One-Time Sorting of LEGO Firehouse Headquarters (75827) Pieces Prior to Assembly

MasterPacker

I have the challenge of building the LEGO Firehouse Headquarters (75827); I have the manual and all 4634 pieces in a single (really large!) Ziplock bag (i.e. the pieces are not divided into bags 1 through 14).  Any thoughts on: (a) how to sort the various pieces to simplify the build; (b) ideas for inexpensive containers to hold the sorted pieces for this one-time project; and (c) any other thoughts?  I'm looking forward to this and I consider myself an AFOL of average experience - I recently completed the Apocalypseburg! (70840) build.  Thanks.     

Huw

I wouldn't go overboard with sorting. I suggest 6 piles: 

Bricks/slopes
Plates
Tiles
Minifig bits
Small pieces
Large pieces

Don't sort by colour! :)

560Heliport

I'd add, sort out small black pieces; they can hide in shadows of other pieces and be hard to find.

prevere

If you have your own collection, sorted, consider sending about a minute or two max per common part you're hunting for. If you cant find it, just grab from your collection. 

Brainslugged

I miss the days of un-numbered bags where building a huge set meant you started with thousands of pieces laid out in front if you. I believe the last set I built like this was the Creator Expert VW Camper Van as I didn't get that till it had been out for years and all other sets had switched to numbered bags by then.

I'd love to still build that way, but the checks and balances of knowing you have/haven't made any mistakes after finishing each numbered bag is just too helpful.

caterham7

I’m thinking about emptying out #75192 into a big pile and building it that way (yes, I know I’ve had it since the Leicester Square release night but life has just been too busy since then!)

https://www.stuffel.co.uk/ might be useful but expensive if only a one off build

Brainslugged

caterham7 said:

I’m thinking about emptying out #75192 into a big pile and building it that way (yes, I know I’ve had it since the Leicester Square release night but life has just been too busy.

I'm in exactly the same boat. Timed a flight home so I could get to a store for 5am on release day. And I've still not built it. I'd also love to really embrace the build experience and have all 7,500 pieces sorted in front of me before starting, although I think I would die from OCD if I finished and still had parts left over.

oldtodd33

I haven't built my #75192 either. I was at the store at 5:20 AM just to get in line and spent the next 4 hours trying to buy one online incase they ran out at the store. I got one in store as I was eighth in line. 

Paperballpark

For sorting trays, go along to your nearest cheap store/dollar store and look for shallow food containers. I use large foil trays (about 12inch x 8inch) for large bags and smaller plastic 'curry containers' (ditching the lids) for smaller bags.

Huw

If you want the 'Rolls Royce' of sorting trays then take a look at these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rotho-Basic-Storage-Organizing-System/dp/B000MWTJQ2

They are about 5cm deep, and clip together. They are made in 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 2x3 (as linked) and 2x5 sizes.

I have a couple of dozen. They last forever!

Salamalex

I always tip the bags of any set I build into a big pile, then do a general sort of plate, brick, medium sized and smaller elements. I like a challenge and the feeling I have got the best value in terms of time taken to build versus money spent. At some point during most builds I regret this decision 🥴but always return to it.

datsunrobbie

Most of my Lego comes from Savers, so I don't get a lot of new sets. I sort along the same lines as Huw's first post, but with separate piles for bricks and slopes and one more pile for round pieces. Lacking a proper desk for building, I usually spread everything out on the floor on a white bed sheet for visibility.

Speedman29

Huw said:

If you want the 'Rolls Royce' of sorting trays then take a look at these:

If you want the Dacia Duster of sorting trays and have one of LEGO advent calendars, just use the card tray that the sets come inside. I've used them several times and they seem to hold the majority of small parts. Then I use a tray or some take away tubs for bigger pieces.

Paperballpark

Huw said:

If you want the 'Rolls Royce' of sorting trays then take a look at these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rotho-Basic-Storage-Organizing-System/dp/B000MWTJQ2

They are about 5cm deep, and clip together. They are made in 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 2x3 (as linked) and 2x5 sizes.

I have a couple of dozen. They last forever!

Or you can buy a normal cutlery tray for about £1 from your local discount store! ;)

Brainslugged

I had a big sorting session a few months ago. The more common colours like greys and blacks had to go in big tubs, but the rest of the colours went in PAB cups and the tiny Really Useful Storage boxes that come in a 4x4 rack. Picked up loads of those as they're massively discounted on Amazon from time to time. It's nice sticking lids on everything to transport it away from where I've been sorting. Normally to put it all back in the loft.

CCC

That is a lot of PAB cups. I must have bought at least 50 cups over the years but I only have four cups. I reuse them and save money for more LEGO.

Oldfan

CCC said:

That is a lot of PAB cups. I must have bought at least 50 cups over the years but I only have four cups. I reuse them and save money for more LEGO.

Do you get a discount if you reuse PAB cups at the Lego stores?  I never knew that...but then again I've only ever bought two of them...

CCC

Oldfan said:

CCC said:

That is a lot of PAB cups. I must have bought at least 50 cups over the years but I only have four cups. I reuse them and save money for more LEGO.

Do you get a discount if you reuse PAB cups at the Lego stores?  I never knew that...but then again I've only ever bought two of them...

Yeah, 75p in the UK for big ones, 50p on smaller if you leave stickers on to prove it has been used before. I think in the US it was 50c and 25c although I cannot really remember. I even reused a US one in the UK and they were fine with the US stickers.

560Heliport

You're correct on the US discounts. I've never reused one, though: I keep them for storage, plus I don't want to carry one around the Mall of America.

Brainslugged

CCC said:

That is a lot of PAB cups. I must have bought at least 50 cups over the years but I only have four cups. I reuse them and save money for more LEGO.

I do try to re-use, but on the odd occasion that I remember to bring a couple of cups with me, and endure the hassle of walking around with them, I end up not getting anything from the PAB wall.

As an aside... I really wish there was a way the lids could stack so two (or more) cups plus lids would all just stick together in a single stack.

Cymbeline

We used to get 25c off at my local LEGO store if you brought the cup back to refill but this was discontinued. They also won't accept cups back for recycling. 

MrShinyAndNew

Firehouse headquarters contains very large numbers of some bricks, like 1x1 and 2x1 grey tiles, 1x4 and 1x6 dark red bricks, 1x1 and 2x1 grey bricks with studs on the sides, etc.

I'd strongly suggest pre-sorting the bricks by colour, and for the bricks with > 50 qty, sorting those separately. It's a huge set, so there's lots to search through if you're needing something specific. Check the inventory for the set on your favourite lego inventory site to spot parts you should plan to separate out. When I shredded my firehouse I was surprised at how much light grey there was. The more you sort ahead of time the faster the build will go.