Do people 'specialise' when collecting, or just grab what takes their fancy?

BooTheMightyHamster

I've just rediscovered Lego.

My wife bought me the 8070 Technic Supercar for Christmas, and since then I've bought the 8110 Technic Unimog, plus a couple of small technic trucks (9390 Mini Tow Truck and 8065 Mini Container Truck) as I want to have a crack at making some Stop motion build videos, and thought I'd better start with something small!

The thing that's struck me is the breadth of themes / ranges that are available. It's incredible. The Technic stuff has grabbed me at the moment, but obviously, being a teen in the 70's means that I now want all the Star Wars stuff, plus the LOTR sets all look cool and...

Well, you get the idea.

Being child-free, I'm probably going to concentrate on technic for now (though with staff discount I can get an X-Wing for £37.50, so I might have to have one of those), but I just wondered whether people restrict themselves to collecting within a certain range or theme, or whether they just go for what appeals at the time?

piratemania7

I personally started with Pirates and have a long living loving passionate appeal to this day. Having come out of my dark ages a few years ago when Pirates were re-released I have tended towards this. After that it was castle/kingdoms and now of course the modulars and any other exclusive that appeals to me. I also collected all the Hobbit sets pretty quickly, when they first came out; so I would argue if the theme appeals to you, you have the cash and the space that you might pick them up; for me I eithe rlike the line or dont. For example, the TMNT line looks "cool" and allows me to reminisce over my younger years but I doubt I will by any of the sets...

CCC

Both. Mainly stick to a couple of themes, but dip into others to try them out. If you don't try, you never know if you will like it.

I wouldn't have discovered proper technic sets if not for a pricing error which tempted me to try them out. I had always assumed they were more meccano like than lego like, but now enjoy technic sets.

mrtonytj

I personally now am strictly a SW Lego guy. What got me out of my dark ages though was an old pirate set i saw on ebay that i had when i was younger.. I bought it then about a week later i was strolling through a store and saw the anikin/sebula podracers and thought "wow"!! Then got about another 15 SW sets and I started getting a couple of LOTR sets.. They were ok but i needed the cash to focus on my "ever growing" SW collection.. Now as i said at the start i am pretty much strictly SW and have over 150 sets atm.. I think if you are going to do a "full collection" of something like SW (which has over 400 sets now) you can only really focus on one theme unless you have 100's of 1000's to spend.. But if you aren't that serious about collecting everything in a theme then i suppose you can spread yourself out among the different theme's..

odueck

I just buy what I like. Sometimes that means just one set in a theme (An Unexpected Gathering, for example).

FollowsClosely

Unless you have thousands and thousands to spend/invest. Unless you have a very understanding wife. Don't even consider getting all of anything.

I generally pick and choose the sets that interest me and my five kids.

Sets you should consider:
#10214 Tower Bridge
#10197 - Fire Brigade (There are many in this line, but this is the best for the money)
#10212 - Imperial Shuttle (If you are a star wars fan, this set will be gone very soon, if not already)
#8043 - Motorized Excavator (This is a fascinating build)
#31004 - Fierce Flyer (Even the small sets can be interesting)

These are all still available at or below msrp. I would start there before going into retired sets.

Wicksy80

I tend to really buy what I can afford, mostly things that are on sale, doesn't matter about the theme. For me it's the build that I enjoy and display pieces, like UCS R2D2 (fathers day present) and the SW planets. I do prefer the SW, LOTR and Marvel/DC themes though, but again, will buy anything!

lowlead

I'm an enthusiast first, and re-seller second. The 1999 SW license brought me out of the dark ages, so I concentrate heavily on SW followed by whatever else appeals to me - modular, town, technic.

But most importantly, I only collect or invest in what I wouldn't mind getting stuck with should the aftermarket bottom out.

BooTheMightyHamster

FollowsClosely said:

Unless you have thousands and thousands to spend/invest. Unless you have a very understanding wife. Don't even consider getting all of anything.

I certainly don't have thousands to spend!
At the moment I have a relatively understanding wife, but then there are only four sets in the house...

