How are parts sorted into bags?

WatfordScottyM

Last week I finally got around to building my VW T1 Camper Van. Whilst it was a good build and I love the finished model I was a little frustrated when I opened the box by the lack of numbered bags. Granted, I've only built one other large model (R2D2) but I wasn't expecting 10 un numbered bags and the need to search for pieces.

Is it normal practice for bags to be numbered with the larger models, or is that only a recent thing? And if the bags aren't numbered is there a logical way in which the pieces are sorted? There were a mixture of colours in the bags and not all small pieces were together, for instance red 1x1 bricks were in a different bag to white 1x1s.

In the end I emptied all the bags out and sorted the pieces myself, which I suppose is part of the fun isn't it...

mressin

Depends on how you look at it, I guess. I feel that numbered bags take away the fun for me of searching for parts. When I built #10188, I intentionally emptied opened all numbered bags at once and emptied them into one big pile of bricks. In hindsight, that was admittedly borderline masochistic.

Legoboy

^ lol. Those who bought within the first few months of release were forced down that route - it wasn't until later on that TLG and a change of heart and treated us to numbered bags. It was one big headache for me if I recall right.

mressin

It was fun, but at the same time, a total horror. At times, finding one particular part took me minutes. Several times, I couldn't find a specific part (especially in the second half of the build) and had to leave sections unfinished.

Still managed to do it in 11 hours, though.

P.S.: Indeed I developed a headache after 9 hours. ;)

WatfordScottyM

Looks like my piece finding issues have been trumped. So, do all new models have numbered bags? Even one of my daughters small Friends sets had numbered bags.

Legoboy

^^ You did well. Took me a lot longer than that! :o)

^ I have the Camper Van but have yet to open and build it. Given it's size a relatively new age, it surprises me that it doesn't have numbered bags.

Have just started the Unimog which is older than the CV but still has numbered bags. Hell, even Buzz's Spaceship that I built me my youngest last week had two numbered bags!?!?

caperberry

Maybe they held off numbering bags in "adult" sets a bit longer, seeing as the idea was to simplify the build.

I admit at first I hated the idea, as patience and concentration are two important things that LEGO taught me. But now... I just find it weird when they're not numbered. Tower Bridge was a 'mare!