How to start?!?

[Alessandro]

Hi all,

surely it is a dumb question, but how to start the AFOL carrier path?

Playing with my sons, mostly City sets, is growing on me the Lego passion!

Now, what is the best way to start the hobby? Given that I don't want to use the kids' stuff I have no bricks but the Saturn V Apollo set.

What are your suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your support.

Ale

 

[ukbajadave]

Welcome (back) to Eurobricks Alessandro 

I'd start by finding some space in your house, more than you think. You'll need it for displaying models if that's what you want or storing parts if you prefer building and rebuilding. Good light and a comfy seat are important.

I see you like classic space so maybe a next step would be buying some of the sets you remember as a kid if budget allows. I think nostalgia plays a part for most AFOLs.

If the budget is tighter consider digital building. LDD is simple to use but probably dying so jump straight in with Stud.io or similar. Lots of people post great digital only builds on here.

Then have a think about what appeals. Do you want a big town (or moonbase) on display? City sets and modulars to start.

Is it the actual building process you enjoy? Read reviews for sets with interesting build techniques.

What to create your own models? Get all your bricks together and see what you can make!

At some point you will want extra bricks. Bricklink is loved by most and not broken yet but there are other sources too, TLG, Ebay, second hand etc.

Just enjoy it! I find it a great way to unwind even if I'm tearing down half a Technic MOC just to change a 5L beam to a 7L

And finally, more room than you think 

 

 

 

[Alessandro]

Thanks for the detailed answer @ukbajadave!

Yes, I joined this forum three years ago but my real commitment is just starting now

I have a room but not the space yet, Lego/books/boardgames (another hobby) something will stay in the dust.

I like the Space Lego but the old sets are not cheap at all, moreover I'm interested in Ideas, Creator, City, Modular, Castle and Pirates themes as well, too much stuff!

I will try to download Stud.io then, building something with the available bricks is fun but also the projects can be interesting too.

Moreover I'm not sure if to buy sets can be useful but displaying them because the Saturn V is still intact and I don't know if I will ever use it for the bricks

 

 

 

 

[dr_spock]

Joining a LUG (LEGO User Group) may help (or make the addiction worse).

 

[leafan]

Hey again @Alessandro!

I'd recommend starting with a small purchase of the Lego Movie 2 set 70841 Benny's Space Squad.

You can get that for around £5/6 pounds in the UK, so I expect it'll be near in Italy (although Amazon.it currently has it at 9.99 euros).

It's a throwback from the second Lego Movie to the Classic Space era of the 80s, so I'm sure you'll appreciate it.

[meliander]

Start with buying a Parisian Restaraunt which is retiring soon. If you are serious about Lego, you can't pass that one  Pay attention to the Black Friday/Cyber Monday promos.

I would try to focus more on the Creator 3-in-1 and Creator expert line - if you haven't bought Lego for some time it will give you a good idea of what parts are around today and it will help you grow your bricks collection very fast (because Creator is the best in terms of price/part ratio).

If you like Space, take a look at the Space City subtheme, which is the only space we have now (and probably will be the only one for quite some time in the future). And of course, Modulars are your best bet. A lot of parts, interesting building techniques, (relatively) compact in terms of the number of parts vs space they require when assembled.

[Alessandro]

@dr_spock No group close to me, I live in a small town in the Alps, but I will take a look in my area anyway, thanks.

@leafan Good catch! There is a -20% sale at the moment, so 8€.

@meliander Thanks for the suggestions, luckily I'm not interested in any licensed brand and the expert theme can be my first choice at the moment, I really like the Parisian Restaraunt.
Space City: at the moment there is no love for these sets, much better the NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander one.

I made some math and it seems that the best brick/pirce ratio is around 6 cent (Euro), normal Lego price, is it correct?

 

 

[Vindicare]

In the realm of Castle, I’d start by looking at the Kingdoms theme from a handful of years ago. Great sets & minifigs throughout the entire line. And hopefully cheaper than the older Classic stuff. 

Plastic containers. Pretty much however you plan on collecting, you’re gong to need a lot of containers.

Towns. Just start where you can & it’ll grow as your collection does. I’m always looking at videos & pictures of others’ towns to get ideas on both building placements & small builds to bring your city to life. 