RomanticWarrior

I started as strictly Star Wars. After awhile, I felt like Star Wars was becoming kind of stale to me. When the Batman sets came out last year, that became my new obsession. I've picked up all of the Batman sets except the Bat/Tumbler (don't like it at all). Now, I'm branching out further. My next purchase will be the Vampyre Castle. I'm intrigued by Chima, so I may pick up a couple of those eventually.

samiam391

BooTheMightyHamster said:

FollowsClosely said:

Unless you have thousands and thousands to spend/invest. Unless you have a very understanding wife. Don't even consider getting all of anything.

I certainly don't have thousands to spend!
At the moment I have a relatively understanding wife, but then there are only four sets in the house...

I can guarantee that there will be more sets than four in that house by the end of this year... many more ;-)

As opposed to sets, I'm a minifigure guy, and try to keep within that specific set of guidelines (I am quite partial to larger UCS sets though). However, when it comes to which theme of minifigures, I do just sort of grab/buy what takes my fancy! Unfortunately that than leads me to wanting to complete a full theme... because considering I already have one, I just have to get them all now right?

I mainly attempt to stick with promotional/exclusive figures.. but there are occasional/many lapses as you can already tell.

Deadareus

BooTheMightyHamster said:

FollowsClosely said:

Unless you have thousands and thousands to spend/invest. Unless you have a very understanding wife. Don't even consider getting all of anything.

I certainly don't have thousands to spend!
At the moment I have a relatively understanding wife, but then there are only four sets in the house...

It's amazing how 4 set can turn into 90+ sets in just over a year. Granted I do have a child who is also a big fan as well.

This year there were 9000+ bricks under the Christmas tree. Half for him and half for me.

I too have an understanding wife... but she's expressed some frustration at the amount of lego that seems to be taking over our house.

As far as what to collect. I initially started with Star Wars.
Then moved on to some Superheroes.
Then the UCS Star Wars Sets.
Then the Modulars.
Then Monster Fighters.
Most recently we just purchased a couple of Ninjago sets per the boys request and I must say I too am REALLY enjoying them. The dragons especially.

My advice would be to grab what may be gone relatively soon if you 'think' it may be something you are interested in. Like the Imperial Shuttle UCS set. Or the Fire Brigade Modular building. These sets will be gone soon if not already and you may find yourself regretting not having purchased them at retail when you had the chance.

Enjoy! I haven't dipped my toes into the world of Technic yet. That Unimog looks pretty awesome though.

Paperballpark

I've decided to stick to Modulars, Winter Village, and some Creator Expert (as they're now called) lines which I fancy, such as Tower Bridge.

Other than those, I'll buy other sets which I like the look of if they go enough under 5p per brick, and I'd probably buy pretty much anything (except 'fun with bricks' sets) if it goes under 4p per brick.

This should hopefully keep the amount I spend down to a manageable amount each year.

kor

When I first started really getting back into LEGO I tried to convince myself that I was only going to build Castle and Star Wars sets, no MOCing and no other lines.

A handful of years later and I have an entire room dedicated to all my loose pieces for MOCs and official sets. I have two huge metal shelves that are almost filled with sealed sets that I'm either going to build or part out for my building inventory. The rest of the room is crammed full of storage containers, shelves, and drawers for all the loose pieces.

Its not a hobby, its a disease. Looks like your infected to:)

Si_UKNZ

I started off on Technics, got the best sets in the series, but now I'm selling them. I don't regret having them, it was a blast, I've just moved on. Personally I've moved 'through' several themes, but some (like Vikings) stay with me. I think you have to immerse yourself in a theme you like to find out if its a 'keeper'.

I do also 'dip in' to themes based on individual models, e.g. I like World architecture so I have Ninjago Fire Temple and Star Wars Jabba's Palace.

whatsinaname

I recently got back into Lego as well, with the 8070 Super Car as my first large set. Most of my purchases have been the larger sets with some complexity/uniqueness in the build process. From the smaller sets (that cost less than $50), I tend to buy ones that look nice without having to put stickers on.

