Large Creator sets

jack172

Hi All,

I bought myself the VW T1 Camper Van (10220) last night and I noticed that there is no separation between parts (My first Creator set in many years and my first large set)
I was wondering how everyone goes about managing the huge load of pieces for these large sets without having numbered bags as I only have a small space to build in and rather struggled to build it as all the pieces took up all my work space!

Thanks,

Jack :) 

akunthita

It is worth pre-sorting the parts into separate containers before you begin building. This is true with both bagged and non-bagged sets. This allows you to use less space, find pieces easily, and also stop building at any time without your building space looking like a mess. Plus it is less likely you will loose pieces.

I use small pre-sorting containers that came with this sorting and storage system (I have six of these systems and really like them): http://brickset.com/sets/5003564-1/Friends-Sorting-System. Other people just use cups, bowls, trays, or whatever they have. The most useful ones are shallow, stable, and stackable.

Spending a bit of time sorting before beginning to build significantly speeds up the building process.

jack172

Thanks so much! :) 

Jern92

Try the Tower Bridge. There are thousands of pieces and no proper way of separation at all

Paperballpark

^ When I built Tower Bridge, I used 15 trays for all the pieces. I didn't bother sorting them into 'types', I just rummaged. Great fun, and it only took me about 8 and a half hours :)

HaleAFOL

Sort all the pieces into colours and put the colours into boxes if you don't have enough boxes put similar colours together e.g. blacks and Grey's red and yellow etc 

ChiefCubby

I empty the bags on my work table and hunt for pieces as I need them. I've always thought of LEGO sets as a different form of puzzles. It's part of my ritual. 

MattsWhat

ChiefCubby said:

I empty the bags on my work table and hunt for pieces as I need them. I've always thought of LEGO sets as a different form of puzzles. It's part of my ritual. 

This.  Sorting them makes the build quicker but it takes time to do at the beginning so total time probably stays about the same, plus you have nothing to show for the first half an hour.  Unless I am very short of space I like to go for the heap technique - I think it does add a certain something to the process.  Its pretty annoying when you have searched the pile several times and it turns out the part is stuck in the corner of the bag though.  I check so many times now.

tecjam

MattsWhat said:

Its pretty annoying when you have searched the pile several times and it turns out the part is stuck in the corner of the bag though

Haha, that has happened to me before as well. That and single flat tiles sliding into bricks.

Most sets nowadays have a large number of numbered bags- my guess is they try to keep them around 150 - 200 pieces for a number. This does make the build a lot easier, but I can understand this is mainly for sets aimed at children.

The larger sets I have built without numbered bags (such as #10220 and #31036) have been more chaotic, but have a greater sense of satisfaction when finishing the build.

crazycarl

Do what we did in the late 80s and early 90s.  Dump all of the parts into a large bin and just build it!!!!  The search for parts is half the fun and about as good for your brain as a crossword puzzle!!!!

CCC

All over carpet is even better :-)

mr.piggles

Dump in a box lid (think box that contains reams of copy paper) and rummageee. Add liberal beers for even more fun frustrated rummaging. Easily packed away if the table needs to be stopped for something silly like eating.

Ma1234

I don't sort. LEGO never sorted pieces until around 1998, and even then only in a few sets. It was much better when LEGO didn't sort pieces, IMO. Much more fun. 

TigerMoth

Ma1234 said:

I don't sort. LEGO never sorted pieces until around 1998, and even then only in a few sets. It was much better when LEGO didn't sort pieces, IMO. Much more fun. 

There weren't many large sets before then either.

Jern92

Paperballpark said:

^ When I built Tower Bridge, I used 15 trays for all the pieces. I didn't bother sorting them into 'types', I just rummaged. Great fun, and it only took me about 8 and a half hours :)

I got lots of box lids and poured a couple of bags into each. Worked out pretty well

koshka

We use a mix of old Lego advent calendar inserts and takeaway boxes.

AustinPowers

CCC said:

All over carpet is even better :-)

+1 That is our preferred method as well. Just yesterday evening I built the Ecto 1, emptied all the bags over the carpet in front of me (it is quite a flat carpet), spread the parts out a bit and started building as always. Of course the Ecto 1 is quite a small model, but we use the same method for all our sets, from our daughter's Friends sets to my large Technic sets or modulars.

The only exception I can remember where we ever sorted the pieces first was with the Tower Bridge.

CCC

^ it's how I played as a kid and how I still play with my kids. Put a sheet on the floor and empty a few buckets worth on it. Crawl on it, sit in it, build in it. Of course, this is with their Lego. I am more organised when it comes to my mocs and storage of my parts.

Fauch

lego bricks catch enough dust as it is without even building on a carpet.

datsunrobbie

^ +1 for using a sheet on the floor. The majority of my Lego is unsorted, occupying several 20 gallon tubs. I dump a bunch on the sheet for either sorting or building, when it is time to clean up the sheet makes it easy. It also cuts down on the number of bricks that wind up getting stepped on or eaten by the vacuum cleaner.

prevere

I prefer to use the lids to small to mid-size storage containers (white coloring if possible helps).

You can organize by part themes (bricks, plates, slopes, tile, etc) and the parts are held hostage by the edges. Makes for a fast cleanup (while staying organized) if the wife comes in and yells, or if the neighbor kids come over and you can sense impending doom.

TheMaker37

I love sorting pieces....it helps my OCD tendencies, I use tuperware containers to hold the pieces and I separate them (usually) into six different categories regardless of color. 1x1 and misc. small pieces, 1x2 bricks and plates, plates over 1x2, bricks over 1x2, tiles and novelty pieces (windows, doors...etc.). On larger sets (Tower Bridge, Sea Cow) there is more sub-dividing. 95% of the time I can locate any brick in less than 10 seconds. 

Fauch

does everyone here have an OCD?

MattsWhat

^I have CDO, it's basically the same, but importantly it's in the right order.