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At what point did you realize you had to get selective?
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Instead, I picked a few themes that interested me (Classic Space, Creator Expert, Minecraft, Ninjago, City, Ideas, LoTR / TH, The LEGO Movie) and concentrated on buying the sets from those themes that I really wanted.
Of course, things haven't worked perfectly and I have definitely bought a few sets that I probably shouldn't have done, but nothing too silly.
In future, I think that I am going to slow down somewhat more and concentrate on getting the really great sets being released each year, especially as the number of extremely large Creator Expert, Ideas and D2C sets that I really want seems to be increasing!
Space is, of course, a large issue, as for most people, and I have no idea how I am going to fit next year's modular building into my limited-table-space city street, quite apart from the new Carousel and that Ninjago Movie City!
The crunch point came for me when I realised that the joy of building was partly because Lego had evolved into the incredible offer that it is today - that although there was merit in finding some of the sets that I'd wanted and missed as a kid, those older sets (and even the sets aimed at today's kids) were not as enjoyable to build as the AFOL sets.
So then, I focused solely on modulars and major sets (Tower Bridge, Sydney Opera House) etc. I also buy lots of bricks to make my own creations with, but now that I've got a smattering of things from various lines (enough City to make a city, enough Trains to enjoy the engines, enough creatures to explore building techniques), I've realised that I do not need to own every iteration that comes along.
As much as I love Lego, I found stepping back from the online communities helped as well. I was being too drawn into buying things for the sake of buying them, because everyone else was hunting for bargains, or recommending things. It's not that other fans don't have great ideas and opinions (they really do, the AFOL community - particularly here - is great)...but I was losing sight of what *I* wanted to build, versus what I felt everyone else was suggesting I should build.
Then there was that moment when I realized I had $400 of unopened sets because I wasn't ready to sort out the pieces and didn't immediately need them. No need to buy many more sets if I still haven't opened these.
They call me el Sumo Bandito.
Magic Gnomes.
the issue here is money,not space. buying everything i would want would cost way to much and i do not even want that many sets,Only the awesome ones many of which are expensive.
It is easier to buy everything in a theme, but even so, I find that it is best to buy the ones you like. Wait for the next wave and buy the best of it, and so on -- it's like the floodgates are opened and there is no end to good sets. You just need to be patient.
For me, I set aside a fixed (more or less) budget and see what I want to buy with it. The problem this year is that it is not even for just the few big sets! So, a few big sets or many more smaller sets...
Now I buy sets if they are amazing or if they have really interesting parts. Sometimes I still buy a whole theme (Scooby-Doo), but now we as a family focus more on quality of the build as a whole.
My next hurdle is considering selling some of the sets we no longer seek to display or use...not sure if we are there yet, though.
I try very hard not to be a completionist, I've been trying to get older CMF's that I or my son likes but not all of them. I don't ususally buy them, only trading.
The sets that got retired that I missed, I just missed. When I started it was the tail end of the LOTR/Hobbit line and I managed to buy most of them at not too crazy prices. Plus I got some of the older Ninjago sets for my son plus a modular.
But the other modulars, the older SW sets, if I can find it at RRP or just over I'll pick it up, but I'm staying away from spending 2xRRP. Recently thinned out my wishlist, there are still lots of older sets I'd love to get, but until Lego takes a gap-year and doesn't produce anything, there is no chance in hell they'll fit in my budget.
I do collect from a lot of themes though, especially since I count 'my collection' as the ones my son gets too, so, half the SW is his, half mine. he can have all the nexo knights though ;)
So.....everyone seems to be paring down these days and limiting their purchases. Perhaps I should buy buy buy?
or perhaps that logic is off.
(And now I have the added expense of numerous cross-country plane tickets leaving less for LEGO purchases.)
I don't want this to get out of control, Lego makes way too many products to get them all, unless you're wealthy with unlimited space which I'm not. So basically when I go online or down the Lego isle I am trying my best to do so with blinders on.