I made a list of available sets in an ascending order of release date (that I think I want). I purchase them when I see a large discount. Looking to buy OOP sets is a minefield I don't want to step into.

carlq

Like @samiam391, I'm primarily a minifigure guy. My main criteria when planning a purchase are:-

1) Is it a theme with minifigs (or other aspects) I like for themselves? I've been a super-hero reader for four decades (!), so the advent of the Superheroes lines has put them at the forefront of the must-haves. However, I won't spend more than £20-£30 on a set, which may have no more than 4 or 5 minifigs in it (especially if I've already obtained some of those figures in cheaper, or promo, sets), so for the denizens of the expensive sets I haunt eBay, Bricklink, and - now - all you wonderful people here. The same applies to the LotR/Hobbit lines; I love the figures, I love some of the sets, I refuse to shell out for the larger and more expensive sets. I started in the 70s with the Castle and Space series, as the fantasy/scifi elements have always attracted me more than the everyday-ness of the City series.

2) If not, are there elements in other themes I can use for my own creations? To use just one example, I've always designed, written and drawn my own super-heroes, so the plethora of new minifig parts (I'm looking at you, CMFs) available is a godsend to me. Capes; masked faces/interesting helmets; suitable torsos, hands, arms, hips & legs (or easily adaptable ones); and accessories can fire my imagination for new storylines and characters. For instance, the Chima helmets, printed heads, torsos, and (yay!) wings are too useful to pass up, even though the characters themselves - and the Speedorz sets - are otherwise not that interesting to me.

3) Is it a cost-effective way to buy minifigs? Step forward Sun promos, other polybags, and my beloved CMF series.

4) Conflicting with all the above, I'm now addicted to Watford's PaB wall. My Precioussss.....;-)

WatfordScottyM

Like a few of you I've only just recently (8 months ago) emerged from my dark ages. It started when I saw the #10225 UCS R2-D2, which was my first set, and now I have all sorts from CMFs to the #10220 T1 Camper Van and the #10197 Fire Brigade.

Until recently I was a bit haphazard in my purchasing, but I'm now trying to make a concious effort to only buy what I really want and not just jump into a purchase whenever there is a 3 for 2 or a 25% off sale. As whatsinaname says above, make a list and prioritise or things can soon get out of control. Ok if you have money to burn, but if you're like me, with kids to support, you'll want to choose your purchases carefully.

Personally I'm now focussing on getting all of the green Ninjago sets before they disappear (and a couple of the red ones, #2507 Fire Temple etc), although mainly for my son to play with, and picking up some of the creator expert line for me.

Welcome to the world of AFOLs though, and have fun with whatever you choose to lay your hands on.

mathew

^ Having been collecting for roughly a year and dipping my toes in quite a few themes I will say the following. I'm more fullfilled by the "Expert", or typical 10xxx numbered sets. These sets feature longer more involved builds and look great when displayed. They also contain more standard style bricks that can be easier to re-use for MOCs. I've bought a few too many sets aimed at kids. My own kids are still too young to really build and mostly just like the minifigs. Also these sets typically use larger, more defined parts that are not as useful for MOCs. This is one reason why I'm not terribly excited about the post-Christmas sales this year vs. last. Most of the sets that Target and Walmart carry just don't appeal to me.

Brick_Obsession

I started out with Star Wars over 10 years ago. I collected anything related to it that Lego made. Then came all the re-releases and I figured I was fighting an up hill battle trying to collect everything. I mad the decision to sell off my collection, except for all the UCS stuff.

Since then I have branched out, got into the modulars, trains, ships and especially mini-figs.

This keeps things interesting and dynamic for me. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Yodalicious

I stick to themes. My wife is extremely understanding of my emergence from my dark age, but I could see that understanding going away without a collection plan on my part. So for me it's...

1. Modulars
2. Sets that could fit into my modular town. Things like specific City vehicles I like, the small Super Hero sets that contain the S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles, some of the CMFs, and some discounted sets that I buy solely for parts.
3. Star Wars - But not nearly all. Only what appeals to me. Love the Star Wars universe, but I only buy the sets I truly want.
4. LotR/Hobbit - All. This is my one true completionist collection. I will get every set released.

I've liked some of the other lines and definitely some other sets, but I stay away unless it's one of the above.

