desultor

Buy 2 Get 1 Free = 33% off total, if you buy three of the same cost. Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off = 25% off total, if you buy two of the same cost. So, the current sale is better than the previous ones, if you're OK with buying more, and matching cost. And from comments on Brickset, at least a few of the good sets were available at midnight EST. I'm hoping they'll restock during the week... does anyone know if they have in the past? Be careful of the TRU markup on the Harry Potter pre-sale sets though. I was so excited since they were all "in-stock" and free shipping... but doing the math compared to the real list prices I found that this sale only discounts them 9% (Dobby) to 25% (the train). Is it likely that TRU will eventually bring the Harry Potter sets down nearer to list price?

I've decided that what I build won't accumulate on a display shelf, but will live instead in my photography. I picked that up somewhere in an interview (or was it in nnenn's farewell?) and it's inspired me to learn amateur studio photography. Also reminds me of my favorite comic:

I love the sentiment of the question, but I'd rather take it further and be more realistic. Unless you just started buying LEGO in the last year, there's no way you could "re-purchase all the sets you had at the price you originally bought them for." Once those suckers are out of the stores, you're gonna pay through the nose to re-buy them. And the minute you opened those boxes the re-sale value plummeted. What if you only got cash for the current value of your collection, and could only re-buy at current prices? Me, I'd spend a lot of time on Brickset. I'd buy the bricks and instructions for a few iconic used sets, regardless of what I owned (such as Camouflaged Outpost and Galaxy Explorer), and some of my favorites growing up (Crater Crawler and Cement Mixer come to mind). And then I'd start over with what's still in the stores, buying only retail sets that I like now (Medieval Market Village, all the Prince of Persia stuff, whatever Indiana Jones I could find, the modular houses). I think that the sets on the market now are just plain better than the designs they had "back in my day," and assume they'll continue to improve. I think that the new King's Castle (7946) is better than my old one (6080), and I just built both of them with that comparison in mind. So bottom line, and in answer to both the OP and my more realistic question, I'd save the cash and buy mostly current sets. I'm not saying I wouldn't shed tears, though....

Thanks for the tip! I saw Toy Story Trash Compacter there tonight for $60, a markup of $10 which magically turned the 40% coupon into a 28% coupon. (I picked a Smash 'n Grab instead.)

After one look at Dastan's custom ride, Naseem regretted racing "for pinks." #2 Win or lose, Naseem already regretted racing "for pinks."

Some love for folks that haven't gotten answers in here: Legononymous, I used to sticker my models also, and I now have a separate baggie with all the stickered parts so they don't get abused by their jealous neighbors. I don't have any that cover multiple pieces, but I would leave them together and in the bag as well. Brickme, I can't see your flickr pic, but I can imagine. Parting out sets can be such a grueling chore. That's one reason I don't sort too granularly. A friend of mine keeps his sets individually bagged like Mr. Timms, and I've been very close to re-sorting my collection according to set. (What's the reverse of "parting out?" "Setting up?") I think it comes down to what you do with your LEGO. If you MOC primarily, then of course sorting by set doesn't make much sense. Though it does if, like my friend, you mainly re-build according to the instructions. It's a good system for kids, too - he'll occasionally bring out a set for his kids (though at their age my friend and I build the sets for them). The reason I'm torn is I have such a good time building the official models and making MOC alternates, and once those suckers are parted out it takes time to set 'em up. Bricklady, that's awesome your husband (I assume it's yours? ) built you a LEGO desk. Having everything at arm's reach is so nice. Last night I pulled four of my red tubs around me as I sat on the floor with my back against the dresser. I still love building on the carpet - I defy step one of most instruction books. That's another reason I like my under-bed bins: you only have to remove a couple lids, and you're ready to build. I've even taken to leaving most of my ziplocks un-zipped in there. (Though that wouldn't work with kids. Don't ask.) Think of all the time it takes to open and close tiny little drawers and tackle boxes for every single piece you want. (Tommy Boy reference, again.) As far as discoloration goes, I always thought indirect sun was OK in moderation, but I don't know how that works (UV rays?). Asterios. Wow. That is hard-core organization. Nice!

Hi guys, sorry for the late response. Yes Ivan, the bricks will scratch themselves as you paw through them and they age. More common is sharp edges getting rounded off like my red 2x4 keychain. It looks like I found it on the beach. I know of some folks keeping their clear elements separate from the rest for that reason. I'm curious to know how you would plan to store them without scratching though... I'm imagining velvet-lined jewelery cases, or foam cut with individual LEGO-sized holes. Seriously though, I'd guess keeping elements sorted very detailedly in small pull-out drawers would keep them in better shape. Personally, my reasons above are more convincing than play-wear due to storage. Mr. Timms, I can't say for sure, since my bins are in a pretty stable climate under my bed in California. I do know that some people microwave food in ziplock bags with no (immediate) health problems, so I'd guess that summer heat wouldn't be a problem for you. While I wouldn't store them in a plastic bag on my car dashboard, I think your basement is probably pretty climate-controlled and safe.

