Fundamentals for a good Lego collection?

[dwarf-brik]

Lately, every time I have been sitting down to build something out of my Lego collection, I have been finding that I am very limited by my collection. I cannot seem to put my finger on what the problem with my collection is, there is just something about it. I probably have about 2,000 to 4,000 pieces on hand, from the sets in the below list:

Kings Castle Siege

Skeleton Prison Carriage

Atlantis Monster Crab Clash (x2)

Atlantis Wreck Raider

Dwarves' Mine

Dwarves' Mine Defender

Dark Dragons Den

Majistos Magical Workshop

Squidman Escape

Freeze Ray Frenzy

Hpyerspeed Pursuit

MX-71 Recon Dropship

(and I forgot one or two other smaller sets...)

Sooo, with these sets in mind, where should I go from here? I am pretty interested in almost all of the Lego themes, except for the incenses', but it seems like all the new Space sets really seem to have large amounts of <insert that tiresome argument> pieces.

Hope you guys have some ideas,

Dwarf

Edited March 5, 2011 by dwarf-brik

[Jareth]

I have noticed that a lot of good designs use multiple "unique parts." You know, the ones that come one or two to a set. So I try and buy multiples of sets. I wait for something to go clearance or on a good sale and then I buy multiple sets of it.

If it helps, it can be a good idea to find out what your store's return policy is. When you see clearance BUY IT, then go home and check it out on peeron or bricklink. Then decide whether to open it or return it. The few times I've ignored this advise I regretted it.

You can also go to a lego store and buy a cup of goodies.

[Commander Laquiet]

I never go through inventories or anything before I buy a set, but I will often look for a review here on EB of the set I wish to buy. I tend to be most interested in the parts included in this set, and it seems like you are too, so I head to the section of the review on 'parts', and have a look at the overview. It's fairly easy to tell a good parts selection over a bad one, so I like this method. Alternatively, buying Lego Exclusives, although expensive, generally guarantees you a very nice selectqion of parts.

Hope this helps.

Edited March 5, 2011 by Commander Laquiet

[Cutty]

I found it to be an imperative to check inventories when stocking up on sets. Getting multiples is also a good way to amass useful parts in larger quantities.

Frankly, whenever I intend to shop for Lego and a relative/friend is with me I always get the "But, you already own this/that set, why buy another?". My answer: "It's Lego! It's elements for building my own stuff, not what's on the box!"

I don't even get how "official-set-centric" some characters can be... I usually build a new* set according to instructions once to see whether there's something interesting to do there. Most I break down after a day or two. Some smaller don't even survive that long.

And after that it's all parts to be used elsewhere.

I hope there are some insights into my way of collecting elements for the sensible reader hidden in the above, as I'm way too tired to give a final summary ;-)

Be well all!

Cutty

*new = first copy bought

Edited March 5, 2011 by Cutty

[Captain Becker]

I also have very limited collection what i really can use for making MOC, most of my parts are in yellow, red, white, blue and black, and they are all plates, normal 2x4 2x2 brick etc etc. But i still have some useful pieces and i have make about a couple of MOC`s. This prooves at you wont need a large ammount of pieces to make a small MOC. And what i can say about your collection, you can easily make a couple of good MOC`s. You just need to use your imagination and be creative.

Captain Becker

[dwarf-brik]

Thanks for the ideas! I love the multiples of sets idea, it makes a lot of sense. Sadly, buying multiples of Kings Castle Siege is right out, as it is around $200-$300 USD wherever I look online. Blah. Another problem I seem to have is ending up with lots of <insert that tiresome argument> pieces, such as those castle wall bits with the windows, and lots of ugly gray BURPs. How is Bricklink for bulk orders of parts? I know it is great for minifigs, but it seems as though a lot of stores overcharge for even basic bricks.

Better keep looking and collecting!

Dwarf

[Dr. Steve]

Bricklink is very helpfull. Ibuild a lot of Pirate stuff, so I tend to buy a lot of white, tan and reddish brown bricks. I look to see who has a good price that is in my country and stock up on the colors I use a lot.

[lightningtiger]

It depends also what you want to MOC as well, if it's buildings....the creator houses are generally value for money, but vehicles - some creator, some city and maybe technic...it all depends on what you want to build.

