Bricklinking More UCS Sets?

[Darthluke824]

Hello all!

I have been recently thinking about Bricklinking some of the rarer/more expensive UCS sets but before I take the plunge I am looking for some advice. Looking at Lobot's 10179 MF and 10143 DSII have been helpful but I am circling back to the idea of other sets. Here's the list of them:

10175 Tie Advanced

10143 Death Star

10212 Imperial Shuttle

10179 Millenium Falcon

10221 Super Star Destroyer

I am looking for some advice on which one to build/best to buy. I do know I can buy a SSD but £350 is A LOT and am looking to save on money. I also know that parts on the MF are getting rarer especially those grey boat rigging so now might be a better time to buy before the prices are crazy!

Any advice, pros, cons?

Thanks,

-824

[Lobot]

It's good to see that I'm not the only one who's tempted to do this sort of thing!

In theory, 10175 would be a good choice, due to the low part count, but I've just had a quick look on Bricklink and the essential 'Trans-Clear Windscreen 10 x 10 x 4 Canopy Octagonal with TIE Advanced Pattern' isn't available anywhere at the moment, so unless you can source one somewhere it's probably a non-starter.

10212 is a beautiful (and very underrated) model and I'd recommend building one, although I found it rather 'challenging' to dis-assemble However, it has 2,500 parts and 220 different types so it might quite difficult to source all of the parts for a reasonable cost, and I doubt that you'd end up with much of a saving. If you want one, I'd suggest trawling Ebay as the price for it is still surprisingly reasonable.

The same goes for 10221 as it's still readily available. In addition, it's has already been on sale at 20% off on the Lego website and I've noticed recently that Smyths Toys now stock it, so you might be able to find one with a decent discount if you keep looking!

If you're trying to make a decent saving 10143 is the one I'd recommend, especially if you're new to Bricklink. Most of the 3,500 parts are readily available (and cheap!) and there's only 138 types of them!!

Cheers, Robin

[Darthluke824]

Thanks for the advice Lobot! Its useful to see other peoples views and thanks for helping me out, good points about everything! I'll have a bit of thinking time and I hope to begin my project soon, i'll try to post my results here!

-842

[Outworlder]

i was thinking about bricklinking the UCS Star Destroyer... it was originally released in 2002, and is very expensive now, some parts off bricklink are as high as 60 dollars

Edited September 6, 2013 by Outworlder

[Lobot]

I started to build one a while ago, but gave up after about sourcing 50% of it. I couldn't get the engine parts from anywhere inside Europe, and the magnets etc are very expensive new... it would be cheaper to buy a decent used example from Ebay

I wouldn't recommend it, unless you just want a project!

[harmacy]

Have a look at this thread - especially the bottom of page 3 - http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=80053&st=50

Im really happy with these ISD engines - they look very cool. Im not worried that its not 100% original - many AFOLs have modded their ISDs anyway (Hangar for Tantive, more detail in greebles, third leg etc etc)

[Robert_88]

I am looking for some advice on which one to build/best to buy. I do know I can buy a SSD but £350 is A LOT and am looking to save on money. I also know that parts on the MF are getting rarer especially those grey boat rigging so now might be a better time to buy before the prices are crazy!

Bricklinking a set can be cheaper than buying a retired set. If you want a SSD you should buy it now because this set will probably retire at the end of the year! At the moment you can find this set (sealed) on Bricklink for less than 350 €!

[Brickadeer]

I wouldn't bricklink sets again, except small vehicles that consist of bricks that are available in large quantities. In my experience, you won't save any money. In my opinion, there are very few sets worth even considering bricklinking.

Among those you mention I'd consider 10179 and 10212 worth bricklinking in principle. But some parts of 10179 are extremely expensive by now, and I think Lego will remake the set anyway. 10212, however, doesn't come with a lot of unusual parts, so bricklinking the set may be possible, especially if you combine buying parts with buying minifigs, if you concentrate on the rare parts first, and if you aren't in hurry. I do not like the other three sets that much that I'd consider buying them, let alone considering bricklinking them.

[Robert_88]

In some cases it is also cheaper to buy bricks directly from TLG!

The DS II is probably the best set to start if you are new to Bricklink.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Robert_88

[Inzane]

Bumping an old thread. A recent thread about bricklinking a UCS Falcon got me thinking, is there anything particularly challenging with respect to the 10221 SSD?

Any very rare or cost prohibitive parts in that set?

Note: IF I were to undertake this, I'd probably skip the minifigs and anything pertaining to the "interior" detail. i'd primarily just want a displayable ship.

