trippybrowneyes

- what do you hate about storage solutions you've used in the past? I currently use Sterilite wide stacking drawers for parts and the modular latching Sterilite containers for sets and for larger parts. What bothers me the most is that the base of these plastic bins (and any plastic bins you can buy, really) are smaller than the top. Without straight sides, there is wasted space. With the shorter containers, this is not as much of an issue, but the taller containers have sides that slant a lot. Also, there are no plastic tubs out there that are an ideal height to house most built Lego sets. Either they are an inch or two short, or they are a lot taller and bigger in general. For past storage solutions, I've used the parts drawers from the hardware store, but they were too small for my needs. I'd rather have a larger drawer with dividers inside containing a grouping of similar elements than having individual drawers for every type of part. Otherwise, I can't remember where everything is. - what do you love about storage solutions you've used in the past? I like that the Sterilite wide drawers are shallow but wide, which makes looking for a piece easier. I like that they stack and are cheaper than more permanent solutions, and that I can easily add more as my collection grows. I also like the stack 'n carry line from Sterlite, which I use for sorting. The sides are straight, they stack nicely, and I can carry them more easily from room to room. - what do you wish your storage solution could do? I'd like it to have more flexibility and compatibility. I want large drawers that contain BURPs to fit seamlessly with smaller drawers that contain specialty 1x1 plates. The deeper (or wider) drawers I need for bigger pieces don't fit together with the wide drawers I prefer, which makes the room look mismatched. Sterilite has some modular drawer solutions, but they're too deep and the drawers don't slide as well (plus I'd have to buy all new drawers and start over). I've found some plastic dividers that fit nicely in the sterilite wide drawers, but I wish there were various sizes of dividers. As you can see, my wishlist is huge and impossibly long!

It's probably about average if you had to go through bricklink and pay for shipping, but for a flea market I'd say you overpaid a little. Always try to negotiate at a flea market, especially when you're buying more than one thing at a booth. Most flea market vendors expect people to negotiate and build in a markup to account for that. Besides, at a flea market I won't pay "retail price" (AKA ebay/bricklink prices).

That is really neat. Love the classic colors!

I had a classic town layout, but it's dismantled now while the Lego room gets renovated. The only picture I have is one that was taken soon before it was dismantled, when other random Legos started getting put on the table. The oldest set in the town was from 1978, and the newest from 1994. I'll post pics once it gets reassembled, but that will probably be at least 3 months from now.

This is hilarious because it's true. Well done!

Ditto. If my sigfig were single, she'd want to live in that building. You have the details down to a science. The retro kitchen with the knicknack shelves, the old TV set, the red lamp in the bedroom, the surfboard shaped coffee table, the hinged bedroom walls - I love it all!

This is so magical and fun - it totally embodies the spirit of Lego. :)

What a great idea and great execution. At first glance, I thought that tree was non-Lego (it looks like one of those trees in train set dioramas). I wonder if anyone has done the reverse idea (vintage versions of modern sets)?

I'm not sure why TLG decided against having fenders on these cars. I know that the current fenders are too big for the smaller wheels. Are they not making the smaller fenders anymore? It seems like they simplified and scaled down thid set to make it more affordable, but the price tag is still hefty. The prior creator houses are really well done, and this kind of seems like an afterthought that doesn't fit into anything I already have. I will most likely wait until this is on sale and mod it.

I am really excited about this set. The fact that the ride fits onto the truck is really appealing to me, as is the ability to motorize the ride. ...and the glow-in-the-dark pieces? The little kid in me is jumping up and down! It would be really neat if instead of having one carnival set, that it was released as a sub theme instead, and each set was a small part of the carnival. Though the Creator ferris wheel isn't minifig scale, it can be easily modified by making the seats a little bigger and reimagining the ferris wheel as a smaller wheel.

Really well done! It's difficult to build smaller and you did a fantastic job. I will have to show my husband - he says he used to build John Deere tractors out of Lego all the time as a kid. And he is pretty excited to have his real John Deere up and running again. His sigfig needs one now. :)

Wow, I'm spoiled! It's just my husband and me - no pets, no kids. If anything, I'm the one who occasionally borrows parts from his minifigs and sets because I want to see what they look like before I buy the piece on bricklink. ...which reminds me, I still have to replace the hair I "borrowed" from one of his collectible minifigs and substituted with a different color. He might have to start banning me from the Lego room! ;)

Speaking of differences between US and European sets - are the instruction booklets different sizes? Modern US booklets appear sized for the English system, but the booklets from my childhood appear sized for the metric system.