Ah yes. I completely relate. As a child, receiving a NISB set from someone out of the blue with no fore-knowledge... wasn't this the best? The cover image always promised adventure (nowadays more than ever before - nice work LEGO box designers!), and the feeling of cracking the box to release mint, never-touched bricks that were all for me... delicious. Then we see the in-box catalog. "No way, that exists too?!" Belly-down on the carpet, poring over those tiny folded flyers with postage stamp sized photos and collages of bustling city scenes with a marina and forests and mountains and adventure. A flourishing marriage of greed and imagination began. Enter the information age. Nowadays we know of every set made - it's just a matter of how soon we learn it's coming, and how much info we choose to learn about it. Prelim retail catalogs, toy fair photos, and online set reviews all move that deluge of excitement from the moment of being handed the box. The happiness is dispersed, and I'd say diluted. This is the main reason I've decided to ignore new set reviews (and movie reviews, by the way) - to preserve some of that joy. I want to discover this clever building technique, that new-to-me part, this glimpse of the half built set... all on my own. Now, I'm very glad for the increased info provided by the age we live in. Because of it I know about sets I would most definitely regret missing later (imagine missing Indy or Star Wars due to a dark age). Thanks to this site and others, I don't even pay full MSRP on average, thanks to sale updates and printable coupons. And I've been able to nab used missed sets for under retail - something impossible to rare, pre-internet. But I think it's worth counting the cost of all the info we have available, or perhaps deciding for ourselves how much of it we consume. One thing we can intentionally recapture is the joy of opening that box. Next set you build, pause a few minutes and check out that MIB set before you rip it open. Look closely at the pictures. Read all the text. Think about the age range. The set number. The name. Notice the photoshopping that adds life to the scenes. Shake the box, listen to the pieces. Imagine the pieces inside, who've been waiting for this moment their whole lives. Then, savor opening that box. Think about what you've just done. In 20 years someone will pay ten times what you did (plus inflation) to have the same experience. Heck, in 6 months it'll likely cost double the MSRP. But that doesn't matter now. Enjoy the newness. Dwell on every part of the building experience. Pouring out the box, unbagging, reading the instructions (or for a fun challenge, try building the model with just the cover image as a guide, like an advanced 3D jigsaw puzzle), and building the set. Then play with it! Rebuilt an alternate, or at least swoosh it for a while before setting it just so on a shelf somewhere. Enjoy the heck out of it. The internet can take our innocence in many ways, but we can choose to use the tool how we see fit. And much of the richness of that innocence can still be retained, if not reclaimed. Thanks for the reminder, David!

Toysaurus.com has the Fire Brigade back in stock (and buy one get one at 50%) at the moment! Including tax and shipping two of these beauties cost me a total of $261.04. Of course they keep the Cafe Corner on the site but out of stock to taunt me.... EDIT: I tried to buy two get two half-off, but they restrict the half-off item to one per order. So to get multiples of the discount you need to make multiple orders (including multiple shipping costs). Also, PoP sets are listed and qualify, but they're out of stock. EDIT2: (2:21pm Paciific Time) And they're gone. Hopefully to you guys! Might be worth checking throughout the week.

Agreed. I missed out on the earlier modulars as I can't justify $360+ for MS or even CC (though I was tempted) but the GG is beautiful on its own. The missus and I finished building it together last night. Just an amazing set. I'm biased against the earlier modulars since I missed retail price, but it does seem to me that GG and newer are better overall than the first two.

Hi there folks, I bought the Green Grocer last week, and am so glad I did before it goes Out Of Print. (Have you seen the eBay prices for the Market Street or Cafe Corner?!) I didn't see any indication that the lovely GG would be gone soon except for a prophetic comment in some forum here, and I doubt it will go on sale before the LEGO warehouses run out. So my question is, what are the warning signs that a set is about to be unavailable? Are the life-cycles different for different categories of sets (exclusive, limited edition, etc.) or release season (summer, fall, holiday)? Does "Backorders accepted" on shop.lego.com indicate OOP status soon? What's been your experience in the past? Thanks in advance for the info!

Last night I noticed the same thing at the Downtown Disney LEGO store (Anaheim, CA). Surprising that they're both full price at S@H.

Thanks WhiteFang! I may have gotten started too soon, def....

Hi there folks, I'd love to improve at shooting LEGO for web. Might I join? I've got a decent collection and would be happy to contribute occasionally by shedding light on poor, lonely, unreviewed sets. Plus I'm browsing Eurobricks on a Friday night - that's got to show some passion, right?

Seems like a great idea for a sticky thread, to me.

Call me crazy, but I think "Desert Attack" with 57 parts, 3 figs and a horse... set in the desert... will end up being a different set than "Hassasin's Hideout" with 80 parts, 4 figs and an in-door weapons rack. (By the way, to my eye that's not a 2x2 jumper holding Hassasin's fire pit - that's an upside-down 2x2 tile.)