[Gomek]

Most of my big score have been by word of mouth. If you of anyone who has kids in the 16 to 22 year old range I'd ask if they have any Lego they want to part with. On on number of occasions I've had people just give me storage containers worth.

My sister has also my a couple crazy scores on CraigsList. But I think that depends on the area. I'm in the New York area and everyone here seems to think their common Lego sets should be fetching collectible prices.

I might also leave at a thrift store or two.

 

[meliander]

16 hours ago, Alessandro said:

I made some math and it seems that the best brick/pirce ratio is around 6 cent (Euro), normal Lego price, is it correct?

6 cents is a very good deal. I wouldn't call it normal though. My personal (and I think it's common, but not 100% sure) threshold is 10 cents per piece, which is a good ratio. Whenever it goes over that - it's overpriced territory, everything below is good. It also really depends on the size of the set; I allow 11-12 for small sets, while large sets 8-7 is what I'm looking forward to.

[Alessandro]

@Vindicare Thanks for the hint, it seem that on Ebay the Kingdoms sets are more cheaper but still pricey, why I like so much the old stuff?

@Gomek Unfortunately my kids are still too young but I'm thinking to buy some Lego job lot, lot of pieces for a low price.

@meliander Sorry, for normal I meant an official Lego shop price without any sale. Thanks for your analisys.

[Vindicare]

6 hours ago, Alessandro said:

@Vindicare Thanks for the hint, it seem that on Ebay the Kingdoms sets are more cheaper but still pricey, why I like so much the old stuff?

Oh, I know that feeling. When I got back into LEGO, off I went to eBay & bought all the Castle Ninja sets(minus a few of the smaller ones) & most of the Forestmen sets. Nostalgia is huge. 

[Gomek]

On 11/30/2019 at 8:42 AM, Alessandro said:

@Vindicare Thanks for the hint, it seem that on Ebay the Kingdoms sets are more cheaper but still pricey, why I like so much the old stuff?

@Gomek Unfortunately my kids are still too young but I'm thinking to buy some Lego job lot, lot of pieces for a low price.

@meliander Sorry, for normal I meant an official Lego shop price without any sale. Thanks for your analisys.

Just to be clear, it happens like this:

Coworker sees a Lego sign on my desk, and says "Oh do you like Lego, my kids used to love Lego"

Me: "oh really? I take it they are not interested anymore? Would they like to part with their collection? It would really make my day"

And then a week later co-worker brings in a tub or duffel bag worth and says "Here you go, I'm just glad they are going to someone who appreciates them"

If you get any Lego like this, feel free to send me a 6% commission. :)

[Alessandro]

Ah ah, I will do!

Nice trick

[Alessandro]

Sorry guys/gals, another quick question:

do you know a program for personal Lego inventory? Single bricks and sets as well.

[leafan]

@Alessandro I hear that Brickset is pretty good for keeping a personal inventory, although I have not done it myself.

[TeriXeri]

Rebrickable is also good for inventory managing. (sets can sync with Brickset)

As an added feature can show potential sets you can build with the pieces, with filters to ignore color/prints etc.

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by TeriXeri

[Alessandro]

As always thanks for the support!

[pombe]

1) Dedicate a lot of space to the hobby.  You'll need space to store, space to sort, space to build, and space to display.  A nice large table/desk will also help keep your LEGO from becoming dusty/dirty by keeping them off the floor.  An enclosed shelf or display case is ideal if you want to keep what you display from becoming dusty.

2) White light.  I have a hard time discerning several colors under yellow light, but white light always makes it clear if I am dealing with grey or light bluish grey.

3) If you plan on sharing pictures of your MOCs, a photo set up with good lighting and backdrops.  Even if you shoot with your phone camera, a set up with a lot of diffuse lighting and nice seamless backdrops can really make your MOCs stand out.

[Alessandro]

@pombe Thanks for the hints, at the moment I have enough space for building and sorting, not sure if I'm willing to display at all now, maybe later when I will be more skilled.

Light is fine.

Here I have no clue, do you know wich kind of equipment is needed? Of corse nothing professional and expensive, just good for amateur.

 

[pombe]

Sorry for the late reply.

There's a useful topic on photography that is stickied on the top of this general forum which has a lot of useful advice.

Here's a good read that I like which closely resembles what I do when I don't have access to a full studio set up:

https://www.pixelz.com/blog/diy-1-build-photo-studio-bootstrapped-budget/