How do you collect?

boad

Does anyone break up sets to use the parts elsewhere? I've always been of the thinking that a set is a set and should remain so, but am thinking that one day I'm going to need a lot of different parts for some build ideas that I have.

This is more a question on how everyone else likes to collect. Do people purely collect sets or parts?

ClutchPower

I like to still keep the sets that I like, but tend to slowly use the parts from the others. For example, some of the older themes, I tend to start dismantling them for the pieces. But if there is a special set that has that one piece that I like, then I try to replace it with another similar looking one.

LEGO_Dad77

I only buy sets that I WANT to build and have, you know? But sometimes the sets include a smaller companion build that I don't really care for, and because space is an issue, I don't mind disassembling it after a few days and adding it to one of the many buckets! :D

AllBrick

Two threads for you to peruse...... http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/22975/collecting-certain-parts-only/p1 and .... I cant find the second. It's a thread asking if people buy sets just for parts or to build.

boad

AllBrick said:

Two threads for you to peruse...... http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/22975/collecting-certain-parts-only/p1 and .... I cant find the second. It's a thread asking if people buy sets just for parts or to build.

Thanks mate!

datsunrobbie

I collect mostly used LEGO found at local thrift shops, or new sets at deep discounts. It is always an adventure, since there is really no way to predict what may show up at the thrift shop. Instead of parting out sets, I have a couple hundred possibly incomplete sets jumbled together to be sorted, because they are typically in bulk bags at the thrift shop. Sets that get built either get displayed or packed away in a bag. I finally have several akro-mils drawers on order so I can get some real sorting done.

Oldfan

I'm more of a "pure" set collector:  I buy the sets and keep them separated as sets, even after I take them down from display.  That's the adult me; the child me constantly created new models using the parts from all my sets.

boad

Oldfan said:

I'm more of a "pure" set collector:  I buy the sets and keep them separated as sets, even after I take them down from display.  That's the adult me; the child me constantly created new models using the parts from all my sets.

This is me lol. Though in some respects I am regretting breaking up a an old Viking ship I had as a kid as I really want a completed set of that now! No way am I sifting through a few thousand parts to put it back together!

JudgeChuck

I tend to keep sets together, even when dismantled, but have separate sets of storage boxes for each theme, so for some themes (Minecraft & The Hobbit / LOTR) I have sorted the part types out into separate sections, as they have a lot more common parts than other themes that I have.

catwrangler

I daresay I answered in one of the other threads that ultimately things get broken up and returned to the great hoard of bricks, but having said that, sometimes I'll keep things together - I'm in the process of collecting Nexo Knights and I want to put them on display (and, let's be honest, play with them) when I clear some space, so the finished models are boxed up together right now, and I know I'll end up dissassembling them and storing the parts separate from the hoard for a while so I can experiment with NK-style MOCs. Maybe a really, REALLY big mech, for instance...

Looking back, I used to do this quite a bit in my late teens; I came across a Rock Raiders cache at my mum's recently, and my Space Port stuff all stayed together until this year...

AllBrick

datsunrobbie said:

I collect mostly used LEGO found at local thrift shops, or new sets at deep discounts. It is always an adventure, since there is really no way to predict what may show up at the thrift shop. Instead of parting out sets, I have a couple hundred possibly incomplete sets jumbled together to be sorted, because they are typically in bulk bags at the thrift shop. Sets that get built either get displayed or packed away in a bag. I finally have several akro-mils drawers on order so I can get some real sorting done.

Sounds very much like me, without the AM storage... I also like collecting single parts in many colours and my storage consists of old Lego tubs, plastic boxes, plastic PB jars, grip seal bags, old Bionicle tubs and anything with a lid generally.... I will rebuild ALL of the sets that are in bits (which happens to be everything right now) eventually and try to rebuild stuff I have bought in large lots, I know I have a POC ship, Viking ship, chopper and limo etc etc..... Problem is, I buy more than I sort so a lot of stuff is semi sorted..... Stupid lovely Lego.

JudgeChuck

AllBrick said:

my storage consists of old Lego tubs, plastic boxes, plastic PB jars, grip seal bags, old Bionicle tubs and anything with a lid generally....

That would drive me absolutely crazy! ;-)

I need to have everything neatly stored in matching containers... The only thing that I use for storage that is in any way different is the PAB cup that I use for keeping Brick Separators in... :-)

AllBrick

JudgeChuck said:

AllBrick said:

my storage consists of old Lego tubs, plastic boxes, plastic PB jars, grip seal bags, old Bionicle tubs and anything with a lid generally....

That would drive me absolutely crazy! ;-)

Funny you should say that...

piratemania7

I think this is one of the subjects that brings out the worse OCD in me.  I want to keep a set as a set as it is supposed to be, right down to the minifigures and their accessories.  But there are times when I am working to display a set I really love and want to "harvest" certain pieces from other sets to make this set stand out that much more.  Its a slippery slope at that point one which I hesitate to go down.

