This is Saarland calling. Is there anyone from Germany here at all?

Schwallex

Yeah yeah, I've seen the traffic stats. And yet, looking through the "Introduce yourself" category in particular, or the forum in general, there are way more people from Belgium here, or from some tiny place in England, than from all of Germany combined. In fact, the more I stick around, the more I'm convinced — or should I say: horrified — that the LEGO Store in Saarbrücken opened just because of me and me alone.

Anyway, in the spirit of pretending to be on-topic: I came out of my Dark Ages in 2009, when my wife got me the 4995 Cargo Copter as a birthday present. Which was my first LEGO set ever, so I guess technically "Dark Ages" is a misnomer. I did see the light, though. That much's for sure.

Right now I'm at 300+ sets and counting, or 170k parts plus change. Very scientific about it all, trying to collect as many different parts in as many different colors as humanly possible while steering clear of the parts I already have in abundance. So after just four years, I'm in the comfortable position that whenever I check out a new set or MOC on Rebrickable, I am pretty much guaranteed to already have 90%+ of the parts. And if we are honest, I don't really have to buy sets anymore. Of course I still do.

I do MOC occasionally, and even have a CUUSOO project up and running, but for the most part I just build official sets, and then improve on them to my heart's content, sometimes for months on end for just one tiny set. That is not an exaggeration.

I also CAD a lot and put unhealthy amounts of time in my own building instructions.

We have since moved into a much bigger apartment, but I'm already out of space again, so I typically don't have more than 30 models on display at any given point. And I have no idea where I'll be putting the Sydney Opera House. But at least I am happy to report that my loose parts occupy no more than 1½ Billy bookcases. I'm quite efficient on that front. Very persnickety, too. No sunlight allowed, direct or otherwise.

Well, that should be about enough, especially seeing how I've been on Brickset forever — or, for that matter, on pretty much every single ever-so-slightly-LEGO-related site in existence —, so you've probably bumped into me by now.

Which brings me right back to my original question.

Hallo Saarbrücker! Jemand hier? Ich nehme auch Pfälzer, wenn es sein muß. :P

P.S.: I am originally from Russia, but I have long given up the hope of finding a single AFOL there, alas.

masterX244

ping from near Stuttgart

Legopants

30 km NE of Stuttgart.