Yodalicious

I also rarely buy new sets if it's not for at least a 20% discount. This helps a lot. Sure, I've paid full price for some things (Modulars, sets that just wouldn't budge from retail price), but over 80% of the sets I've bought since coming out of my dark ages about 9 months ago have been for 20% off or more. Makes me feel like I haven't gone too overboard (even if I have).

thornie

I'm just a collector. The only lines that I have EVERYTHING of is LoTR, Hobbit, Kingdoms, and Modulars. I'll dabble in Star Wars, but generally I dislike the majority of SW sets. I would collect more themes as money really isn't an issue... It's space. I live in 2 bedroom apartment in NYC, and I'm already flush out of space.

CapnRex101

I started with Star Wars and since 2005 have bought just about every set of that theme, but since then I have collected Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit and Super Heroes, as well as some other sets which I like the look of from the Sopwith Camel to the Haunted House.

cambridge07

I'm a Star Wars man myself 50+ sets now thats what brought me out of my dark age 2 years ago, also becomming a keen Moc'r. just started getting my 3 year old daughter into Trains with the Cargo Train and Passenger train and station set (thats what I tell the wife anyway!!!)

My brother is just getting back into the brick and is sticking to Technic.

ktmo

I personally try to limit myself to the modulars, winter, and creator houses. However, I have two daughters and "they" have to all the Friends sets (and by "they" I might mean me). We also have a lot of the City sets, because before my Dark Ages, I had a decent Town collection. But I do pick up pretty much anything that I find on clearance, so I guess we buy what we like.

doriansdad

I buy what appeals to me from any theme - Haunted House, Arkham Asylum, Modulars, Sculptures, VW Van, Death Star, Creator Houses, Trains etc. The best set in any theme usually calls my name . e.g. the upcoming Tower of Orthanc for LOTR or Unexpected Gathering for The Hobbit. Not really interested in collecting every set of a certain theme as most of the sets are actually pretty poor...the Winter Village series is one I will collect all of.

legoprods

Î'm with him.

I just get what I like, let it be UCS, WV Van, LoTR or Modulars.

Actually I haven't really liked the two modulars I built.

Paperballpark

^ which modulars were they?

bigjsd

My collecting habits have evolved. I came out of the dark ages when I saw set 7249 Mobile Crane at Target and bought a little of everything for awhile. I recently decided to narrow my interests down to a few themes. Modulars, Trains, and the Holiday/Winter theme. I will still splurge and buy into other themes if I like the set (I recently picked up Helm's Deep and An Unexpected Gathering) but I am no longer worried about getting every set they make. Not that I could afford it.

duilim

I think most of us have certain themes that we pay more attention to than others but obviously if a set pops up that really appeals to you, you'll more than likely buy it.
I more or less focus on four major themes - Star Wars, City, LOTR and Super Heroes but I'm far from a completionist. I'll only buy sets from these themes that I like - Lego is way too expensive for me to be buying sets that I view a poor just for the sake of completing the theme.
In addition, I'll pick up a few sets from other themes that catch my eye as well. I always buy the Modular set as well as the Creator House for that year. I'm expecting that I might pick up a set or two from TMNT and Lone Ranger as well this year but with kids to support, you kinda have to be a little selective.

bricksan

I started with pirates and then potc but got in a phase last year of buying anything now I only collect certain themes.

charlatan13

I find that there are just too many lines out that appeal to me and my son right now. Collected all the Monster Fighters since they seem like a easy choice since the family loves Halloween. I also know ill end up with all the LoTR. Add in Batman (AA looks great), Marvel and Chima (son is interested more than me) and its challenging. And then I visit here, read the reviews and try to pick up sets that I might not normally consider.

MasterLego

I buy and collect only Star Wars (episodes I,II,III, and Clone Wars) and City themes and I can not afford any other themes. Once you start collecting Lego, your bank account takes a hit.

nkx1

Like doriansdad and others have noted above, I just buy what I like regardless of the theme. I don't really care about systematically collecting an entire theme(s). Also, I could never only stick to one or two themes since there are sets from so many different themes that I like.

