How do I know if I can build something?

M11k4

So I was looking at the Backhoe Loader (8069) in a store and started wondering if I already had the pieces to build it. I looked up the instructions online, and I think there's at least some stuff (4562009 and 4612100 for those interested) that I don't have. (The newest relevant stuff I have is 8294 and 8265.) Now it took a while to go through, and the method mainly relied on me remembering what I had in my collection, so I was wondering if there was any easier way of doing this? After all, I might be missing a few copies of even a common part and not realize it until actually preparing to build the thing. In addition, how do I figure out which sets contain a given part? Ideally, I'd like to ask the computer if my collection (at Brickset) contains the needed parts to build a given set, or even show me the parts I'm missing. Of course this might require quite a bit of programming, so what's the next best thing? I thought I'd ask once I saw how impressively adept some of you are in identifying random parts from just a picture. :-)

Thanks in advance!

-Miika

Matthew

This discussion should be able to help you
http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/1568/great-website-for-making-other-sets-from-the-sets-you-have/p1

Matthew

M11k4

Ok, thanks! It seems I'm missing less than 10% of that Backhow Loader, the crucial parts being the ones I already identified and four copies of 4610371 (=87761). I did find many other sets I'm now eager to try to build, so that's going to keep me busy for some time!

But what's the easiest method to find which sets a given brick comes from?

-Miika

andhe

Try bricklink.com

You can search by set and it tells you contents. Or you can search by piece and see what set it comes from. Amongst many other things.

M11k4

Thanks! Now I see it. Did look there before, but didn't see where exactly it was listed. Now I found the catalog :-) It seems one of the parts I was looking for only comes in the set I wanted to build. I guess I'll have to buy it myself, if I don't want to wait around for some new set to also include the missing parts :-)

-Miika