AgentRed Posted June 18, 2012 Hello, i hope this is the right place for my question... First a little introduction which will lead to the question (i promise) :) Well, after 18 or so years without Lego i recently discovered that there is a Lotr theme. And because im a little tolkien/fantasy nerd i remembered how i used to love Lego, got a nostalgic flashback, and bought a set. Now newly intrigued with Lego i discovered this place and was fascinated with the MOC stuff you guys build! Guess i found a new money dump^^ The good thing is now im old enough to spend a few bucks more on things i want, the bad thing (well..in this case) the wife doesnt necessarily share my enthusiasm for "throwing away money that could be spent better". So i really want to build something like this: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=60907 (really blew me away) which can be a little expensive when starting from scratch. Is there a cheap way to start building a stock of bricks needed for medieval themes like this? Im really new to Lego and maybe there are certain sets/special offers specifically for this kind of theme. Of course ebay came to my mind but there is so much stuff i don`t need when i checked the "1000 Lego pieces" offers. And you almost never see a detailed list when scrolling through. So, i really want to start building with Lego again, but im a little put off by the thought of all the pieces i need to start over again. Maybe there is someone out there who was in the same position and knows a good way to start, i would be thankfull for any input. If only i had kept my old stuff... Thx in advance PS: Sry for my english, im (obviously) not a native speaker but i gave my best :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CMP Posted June 18, 2012 Welcome to AFOLing! Here's your new best friend. You can buy any of the bricks you like in almost any amount. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MCNwakeboard Posted June 18, 2012 Bricklink.com is a good place to find specific pieces, although it can be a bit more expensive than buying bulk. I've purchased bulk lots off ebay in a specific color so I knew that I would receive all gray/etc. You might also try buying lots of specific themes (Castle, Harry Potter) so they pieces will be more useful for the type of theme you are going to focus on. I mostly use bricklink now that I have a few lbs of each color and just buy what I lack from Bricklink. Some people have luck with second hand sales or classified posts so that might be worth trying. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AgentRed Posted June 18, 2012 Thanks for the link! Wow..im surprised at all the shops, in germany alone, with their detailed listings/sets/offers ect. Clearly aimed at adults :) Guess there are more older fans than i thought. Must...restrain...myself not to buy to much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeyB Posted June 18, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the link! Wow..im surprised at all the shops, in germany alone, with their detailed listings/sets/offers ect. Clearly aimed at adults :) Guess there are more older fans than i thought. Must...restrain...myself not to buy to much. another spot that might help you out is the Lego Store's Pick a Brick wall. there are several threads on how to pack a cup to maximize the contents. And a tip, make your wife something with lego. While I mostly build Castle, I built her a butterfly that is about 50cm x30 cm and put it in a shadow box as a gift and she has been far more supportive and shows off some of my builds to her friends now! Also check out the Guilds of Historica sub topic and join one of the guilds (the guy who built the medieval village in your link is the leader of the guild I belong to, Avalonia). My building skills improved quickly with the feedback I received from fellow guild members, not to mention you have a chance at winning some nice prizes. Edited June 18, 2012 by MikeyB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbobulus Posted July 10, 2012 Hello, i hope this is the right place for my question... First a little introduction which will lead to the question (i promise) :) Well, after 18 or so years without Lego i recently discovered that there is a Lotr theme. And because im a little tolkien/fantasy nerd i remembered how i used to love Lego, got a nostalgic flashback, and bought a set. Now newly intrigued with Lego i discovered this place and was fascinated with the MOC stuff you guys build! Guess i found a new money dump^^ The good thing is now im old enough to spend a few bucks more on things i want, the bad thing (well..in this case) the wife doesnt necessarily share my enthusiasm for "throwing away money that could be spent better". So i really want to build something like this: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=60907 (really blew me away) which can be a little expensive when starting from scratch. Is there a cheap way to start building a stock of bricks needed for medieval themes like this? Im really new to Lego and maybe there are certain sets/special offers specifically for this kind of theme. Of course ebay came to my mind but there is so much stuff i don`t