pieces) but you can imagine how many parts end up in one container.

Every time I build, I dump a bucket on to a bed sheet. Something about the sound of all the bricks tumbling out resonates with me and brings me flashbacks of building as a child. Without fail, I always rake my fingers through the pieces and take great satisfaction in the tactile sensation of the bricks passing through my fingers, and the sound they make tumbling about.

I have done this for 30 years, and I can't build without doing this, it's a compulsion.

When I'm done, the ritual continues by gathering up the sheet and dumping the bricks back in the bucket, enjoying the same sound all over again.

Maybe I'm weird, but it's part of the fun for me

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For finished models meant specifically for display only I tend to make sure absolutely no finger prints are found. I also align pins and bushes symmetrically like others have stated. But yea I can't stand finger prints on display models. The ucs tumbler is a great example..... lol.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For finished models meant specifically for display only I tend to make sure absolutely no finger prints are found. I also align pins and bushes symmetrically like others have stated. But yea I can't stand finger prints on display models. The ucs tumbler is a great example..... lol.

I do this too, but mostly on black models as they show fingerprints more. I clean my display models once every few weeks too

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I also do some of these things too, like aligning slots on bushes/pins. But the one that I have most trouble with is symmetricality, piece-wise and colour-wise. This is becoming a real problem for me, considering I'm trying to build a telehandler, which is an asymmetric machine. This also results in the chassis being asymmetric too, and I'm having trouble imagining and building that in my head.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I also do some of these things too, like aligning slots on bushes/pins. But the one that I have most trouble with is symmetricality, piece-wise and colour-wise. This is becoming a real problem for me, considering I'm trying to build a telehandler, which is an asymmetric machine. This also results in the chassis being asymmetric too, and I'm having trouble imagining and building that in my head.

Fidelity to the real thing is a type of symmetry in and of itself!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I consciously try to not pay attention -something quite hard- to pin and bush alignments because I feel weird when I notice I am checking them.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Some of these habits I can take or leave, but if there's something I've got it's overengineering. To illustrate:

23626023266_ba21bd91a1.jpg

I once lost a race because one of my power cables got loose. Guess what won't be happening again?

Also, if you tell me that 5-length axles would work perfectly well in this situation, I'm going to have to disagree. The ends of axles are a bit rounded, which makes it just a slight bit more likely that the liftarms might spontaneously drop off.

In other areas of building this means that I constantly use technic axles with stops to minimize the chance of axles slipping out, and that even the smallest wheels will be connected with a three-pin part like this:

92909.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm also overengineering things. The problem is that it's not only time consuming, but also it prevents me from coming up with better concepts. I usually make some temporary solutions (which usally means weak and to bulky at the same time) and usually realise too late if I'm refining and hammering the very first "temporary" solution I came up weeks (or even months) ago. I'm usually afraid to start something from scratch again because of the effort already put into that thing.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ditto to what @lipko said. I also over-engineering and probably am a little over-focused on strength of a build. Even when something does not have to be very strong, I always try to build it so that it is. Even when time-wise, it really isn't efficient to do so.

I know I also am OCD (which, BTW, Blakbird was right, should be the real title of the post) on trying to be efficient. I always ask myself, if after completing a certain part of a project, Could this be done more efficiently? Like a different brick here or there? I wish I were that OCD about looks of a model..... for some reason I am not. I also always ask myself, especially when doing a part of a project that I know won't be seen, Can't I just use a part in a common color, even if it is ugly, because no one will see it? I don't care about symmetry if no one will see it. If they do.... then yea of course. I rummage far too much in my kid's Legos to try and use their old, spare parts that they don't use if I can. Example:

Last year I completed a diorama for sci-fi Mechas that I built.

1419906707m_DISPLAY.jpg

So..... not too bad looking. But there is a whole backside, and underneath the tiles that are not seen.......

14199083071_DISPLAY.jpg

and for this I used a hodge-podge of parts.... mostly from my kids collections. I know that this probably just is good building sense (when you are working on projects on a continual basis that begin to reach up towards 500+ dollars.... it is good form to try and be efficient with your bricks), but what I am saying is that I probably spend much more time and effort trying to do so than is really needed.

Lastly, and I would really be curious to see if anyone else is like this.... but I obsess WAY too much about BL orders. I search and search for the best prices, even though I don't really have to. In addition, I try to buy the pieces that I only need for a particular build.... but never can seem to bypass the question..... But can't I use this piece in the future? Shouldn't I just buy it now? This is more than an obsession with just the cost of things.... because like I said, I don't really need to care so much about that... it is just my obsession with efficiency.

Whenever I build something, I always replace the black friction pins even if I have to go through a large number of them, if I feel that they don't sit well enough.

This is something I have noticed with different colors on liftarms, that some pins sit tight and well in the holes of certain colors, but not quite as well with other colors.

I must have them sitting well :laugh:

You know that not all pins are created equal right? :wink:

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=115080

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So..... not too bad looking. But there is a whole backside, and underneath the tiles that are not seen.......

That image actually sent a shiver down my spine. I know it won't be seen ever, but I feel uneasy when I do something like this.

I also tend to over-brace things, which ends up hurting my fingers when I decide to change something underneath the armor.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I’ve just realised I have another one – I have issues with taking anything apart! Once I’ve built it, that’s it, it stays together! If I want to build something else, I buy more parts. The only exceptions are either things that haven’t worked, things I decide I don’t like, or official sets for space purposes. But generally, I like to keep things built. It causes significant cost and space problems! I guess in some ways this defeats the purpose of a re-useable product, but who said logic came into this!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.