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What type of collector are you?
xwingpilot
Member Posts: 799
in Collecting
In the four months I've been a member of Brickset I've found the website to be a brilliant resource, and the enthusiasm on the forum for collecting quite infectious :)
Occasionally you see glimpses of members' collections, and the discussions and comments allude to individual collecting philosophy, but I couldn't see a master thread...
So what do you collect? A cross-section of LEGO themes? A specific theme? A sub-theme? Sets? Minifigures? Polybags? Do you display your sets or do you keep them sealed? What will you be buying next for your collection?
What type of collector are you?
Occasionally you see glimpses of members' collections, and the discussions and comments allude to individual collecting philosophy, but I couldn't see a master thread...
So what do you collect? A cross-section of LEGO themes? A specific theme? A sub-theme? Sets? Minifigures? Polybags? Do you display your sets or do you keep them sealed? What will you be buying next for your collection?
What type of collector are you?
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Comments
I collect mainly interesting pieces, because I am more of a MOCer than a collector, but I also have quite a few sets that I have purchased, for nostalgia reasons, that are from the time when I collected Lego as a kid and are displayed alongside my own works.
For the sets that I have bought, they are mostly Space and tend to be between the years 1985 and 1992. But I also have other sets that I have found interesting.
Other than that, I tend to MOC trains and train buildings, but I've also been known to do the odd vegetation/mediæval display, as well as a few other things.
The sets I collect have to stay sets, I am quite Ocd about them. They are all individually kept in varying sizes of plastic lunch boxes complete with instructions although all, apart from the bigger sets have the boxes thrown out due to severe lack of space where I live.
Saying that I am also a set builder, sets that I would not be able to afford get built from a large collection of loose Lego purchsed from B.L., B.O. and Lego parts orders. These I will build, take apart and then use the parts again for other builds. (The UCS SSD, Death Star 2, Star destroyer and Millinium Falcon are all being built this way). This suits me as I would never have the space to have these wonderful sets on display and the boss lady would kill me very very slowly if i brought these at current prices.
I tend to collect by themes, and tend to group themes into one of the following categories:
1. Get all the sets of the theme (Space, Star Wars, etc.)
2. Get one representative set from the theme (most one-off themes like Prince of Persia, Atlantis, etc.)
3. Ignore the theme altogether (Chima, Bionicle/Hero Factory, Elves, etc.)
I don't intentionally leave my sets to languish in their boxes. But, my purchases have outpaced my ability (and space) to open and build each set, so I have a fair number of MISB sets. Now that I have a new larger basement with built-in display shelving, my MISB sets will slowly start turning into "complete with box" sets...
It's very easy to blame Brickset, with its nearly complete database of all LEGO sets ever made, for my desire to collect an increasing amount of themes, so I do. That said, my favorite themes tend to remain the same over the decades, and they include Classic Space, Star Wars, Castle, Pirates, and Harry Potter.
When I first came out of my dark ages, I was a strict classic Lego collector...only buying sets I wanted when I was a kid. So that was 80's and 90's Castle, Town, Pirates and Space. After about a year or two of pretty much only buy old sets on Ebay and Bricklink, I decided to get some Star Wars sets. It snowballed into City, Modulars, Harry Potter, and eventually any set that looked like a good build or had good parts. I don't worry about buying every single set from a theme I like, only the sets I really think I would enjoy.
I've recently moved to MOCing quite a bit more, and am in the process of organizing my collection to better facilitate that. In the meantime, I'm still picking up sets that look amazing, such as the Ferrari F40, and the Ferris Wheel. But I've cut back on buying most other themes this year.
I only collect Lego Belville, and only sets older than 04. I have a handful of sets left since I was a kid and fell back inlove with them about a year ago. I was going through a very sad breakup, moved back in with my parents and couldn't really bring myself to leave the house. I tried to keep myself busy by cleaning out old stuff and found my old lego. It brought a well needed smile to my face. I open every box I by, I collect to fully enjoy it. I will put my favourite sets on display as soon as I move in to my appartment. It's pretty and I like to look at it. It brings me joy.
Nobody I know or know about collects lego, so I am very happy to have found this site! So nice to read other people's stories. Happy collecting! :)
I ended up bringing a large proportion of that Classic Space LEGO home and started adding to it, with sets that I had wanted as a child, such as #920, #928 etc. I only have a very few small sets to now add, as well as # 924 and #926. :-)
I also started getting a few LEGO Minecraft sets, as I dabble a bit with the game itself and also like building landscapes, so they fit really well. It has been a downhill spiral since then... I had to get the Temple of Airjitzu, as it is just such a great set, I added the Benny's Spaceship and the Ideas Exosuit to my Space sets, WALL-E because it's a great looking set and the girls love the film. This has meant that I have also picked up some other interesting sets from those themes, such as a couple of Ninjago dragons and one or two other sets, some more LEGO Movie sets and then one or two other ones that just interest me, such as #79003 An Unexpected Gathering and the two Christmas seasonal sets for my daughters and me to build together.
I have somehow managed to stay clear of LEGO Star Wars, as that could be fatal, but I have perhaps fallen down another rabbit hole by purchasing my first modular the other day, #10243 Parisian Restaurant. I now want the others.
Like bandit778, I think, I'm a bit OCD about organising my collection and have individual sets of boxes (Wham 5.02, 5.03 & 5.04 Organisers, http://www.whamproducts.co.uk/) for each theme / set, depending on size etc, which I have to do, as I don't have anywhere to leave many models up at the moment (my study is choc full of computers, guitars, amps, telescopes etc and the other half wouldn't be too chuffed with me taking over her pristine sitting room).
Reading natro220's post, I think you'll find a lot of AFOLs with a similar story to tell. I can certainly identify with that.