One thing I just began doing is to only have one or two sets built/displayed at a time. Once I'm done displaying and admiring a set, I tear it down and store it away until EOL, at which point I'll sell it. Prior to my self-imposed two-set display rule, Lego sets were starting to be displayed all over the house. It was a little too much clutter for me, despite my affinity for Lego.

I think I've come to the realization that if I were to keep and/or display every set I own/owned, I would quickly run out of storage room (considering I also store some sets for resale). Further, given that Lego releases so many new sets every year, it's unrealistic that I would ever actually want to, or have the time to, build an old set again. I barely have time to build the new sets I buy! For me, it's best to move on to newer sets and make a meager profit selling the older ones. If I really miss an old set that much, I figure I can likely repurchase it. Or, I can simply reminisce by viewing pictures/videos of the set online.

AnthonyC173

i first start getting back into lego because to the superheroes. I first only started collecting super heroes but then discovered the modular buildings... and it all went downhill from there. Then i started buying any lego set that looks "Okay" and was on sale. "don't hate me for this" but i never saw lord of the rings, but i decided to watch the hobbit loved it went and watch all 3 LotR and now and buying sets for that. Im trying to limit myself now to modular, advance models and superheroes. But i occasionally buy sets if they have cool minifigs, cuz im a minifig junkie. Just recently bought two 75001

Drmnez

I'm into UCS, super heroes mf, certain sw sets/mf, promo sets/mf, space police 3, large scale sets, and just the 5 ninjago ninjas. Trying to limit to not spend too much money

lulwut

Went from Star Wars and then added City, Technic, licensed themes. I now have a huge backlog of sets I'll probably never build.

aimlesspursuits

I've done both. After my first dark age when I was a bachelor, I collected most of the initial Star Wars sets that came out in 1999-2000. Upon exiting my second dark age, I had a family to take care of so I had to start being picky about what I bought.

I actually like it now where I choose from different themes because I've discovered that there's a lot of different building techniques between the various themes.

Goldchains

I originally collected some of the initial Star Wars sets as well when I was collecting all things Star Wars starting around 1995 when the new action figures came out. I gave the old SW sets to my nephew(regretting that lol) a while ago when I sold my collection off. Then I started collecting Transformers from around 2006-2010 and sold off the collections again(twice lol)-made a pretty penny. Then in September 2011 I saw the Millenium Falcon set on sale at TRU. I bought it, and it has gone completely downhill from there with 20+ sets. I have limited myself to only OT SW sets and some Superheroes to keep down the costs, but I'm so tempted to get some Hobbit and TMNT sets. ARGH! LEGO! Why do you do this to me?

lovelego

I came out of the dark ages end of 2011 after getting hooked on CMF series 5. Started to then complete series 1-4 and now am up to date and waiting for series9. Star wars was next with AT-At walker, Hoth base, x-wing, death star and so on, with the goal of trying to get a complete set of star wars minifig collection.

Now I am quite shocked at how many sets I currently own. Modulars are now what I enjoy and am waiting for the new cinema modular. In a span of one year, I have dabbled in star wars, superheroes, LOTR, Harry Potter and modulars, growing my minifig population.

My focus is actually more into having complete mini fig collection of key themes.

rocao

When I came out of my dark ages around 1999, I started acquiring sets that I wanted from my childhood. My initial theme was Castle, but that quickly expanded to Pirates, Town, Trains, Space, Western, Model Team, and some of the better Technic. As I'm sure is also the case with some of you, it doesn't take much to turn me on to a new theme, whether it be one good model that I'm compelled to purchase or even finding a random set in a bulk lot.

Around the same time in 1999, the Star Wars theme was released and it was a foregone conclusion that I would collect that. Within a few years, TLG rehashed some of the sets and I decided to skip those, which I now regret since I've obviously realized I'm a completist at heart.

