Post your general LEGO Star Wars questions here

[macaron35]

.

Edited October 12, 2020 by macaron35

[JintaiZ]

On 9/16/2020 at 10:59 PM, Mandalorianknight said:

In one of my copies of the 501st battle pack, a clone trooper's helmet is misprinted where the "mouth" part is at the very bottom of the helmet, making the trooper look very odd and out of place. I filed a request with lego customer service, but it seems like it will take up to 7 weeks to ship. Is it better for me to call them, or do I really have to wait 7 weeks before they'll send me a replacement for their misprinted part?

I think you just got a valuable collector set 

[macaron35]

hi,

do you often encounter missing pieces in Lego sets ?

I have just opened the 75288 AT-AT and with the very first bag, I am already missing 2 small pieces to build the snowtrooper gun...

they are not even rare pieces, just 2 ridiculous pieces to hold the gun

I was wondering if robots are filling the bags or humans before they are sealed...

[TeddytheSpoon]

4 hours ago, macaron35 said:

hi,

do you often encounter missing pieces in Lego sets ?

I have just opened the 75288 AT-AT and with the very first bag, I am already missing 2 small pieces to build the snowtrooper gun...

they are not even rare pieces, just 2 ridiculous pieces to hold the gun

I was wondering if robots are filling the bags or humans before they are sealed...

It's all automated - it's not unheard of to have some missing pieces, though I can't say it's ever happened to me personally. If you get in touch with LEGO customer service they'll normally send you some replacement parts.

[PreVizsla]

4 hours ago, macaron35 said:

hi,

do you often encounter missing pieces in Lego sets ?

I have just opened the 75288 AT-AT and with the very first bag, I am already missing 2 small pieces to build the snowtrooper gun...

they are not even rare pieces, just 2 ridiculous pieces to hold the gun

I was wondering if robots are filling the bags or humans before they are sealed...

I never got missing piece/s in a set and i collect since i was a child in 90ies,but after years of collecting and never having any problems this year i had to contact LEGO costumer service 3 times to get replacement parts cause mine came damaged/scratched and all of them were from this years star wars theme. Check 1 more time if it accidentally dropped and if it didnt get free replacement parts from LEGO. To answer last questions robots are doing everything during packing including sealing and boxes are being weighed at every stage to ensure they didnt miss any piece in the process. Better explained here https://gizmodo.com/exclusive-look-inside-the-lego-factory-5022769

[macaron35]

ok thanks for the info

it's actually the first time this is happening to me

[Mandalorianknight]

5 hours ago, macaron35 said:

hi,

do you often encounter missing pieces in Lego sets ?

I have just opened the 75288 AT-AT and with the very first bag, I am already missing 2 small pieces to build the snowtrooper gun...

they are not even rare pieces, just 2 ridiculous pieces to hold the gun

I was wondering if robots are filling the bags or humans before they are sealed...

I've never had missing parts (though I have had ones where the print is weird). However, I have had maybe 9 or 10 instances where I search through all the parts and believe the part is missing, only for it to have been in the clear plastic bag the whole time. If you haven't thrown out the bag, check it again, as sometimes if they're crumpled the right way it not only prevents some smaller parts from falling out when it's opened but makes it harder to see the part too.

 

Somewhat unrelated but I did have an extra part in my u-wing back when I bought it in 2016. Not one of the normal small replacement parts, but 18674 2x2 tile with open stud. 

[Omand]

10 hours ago, macaron35 said:

hi,

do you often encounter missing pieces in Lego sets ?

I have just opened the 75288 AT-AT and with the very first bag, I am already missing 2 small pieces to build the snowtrooper gun...

they are not even rare pieces, just 2 ridiculous pieces to hold the gun

I was wondering if robots are filling the bags or humans before they are sealed...

I know you got your answer, but in all of the sets I have collected, I have only had missing parts twice.  The first time was a Star Wars set and amazingly it was a pair of blasters.  I was amazed that something like that could be missed in packing.  Lego Customer Service was very good about the replacement though.  The second time was a Bricks and Pieces order.  That was likely picker error, as think those are the only orders that have a human doing the parts collection.  Again, no issue with replacement.

