Do you like LEGO gear / accessories?

Brickfan50

Thought this deserves it's own topic.

TLG is producing a lot of stuff that's not meant to build something but to enrich (well, hopefully) your life in other ways. On Bricklink they are known as gear, I believe Brickset has no special category for it.

I'm very fond of those products and no visit to a LEGO store goes without looking for new items in this category. Below are my favourite notebook (outside & inside) and a school supply set (#5005969). Wish I had those when I was a kid! Luckily the kid in me is still alive :-)

Do you like 'gear' items slash accessories? And what is your favourite?

lowlead

Here & there, yes & no....

The LEGO blueprint was gifted to me, and I had the aluminum frame custom made with the four separate colors.  The mug and blueberry pie is self-explanatory =oD

Brickfan50

lowlead said:

Here & there, yes & no....

The LEGO blueprint was gifted to me, and I had the aluminum frame custom made with the four separate colors.  The mug and blueberry pie is self-explanatory =oD

The frame looks like an investment. Well done!

I guess the blueberry pie was made by someone in your household? Otherwise I would like to know the part number of the pie so I can order it on LEGO.com. :-)

560Heliport

I have "life-size" red minifigure cup that I use when camping- it holds 8 ounces, so it serves as a measuring cup.
I like the idea of the large storage "bricks", but at $39.99 for the 8-stud version, that's far too expensive for me. 

Speedman29

560Heliport said:

I like the idea of the large storage "bricks", but at $39.99 for the 8-stud version, that's far too expensive for me. 

I local TKMaxx went through a phase of having them at silly cheap prices. Was picking up 2x4s for under £10. Got four and a few 1x1 and 2x2 as well.

karrit

560Heliport said:

I have "life-size" red minifigure cup that I use when camping- it holds 8 ounces, so it serves as a measuring cup.
I like the idea of the large storage "bricks", but at $39.99 for the 8-stud version, that's far too expensive for me. 

I got some 2x4's about a month ago in Home Goods for 19.99.  They had the 2x2's for 14.99.  I've also seen them at random times in Marshall's & TJMaxx, same company, same prices.

CCC

I've got a few LEGO pencils and a LEGO store display sign, but I try to keep the LEGO branded tat out of my house. We have enough LEGO bricks around as it is, I don't need LEGO branded items for every day use.

A lot of the tat is made by other companies and LEGO licenses their logo or other artwork almost without caring about their brand image. Some of the items are really bad quality. My son had a LEGO Batman towel a while back. The design (print?) started fading after the first wash and after maybe four or five washes it just fell apart as it was so thin. He has also had LEGO branded rubbers / erasers given to him that don't remove pencil marks, but just smear them.

Bumblepants

560Heliport said:

I have "life-size" red minifigure cup that I use when camping- it holds 8 ounces, so it serves as a measuring cup.
I like the idea of the large storage "bricks", but at $39.99 for the 8-stud version, that's far too expensive for me. 

I have that mug too but almost never use it because it isn't as large as other mugs I have.

MaffyD

My youngest son uses Lego drinking flasks, and we have Lego salt and pepper bricks. Apart from that... not really.

Astrobricks

MaffyD said:

My youngest son uses Lego drinking flasks, and we have Lego salt and pepper bricks. Apart from that... not really.

Good way to hide his whiskey ;-)

(PS, not an endorsement)

Istokg

There are some items listed under "Gear" that I feel should be listed under "Sets"... these are wooden box sets... which BL lists as "Wooden Storage Boxes".  Some of these were sold "with contents" and others "empty"... but the problem is that LEGO wooden box sets are perhaps the least understood of all LEGO sets.  There were over 80 different produced from 1950-78 (country specific), only about 15 of which are in the LEGO Collections/Vault. 

The problem with LEGO wooden box sets is that 90+ percent of them do not have any outside marking, and the only way to identify wooden box sets were with a "Contents List", which once removed, the identification of the set often becomes unknown.  Even wooden box sets that were sold empty came with a "Contents List" that gave you images of some models that could be built with the contents, should the owner of one of these boxes store loose LEGO or spare parts packs in them.  Most folks don't know what to make of them... whether or not the were sold empty or not.  Only about 15 wooden box sets came as an empty box, as well as the same identical box came "with contents".

My Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide chapter as all 80+ of these boxes identified (the only known source of all images) in a wooden box chapter of my guide.  Even the LEGO Archives are a bit sketchy on wooden box sets.

Here is a significant sample of the great variety of wooden box sets (images from my colectors guide)...








And here are very rare examples of 1/4 of one (of two) sides of Contents Lists (that identifies them) to 4 German wooden box sets of 1963-65... 710 (large full), 711/713 (large/small empty), and 712 (small full)...