Anyway, in case you're not aware, Brickset has a Collection Analyzer that will analyze your set inventory and display your theme completeness. http://www.brickset.com/mySets/analysis/
Here are the themes in which I am 50% or more complete:

Theme                    %

CMFs			100
Dino	 		100
MBA			100
Pharaoh's Quest	        100
Toy Story	 	100
Cars			95
PotC			92
Atlantis		91
Advanced Models      	84
Monster Fighters	84
Prince of Persia        83
Model Team		75
Star Wars    		75
Architecture		72
World Racers		66
Lord of the Rings	62
Harry Potter		61
Western			57
City           		53
Castle			51
Cuusoo			50
Friends			50
Pirates			50
Games			50

BooTheMightyHamster

/gets the feeling he's standing at the top of a long and very slippery slope

rocao

^ or running in a hamster wheel? :P

In composing my previous post, I was finally prompted to seek out and purchase some of the polybags that are preventing most of those 80s and 90s from being 100%. Those are the low hanging fruit, though... that missing 16% from 'Advanced Models' is going to be very expensive :/

legoprods

Paperballpark said:

^ which modulars were they?

GE and TH

I mean, I enjoy them, but I'm not too impressed by them. I like the looks of Market street though. Too bad it's out of my range.

CCC

For me:

Star Wars: I am of a certain age, which means SW is episodes IV-VI only, but I am not a completest. I collect mainly the minifigs, a few of the ships if done well, and I MOC my own buildings / scenery.

CMF: but only ones that interest me, normally in heavy multiples. Again mainly for MOCs. I like mainly the historical ones ... spartans, romans, aztecs, conquistadors, etc or space. It means I can build buildings, scenery, ships, spaceships, etc to go with them. I also get random characters from other themes, such as Atlantis, PQ and AC, as they can also be good for MOCs, especially the enemies.

Superheroes: only the minifigs. I'm not impressed at most of the construction in the official sets and I prefer to display SW stuff. So mainly the minifigs, with the occasional MOC.

LOTR: same as with superheroes. Minifigs only, with the occasional MOC'd building. Haven't gone into Hobbit yet, I'll wait until it is cheaper.

City: I enjoy making randomised minifigs, and then using them in a city (again MOCs only). I'll add a train at some point.

Lego instructions are good for learning techniques but I often find the buildings (except modulars) leave something to be desired. So I learn from them, then build my own.

BrickDancer

I must confess, I'm a lover of Licensed themes and all their celebrity fleshies =X. I don't need all the sets for every line I collect or else I'd be flush out of room and funds. So I end up getting all the minifigs along with key sets that represent their theme. Such as Diagon Alley for HP, Woody's Round Up for TS, Bikini Bottom for SB, etc. Goal is to eventually create a perfect diorama of each that is encased in display boxes for permanent dust-free, like museum pieces.

But I have a completist urge for certain themes:

SW (substantial, but will never be 100% complete)
UCS (missing only 10129)
Modulars (purposely excluding MS)
Sculptures (missing only Statue of Liberty)
PotC
LotR
Superheroes
Winter Village
Ferrari

richo

I, much to my own personal irritation, seem to specialise in buying two copies of the same set.

AFFOL_Shellz_Bellz

It takes all kinds of collectors to make a world of adult Lego fans. Buy what you like, but don't limit yourself if you want a set that uses different building techniques.

mrtonytj

rocao said:

Star Wars 75%

75% Of Star Wars!!! Holy cow! Thats over 300 sets! And i thought i had a descent collection!

CCC

bovino1 said:

Don't buy lego from the store in Century Square. Their customer service is really really bad. Apparently, I bought one of the products and after I fixed it, I realised that one of the minifigures was missing. So I went back to the store immediately to ask for a 1 for 1 exchange, and the store assistant gave me an uninterested face of extreme disbelief.

1) Posting the same thing in five threads is spamming.

2) I'm not sure I believe you, if this was a brand new sealed set. It is possible that a part is missing from a set. It does very occasionally happen. Minifigs are usually four parts - legs, torso assembly, head and hair / hat. These are four separate components. For one minifig to be missing, you have to have those exact four parts missing from the set. Chances of this happening? Incredibly small.

The only other way would be if it was a customer return - so the box would have had to have been opened, the bag opened, the parts removed. The bag resealed in such a way that you did not notice before you opened it. The box resealed so that you did not notice and the store did not notice. And the store reselling a customer return.