AG-Spike

Thanks for the advice. I think I will just buy a selection of parts that I have in my head I will need, and more. I may buy part sets too, and get some PAB cups if there are bits I do not have a lot of. There are no LUG that close to me, so will try without first.

I am after a little advice from those with more experience than me. I have a few ideas I want to combine together to make a MOC spaceship. However my Lego parts are from my childhood, I am still understanding what possibilities and modern parts are available to me, and I wish to try out the ideas I have physically, and not rely on MLCAD to test out the ideas and angles, if you see what I mean. I don't really want to buy random Lego pieces, or end up buying several times over. So really what I am asking is if there are such shops or places in the UK that I could almost 'browse', get ideas for how to build what is in my head, try building, and pay for what I use? I think I may be asking too much, but if you don't ask, you don't anywhere. Failing that idea, maybe I should just use MLCAD and try out the ideas to the best of my ability, and then overbuy the pieces online, and just live with the extra cost, all be it a cost I will probably soak up in the creation or another. The ideas I have in my head are insipred from a number of sources, or just simply new. The biggest source of inspiration has been Matt Rowntree: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/355096 and his follow on project https://www.flickr.com/photos/104851154@N02/sets/72157649195887770 They are just incrediable to me, and don't plan on copying, but has inspired me and what I could achieve. Any advice as my first major MOC would be gratefully received.

Thought I would reply, in case anyone else was curious. I went to the Brighton store this morning, and they had a wide selection of PF parts, so I came away happy :) Also got a couple of PAB large cups whilst I was there.

I wonder if people know my chances of being able to go to a Lego store in the UK and being able to buy the parts (train motor, IR receiver, battery box, and IR remote) for me to be able to convert my rebuilt Cargo Railway (4559) for my nephews. I ask as I would be fairly keen to buy them this weekend to have a play and get my head around what I would need to do and sizing and spacing required to convert the train for it. I was in the Bluewater store with said nephews last week, but that was before I got my passion ignited to start building again, mainly because of them, and I was not on the lookout for the parts.

Hello there, I am AG-Spike, better known as Ally. I LOVED Lego well into my later teens, and have just got back into it because of passing my big crate of Lego and still part built models down to my nephews. My enjoyment in the last few weeks has come from my nephews wanting to play with my 9V Lego train sets, and me not having any built, so that led me to rebuild (at least with some brick substitutions for now as could not find all the bits, maybe because they are in my last MOC model that I do not wish to break up) my 4559 Cargo Railway. This has ignited my imagination again, and I have started designing extra carriages, double decker in size, and a 'container' transport style carriage. I have started this in MLCAD, which has been a slight learning curve, despite AutoCAD being part of my BTEC HNC in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. When my nephews get back from holiday, I will enjoy building stations and so on that I do not plan to design up front, but for now, I am going to buy the parts I need for my carriages I have planned.