Brick On !

[dr_spock]

In addition to the above, Lego.com Pick A Brick is another way to get parts you need for the MOC you're building. It really depends on what you're trying to create.

[dwarf-brik]

I am mostly interested in Castle/steampunk themed MOCS. I have always really wanted to be able to build really nice brick built terrain and medieval/victorian style cottages, for the Lego wargames I play. So yeah, I had better get building.

[KristofBD]

I found the Prince of Persia market place a very good parts pack (it has lots of rare pieces in large quantities). Moreover, the set is mostly on sale. You can also sell the minifigs to make it an even cheaper parts pack. In addition to such sets I buy lots of pieces on bricklink.

[CptMugwash]

I am mostly interested in Castle/steampunk themed MOCS. I have always really wanted to be able to build really nice brick built terrain and medieval/victorian style cottages, for the Lego wargames I play. So yeah, I had better get building.

I've been ordering off bricklink for parts for my steampunk mocs, it's straight forward but be careful not to go overboard as it can be addictive, I go around shops in my country looking for the most and cheapest parts that i 'need' then see what else they have that could be useful, you can build up a collection farely quickly and you get about the same amount of bricks that you would compared to a lego set. I struggle to find decent steampunk parts from TLG sets and ones that do tend to be too expensive so I order from bricklink, it's also quicker and better packed than Pickabrick IMO, I ordered from there for the first time and it took 2-3 weeks before I got my order and then when I did get it, the parts weren't individualy packed like most are on bricklink and Pickabrick is more expensive me thinks especially with postage costs

Also beware of some used parts that have a description saying the parts are damaged or discoloured.

Bricklink + Abundance of Parts, + Cheaper-ish, - Quality

Pickabrick + Abundance of Parts (some of them), + Quality, - Time, - Cost

[Brickdoctor]

I see a big part of your collection is Castle, yet you don't own a MMV yet. I'd go there next.

[meyerc13]

Yes, definitely get MMV. Just got one and put it together this past week... I've never seen so many brown 1x2 inverted slopes in my life! You'll find it has lots of parts like that, and is a really enjoyable build. I learned a few tricks I'd never thought of while building this set.

[NiceMarmot]

MMV is probably a great set to get for you. I don't have one, but have been thinking about it for a while, and have drooled over the parts inventory a few times.

You've got some good sets, but for serious castle MOCs, you're going to need a lot of basic bricks in tan and/or light bluish grey. I'm talking 2x4s, 1x2s, 1x4s, 2x2 inverted slopes, etc. BrickLink isn't bad for this stuff, but the Pick-a-Brick bins at your local LEGO store (assuming there is one nearby) are a bit cheaper -- if you pack them tightly. You can get 169 2x4s in a PAB cup if you pack 'em right (~$0.08 per brick; they're usually >$0.11 per on BL), and have a some room left over for plates and tiles. For a castle, you're going to need several hundred 2x4s. Pick up at least four green 32x32 baseplates at the store while you're there. I've found tiles to be economical in PAB cups too, as they tend to be expensive on BL.

However BrickLink is your best friend for all the specialty parts that you'll also need to make MOCs. The prices are usually very good, unless the part hasn't been in production for a long time, or is new, or is in very few sets. For castles, you'll need specialty parts like doors and windows, arches, ladders, stairs, various odd slopes, torches, spears, chains, gates, etc. Look at other people's MOCs and at LEGO set instructions to get ideas of what you can do and what you'll need. When my son and I started building castles, I spent hours looking at the examples in Eurobricks to get an idea of what parts I'd need to have. You probably don't need a lot of these, but having some of them on hand will really help.

Don't forget the landscaping: you're going to want a bunch of tree leaves, which are sometimes available in the PAB bins at the stores, but are also not too expensive on BL. Flowers are very common at the stores. Sometimes you can find the 'bamboo' plants there too, otherwise get them off BL.

I haven't done a lot of steampunk yet, but I'm assuming that's primarily reddish-brown and light bluish grey, with some dark bluish grey and tan too. But you probably don't need a lot of basic parts for steampunk; I'm guessing it's more focused on specialty parts. So BL is probably your best bet there.

