Bearded Castle Guy

Yep, I was very happy to get some bamboo when I saw them (especially since it was a while before they popped up again). First time I got a inch or a bit more and later wished I got more, next time it was half a large cup and the third time it was around a whole cup IIRC. I've learned that if there's a rare piece that's interesting, I need to get a bunch and not just dribble a few into the cup, if I just grab a couple, I'll want more later... It also depends upon the part, things like tiles or bamboo are easy to use en-mass, other things are not as necessary in quantity. Well, if you wish to get an idea of what shows up on the PaB wall, a few posts back there's a like to brickbldr site, it's fan driven site where people track what various LEGO stores have on their PaB wall. It's not always current and some stores will get stuff other stores never will see but you can get a 'flavor' of what's common by looking at the selection from a few different store. I have never seen a PaB wall without 2 x 4 bricks in multiple colors or wheels, they ALWAYS have wheels of some variety..... Also you likely got a sticker on the side your PaB cup, if you take in in and refill it next time you get a discount on the refill, it's $.50 in the US not sure what it'd be over the border, it's a nice way to encourage reuse of the cup and give repeat customers a little price break at the same time.

I got a few more 7949's @$6.04 ea and 23 series 4 CM's @ $.88 ea, but other than dropping the series 4 prices from eariler in the week no 'new' sets were added to the ones on clearance to my local Target. It *IS* the time of year that Target starts to clear out items they consider 'Summer' setup items in preparation for doing the first part of the 'Fall/Christmas' setup (last few years it's been in a couple of stages). So I'm not surprised by the clearance on some of the sets, some of the sets reported to be on clearance are surprising but 'Ours is not to reason why, ours is to buy inexpensive plastic building blocks'

Four more 7949's @$6.04 and 23 series 4 Cm @ $.88 ea from Target.... No idea which ones they are I just cleared the hook into the basket

I don't know if I've ever seen the Clear 1 x 2 slope/roof bricks on the wall before personally, I have picked up some Bamboo pieces a couple of different times, it's a infrequent but regular PaB appearer I believe. I need to make another stop by the LIC soon but my plans to buy a really big set may be derailed by good clearance deals soaking up budget...

Thanks for a nice overview of the Castle theme. It was a nice look back.

Nice looking setup there, looks like you have a good organization decided upon.

It may be either or copyright issue, and they *HAVE* act consistently in issuing take-down notices over those or they can lose them. It's not always a fairness thing or even a reality thing, it's a legal consistency thing. I don't know, I don't work for them but suspect it's somethign along those lines. Edit, I went to your link, I'd bet it's the use of the LEGO logo on the box mock-up.

Good Gravy! that's a LOT of barded horses! Me decides to actively NOT find out madoka's address to avoid temptations of a 'Midnight' visit! Such a large collection of minifigs and related items, I'm just amazed at the quantities...... And here I thought my recent acquisition of a dozen horses from the 7949's was a nice size bump for a cavalry unit....