I'm to the point now where I have to start breaking down and storing some sets to clear display space, and that makes me a little sad.
I kind of feel like I want to buy the Kwik e Mart to complete the Simpsons double, but as I stored the house away without even opening it I doubt I will, dropping £200 here and there isn't sustainable.
A great modular though, that will also draw me in!
I'd attribute most of it to the shear number of sets produced these days. Take TLBM for instance. When the first Lego Movie sets came out, you might find a Walmart with five, even 10, of some of the smaller sets on shelves. With TLBM, you might have seen 30-40, even 50+. I live in a relatively large metropolitan area, so there are a great number of Walmarts and Targets in my area. Some of the Walmarts had 50 of the TLBM sets that were $30 or under. Just too much stock. I went by one the other day that had the Catwoman set on clearance for $13 I think. There were at least 30 of them. Similar with Star Wars buildable figures. They're getting way too much stock these days, so bigger clearances I suppose.
That and the shear number of different sets in some themes. Use TLBM as an example again. There are a lot of sets in that theme. Too many for the casual LEGO fan or child to collect. They have to make choices, so...again...plenty of stock still on shelves months later.
I did my calculation earlier today. From Walmart, since July 1, my total discount is 64%. Granted that includes lower priced items like buildable figures and battle packs, but it also includes multiple $119.99 sets marked down to $40 or even $30.
And then...
For me the Large Scale Vehicles from Creator Expert were a collection I'd build every birthday. Them being released a day before my birthday was just an excuse to pick up the latest D2C at a very low price.
Over the years I've over looked them and I've decided I honestly never liked them. Mike Psiaki done a fantastic job designing these two models, I'm a fan of the top views but unlike the other three they lack something the other ones have. That's just my opinion though.
I'm going to change my perception of future purchases, the set has to be be something I'd happily hold onto as long I'm around. That still might not stop me from a couple of impulse purchases for Minifigures and such, but I won't make make them a habit much like I've pretty much cut down on retail sets.
That's what triggered it for me. Some of those sets were ridiculous and Lego should be embarrassed they ever put out such crap products.
I've always focused on City/Town, but I buy other themes if I see a way to incorporate them into my city. I realized very early that without a trust fund or large lottery win, there would be zero chance to get everything that caught my eye.
The focus of my collection started in 2015 with DC Superhero sets (which was reasonable as they didn't make as many), but after building mostly everything they ever released since 2012 I came to the conclusion that the figs were great, but the sets were okay at best (there are of course exceptions). The fulfill my needs I bought Marvel sets but ultimately they had the same problems. So I decided to part them all out and display the figs.
After that I started with SW OT sets and the new trilogy. I have most of the retail and UCS sets for that theme, but there is always one thing that bugged me and that is the price compared to City/Ninjago/Nexo/etc sets. I understand why they are more expensive, but most of the times the sets aren't even that great. For whatever reason I keep on buying these sets and while they look good in display together, I'm really conflicted lately.
Next year I'll be moving out which means making a budget for my Lego addiction (I don't have one now :D) which means buying less sets. If I collect SW sets that would probably mean 1-2 per month, but seeing the price hikes, for SW sets in particular, that would probably be 1. While other good themes (IMO) like Ninjago also get good sets and look great together are more affordable and don't get many 'expensive' sets like the UCS and/or standard €130+ set in a wave. There aren't many discounts or sales here in the Netherlands so it's not like I would just wait 9 months and get 75% discount on older sets.
What I'm trying to say is: do I keep on collecting SW sets and accept the fact that I'm not able to buy everything I like or do I switch to another theme(s) where I can buy more?
How do you guys do it? I've read this thread, but it's mostly about what you made you selective and I would like to know how you feel about it, if your mindset works for you and how it makes you feel when you can't buy sets you would like to buy.