[Lobot]

Hi, the parts are all fairly common, so I doubt you'd have any problems finding them all. There's a full list on Bricklink:

http://www.bricklink...v.asp?S=10221-1

If you haven't tried this sort of thing before, I strongly recommend that you do a fair amount of research first to find the cheapest way of sourcing it. It's likely that a combination of Bricklink, Lego's 'Pick a Brick' and their 'replacement' service will be needed! I hope that this helps

[Inzane]

Hi, the parts are all fairly common, so I doubt you'd have any problems finding them all. There's a full list on Bricklink:

http://www.bricklink...v.asp?S=10221-1

If you haven't tried this sort of thing before, I strongly recommend that you do a fair amount of research first to find the cheapest way of sourcing it. It's likely that a combination of Bricklink, Lego's 'Pick a Brick' and their 'replacement' service will be needed! I hope that this helps

Sorry I should've clarified better in my post. I was asking very specifically about the SSD set itself, either from people who own it and are intimately familiar with its contents or have attempted piecing it together already themselves (and the specific hurdles they found).

I've very familiar with Bricklink (call me a veteran) and I've already gone through this process building three modular sets this way (MS, CC, GG) as well as a number of smaller sets. So I'm no stranger to the methodology and time committment involved.

[Lobot]

Hi, the link I provided is to the parts list for the SSD (all 3124 of them!) I own the original model, and I don't think that you'd have a problem sourcing any of them via Bricklink etc, it just depends how much it would cost you to source them. However, given the increase in the aftermarket price of a MISB one, I'd guess you could potentially make a reasonable saving.

[merman]

I Bricklinked the 10212 quite recently and it was quite an expensive feat. Still cheaper than the current prices for a new set though.

Most expensive was the sticker and the 10 white 2 x 2 x 3 convex cone slopes

It was still worth it though. The model is amazing (except for color differences of the white parts!)

[par016]

I BrickLinked the Imperial Shuttle about 2 years ago. I think I did it for about $200 + Shipping but I wasn't keeping the best track of it back then. I've heard it's more expensive to do now though.

-Pete

[merman]

I BrickLinked the Imperial Shuttle about 2 years ago. I think I did it for about $200 + Shipping but I wasn't keeping the best track of it back then. I've heard it's more expensive to do now though.

-Pete

mine was far more expensive...

[par016]

The model is amazing (except for color differences of the white parts!)

I also had some slight color variation with the White parts. I recommend using New parts whenever possible. Some of those rarer parts get really pricey new though.

[merman]

I used only new parts and all were unscratched. Some where a little yellowish white (like bricks 1 x 2 x 4), others really bright white (like plates 1 x 12)

[Inzane]

Hi, the link I provided is to the parts list for the SSD (all 3124 of them!) I own the original model, and I don't think that you'd have a problem sourcing any of them via Bricklink etc, it just depends how much it would cost you to source them. However, given the increase in the aftermarket price of a MISB one, I'd guess you could potentially make a reasonable saving.

I haven't studied the parts list in too much detail for the SSD yet. But when I was tackling sets like Corner Cafe for example, I knew going in which parts were trouble (like the doors, the blue arches, etc.). Luckily I own the UCS MF(boat thingies?) and ISD (magnet holders?) sets so I don't have to worry about those. I just didn't know if SSD contained anything particularly unique, rare or costly.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Inzane

[Lord Tyrus]

I'm not an expert on this sort of thing, but I can see a few factors that would determine the cheapness you would be able to do this for:

1: The amount of pieces, as others have said, but also

2: The type of pieces, ie. the SSD has plenty of basic, grey plates, which are generally cheaper than the wide variety in the MF. Also, as you have said, the MF's pieces are old, so becoming rarer which means you'd pay more.

I wish you luck in this gargantuan mission, you're gonna need it!

[Inzane]

BUMPING this old thread.

is there anything particularly challenging with respect to the 10221 SSD?

Any very rare or cost prohibitive parts in that set?

Since this thread failed to provide the info I was looking for previously, I've since tackled the SSD project head long and am now going to provide the info here that I was originally looking for in hopes I can help the NEXT forum member thinking of tackling this set.

As a couple people have alluded to, MOST of the parts of the SSD are relatively common and won't present much challenge sourcing. But I'm going to highlight a few exceptions.

1. Design ID: 32555 Yellow Technic Brick 5x5 right angle (qty 6)

Similar to the UCS MF folks, this one is a challenge because it's now an out of production part. Lego BnP & PAB don't have it, and currently only about a dozen BL stores have 6 or more. Pricing ranges from $3 USD and up per. Had I known to focus on this piece a couple months ago when I originally asked my question I might've been able to have saved a few bucks on these vs. today's pricing. Oh well.

My solution: substitute color, source in BLACK from Lego BnP: I paid 0.91 CAD each. (Surprisingly even the black ones were more expensive on BL).

