tppytel

Wow. That looks to me like the result of two people trying to snipe at the last second, both saying "I'll just bid some crazy value way above what it will sell for to make sure I win." One of those people is feeling pretty relieved right now. The other one, not so much...

Avenger - I got the gray riggings from Lego before they ran out, but at this point I would suck it up and pay the $80 for a pair from Bricklink if I were you. It's too much money for two parts, no doubt, but it feels a lot better paying $80 for two highly visible, large, rare parts than it does paying $120-$180 for 60 stupid light bley levers. For the levers, I'd think that pairing light bley bases with old gray levers (both are readily available) would be close to unnoticeable. But you're going to see those riggings. Also, since I started following this thread a few months ago, I've noticed the prices on all of these parts increase substantially - I think the riggings were $25 back then. If I dropped ~$600 on all the other 5000 or so parts and was stuck with black riggings, it would just eat at me and I'd eventually break down and end up paying even more for them later. So I don't know... sell a kidney or something and shell out for the riggings. They're not getting any cheaper and even with the scalper's prices you'll still be paying a lot less than the ~$1200 market value for a complete set.

Please do - if you actually get the right antennas. I received my order just a few days ago. It had 60 antennas - in black/black. Not so helpful.

That would be perfectly functional and I'm aware that it's standard practice. But I like seeing and handling the boxes, and so do my kids. I'm not that pressed for storage space (yet). However, I've considered doing something like that for the smaller sets within a given theme - for example, box up all the 10-200 piece Kingdoms sets together. Apart from raw volume, those little sets are a pain to organize neatly without them getting lost behind something bigger, knocked off the shelf, etc. But I definitely want to keep and *use* the original boxes for the more substantial sets. It's just part of the fun for me. This is especially true for the relatively few vintage sets I have, where you could see all the alternate builds Lego came up with.

Interesting. What I posted what was the Lego rep told me when I first used the replacement system a few months back. Perhaps there's been a change in policy? While I agree that you're not intentionally abusing the system, you are still keeping two very rare parts sitting useless in a drawer and out of the hands of somebody else that would really like to build a proper set. I don't think that's very cool. It's pretty inconceivable that I'd lose a rare part from a UCS set in the first place, but if I did I'd just pay whatever extortionate price is being asked on Bricklink.

OK, this is kind of OCD, but I suppose I'm in the right place for that at least... I'm mostly a set collector. Typically I build something for my kids, we all play with it for a few weeks, and I pack it up for another day. I always keep the original boxes, as they're nice and colorful on the shelves, but they're mostly just terrible for storage. I especially hate the dreaded punch-a-hole-to-open type, as they're rather flimsy and prone to damage from handling and stacking, and they're also impossible to close securely whether you open them from the end or from the back. As I do a lot of packing and unpacking of sets, this doesn't work so well for me. Are there any other set collectors out there that have found good solutions to making the boxes more useful for storage? Few of my sets are vintage or highly collectible, so modifying the box doesn't particularly bother me. What I've done for a couple of sets that I expect to see plenty of use (like the Winter Village Bakery) is build an inner box liner out of foamcore that sits just inside the original box. While this is a hassle that I wouldn't want to go through for every set I own, it does add a lot more rigidity and reduces my concern about stacking them. But it doesn't help for keeping the lid closed. On the newer, tape-seal boxes I've used small Velcro dots rather than use the cardboard tab (which seems prone to wear). That's OK for that box type, but the Velcro doesn't grip tightly enough to keep the older, flimsier boxes closed very well. I've considered a variety of other closures - ribbon, snaps, clasps - but they all seem incredibly fussy, prone to wear, or impossible to attach securely. I just ordered a box of large (7") latex-free rubber bands that should work well enough as a low-tech solution. But rubber bands seem so... hacky and inelegant. I'd prefer something that leaves the box looking fresh, but still manages to close it securely. At least for our favorite sets, I don't mind doing a little more work. Any ideas out there? I was also considering magnetic tape, but I'm not sure if the thickness will be a problem, or if there will be a solid enough paper surface to attach it to on the punch-out boxes.