I still buy sets if they're (heavily) discounted, but otherwise they're just not economical for MOCs. They don't have enough of the basic bricks in them unless you buy many of them. And you're paying for too many parts that you don't need. I did load up on some of the Prince of Persia sets at 50+% clearance; they had a lot of tan, reddish brown, and dark bluish grey bricks and good specialty parts, and at those prices, the price per brick came out to < $0.05. Usually nowadays I only buy discounted sets for the minifigures -- sometimes you can get a discounted mini-set with four or so minifigs for $4 or so, which is quite a steal. For instance I found a Kingdoms Prison Carriage Rescue on sale at Target a while ago for like $5; it's got 3 knight minifigs and a horse. I should have bought ten of them!

Good luck!

Edited March 7, 2011 by NiceMarmot

[dwarf-brik]

Gah, I am really jealous of those of you that have a Lego store nearby...I have a love/hate relationship with BL because it is such an ordeal just to find a seller that has all the stuff I am looking for. Plus, that cup thing is awesome! 1000+ pieces for $20?! Jealous. Totally agree on the set thing, I only really buy sets now if they have a good amount of pieces/if they have neat minfigs.

Also, I always figured 1x2 Bley pieces would be what I really need for castles, not 2x4? Am I missing something here?

MMV sounds like the way to go, however, Lego will only except Credit cards, as we are trying to cut Credit Card expenses, a $100 set will kill our effort to get rid of our credit cards. Really bummed about that, and I don not see why Lego will only accept credit cards, and not PayPal. Do any store in the USA, besides Lego, sell MMV, such as Target or Toys'R'Us?

Edited March 7, 2011 by dwarf-brik

[Follows Closely]

...

MMV sounds like the way to go, however, Lego will only except Credit cards, as we are trying to cut Credit Card expenses, a $100 set will kill our effort to get rid of our credit cards. Really bummed about that, and I don not see why Lego will only accept credit cards, and not PayPal. Do any store in the USA, besides Lego, sell MMV, such as Target or Toys'R'Us?

Amazon does. If you pay off the balance once you get the bill, why not use credit?

[ziljin]

Make sure you know what you want. For a while I was conflicted as to if I wanted more bricks or more minifigures. Now I realize I want lots of minifigures. So I try to buy a lot of those sets where is around 3 USD per minifig in price ratio.

[fred67]

Plus, that cup thing is awesome! 1000+ pieces for $20?!

Ummm... not really. It depends on what pieces you're getting. The only time I think I've gotten over 1000 pieces in a cup was when I was getting 1x1 plates. I guess they say it's around 160 to 170 2x4s; obviously more for smaller pieces.

Also, I always figured 1x2 Bley pieces would be what I really need for castles, not 2x4? Am I missing something here?

Depends on how you want to build. I think I would want 2x4 for minifigure scale, but I personally use 1x2 for microscale. Unfortunately, talking about the LEGO store, I don't think I've ever seen 1x2 light bley at TLS. I've seen dark bley, though, but not for very long... and mine currently has 1x1 dark bley; if I'm going to use bley, I want mostly light bley.

If I could get a great deal on 1x2 light bley I'd do it... I'd buy several boxes if I could. Unfortunately, if the store ever had them, a lot of people like me were a lot quicker.

MMV sounds like the way to go, however, Lego will only except Credit cards, as we are trying to cut Credit Card expenses, a $100 set will kill our effort to get rid of our credit cards. Really bummed about that, and I don not see why Lego will only accept credit cards, and not PayPal. Do any store in the USA, besides Lego, sell MMV, such as Target or Toys'R'Us?

I don't understand this... I had a credit card problem I had to work my way out of, and while I agree with Dave Ramsey about completely getting rid of them, I don't see the difference between buying something for $100 cash and buying something with a credit card and paying an extra $100 on your payment (unless fiscal discipline is the problem, which is very understandable). If you have a checking account, you can likely get a debit card that can be used like a credit card (although there are warnings about that, too).

[ziljin]

In theory credit cards are amazing because you have an extra 30 days to accumulate interest compared to paying cash on the spot. And taking inflation into account. Your money 30 days from now are worth n% less. Combine it with the interest gained, you are spending slightly less money by using credit cards. In theory.

But probably way off topic.

The Medieval market Village is amazing though. Definitely buy it while you still can.