Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[lightningtiger]

Mrs G actually encourages me to buy the stuff. She likes the look of the modulars, and was especially taken by the Parisian Restaurant. But, yeah, I'm not going to leave the things all over our dining room table or something, and there's currently naff-all room anywhere else.

I think she is the only one.......I think most of us male AFOL's have to sneek in sets, etc., so they don't find out.

Now I'm only planning on getting the PR and DO so my modular MOC (unconstruction at the moment) has friends to be with.

[Gongoro73]

I think most of us male AFOL's have to sneek in sets, etc., so they don't find out.

Man, that's me.

[craiggrannell]

I think she is the only one.......I think most of us male AFOL's have to sneek in sets, etc., so they don't find out.

I, er, 'accidentally' brought back the Ghostbusters set from Argos when I was sent out to get some bedding. I was informed the set looked cool. Mind you, Mrs G's main Christmas gift last year was #21050, which she'd been eyeing up when we were last in the US. (She's a furniture designer.) Now she also just needs somewhere to use it!

[tafkatb]

I showed pictures of the Detective's Office to my fiancée and her response was "You need to get it!"

[rollermonkey]

I bought the PR last Thursday night online once double points were up, then called the store the next morning to see if they had stock. Yes, so I drove to the store and bought another one so I could build it that afternoon. I had a vague idea that I could set it aside for Christmas but knew I wasn't going to be able to wait. Now it's on my shelf and I'll have to return the other one when it gets here.

For people who were in our dark ages when modulars first came out, you guys with your unopened boxes are killing us. Unless I really love something I don't want to pay so much over retail to get them and I haven't even brinklinked a microbuild so recreating a modular is completely out of the question right now.

The very first thing I BL'ed after emerging from the Dark Ages was Green Grocer, and not as a complete set. Don't sell yourself short.

I think she is the only one.......I think most of us male AFOL's have to sneek in sets, etc., so they don't find out.

Very much this. I have boxes hidden everywhere from complete sets, completed models stashed in random places and throw away the big yellow bags in trash cans outside the house...

You'd think I was doing something illegal, the way I sneak about.

Edited November 28, 2014 by rollermonkey

[TheLegoDr]

I think it is more how do you justify the expense...

[lightningtiger]

I think it is more how do you justify the expense...

I don't smoke and drink little......but self employment sometimes is not good for buying Lego !

Though I had enough this week to buy the few bits to make my modular.

[bjorn77]

One nice side effect of getting a kid is that I can use his room for storing/displaying all my Lego models. Wife doesn't complain as long as it's not "violent war toys". Downside is that my (two year old) kid wants to play with "the houses" all the time. Takes some time to rebuild after he has played with them" . I'm starting to run out of space now though, even though the room is almost as big as the master bedroom.

Edited November 28, 2014 by bjorn77

[Rapseflaps]

I showed pictures of the Detective's Office to my fiancée and her response was "You need to get it!"

That's why you're marrying her. ;)

[Withacee]

I think she is the only one.......I think most of us male AFOL's have to sneek in sets, etc., so they don't find out.

Now I'm only planning on getting the PR and DO so my modular MOC (unconstruction at the moment) has friends to be with.

Well, I think I have the ideal combination: A wife who is an even more fanatic AFOL than I am, and no kids to confiscate our Lego!

[lightningtiger]

Well, I think I have the ideal combination: A wife who is an even more fanatic AFOL than I am, and no kids to confiscate our Lego!

Ah, but by the sounds of it.....your Lego is your children......just like some pets are to some couples.

Pity my wife doesn't want to join in....there are quite a few female AFOLs in Adelaide.

[Andy D]

I don't smoke and drink little.

Well, I don't smoke or drink at all. I'm mostly a homebody and my wife encourages my LEGO hobby, she likes to see my creations, and she helps me stage my Halloween and Christmas displays (she has a great eye for that).

She really likes the modulars as well and is always encouraging me to get the next one (as if I need encouragement to get them).

My first modular was the CC (Bricklinked) because it reminded me of a cafe we visited in Marseille.

Andy D

Edited November 28, 2014 by Andy D

[BirdOPrey5]

I went to try to bricklink Green Grocer... First I found the LDD file for Green Grocer... then I separated the 3 levels into 3 different files. Then I imported the first level into Brickfencieny... Despite removing like a dozen parts it couldn't find, it was still unable to find all the pieces in 5 of less stores in the USA, so it didn't give me any useful information. Is there some better way of doing this?

[Andy D]

I went to try to bricklink Green Grocer... First I found the LDD file for Green Grocer... then I separated the 3 levels into 3 different files. Then I imported the first level into Brickfencieny... Despite removing like a dozen parts it couldn't find, it was still unable to find all the pieces in 5 of less stores in the USA, so it didn't give me any useful information. Is there some better way of doing this?

Five or less stores sounds pretty good to me. I know it took me more than that when I BL'd my GG.

Andy D

[BirdOPrey5]

Five or less stores sounds pretty good to me. I know it took me more than that when I BL'd my GG.

Andy D

I'm saying it couldn't find it in 5 or less stores (for one level mind you) and the program can't check for beyond 5 stores so it was useless, it doesn't even give you the best match it does find.

My next step is to remove everything I really don't care about from the first level... minifigs, food/decorations and such, and try again.