Like Mandalorianknight I have had mis-printed pieces on several occasions (and messed up stickers).  Lego Customer Service is always good about making good on the issue, even if you have to wait a few weeks for the replacement to arrive.

Cheers :)

[JRBricks]

I’ve only had missing pieces twice. Both this year. Both Star Wars. I was finally able to get the UCS Falcon and it had 3 missing pieces. All very small, common pieces that I had, but still, I was kinda surprised. And the Cantina had an opened bag inside. I was a bit nervous it was gonna be missing a lot, but I was only missing the reddish brown container box. Luckily I had an extra in my own bins. I wasn’t planning on calling them to replace any of these, but maybe I should to let them know about quality control issues. 

My guess is quality control at Lego has slipped a bit this year, maybe due to trying to quickly fulfill demand which seems to be at an all time high for them. 

[macaron35]

I guess that missing pieces are so light that it does not change significantly the weight of the bag at the time of control. I have contacted Lego customer service for that.

As this was in the very first bag, I am just hoping that no additional piece will be missing in other larger bags.

it's a lot of time wasted looking for these pieces.

Yesterday I turned my living room upside down to make sure they didn't fall on the ground or slip like in between the couch...

[macaron35]

btw, any idea on how to attach the gun inside/on the side of the AT-AT and have it move/retract itself like on a chopper ?

 

because in the instructionns, it is just holding vertically on a stud

 

 

 

[TeddytheSpoon]

3 hours ago, macaron35 said:

btw, any idea on how to attach the gun inside/on the side of the AT-AT and have it move/retract itself like on a chopper ?

*snip*

because in the instructionns, it is just holding vertically on a stud

*also snip*

The simplest solution would probably be use mixel joints. Replace the grey 2x1 with bar with one of these, and put one of these on the end of the gun. That way you can flip it up and down and get a good range of motion, without doing a complete redesign of the interior.

In other news, there is a Star Wars contest on LEGO Ideas to make Christmas versions of SW material. The prize haul is pretty lucrative as expected, with the Cantina and Sith mosaic in there along with some other stuff. The weird thing is that one of the other prizes is 75005 Rancor Pit, which was retired *checks notes* six years ago. Do LEGO just have a bunch of those lying around? It seems so odd that they would throw that in alongside a bunch of contemporary sets.

Edited October 15, 2020 by TeddytheSpoon

[Mandalorianknight]

29 minutes ago, TeddytheSpoon said:

The simplest solution would probably be use mixel joints. Replace the grey 2x1 with bar with one of these, and put one of these on the end of the gun. That way you can flip it up and down and get a good range of motion, without doing a complete redesign of the interior.

In other news, there is a Star Wars contest on LEGO Ideas to make Christmas versions of SW material. The prize haul is pretty lucrative as expected, with the Cantina and Sith mosaic in there along with some other stuff. The weird thing is that one of the other prizes is 75005 Rancor Pit, which was retired *checks notes* six years ago. Do LEGO just have a bunch of those lying around? It seems so odd that they would throw that in alongside a bunch of contemporary sets.

I'm assuming only one person gets the prize, so...extra stock, maybe? They usually throw in an old set or two, I think the last star wars ideas contest a year or so ago had the ucs R2-D2 along with the entire 20th wave.

This is something I'm going to have to give a shot, that prize is too big to pass up and I've already got some ideas for christmas sets...

[macaron35]

ok thanks i'll try that

btw, I just finished building the AT-AT.... well... about the legs... I think I will put the walker on a large plate because the legs are not stable enough and the "knees" can easily bend by themselves...

I try to put it in a walk position and a few minutes later i literally saw the walker starts bending knees, it simply freaked me out because I am thinking about it crashing down anytime...

the legs feel weak compared to the weight they have to carry...

[macaron35]

found a solution in order to mod the legs and reinforce the strength and stability of the AT-AT

unfortunately I am missing pieces so I am ordering on BL urgently to have it standing soon

will post the result :)

[Per_SW]

On 10/16/2020 at 10:58 AM, macaron35 said:

found a solution in order to mod the legs and reinforce the strength and stability of the AT-AT

unfortunately I am missing pieces so I am ordering on BL urgently to have it standing soon

will post the result :)

I eager to see the result, since I'm worried about the same issue, although on mine the weakest joint seems to be one of the back "hips", instead of the knee.