I'm sorry if this all sounds fuzzy, but knowing I have to get selective makes me sad :p
If you collect Star Wars mainly out of love for that world, the characters and the aesthetic of the ships, then I'm guessing you're going to keep them on display, maybe play with them a bit, and therefore it's going to be about what looks cool and reminds you of your love for Star Wars the most. Could be that you're most into the OT and therefore the present time is a good moment to scale it back to getting one set a month at most, particularly if moving means you may have less display room.
But if building is half the fun for you, then I think it could really be worth your while switching to something like Ninjago - I don't have experience of the theme myself (yet!) but if other AFOLs report great builds (and some of the ones reviewed here in the past year or so look really fun) then it couldn't hurt to direct your newly minted Lego budget at that theme for a couple of months and see how it works out. Hang onto the packaging, and if you find Ninjago's not doing it for you, you can always sell them.
If you're mainly focused on fun builds and/or MOCing, then the world's your oyster, and again, Ninjago seems like it could be a good theme to move to, because the sets often seem to have really interesting parts that could cover a multitude of building ideas. And for both parts (since the mention of SW and Ninjago suggests space and fantasy interest you) and fun builds, I'd recommend Nexo Knights (this part of my post will surprise no-one).
I started out as a pirate collector, then moved on to castle and fantasy themes, then to LOTR sets. My next natural progression was into CITY type themes (modulars) and what not. So that's what I'm always looking for, sets that I can fit into either a pirate/fantasy world or a City. If it doesn't fit that umbrella, it's a pass for me.
Here is MY current layout BTW
I struggle to tame this tendency of mine often, but ironically, Lego has really helped me in the past two years by putting out so many high quality sets.
I just buy the ones that I *really* like -- and can withstand the test of time (IMO) -- and wait for next year's high quality sets.
By pruning my wanted list aggressively, I've gotten multiple copies (usually two) to beef up some sets. Many of them really need two to look good.
Lego is great and I love it, but (don't demonize me) for me there is more or there and more important things to put money towards. Nothing wrong with buying that really cool set though ;-) I've spent my fair share on completing my super heroes line of mf
I had a reasonably well paid job at the time, but our house was fairly small so it was almost immediately space (area) that was my/our concern. I think for my Wife, it was when the first selection of Lego Batman sets arrived in 2006, and that forced me to re-evaluate what I was buying. Initially I restricted to only the Star Wars sets I liked but my own moc building has always been very important to me and most often I want a set for parts, so I found myself sourcing parts from Bricklink a lot more in an attempt to own the rarer pieces from most of the sets I wanted, but that is a more expensive method.
Now I buy sets I like, irrespective of theme and still do the odd Bricklink order. I guess I'm constantly reassessing my collecting habits, the economics and the space devoted.
Then there is the Halloween (Scooby Doo fits well here too) and Christmas stuff. Let's just say I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed at this point.
In the many years of collecting... I have witnessed many things about AFOLs.... several have ended in divorce due to the collectors bug... others have circumvented the disapproving spouse with LEGO shipped to their work locations (or friends house)... and everything between.
With the large scale of the LEGO models, and the larger and larger models available for the adult market... I think that many collectors will be curtailing their buying instincts in the future, to possibly more selective purchases (Bricklink parts, Ebay, etc)... and fewer sets. Unless you have a basement that you can dedicate to LEGO, or above the garage, or (as is more common in Europe) you build out your attic space... there comes a saturation point where you really can't buy much more.
I sometimes wonder if there are enough new collectors, or those coming out of their dark ages, to sustain the rapid number of sets produced each year. DaveE produced a bar chart showing that the number of LEGO items has grown exponentially to 800 or more LEGO items in 2017, I wonder if a LEGO bubble isn't gong to happen any time soon. This would affect the resellers and investors first, and probably make many collectors happy to see a reduction in the price exuberance of the cosst of secondary market LEGO sets (as well as new sets.
Only time will tell. But space storage/building problems could be an early sign of trouble on the LEGO horizon for adult collectors.