[TheLegoDr]

I think the idea (and it might not be efficient) is getting as much as you can from one or two stores, and then going from there. Ultimately I don't think there will be just a few stores that have ALL of the pieces. I haven't used that program before. I do it the old fashioned way. I only ordered from a few stores, but I had most of the pieces laying around, but I ordered a bit more for the CC bits and bobs.

[pugmom]

I tackled my bricklinking by finding the more rare parts for a reasonable price then going from there. ie. if I found my sand green grooved bricks, then I would order as many parts as I could from that seller (that were within reason). Once I made a few orders to get the bulk of the parts out, then I would think about using the bricklink inventory files, programs to find minimal cost etc. I am sure there are many ways to attack it, but that is how I did it (granted I had about 1000 bricks to start with from my stash....)

Edited November 28, 2014 by pugmom

[Andy D]

I'm saying it couldn't find it in 5 or less stores (for one level mind you) and the program can't check for beyond 5 stores so it was useless, it doesn't even give you the best match it does find.

My next step is to remove everything I really don't care about from the first level... minifigs, food/decorations and such, and try again.

Sounds like the program may be difficult to use. When I BL'ed my CC and GG I just looked for stores that had the bulk of needed parts and ordered like that. Sometimes I had to order different parts (not needed for the modular) from some stores that only had a few more difficult to find parts, but I used that as an excuse to buy different parts just for my inventory or for another future project. BL'ing a modular (or any large set) is not an easy task. If you read the thread about BL'ing the CC and GG you may find some who have been on the hunt for months. Luckily for me I was able to find most of the parts needed in less than a month.

Good luck BL'ing!

Andy D

[Withacee]

I went to try to bricklink Green Grocer... First I found the LDD file for Green Grocer... then I separated the 3 levels into 3 different files. Then I imported the first level into Brickfencieny... Despite removing like a dozen parts it couldn't find, it was still unable to find all the pieces in 5 of less stores in the USA, so it didn't give me any useful information. Is there some better way of doing this?

With an official set, we never start with the ldd; we create a wanted list in Bricklink based on the set number. This is way more relyable than a third party ldd.

We had little trouble bricklinking GG (we only buy from Dutch stores). There were a few problem parts (I remember sand green rockers), but we got all of them in the end. This was about 18 months ago.

[BirdOPrey5]

With an official set, we never start with the ldd; we create a wanted list in Bricklink based on the set number.

Is there an "easy" way of doing this or is it basically entering each part manually into a wanted list?

Edit- Nevermind. I figured it out, thanks. :)

Edited November 29, 2014 by BirdOPrey5

[DD840]

With an official set, we never start with the ldd; we create a wanted list in Bricklink based on the set number. This is way more relyable than a third party ldd.

We had little trouble bricklinking GG (we only buy from Dutch stores). There were a few problem parts (I remember sand green rockers), but we got all of them in the end. This was about 18 months ago.

Is there a cheatsheet on how to do this? I've managed to upload the parts to a wanted list. Then go to my wanted list by shop, sort by lots or items? Then I get confused - how do you autofill for the parts you need, or do you need to manually enter numbers? Sorry for the newbie questions.

[Duchessa]

I hade somewhat of a dark age (again) between 2007 and 2010, due to other stuff going on in life and not so much money to spend. But I was fortunate enough to make a trade that IMO was great. I traded my Santa Fee (10020) and two wagons for a GG and CC. Mine were built once and displayed. The ones I got for trade were pretty much the same, although the CC wasn't complete. On the other hand, the CC had some duplicate parts from another CC. All sets had boxes and mint instructions.

The only modular I bricklinked from scratch was 10190, Market Street. I built it with regular blue instead of dark blue, and I'm happy with the result.

As a female AFOL, it might interest you that my fiancée is not that interested in my Lego collection. I have most of the modular buildings on display at home, and he likes those. I've also bought him the Simpson house in august.. and he hasn't built it yet :) But he doesn't mind me buying Lego, and that all the closet space in our spare room is dedicated to my 800 sets.

At the moment I have all the available modulars except the PR, but that one is high on my purchase list!

Edited November 29, 2014 by Duchessa

[lightningtiger]

Now that's different.......a male not into Lego, but his female partner is.

I'm considering building a custom version of the GE.......but I need the DO first, then the PR.

[Withacee]

Is there an "easy" way of doing this or is it basically entering each part manually into a wanted list?

Edit- Nevermind. I figured it out, thanks. :)

Just enter the set number while adding a new wanted list in BL; Ah, I noticed you figured it out already.

Best of luck!

Is there a cheatsheet on how to do this? I've managed to upload the parts to a wanted list. Then go to my wanted list by shop, sort by lots or items? Then I get confused - how do you autofill for the parts you need, or do you need to manually enter numbers? Sorry for the newbie questions.

If in Bricklink. you add a new wanted list, you can base this on a set number.

1. Log in on BL.

2. Choose main tab Wanted

3. Choose sub tab Part set

4. Feed in set number

5. Change settings as required

6. THIS IS WHAT YOU PROBABLY MEAN -> Check Set My Minimum Desired Qty for each Item to Qty of Items in Inventory

Edited November 30, 2014 by Withacee

[Herky]

Any word on the 2016 modular yet?