@eilif, I have some of the 'disposable' styles of plastic food storage containers, I was just getting tired when I posted my big post and skipped them. If you are stacking them on shelves directly (and you've paid attention to your ascetics of your storage area) I agree they look alright and would be no worse for stacking purposes than the Stanley organizers I've been working of sorting into currently. I don't have a permanent build/storage area and will not have one for the foreseeable future so have a number of stacks of small containers isn't going to work for me. I have the ones I have already, at least 3 different brands/styles in my storage totes. I tried a number of sytles in an attempt to find a solution that I liked, I didn't find it. Some of my issue with them is the fit of the lids and sometimes lack of ability to get a good seal, some of it is the ones I found tend have rather wide rims which waste space in between them while nested inside the totes that most of my collection resides in. @moz, I have done the same at times when working on sorting thru sets, tho I used a a micro fleece sheet on a larger table, I liked the shorter nap of the microfleece and the ability to cover the whole table. @seluryar, not a bad deal at all, I prefer the one with attached lids (one less thing to track and/or set aside). I took to heart that storage I can sort into (that wasn't just a big bin) was going to have some cost to it, while I am acquiring it in piecemeal manner I am going for a unified/compatiable system (with itself, I don't care if it matches anyones else's, that'd be THEIR issue, not mine ). Still it a good start there with your tub. @zeya, agreed, one way of mounting it WITHOUT putting holes in the wall would be to be a board and but it to the size of the back of the cabinets you have and just attach the cabinets directly to the board. The cabinets will hold the board up and the board will hold the cabinets in place and it's simple and changeable. You'd want some thing sturdy enough to bear the weight of the upper cabinets just in case, so I'd go with maybe a thin plywood or the like (masonite or pegboard would likely be too thin, the weight would bend it without a frame and that's getting away from simple). Another plus to this is it'd be essentially hidden behind the cabinets. General comment, I need to sort more now, I've heard our Lug's Lugbulk order shipped this week, at least that will be sorted when I bring it home. Sorting it out at the meeting should be 'interesting'. I've saved some now re-purposed food containers (washed of course) to sort into when we do this, I've collected enough I should be able to share some of these with others if they are short of containers to transport their parts home.

I choose something separate for my online Lego persona, it's just the way I do things(and have done things). I find the idea that once stuff gets published to the net/web/tubes/matrix etc it can be impossible to correct-erase-change mildly disturbing. I don't splash pictures of myself around online, there are very few that I know of actually but that's the way I have wanted it, I don't need a FB account, a Twitter feed, a blog or a Myspace to trumpt whatever random thought I had on a particular day. I am fine sharing my thoughts via a message board or email as relevant. but I'm a quiet person, always have been. I have nothing against those that do enjoy the previously listed 'social media' sites and services, they are just not for me. @the OP, Find a name that you feel suits you, if it ties into your non LEGO pursuits or not give it some thought and then choose a name.

Best theme ever? wonder if I left a clue about it somewhere around here....? Nope, not in the sig. Hmm, not in the body of the post. Or not even a hint even in the title, what's that? look in the user name? Oh there it is! Castle! Just about any part of it expect the 'jellybean knights' era and even then there are part/pieces/minifigs that I regret missing there even. I'd say Classic Space would be a close second since I actually had more of that growing up.... I've dabbled in many themes, and will continue to do so if the price is right or the pieces are compelling. As I have heard many times, Parts are Parts!

If someone was doing a bricklink store as a hobby or sideline you *may* be able to get them to mark as gift or fiddle with the customs forms, but don't count on it. Any organized business would not take the risk of the fines and legal hassles of falsifying customs statements, it would generally be a BAD business practice with little financial upside for the business. Doing a non-top of the market valuation if you're doing a private exchange of whichever sort (trade/private sale) is likely where you'd be able to use 'liberal' valuation for the forms and get away with it, once you involve a organized business entity you are better off taking the chance with a customs fee or just expecting it to happen. I notice a large number of the bricklink store that appear to be setup as a legal entity (aka business) tend to state or BOLDLY STATEthey will not misrepresent information on customs forms, prudent business sense I expect. I guess it doesn't hurt to try unless there's a statement already on the splash page about the customs forms but don't expect every seller to be 'Liberal' about what they put on the customs forms.