2. Design ID: 2429c01 Blue Hinge Plate 1x4 swivel top / base complete assmebly (qty 22)

Not too terribly expensive on BL, typically about 0.20-0.30 CAD. (Lego BnP = 0.70 CAD). However the problem was only about 25 BL stores list 22 or more in stock. 25 stores may sound like a lot, but compared to the HUNDREDS of listings for many of the other parts in the set, it is not. Trying to buy from one of those 25 stores wasn't ideal because their overall inventories didn't line up very well with my want lists (YMMV). You could certainly break the lot up into smaller totals and just buy from more than one store. However I was trying to balance number of orders and shipping cost vs. absolute parts costs savings.

My solution: substitute color, sourced in TAN via BL. Tan seemed much more readily available and on average roughly half the cost of blue.

I could've gone all black however I felt I wanted to still visually distinguish these 22 hinges from the other 6 black ones the set calls for.

3. Design ID: 30360 Light Bluish Grey Cylinder 3 x 6 x 2 2/3 Horizontal (qty 7)

There is actually a newer part # that supercedes this one, Design ID: 93168. The difference is minor and it appears to be a running change and according to BL either part could've appeared in your boxed set. So sub'ing for the new part is not technically "wrong". The original part is no longer available from lego. The new part can be had from BnP for 1.10 CAD. There are currently only THREE BL sellers that have 7 or more of the old part # in stock. So your choice is either to pay their higher price, break the lot into multiple purchases and hopefully get a few here or there cheaper from other sellers, or source the new part. The new part is typically cheaper, more readily available particularly if you want to buy all 7 together.

My solution: I purchased the newer part on BL. for about ~ 0.19 euro each.

Those are the three main parts I felt worth highlighting from my learnings. Other than that, for some of the large plate quantities it can be advantageous to break those lots up into smaller chunks. I didn't do as much of that as I probably should have.

All told, I managed to source the entire set (minus minfigs, instructions and stickers) as follows:

- 429 elements, from my own collection (about 13 %)

- one big Lego BnP order consisting of 28 lots.

- 7 bricklink orders, of which 3 from Canada, 4 from Europe. (I avoided US based sellers this time around, because of curency exchange rates).

I can't tally total costs yet because I'm still waiting to see final exchange rate charged via paypal/credit card on a couple orders, plus a few orders had some filler from other unrelated projects I need to separate out of my cost calculation. I'm fairly certain my total cost on parts was under $400 CAD. My goal was to try to stay under $400 WITH shipping, however I don't think I quite made that target. I'll see. If I did exceed $400, hopefully not too much.

Overall impression, compared to the ginormous task of bricklinking the first three modulars (CC, MS & GG) and a few other larger sets in the past, the UCS SSD was actually fairly easy and straight forward.

Hopefully this post will be useful for anyone else contemplating tackling the bricklinking of the UCS SSD set.

Edited February 12, 2015 by Inzane

[Lobot]

Hi Inzane, I'm glad that you managed to source everything at a reasonable cost and apologies if I wasn't as helpful as I thought I'd been! I didn't realise that the yellow 32555s had been discontinued by TLG until I placed my final order with them recently for my 10179. I think that it's only recently run out of stock, as I'd checked the website shortly before Christmas and I'm 99% sure that I remember seeing them. One of those things, I guess....

[Inzane]

apologies if I wasn't as helpful as I thought I'd been! I didn't realise that the yellow 32555s had been discontinued

. One of those things, I guess....

No worries mate. I'm actually not too concerned about the color substitutions. For inside (re: non-exposed) parts, it's inconsequential, and I'm not bricklinking the set for resell purposes. I want it to HAVE it. I could care less what the inside structure looks like.

[Inzane]

All told, I managed to source the entire set (minus minfigs, instructions and stickers) as follows:

- 429 elements, from my own collection (about 13 %)

- one big Lego BnP order consisting of 28 lots.

- 7 bricklink orders, of which 3 from Canada, 4 from Europe. (I avoided US based sellers this time around, because of curency exchange rates).

I'm fairly certain my total cost on parts was under $400 CAD. My goal was to try to stay under $400 WITH shipping, however I don't think I quite made that target.

Well my finally tally is in, adjusting for actual exchange rates charged and factoring out any filler parts in my orders not related to this project.

Total cost of Parts: $397 CDN

Total w/ Shipping & Fees: $477 CDN (shipping was 14% of total, and fees about 3%).

I guess from a project management standpoint I'd fail given the 19% cost overrun. :) I guess I wasn't as close to my "$400 w/shipping" target as I thought. Oh well.

I'm still faily happy with the result though. Now I just have to wait for 6 of those 8 orders to arrive in the mail.

[Inzane]

Now I just have to wait for 6 of those 8 orders to arrive in the mail.

All orders have come in. I now have all parts in hand. (minus the minifigs and sticker sheet).

I gave up on trying to obtain an original hardcopy instruction manual. ($$) And likewise the OEM sticker sheet. However I noticed there are replica stickersheets available out there.

I will try to post pictures soon.

Note: This is for bricklinking the 10221 UCS SSD set.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Inzane