As I mentioned... LEGO wooden box sets are a very complex and relatively unknown part of LEGO collecting... and to put quite a few of these sets (empty ones) into the "Gear" category, does them a disservice.  Full/Empty wooden box sets do deserve a separate category under SETS... subcategory... Wooden Box Sets.

Getting off my (wooden) soap box now... 😉

JudgeChuck

As ever, @Istokg arrives with some fascinating Lego history! I just wanted to add my thanks for this.

Switchfoot55

Istokg FTW again! 

I'd be curious if anyone from LEGO has ever reached out to you to discuss your book and historical insights?

Astrobricks

I wonder if any kid ever had enough bricks to build that ridiculous impractical bridge over the canal. 

CCC

Switchfoot55 said:

Istokg FTW again! 

I'd be curious if anyone from LEGO has ever reached out to you to discuss your book and historical insights?

I think it was picked up by a publisher but only for the Chinese market.

Redronnie

I have a lego fridge magnet, I like to mix up different minifigures every few weeks

Istokg

Switchfoot55 said:

Istokg FTW again! 

I'd be curious if anyone from LEGO has ever reached out to you to discuss your book and historical insights?

Yes and no... I have been in contact with folks at the LEGO Archive/Collections off and on since 2006, and it has been a 2 way street.  They have helped me out (mostly), and I them.

They have a copy of my 2800 page digital download (Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide), and I've had many discussion with them over the years, but not much in recent years, because of the fact that I have pretty much finished the early years (1949-80), and am working on the years 2011-present right now, so there is little to get from them at the moment.

There are some things I have found out from the folks at the LEGO Archives/Collections, and this is common with many companies in their early years.  Namely that the archival information is incomplete, especially before 1970.  And that is where the over 100 old time LEGO collector friends from around the world (who have given me images for my guides (more than one!).

One problem is that TLG has historically licensed out LEGO to different companies in the early years, and those licensees had not always kept TLG updated on many early sets.  This is especially true for Norway (A/S Norske LEGIO), Sweden (Geas Konstharts), and especially USA/Canada (Samsonite).

I probably have about 50 set images, that are not known to the LEGO Archives, or that they have no images of their own.  As soon as I am finished with my LEGO guide(s), with over 4000 pages, I plan on sharing rare or unknown sets with the folks at the LEGO Archives (and also Brickset).

TLG does not produce their own LEGO reference books, except as anniversary coffee table books.  Even DK Publishing (Dorothy Kinderly Publishing House), which has produced many LEGO books... they produce ONLY coffee table general books, and nothing that is actually a reference source.

Fantasia Publishing of Germany produced a reference book (with help from the LEGO Archives) called "LEGO Collector's Guide" in English/German back in 2008 and an updated guide (errors in the first edition) in 2011.  Unbeknownst to me, I was a contributor to the 2008 version (some contributors used my digital download guide as a reference), but I was credited at least.  For the 2011 version, the Fantasia folks asked me directly about some issues of items missing from the 2008 version, and I gave them information that they asked for.  However, they decided to use incomplete info from the LEGO Archives, and giving them proof that I was correct didn't seem to change their minds.  Also, even their 2011 updated version of their collectors guide is missing many early sets, and a lot of info in more modern sets (such as where they were sold) is not complete.

Once I finish my ever growing (including many early sets that no one knew existed!) guide(s), I will contact the LEGO folks and talk about doing a collaboration, but I am not optimistic on that.  They have been very helpful, so I don't wish to say anything disparaging about TLG, but (and this is common to many collectibles) the information and items they have are not complete.  I am still working to correct that.  😉

Istokg

Also... I just confirmed that I will be on the HISTORY CHANNEL, a USA TV station that will be doing a show on LEGO for "The Toys That Changed America" episode.  😉

lowlead

^^ THAT...is kewwwwl.  Congrats!

Astrobricks

Istokg said:

Also... I just confirmed that I will be on the HISTORY CHANNEL, a USA TV station that will be doing a show on LEGO for "The Toys That Changed America" episode.  😉

Any idea when it will air?

Switchfoot55

I'd definitely be curious about the episode as well so I can shout to anyone within ear-shot, "I 'know' that guy!"

Well, regardless of TLG's involvement, I know your continuous contributions to the history of LEGO is appreciated by many and has/will prove invaluable as the hobby moves forward!

The_Rancor

I hope it comes over to the UK on Sky History (which is our version of the History Channel). Seems like it only puts out Forged in Fire or some kind of random Templar or Alien thing so a legit documentary sounds great!