I always like seeing "real life" things replicated in Lego. When I see a giant crane or a Maersk truck, I like to think of it as life imitating Lego, even though the real life version obviously came first. ;) I don't work with pallets, but I can walk 50 feet to the warehouse to see a pallet jack. It's nice to see jobs other than fireman/policeman/doctor represented in Lego. My town needs an industrial area!

I love that building table!! Did you build it yourself? Is the top hand-painted or a decal? The space looks very serene. I've been thinking about doing grey walls for my Lego room, so it's nice to see what it could look like as a backdrop to brightly colored bricks. How do you keep it so clean? Or is this a "before" picture? ;)

It's interesting to hear the perspective of someone who is brand new to Lego. There are so many things I have just accepted because they've always been that way, or that I compare to the Lego sets I had as a child. For example, all larger sets used to come with a full size baseplate (32x32). Sets nowadays come with 16x32 or smaller. So I'm nostalgic for the days of baseplates, especially those with special printing. I was extremely surprised that the Parisian restaurant came with one 32x32 baseplate instead of two 16x32 baseplates.

I was thinking the same thing! And she's still living in a fairly modest house, so apparently she's not so great at taking bribes...or maybe she has a huge collection of designer clothes inside. Nice touch with the curtain colors peeking through the windows.

Thanks for the link. I know what I'll be doing for the next hour... As for my storage solutions, I have a mix. Mostly I have the Sterilite wide clearview drawers that many people on this site also have. Some are divided with the Itso organizer from Target, but since those are no longer made, my current solution is this: http://www.joann.com/insert-for-12x12-protect-and-store-box/10021335.html It fits perfectly inside the Sterilite wide drawers. The plastic is kind of flimsy to pay full price for, but if you can get it during a sale it's not so bad. I also have Plano boxes and the Stanley organizers, but I'd like to transfer the items in there to drawers some day. I don't like having to open the boxes every time. My parts are organized by type, not by color - with the exception of a huge lot I acquired 2 summers ago. It contained the Eiffel Tower, among other gems, and I found it easiest to sort out all of the bley pieces first. So now I have a tower of modular latching Sterilite boxes containing the pieces left over from that acquisition, sorted by color. I also have a ton of Sterlite latching containers for built sets not currently displayed and sets in progress.

Even if you could do that, you still would run out of space. Somehow the lesson I am learning is that as much space as you have, you will find Lego to fill it! Putting Lego away takes so much time though...I'm almost considering combining some drawers that I previously sorted to facilitate the sorting process. I think you just made me realize that my organizing efforts are futile. I look forward to seeing pics when it is done! That's a nice setup for a small space (and nice Lego representation too!) Where do you put your MOCs when you're done with them? I think by filling up the second bedroom with Legos, we've effectively said no to having kids, because where would the kid sleep? How does that work, exactly? Doesn't someone have to put away the parts?

I probably got them around the same time. I think I ordered both of them through shop-at-home, and I remember how excited I was to get Lego in the mail. I have never seen that Basic set before, but I want to build everything on the front of it! Now I know which set inspired Mestari's Red Mill with Tractor MOC: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=93167

...if so, what do you like about it? If it doesn't, what would you change about it? We have a Lego room with sorted parts in drawers, but the room is dark and since it is filled to the brim, the only place to build is a small section of floor. I end up building on the kitchen table and having to walk back and forth to get pieces, which doesn't exactly inspire me to build. The room is getting a makeover after the leaky windows are replaced, and I want the new space to be easy to use (in terms of being able to easily find and access parts) and to feel like a place I want to be.

I had to forgo expensive furniture to finance my Lego habit (and my craft beer habit too)! Expedit's replacement, Kallax, comes in a few different colors. One is high gloss red (although I thought Expedit came in red as well?). I've used IKEA Billy bookshelves for display in the past because the shelves are adjustable, but it's still not an ideal solution, as the shelves do not fit an even number of baseplate and there is wasted space.

This is such a difficult decision!! I wouldn't consider these the "best" by any means, but for some reason Vacation Hideway and Sport Coupe were always my favorites. I think the little vacation cabin made me dream about going on vacation (who am I kidding - it still does!). The sport coupe, I don't know. I've just always loved the little car.

I keep them simply because I regret not keeping my boxes from childhood. But we have so many now, and I keep thinking "There's nothing special about these boxes. They don't have alternate building ideas or the flap with the window." Currently ours are one box inside of another, but I really want to flatten them at this point.

I finally got myself a Lego calendar a week ago and already thought about how boring it was going to be to look at the same color scheme month after month. This is a great idea. Furthermore, after seeing your March display, I might just have to do April as Game of Thrones...