Then there is the question of what gets displayed and what gets broken down? When broken down how do you sort and store?  Plus, there are always loose pieces and small sets that tend to wind up in a baggie just thrown in a drawer and that annoys me - thats when I just want to take it all and throw into one large bulk bin! 

Ahhhhhh the madness!

JudgeChuck

I know that it won't work for most people, but you can see how my collection is sorted here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/albums/72157671369830366

All are sorted by theme and then some themes have their sets stored individually (Creator, Ideas, City, Winter Village), while others are sorted by brick type (Minecraft, Nexo Knights, Classic Space) and other still are a hybrid (Ninjago, The Hobbit, LOTR).

Things have moved on, as I have moved all the instruction manuals out of the containers into proper document storage files, leaving more space for additional sets in bags.

tallblocktoo

@JudgeChuck what type of containers are you using there?  More specifically what brand?

Oldfan

As we're talking about storage solutions as well as how to collect and store, here is my favorite thread on the subject...still highly relevant after all this time.

http://news.lugnet.com/storage/?n=707

TheMaker37

All the sets that I am sure that I will re-build get broken down into individual ziplock bags with set name and # written on the outside.

The other sets along with my extra pieces bought from lots are an ongoing project. At one point I had all spare pieces sorted and entered into Rebrickable database (approx. 15000pcs)
Now after purchasing a large lot (at least double my original stash) I am in the process of buying storage bins as bags don't seem appropriate with this number of pieces.

I have considered opening a BL store but it seems a bit to tedious for me and I am technically challenged when it comes to computer programs. I have considered selling a bulk lot as the new pieces I have came to me practically for free since said lot has already paid itself off by selling the full sets I didn't want, but something in me tells me I will regret it......oh well, I may be stuck with them.

AllBrick

TheMaker37 said:

I have considered opening a BL store but it seems a bit to tedious for me ......oh well, I may be stuck with them.

Another parallel, or two.

JudgeChuck

tallblocktoo said:

@JudgeChuck what type of containers are you using there?  More specifically what brand?

They are Wham 5.02, 5.03 and 5.04 storage boxes that I buy in Homebase in the UK, but they seem to be hard to come by now. I may need to get them direct from the distributer:

http://www.plasticboxshop.co.uk/home-storage-c1/bedroom-and-bathroom-organisation-c16/jewellery-storage-boxes-c38/38cm-5-02-hobby-craft-bits-and-bobs-18-compartment-organiser-plastic-box-p320

http://www.plasticboxshop.co.uk/craft-storage-boxes-c4/compartment-boxes-c37/38cm-5-03-hobby-craft-bits-and-bobs-5-compartment-organiser-plastic-box-p322

http://www.plasticboxshop.co.uk/craft-storage-boxes-c4/compartment-boxes-c37/38cm-5-04-01-hobby-craft-bits-and-bobs-19-compartment-organiser-box-1-p375

They make a huge variety of storage containers, but these specific ones are a good size and stack well.

piratemania7

You know, last night, I was bending over to pick up a piece and what did I notice under the bed amidst all the dust bunnies?  A pretty big spider!  Needless to say I took care of it and will be doing some major cleaning in that room...

SprinkleOtter

piratemania7 said:

You know, last night, I was bending over to pick up a piece and what did I notice under the bed amidst all the dust bunnies?  A pretty big spider!  Needless to say I took care of it and will be doing some major cleaning in that room...

Yeah, spiders in with LEGO sucks. I once had a spider, with a webbed up smaller spider, hanging out over a dwarf spider droid...

kbenjes

I buy all modulars and holiday sets, and generally keep those built and displayed, or stored away during off-seasons.

I will buy a few other sets throughout the year, usually only when discounted.

I love to buy bulk lots, especially at a good price. I just love sorting more than anything at this point, and it gives me great ideas for MOCs.

Briking

Just realised today that I don't like all my broken sets, so #9468 was made to contribute a staircase to my modular Deli Corner.

I keep Modulars, WV, Ideas and the big Creator Cars.  After that it is on a set by set basis.

Bosstone100

Modulars, Super Heroes, creator animals and some houses that look good, some Ideas sets, CMFs (which I may be quitting on soon). Thankfully, Lego has pretty much abandoned the space theme. Gonna start selling off my dupe modulars, etc. Have way too  much in storage and nowhere to put it.

josekalel

I think I can be called a 'purist', but lately getting into the modulars, I kinda 'broke free' from the idea that each set is its own and cannot 'donate' parts to anything else. It's a difficult thing, but once you look at the 'big picture', you realize your OCD can be pushed away.

Jezzatheshed

Takes a bit of doing to break from the OCD of never breaking up a set but when you do the rewards can be great! This was my first moc using a full set as a jump off point and parts from other sets scavenged from job lots. 
My current build is involving the Lone Ranger "constitution" locomotive which lego produced in the wrong colour, its green cladding has been removed and replaced in dark grey, the green has gone into a moc of "Jupiter" the other loco in the film. First time I threw a new box in the recycling too!