I wound up with a total of a even dozen 7949's at $6.04ea. I just gutted the packages and did basic sorting on them in fact. I cleared that location out of them. Nice surprise was when I went back I saw some little orange packages hanging on a different clearance endcap they had, yes I got a dozen Series 4 CM's at 50% off as well, Score! only confirmed a couple via opening but a those were a hockey player, a skateboarder and a Viking. So keep your eyes open, I'd swear these were not around previously despite having a second clearance label to drop them to the 50% mark. I also keep an eye on the Battle of Amamut's they have there, still hanging on @30% off. @madoka, dang man, over 600 of a single faction? That just blows my forces out of the water

I got 8 more 7949 Prison Carriage Rescue's, and 2 30080 Ninja Flyer's. The 7949's were on clearance for $6.04 each, Yum! Was thinking should have I bought more? Might go back tomorrow

I don't mind dreaming but sometime there is a time and a place or it, NOT while driving! for instance My personal feeling is it's a little early for the speculation, but my views on the matter are not controlling So speculate away! I'm likely to avoid the thread for now, got other fish to fry(err moats to fill? err pieces to sort, that's it! other pieces to sort!).

I first read that thread/post when it was a sticky long before I signed up, so I knew it existed. I kept reading it to see how folks were sorting their collections and what they were using to sort them into. It was actually one of the reasons I eventually signed up to post here, not eh only one but it was amongst them.

I have restarted sorting my collection (collective even?) Some parts are in a 'Final sort' stage i.e. have their own bin for the particular part style and color. Others are partway thru a very rough sort (slopes here, 1 by x bricks there, tiles there etc) or a mid grade sort. And of course there's the parts that were gutted out of a box and (Usually) dropped into a ziplock style bag or whichever sort was handy and available OR in a couple of cases a built set in a storage tote. I've had a couple of designs of various plastic shoeboxes for a while but they mostly hold unsorted or semi sorted parts. The problem with this is over time the companies change the designs and make stacking them STABLY very difficult and I'm unwilling to chuck out the old style or the odd-ball styles and re buy more, especially since I see myself switching away from every thing being in these. I've started getting some of the Stanley organizers with removable bins mentioned earlier in the thread, this is where the items that have reached the 'Final Sort' level have come to reside. I need to order some of the deeper depth ones and see how I like those, some far I have just the 'standard depth' units. Plastic Shoeboxes. PRO's for these, I made sure the ones I bought had lids that latch to at least some extent, tipping on the side or a mild drop will not spill the contents. Widely available. Inexpensive. Many design choices available. CON's for these, designs change over time, take a lot of space if you have quantities of them. Stanley organizers with removable bins. PRO's for these, you can swap the bins around or even made a particular organizer have all the same size bin, *IF* you own enough of them. Bins are removable. They latch securely and have a clear lid. They stack stably and are fairly widely available. Con's for these, Price, essentially I am trading away the equal to a PaB cup for each one I get, but I have to organize.... Latch's sometimes are a bit hard to unlock. Have to unstack to see what's in them (eventually labeling will help with this but I need to be closer to a more complete deciding of what goes where and how much space I need for what). Storage Totes, 12 to 18 gallons in size. Pro's for these, Big, opaque to avoid sunlight penetration (UV bad of course). Widely available, variety of manufacturers make version that are similar enough to stack. Can hold a lot (did I mention big?). Interleaving lids (on most anyways) allow you to ziptie the lid shut to contain parts if required. Con's for these, Big, take a lot of space. Rounded, sloped or curved shapes 'Waste' space especially if you trying to store smaller squarish shapes inside (inefficient use of space at times). Opaque, have to open (or label) to know what's inside. Can medium level costly. Ziplock/slidelock/zipperlock/recloseable bags. PRO's for these, Inexpensive (cheap!) Highly available. Clear. Softsided, can conform to odd or unusual spaces if parts allow. CON's for these, Cheap! aka closures can break and/or wear out easily. Softsided, don't always protect pieces from damage. Clear, no UV protection. Can easily be torn or develop a hole. Comment, I use the recloseable bags inside other containers usually and rarely as the permanent external container but some folks might use or consider them for such useage. Arko mills style/type drawers- I don't use these for my parts, I've seen what happens if it tips..... PRO's for these, Widely available, affordable, many sizes and varieties. Wall mountable. Trays can be sub-divided and usually come with blank labels. CON's for these, Trays do not have lids/tops. Can be unstable if loaded top heavy or on uneven surface. Potential for part spillage if tipped. Comment, I avoid these as I have spilled stuff out of ones used for other purposes. Iris/Sterillite Drawer units- I don't use these for my parts, I fear what happen if it tips..... Pro's for these, Widely available, many varieties and sizes (and colors). Can be found affordably aka on sale on a fairly regular basis. Hold decent to large amounts. Usually stackable, wheels (casters) available for some varieties. Most have clear drawers for seeing inside. Con's for these, Can be bulky, not always inexpensive, designs change. Drawers have no lid/top !!Spillage danger!! Some varieties have no drawer stop !!!Extreme Spillage Danger!!! Not always easy to see everything inside. Most drawers have no dividers, works for bulk parts but you have to use smaller containers (lose of storage space, inefficient use of space) or custom build dividers to sub divide. Comment, I avoid these primarily due to potential Spillage Danger, but don't care much for the drawer fit and/or slide action on various types used for other purposes.