I just built this today - paid for partially as a birthday gift from my wife and part from my saved cash. I love it! I can't get enough of the dark blue, dark green, and wood brown. This is just begging me to MOC it into an improved 6080 King's Castle. Sometime take a very close look at the queen's dress. Beautiful pattern, metallic gold accents... it's simply stunning. One comment about the drawbridge lift mechanism: I initially thought TLG messed up the instructions, as when I turned the winch clockwise to raise the bridge I had to keep the technic lock lifted, and the bridge fell down too easily. I thought to move the lock to the other side, which fixed the problems. Then I went back to the instructions. There I saw the indication to turn the winch counter-clockwise, which wraps the chains under the beam, allowing one-handed winding and perfect locking. They were right all along. Now my only (minor) complaint is that the drawbridge is too light to fall down unassisted, after being raised all the way.

My answer to the OP is pretty much the sets that threw me bodily out of my recent pseudo-dark age (dim age? bley age?), namely: Medieval Market Village Brickbeard's Bounty Indy Temple Escape Power Miners Boulder Blaster Technics Mini Bulldozer And if I could justify $400 adult dollars on a set, I'd send back a Deathstar playset. Actually, I might keep that one for present-day me.

Man, some of these collections are inspirational! I did a full census of my LEGO collection recently, and just tonight took pictures of my storage solution. With a little over 20,000 pieces (210 sets), I prefer the bins 'n baggies method. It may just be jealousy talking, but I think tackle boxes or miniature drawers would be cumbersome, not to mention expensive. (But then I'm like Tommy Boy's girlfriend - I prefer to stack piles of file folders instead of putting 'em in filing cabinets.) I prefer under-bed bins, since they're convenient and shallow; I like to pop the top and see all my bags at once. I got these bins at an after-Christmas sale at Target for $4 each. Throw in a box each of gallon- and quart-sized Ziplocks, and here's a complete storage solution for $30. I keep all the ziplocks unsealed in the bins, ready for easy access. I mix all the colors together in each bag, as I find that my brain can quickly spot a desired color among others. I throw all types of a given length in together, for a similar reason. For example, I throw all my 2x6 bricks and plates, and 1x6 bricks and plates, of all colors, in one bag. It takes barely any time to find any required piece in that bag. For more info and a look inside each bin check out my gallery. If you're just starting out with organizing, I highly recommend buying a couple boxes of Ziplock (or generic brand) sealable bags. You can throw them in whatever boxes or bins you already have, and experiment with your sorting preferences. You may find that the bins & baggies method works just fine!

I had collected back in the 80s, or more accurately my folks formed my collection, with mostly City, and a good portion of Space and Castle. My landmark sets were the King's Castle, Public Works Center, and Mobile Rocket Transport. I was home-schooled for a bit, and this lovely bunch of educational Technic helped teach me some science: Well music performance took over most of my free time until after college, and I picked up a few sets here and there (Star Wars Technic, Mini Star Wars, Adventurers). But what really brought me back was when I stumbled upon this amazing set: I went nuts from there - nabbing most of the available Indiana Jones, Pirates, and Power Miners. And the future looks bright (and expensive) with Prince of Persia, Kingdoms. It's a great time to be a LEGO fan of any age! This is an awesome thread - what great stories! I love that there's so many different reasons, and such a variety of sets or themes that never really appealed to me (e.g. Bionicle) hooked fans back in. LEGO really appeals to many different tastes with it's different themes, and I'm glad for it.

I also recycle my boxes. There was a time when the box backs had photos of "official" alts - a hint at what kids could make with the set if they had more imagination than I did.... When I tossed those boxes I cut the alt photos out and kept 'em for inspiration. To this day I compare each box photo with those in the instructions, just in case.

Thanks for the comments folks, and for the recommendation Cyclone! Brickstore seems to be the current champ (though it doesn't yet have the popular vote). I'll give it a go.

Hey guys, I feel like we're perhaps talking about (at least) two different things. Here's my original survey invitation e-mail. It doesn't ask me to keep the survey contents a secret like LeggoMyMamma's. (When I clicked the link again just now, the survey had different, boring, questions for me.) The e-mail's language is geared towards adults, and the survey specifically states that it "should be taken by a parent / guardian / adult." My guess is that they're looking for my input as a S@H e-mail list member, not as a Kids Inner Circle member (which I'm not). I wish I had thought to capture the first few questions on the ECO survey. That could have cleared things up better than the above.

Does this include the ECO poll I shared? My thread was quickly Admin-removed with no explanation. I thought it was for parents; at the end it encouraged me to sign up my kid in some program. If such re-posting here of official TLG polls is taboo, sorry!

Hey everybody, I read in the "how much is your collection worth" thread that a few folks track their sets on Peeron. Are there any others? What do you think is the best site for this? How do you inventory or catalog your sets and parts? Excel spreadsheet? Paper napkins? Thanks! PS, if this is worth a poll please feel free to make it so, oh wonderous website wizards!