When I first ordered some "replacement" parts for 10179, the rep asked for a numeric code found in the instruction manual as a proof of purchase. At the same time, it was clear from the way she asked for it that she was perfectly happy accepting whatever excuse I felt like coming up with for not having it and that she would just fill it in for me. In fact, I had already purchased the actual instruction manual from Bricklink, so I did have the code, but the message was clear. I recently did another 10179 order and picked up all 47 of the dark bley 1x16 Technic bricks (for just a tiny bit more than ordering off-color ones via Bricklink) as well as all 62 light bley antenna lever pieces. The rep didn't bat an eye. So at least at the level of the customer service floor, buying bulk parts via the replacement program seems pretty well expected. And I can't imagine that their immediate managers wouldn't notice the reps selling pieces in those quantities. So while I wouldn't go trumpeting the idea of building a set via "replacements" or abusing the service when Bricklink prices are not much greater, I think that the Lego service department knows pretty well what's going on. edit: It may have been mentioned earlier, but Lego's system also prevents you from ordering the same part from the same set more than once. So you couldn't, for example, repeatedly order rare parts to piece together Falcons for a profit (which really *would* be abusing the system, obviously).

I think that Lego only recently sold out of their back stock of the 10030 stickers.* So it could be that they just haven't considered a plan yet. I would think that running a batch of stickers, even if only for replacement part stock, would be tremendously cheaper than firing up molds for new pieces that aren't otherwise being used anywhere. It seems like something Lego might do. * This is based on a recent experience of mine. I purchased a 10030 about 8 months ago that had an opened box, but unopened everything else. It arrived short the sticker, which presumably disappeared somewhere while being packed. I offered to take a $30 discount from the seller, since that was the going rate on Bricklink at the time. But he checked into it, declined, and sent a replacement separately - IIRC, he said he got the replacement sticker direct from Lego. Again, that was only 8 months ago. So the original run of stickers seems to have lasted quite a while.

I have a pair of 4 year old twins who are well on their way to being Legophiles. We have a pretty workable system. First off, Legos only get played with in the basement, which is relatively large, uncarpeted, and free of all the day-to-day clutter of the rest of the house - so any pieces that end up on the floor tend to get found in short order. Second, we have a strict division between the place to play with sets (the table on one side of the basement) and the place to build stuff freely (the floor on the other side). On the table, we keep 3-4 sets of varying sizes at any given time, plus a small box of miscellaneous minifig parts and accessories. Every couple months, I pick out sets that aren't getting much love, inventory them, replace parts via Bricklink if necessary, pack them back away, and build something else. On the floor on the other side of the room we have one of those Lego play tables plus a huge Tupperware bin of bulk Legos we bought off of Craigslist for $100. The only rule we have is that Lego guys from the table *never* visit Lego guys on the floor. That's a rule that even 3 year olds can understand, and we've not had a problem with it. I replace the odd item from the sets every now and then, mostly little accessories like swords, coins, flowers, and goblets that I've already ordered extras for from Bricklink. But basically, all of our sets are still together and ready to come back out another day. The Medieval Market Village in particular has never been broken down, has entertained my daughter several times a week for almost a year now, and is still complete. Overall, I think it's a pretty reasonable plan and we've had good results with it.

If you have the 8288 Crawler Crane instructions, I'd take those.

That's not what he's asking. The 10030 was produced in both old light gray and new bluish light gray over the course of its run. Most of them were all old light gray, but some of the later ones were all bley and I've heard of sets with mostly old but a few new pieces as well. I was researching the same question back when I was buying my ISD earlier this year. But I never found references to any indications on the outside of the box or the shipping carton about the type of gray used in the set. That doesn't mean there aren't any, just that I didn't Google up anything. What does seem to be true is that if your set has the earlier, glued-softcover instructions, then it's definitely an all old gray set. But the ones with the newer, sprial-bound instructions could still be any of the gray variations. And none of that helps you if you don't want to break the seals on the box in the first place. Hopefully someone will post any external indicators here, if they do in fact exist.

I second the Goo Gone recommendation. I've kept bottles of it around for 20+ years now, it's useful for so many things. You should be able to buy it at a hardware store or maybe even a supermarket. Note that Goo Gone is different than a similar product called Goof Off. (These are US brands - I have no idea how widespread they are elsewhere.) Goo Gone is based on citrus oil, Goof Off is based on hexane. Both are good to have around, depending on what you're cleaning. Goof Off often cleans up better, because the hexane just evaporates whereas Goo Gone leaves an oily residue you have to wash off. But the hexane is a very strong solvent and I'd be worried that it could mar a clear plastic piece like yours.