This post was more of a 'see the humor' in the original posting, if you want a post that is SPECIFICALLY about HOW people are sorting and storing their parts (and sometime WHY they are that way) see the following post (former sticky post I believe): http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=26213

I'm glad I live within the radius then. In regards to Target's having 7949 on clearance, a local location has them @ $6.04 half off a price that bumped up a couple weeks ago ($12.99 I had seen that and thought, are they on crack?). I didn't see any of the PQ Scarab sets on clearance (or any clearance PQ at all) and the PoP hasn't changed prices since the second round of clearance pricing, next week may do it, not sure. 10217 Diagon Alley is tempting but I'm leaning towards a MMV, a Tower Bridge or a Imperial Flagship. The Coupon you be most valuable with the Tower Bridge of course, and Imperial Flagship is second and something I've drooled over since I first saw it, and the MMV is well, it has few if any equals and is likely the first to go away of the three sets listed(not to mention I'll have to deface my catalog for the coupon).

If your local store sold out of the PoP they'd not have any to mark down and the clearance timing varies from Target to Target based on some headquarters control, if you local store have not yet clearanced PoP, they will sooner or later. The Targets near me sold out of the CM4 series before they went clearance, so no hope of seeing cheap ones here. But I live in the land of Targets and there is a fair number of folks that look for cheap LEGO here.. Lots of competition.

I regret any Castle sets I've missed getting, and yes that includes the Jelly-bean Knight ones now that they are gone.. Mostly I regret not getting any Vikings or Avatar themed sets to point out a couple specific themes.

I actually say that virtually all horses from the 80's on were from the series of horse molds as there are *2* known head variants It's not a BIG variation but I have examples of both in my own collection, it has to do with the size/shape/depth the the dimples that represent nostrils, some have a fairly shallow round bottom to the nostrils, and others have a more tube like shape that you can fit a peg from the older flames into and have it stick. I learned of the difference form discussion on a webforum, likely Classic Castle but I could be mistaken. That said my local LIC has not had horses the last couple times I've been in but they're not my top priority, I probably got 60+ of them in various colors already (and with both head variants as well).

Or perhaps it could be merged into? http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=43006 It was only 5 pages down with a most recent reply on May 11, I didn't even have to use Search for it.....

Just running thru lowest values on bricklink essentially the Non-Paradisia sets come out to just under $350, if they're truly complete and in good condition. So in that regard this lot would be a good value for the price, the real question is, is it worth it to you? I doubt I'd be tempted but I have a good number of the listed sets already and also already have plans for my LEGO budget atm, but it's not a bad deal at all. There'd likely be some upside if you were looking to buy and resell some or all of the sets but that would consume time and take effort with no guarantee of a positive outcome (income wise).

Yeah, I got some @50% last week and was too lazy to edit my post and I didn't wish to post twice in a row..... While I'm not a big fan of the 'Fleshie' minifig's the parts some of these sets come with are 'Yummy'