need when i checked the "1000 Lego pieces" offers. And you almost never see a detailed list when scrolling through. So, i really want to start building with Lego again, but im a little put off by the thought of all the pieces i need to start over again. Maybe there is someone out there who was in the same position and knows a good way to start, i would be thankfull for any input. If only i had kept my old stuff... Thx in advance PS: Sry for my english, im (obviously) not a native speaker but i gave my best :) Your English is very good, I hadn't realised until you said that it wasn't your native language :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bammboso Posted July 10, 2012 Hi "AgentRed", I was in a similar position like you a couple of years ago. The way I started off was by simply buying a lot of sets. I never bought them at the original price level though. Always kept looking on ebay for good finds which usually worked out quite well. But still that was way too expensive to get a lot of parts on the long term. Today, I buy used but complete sets with instructions and the box. Later on I sell the box, the instructions and the minifigs on ebay. This way I can get a lot of bricks at a good price level, because many people are going crazy about minifigs and still pay quite a lot - even without the bricks. If you need any more help or tips, don't hesitate to PM me, if you want in German Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LauraC Posted July 10, 2012 The Medieval Market Village set available on the online Lego store is a good place to start, it has a couple of houses and a market square, and it's pretty good value for money for the amount of parts you get! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFOL SF Posted July 10, 2012 ...my wife was not a Lego enthusiast at first, although she lets me spend a few $$$ here and there from extra funds... as long as you don't do any impulse buying and take care of the needs of the household first, then I think you'll be alright... after twenty years of collecting, my wife finally saw the beauty of Lego and became an avid AFFOL... bottom line, having two income is better than one when buying Lego... Good luck to your new-found hobby and more luck to you in getting your wife into the hobby... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Siercon and Coral Posted July 12, 2012 Start small :) and accumulate. You don't build a 'large scale' moc right from the start. There are many techniques to learn and hundreds of new pieces that have been created during you've played legos. I would encourage you to start a Flickr account and learn as much as you can, and find people whom you'd like to build like. If you like Derfel Cadarn's style of building then go through his whole photostream and look for all the little techniques from plants to stonework. Join lots of groups that focus on specific things like Lego arboretum where you can learn to make plants, or lego landscape. And add us and lots of other people as contacts! :D. But again, I really encourage you to start building one little house, then put it out of your mind and build another. Build a tree, or a bush (high quality) just focusing on making it look really good then put it aside and build another. After awhile you'll have enough quality elements to unite and make a great MOC. After repeating that process you can create a whole village, and then a little kingdom. But everyone who starts those large MOCs has usually started with a single house. ;) And yes bricklink is your best friend and your wife's worst enemy... (though the search engine on the site can get annoying) Keep in touch! Sean & Steph Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maydayartist Posted July 12, 2012 Hey Agentred, I have good advices for you special for the german location. But I can't send you a PM. Change your settings and I send you a PM. The already mentioned medieval market village is still available in some stores. It is perfect for further castle and/or pirates projects and low-priced for the amount of bricks. Phil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wardancer Posted July 12, 2012 I was in a similar situation in the last year and to some extend I still am because I do not want to use my old childhood bricks which are very worn out. I started with cheap sets, new but reduced in price. I got them from private sellers mostly (ebay kleinanzeigen). For example, I got the recent Kingdoms castle new for 50 Euro (instead of 100) and Hogwarts castle new for 85 (instead of 130). From the Hogwarts, I sold the dementors for 15 Euro, so I got it for around 70. That is a lot of parts to draw from for good value. Just resist the urge to buy the newest stuff immediately. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Legonardo Posted July 12, 2012 Hey Agentred, I have good advices for you special for the german location. But I can't send you a PM. Change your settings and I send you a PM. It won't work for him until he has reached 10 posts. as for advice ~ Siercon and Coral pretty much nailed it (they just forgot to add that along with adding them you should also add me ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