[macaron35]

9 hours ago, Per_SW said:

I eager to see the result, since I'm worried about the same issue, although on mine the weakest joint seems to be one of the back "hips", instead of the knee.

actually i mentioned the knees but the back hips as you call it is also an issue, i am trying to fix both, so actually the whole leg without having an impact on the design especially having larger hips

i had to dismantle the legs of my AT-ST and AT-DP to make some tests, I had enough parts to try only one leg so far but it seems to be working

I shared the same discussion on another forum and someone found out that Lego changed the part number of one piece, so same design but different piece compared to previous AT-ATs (the clutch power might have changed - to be confirmed).

I have ordered the pieces this weekend so I should be able to complete the mods by the middle of the coming week 

[macaron35]

I needed some parts and I was browsing BL, i ended up having carts from different stores

I tried making the same list on lego.com and finally got a better price for brand new pieces than on BL...

So except for special pieces, is lego.com always the cheapest way to buy pieces ?

[TeddytheSpoon]

35 minutes ago, macaron35 said:

I needed some parts and I was browsing BL, i ended up having carts from different stores

I tried making the same list on lego.com and finally got a better price for brand new pieces than on BL...

So except for special pieces, is lego.com always the cheapest way to buy pieces ?

I think the main difference is Bricklink prices tend to vary over time, and of course with multiple stores the shipping can add a lot to BL orders, so it depends on the market situation. Whenever I need pieces from BL for a certain model I won't tend to buy the pieces if they come from more than 3 or 4 stores to avoid getting mugged by shipping, I should probably use the LEGO store more.

[BacktoBricks]

...

Edited October 21, 2020 by BacktoBricks
Found code

[macaron35]

26 minutes ago, TeddytheSpoon said:

I think the main difference is Bricklink prices tend to vary over time, and of course with multiple stores the shipping can add a lot to BL orders, so it depends on the market situation. Whenever I need pieces from BL for a certain model I won't tend to buy the pieces if they come from more than 3 or 4 stores to avoid getting mugged by shipping, I should probably use the LEGO store more.

stupid me... spent a fortune on several stores to build some MOCs, believing that this kind of marketplace would be cheaper than Lego itself

I will definitely spend more time comparing both before placing an order next time

I could have saved a lot of money over a year if i have done this before

[Mandalorianknight]

4 hours ago, TeddytheSpoon said:

I think the main difference is Bricklink prices tend to vary over time, and of course with multiple stores the shipping can add a lot to BL orders, so it depends on the market situation. Whenever I need pieces from BL for a certain model I won't tend to buy the pieces if they come from more than 3 or 4 stores to avoid getting mugged by shipping, I should probably use the LEGO store more.

Yeah, what I do as a general rule is if I'm ordering basic parts from more than 3-4 sellers I'll just buy it from the lego store.

 

[macaron35]

14 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Yeah, what I do as a general rule is if I'm ordering basic parts from more than 3-4 sellers I'll just buy it from the lego store.

 

Will do that from now on thanks ?

I checked this morning my past orders on BL, except special pieces that are not available on the lego store or minifigs, I could have saved around 200 euros this year if I had done that (so it would have covered the equivalent of a 75288 AT-AT and one other small set)

moreover, my kylo ren command shuttle could have been nicer too as it is fully black with brand new pieces instead of used pieces :(

Lesson learned, i'll use lego.com for ordering pieces when i'll build Starbricks' bomber

Edited October 21, 2020 by macaron35

[PreVizsla]

I am planning to invest in some plastic storage boxes with grids that would separate minifigures. I would prefer not using hundreds and hundreds of zip bags for each separate figure,like i am now. Are figures still in great condition after being stored in no zip bags and just in plastic storage box with grid or plastic storage drawers,or do i need to keep zip bags too? 

[Csaba]

Any opinions on the best minifig scale AT-ST? Ideally, I'd like something that uses a SNOT design and hides the holes in the technic pieces. I'm happy to go with a MOC or official set.

Edited October 25, 2020 by Csaba