Good question and interesting responses. I have a pair of (almost) 4 year old twins who are fast becoming Lego fanatics. Almost all the Lego in our house gets played with, but we have a definite system that we follow. It's based on three categories: "Their Legos" - A big tupperware tub of bulk bricks we bought of Craigslist along with a big Lego building table. They can do whatever they want with these, though I encourage them to keep all the minifigs and accessories in a separate tub. If they receive a kiddie set as a present and I don't think it's good enough to bother keeping, it goes into the tub when they get bored of it. "Our Legos" - We have about 30 sets from various themes that I built for us to play with together. However, only about 3 or 4 of these are built at any one time. These live on the basement table, on the opposite side of the room from the Craigslist Legos. They can play with and modify these sets, though once every week or two I go through and rebuild them to avoid losing too many pieces. We manage not to lose too much, and anything missing just gets added to my Bricklink Wanted Lists. When they get bored of a particular set, I break it down, inventory it, Bricklink again if necessary, and put it away in its box. Note that it's essential to this scheme that Our Legos do not travel across the room to become Their Legos. The kids are pretty good about this now, but it took some work. "Daddy's Legos" - This only includes the modular buildings, since they're the only sets I leave on display. This is a somewhat optimistic label, as the buildings are way too cute for the kids to totally stay away from, but they at least don't move the buildings or take the floors apart. But they do love taking the cherries from the Green Grocer's bin and the mail from the Emporium's mailbox. I've given up trying to prevent that and just keep a mint set of extras in a baggie in a hiding place. As long as they don't mess with the buildings, they can play with the cherries.

The pet store part looks strange to me that way. But the townhouse part is fine. We have lots of old, mirror-image buildings like that by me.

As a kid, I spent endless hours building things out of a pile of bricks made up of the earliest Space and Castle sets. I dropped out somewhere around the era of the Forestmen and never really looked closely at Lego again until I bought my son Luke's Landspeeder last Christmas. Since then, I've been building, researching, and buying incessantly. And what's really obvious in reading about old sets is that - in nearly every theme - 2006-2007 was a clear turning point in set design. Minifig printing became much more detailed, sets started looking much more realistic, the color palette expanded drastically, play features became more intricate and clever, etc. Even Technic shifted and started going studless. Now, I know people have different opinions on the merits of the new style vs. the old one, and I don't really want to open that debate here. But I'd love to hear, from people who were around at the time, how and/or why exactly this shift took place. Was Lego responding to flagging demand? Were there a whole new crop of designers hired? Was there some kind of market research involved? What did the community think at the time? Was there a big announcement that Lego was changing, or did it just kind of happen? It seems like there must have been some interesting events going on, because the difference between, say, a set released in early 2006 vs one from late 2007 is night and day, like a whole new company took the idea of Lego bricks and completely rebooted it. That couldn't have happened without some excitement of some sort. So, what happened?

I agree - the body is quite nice, but the wheels don't work for me. I can see that you want to avoid the usual balloon tires, but the round plates don't feel right. Could 4185c01 work? They lack the spokes, but I think they have the right look. Maybe too big, though...

Thanks for all the comments - they were exactly what I was looking for. I'm going to file 8275 firmly into the "would've bought it for retail, but not worth it now" category for me. I'm more into Technic for the building than the playing - my kids like Technic vehicles, but we have plenty of good choices already and we don't need a $250+ bulldozer just for the sake of having it. If I happen to walk into a ridiculous deal on one, I'll probably snap it up, but I won't be hunting it down.

I can see that argument too. GE is certainly too small to be in scale as a grand department store compared to the others. But then some people have a lot more tolerance for scale irregularities in Lego than others. I like to try and stay close to scale, but my master plan for a modular streetscape is going to remodel the Grand Emporium into more of a modern, high-end shop than a real department store. And that happens to make GG fits the scale much better, so it's all good by me.

I'm a little skeptical about this one too. I mean... OK, it's still a modular building, it's going to be better than 90% of other Lego sets out there, and I'll clearly buy it eventually. But it just doesn't look as packed with neat features as Green Grocer, Cafe Corner, or Grand Emporium. In large part, it seems like that's because of the half-width buildings. Those are nice to have for the sake of variety in a streetscape, but it means you're going to be building more boring walls and less cool stuff inside the walls. Like I said, I'm sure I'll get it eventually and I think it's a fine design. I just won't be going into it expecting quite the same experience as earlier sets.