Redbullgivesuwind

I collect one brick at a time. One a month each month. Soon I will have enough to build the UCS Star destroyer. It's only taken five years. 

MaffyD

^ You japester @Redbullgivesuwind - and not just on this thread either! ;-)

xwingpilot

Redbullgivesuwind said:

I collect one brick at a time. One a month each month. Soon I will have enough to build the UCS Star destroyer. It's only taken five years. 

At that rate you'd only have two thirds of the parts required for the Microfighter Star Destroyer!

AllBrick

Redbullgivesuwind said:

I collect one brick at a time. One a month each month. Soon I will have enough to build the UCS Star destroyer. It's only taken five years. 

Errrm, not quite sure how to tell you this without causing upset. There are 3096 parts, at one brick a month it will take you 258 years. Fine, if you're a vampire.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, good luck though, we're all counting on you.

TheMaker37

Redbullgivesuwind said:

I collect one brick at a time. One a month each month. Soon I will have enough to build the UCS Star destroyer. It's only taken five years. 

My goodness, you must have paid millions in shipping fees?

Recce

For me it's a mixture of both. 

Most of my sets when built will stay built, and kept on display shelves or storage boxes without dismantling.

There are also many small and medium sets which I bought at clearance that are intended to be parted out for my MOCs so they will not have any chance of being built at all. 

AllBrick

@Recce - You are also a parts collector extraordinaire.

Recce

AllBrick said:

@Recce - You are also a parts collector extraordinaire.

Most of the parts are from my sets, I just dig them out for some photo shoots :) 

AllBrick

@Recce - If you're anything like me, you've started purchasing sets with certain parts being a factor.  

TigerMoth

AllBrick said:

Errrm, not quite sure how to tell you this without causing upset. There are 3096 parts, at one brick a month it will take you 258 years. Fine, if you're a vampire.

Shhh! He was trying to keep it secret.

Redbullgivesuwind

@AllBrick damn it - how did you guess?

Recce

AllBrick said:

@Recce - If you're anything like me, you've started purchasing sets with certain parts being a factor.  

I did get the Friends Party Train just for the bicycle. 

Though moving forward I'd still make purchases based on like/dislike of the set as a whole. 

Bumblepants

I have bought sets on deep discount just for parts like the #70014 Croc Swamp Hideout. Loads of great parts in the colors I covet most.

brumey

i just dont get the point in accumulating certain sets just for some parts.

isnt bricklinking certain parts a cheaper option?

datsunrobbie

Bricklink certainly could be cheaper for buying specific parts, but sometimes the discounts are big enough to make it worth buying whole sets just to part them out. I bought several #31037 sets on clearance for under $3 each. I've bought a lot of used games with 32x32 baseplates for $5 or less. 

catwrangler

The right discount would definitely swing me on a nice set that wasn't on my priority list, just for the parts - say there's some cool canopies in there I don't have which would be good for spaceships, but also a bunch of black bricks which will always come in handy for castle/space/all sorts of other purposes. I'd still build it first, because I never turn a build down, but the long-term value would be in all the stuff I could do with the parts. I guess what I'm saying is that while it's true I can Bricklink things individually, if a set's cheap enough then getting to build it as a set is a bonus...

datsunrobbie

^That was an unexpected bonus for me on the bargain sets. After several days of sorting through tubs of bulk parts, it is really nice to pull out one of those bargain sets and build it without having to search for parts.

kbenjes

Buying a discount set for parts also allows you to build the set, learn about some new building technique or color combination, and then use it for parts.

piratemania7

Don't forget with this, if you buy a certain set on discount for the parts, you can always take the parts you want and sell off the rest of the parts/set.  Sometimes it can pay for all, but usually some of the parts that you end up keeping.

boad

Recce said:

For me it's a mixture of both. 

Most of my sets when built will stay built, and kept on display shelves or storage boxes without dismantling.

There are also many small and medium sets which I bought at clearance that are intended to be parted out for my MOCs so they will not have any chance of being built at all. 

I see the logic in this approach

boad

catwrangler said:

The right discount would definitely swing me on a nice set that wasn't on my priority list, just for the parts - say there's some cool canopies in there I don't have which would be good for spaceships, but also a bunch of black bricks which will always come in handy for castle/space/all sorts of other purposes. I'd still build it first, because I never turn a build down, but the long-term value would be in all the stuff I could do with the parts. I guess what I'm saying is that while it's true I can Bricklink things individually, if a set's cheap enough then getting to build it as a set is a bonus...

After an evening playing with the Rockefellar centre, I determined that the set was not so great to build the intended structure but was fantastic for parts.

piratemania7

I just don't like disassembling a set. Period. It's often too cumbersome and I dont like the process.  I'll do it if I have too but these days I've been more inclined to leave be once built.