Hopefully not thread-jacking, but I've been going back and forth about this set recently myself. It's obviously a good set, but just how good is it, really? Where would you all put it for overall quality compared to other big sets like 8070 Supercar, 8258 Crane Truck, 8265 Front Loader, 8043 Motorized Excavator, and 8421 Mobile Crane? If 8275 were available now, I'd certainly buy it for $150. But while I've paid inflated prices for sought-after sets before, I don't do it all the time. Is this set really an epic Technic building experience or is it just big and tough-looking? It seems like a bulldozer isn't quite as interesting a subject as an excavator or a crane. Anybody want to push me in one direction or another? Also, if it helps, I don't consider myself a Technic collector that needs to have one of everything - I tend to only buy bigger Technic sets that have really interesting builds and an occasional small one for my kids to play with. I also don't MOC with Technic at all. Just not my cup of tea...

Yes, if you do it right. In Bricklink, go to the main page for the set you want. Choose "part out" and follow the steps to automatically put the set's inventory into a Wanted List. Now, go to the Wanted tab at the top. Choose "My Wanted List by Shop". Shops listed higher in the output have a larger number of the pieces you need. Now, this doesn't tell you anything about how good their prices are, but if you compare prices on a few representative pieces across a few shops, that should give you a pretty good idea. The slightly advanced version of this starts by looking for rare pieces first, but then you have to know what those are. To some extent, this is a matter of experience. But you can usually get a pretty good estimate by working through the set's inventory. For any piece that looks unusual, click through its catalog number. In the listing of lots available by color, the number in parentheses tells you how many lots are available in that color. For very common parts, it might be a few hundred. Even at 100, the prices are usually pretty reasonable. But once that number gets down to 50 or less, those parts are probably going to cost a fair amount. Figure out who's selling those parts in the quantity you need at a decent price first and get what you can from their stores before moving on to the more common items.

What a marvelous set! The only modular I had built previously was Green Grocer, which I acquired just after I came back to Lego and just before its price skyrocketed. I'm not that interested in Fire Brigade, am still piecing together a Cafe Corner, and sort of hesitated to build Grand Emporium because I was worried it would be a letdown after Green Grocer. But I actually think Grand Emporium might be better than Green Grocer. OK, at least in certain ways maybe. Green Grocer has more architectural diversity and I think that creates a more interesting overall facade. And Green Grocer, like Grand Emporium, is chock-full of interesting building techniques and creative bits. Perhaps Green Grocer, being more diverse, has even more of them. However, if this makes any sense, I think the cool things in Grand Emporium are even cooler than the cool things in Green Grocer. The chandelier, the SHOP sign, the windows, the skylight, the itty-bitty dollhouse, the dude changing his pants, the revolving door, the shopping bags, the columns at the corners... all of those things, big or small, are just stunningly creative. If I came up with any one of them in one of my own designs, I'd be feeling pretty good about myself. For all the neat bits in Green Grocer, there are only a couple that hit me the same way. Grand Emporium was simply the most fun per hour I've ever had building Lego. Truly an amazing set. A shining example of what Lego can be.

Even paying inflated prices for instructions (which $20 certainly isn't, anyway), you can almost always do better on collectible sets by Bricklinking parts. You're going to pay good money for the instructions and a handful of rare parts or minifigs. But you can get 90+% of most modern-era sets for about $0.07/piece. Even after paying for the expensive stuff, that usually comes in well under the 200%-300% of MSRP you'd pay for a highly collectible set. As long as you can give up the box, you can save a lot of money.

I got my very first Lego Pirates set - Brickbeard's Bounty - in here the other day. It looks super! While I understand the historical and technical objections that some folks here have to it, it's as much for my twins to play with (under my watchful eye, of course) as it is for me to build. And I think it's going to be perfect for that. I'm looking forward to giving it to them for their birthday at the end of the month, especially since my childhood Lego days were before Lego Pirates existed. I considered getting QAR instead, but they're more into "classic" pirates out of cheesy old kids flicks than modern, stylish ones, so I thought BB would work nicely. Along with the BB, I also just ordered a sealed Shipwreck Hideout for a not-too-excruciating price off of eBay. That should go well with the ship. Any suggestions for other sets that would work well with those two, from any Pirate era? The Soldier's Fort looks OK, but not great. But I'm guessing it's probably the fort that works best with the ship and hideout, just by virtue of being part of the same series. Other than QAR and Black Pearl, the POTC sets don't really do much for me. Maybe I'm just hung up on Johnny Depp feeling too Emo for my liking. Having sold off a bunch of other (non-Lego) hobby stuff lately, I'm even considering picking up a nice BSB. But that would be for me and not for the kids. The other classic Pirates sets don't seem worth the collector's prices to me, but the BSB is certainly a nice ship.

If you don't need the box, and especially if you can live with downloadable instructions, it will almost certainly be cheaper to Bricklink all the parts individually than to buy a set complete.