I can also identify with Abk_Mattsson's post, as I don't know anyone else, personally, who collects LEGO for themselves. My friends think that I am a little bit "odd" and I get a fair bit of gentle ribbing about my hobby. I think that they're really just jealous that they haven't got the stones to do the same! ;-)
I think that I'm happy with the themes that I am dabbling with now, but will probably dip my toe into the Technic pool at some point in time, as that looks fascinating.
I'd love to try my hand at MOCing, but apart from building my own Minecraft vistas, I really don't have enough varied and / or similar bricks to do anything I would want to do justice, so I'll stick with what I'm doing for the time-being.
I really want that Classic Space #926 and a couple more modulars though! ;-)
This thread has already had 190-odd views, but only 7 posts... Come on, let's hear from more of you!
(Blimey, that was nearly a novella, sorry!)
This may explain why the bookshelf is taken over by Friends
I've shifted my focus several times over the years, mostly bc while I love Lego, I hate being a collector of anything. My wife and I live our lives very modestly and we try to avoid accumulating needless things. I do buy a lot of Lego though and I'm always at odds with myself bc of it. I'm constantly striving to cut back and redefine what collecting means to me as a result.
My current collecting habits consist of:
"Gen 2" Modulars (PR - BB).
CMF
Select Creator 3n1
Select Ideas
Select Winter Village
Select UCS Star Wars (very few)
Select Star Wars (very few)
I try extremely hard to stay away from SW bc I could easily go crazy with it. I only buy those sets that I consider the most iconic and display worthy. My excitement for TFA has been putting me on shakey ground there lately however.
Honestly, if I could get to the place where I buy a single Modular / UCS Star Wars set and a few Creator 3n1 sets per year I would be happy. That is my ultimate goal.
I guess I mostly buy sets that I can afford and not just a particular theme, although the theme I'm interested the most in right now is NINJAGO. I just bought the Temple of Airjitzu, which was a big purchase for me, and next I want Final Flight of Destiny's Bounty. Titan Mech Battle looks pretty cool too so that might be my goal after Destiny's Bounty.
I collect CMFs but haven't been hardcore so I'm missing a lot. I've dabbled in poly-bag collecting. This year I've dabbled in Bionicle.
This year I really got into doing MOCs and LEGO photography which had a big effect on my collecting because I used to keep every set separated but now I've torn a lot of things apart to build my own ideas.
I was just thinking about getting back to more focused LEGO collecting such as filling in the gaps in my CMF collection or trying to buy all of a theme. Scooby Doo seems like a good choice because there aren't many sets and the largest isn't too expensive.
Even though there are themes that I most likely would never buy, overall, I really believe that all LEGO is good LEGO.
I'm exclusively collecting OT Star Wars sets. In the four months I've been a member of Brickset I think I've covered most of the collecting bases (perhaps apart from battle figures which I'm not really interested in): a UCS set, a complete sub-theme (all the Series 1 and 2 OT Microfighters), an exclusive minifigure and a polybag.
All of my sets are displayed on stands, so I've also been buying parts for that, and CMF bases.
As for what's next, I'm still hoping for some more OT sets in Microfighters Series 3, and another OT UCS starfighter or snowspeeder when the 2016 sets are officially announced...
With Lego, it's such a different story... If you MOC or plan to MOC in the future, there are actually no sets/parts you can get rid of. Everything is reusable. The more pieces the better. And that frightens me. I can't imagine selling none of it!
I only buy new sets and parts - don't care about a box, but polybags have to be sealed. I try to keep my parts as clean as possible, but I don't want to stack the "like new" sets disassembled for years in the closet. I want them either displayed or used for independent building.
What kind of sets? First, I like to have a variety of parts. For now, I feel that flagship sets from selected themes are the best choice for me. I'm mostly into themes I grew up with, like Pirates, Castle, Adventurers, Western. But there is a great deal of magnificent new sets as well. In next months I hope to buy:
- Temple of Airjitzu
- Silver Mine Shootout
- Vladek's Dark Fortress
- Mini Cooper MK VII
- Detective's Office or Brick Bank
The problem is, I also have to buy some more modular drawers for storage. I'd prefer turn that cash into Lego but... One of these days I gotta get myself organizized.
theme wise sorcerers, zombies, ninjas, gangsters, drunk girls, bikini girls, skeletons
i collect misb ninJAHgo dragons and mechs
i collect temples and fortress's
i collect bionicle vehicles and turrets
my collection also has some 90ies sets in it! mostly cars! i ts my childhood lego! very keen on it!
also having my eyes on some ninja turtles sets... i grew up with them cartoons and had some masters-like figures of them. but not quite sure which sets to get. i want them turtles mini figs classic style (without scuba gear, flashy colors and such). just the classic turtles color scheme...
edit:
april with short hair and yellow overall
City set , Modular , some Ideas set ,and set that can fit in my ideal city ( under construction ).Just got back my old Lego set at my parents, need to go thru it and probably fell in love again of pirates and castle and spend a fortune getting set that I missed . Life story of an Afol, No? Starting to do some Moc buildings. Trying to do this as fast as possible, when I still have some support on this from the wife ;-)
Since then I haven't been able to resist buying. I bought some Knights Kingdoms II sets because the bad guys were great. I bought some of the fantasy era (skeletons vs crown knights) because that was a really solid castle theme. And along the way I started buying everything and anything. Now my collection is sorted by part and colour and I have little room for display, so I buy the following:
- Anything that's a great value
- Anything that has great parts
- Things that look fun to build - recent favs: the Lego Movie Ice Cream Truck, the Mini Cooper, the last two Modulars, the Ideas sets
- Really good Collectible minifigs
I no longer collect themes. I resisted the urge to, e.g., buy sets so I could have all of the Fellowship of the Ring, or all four Ninja Turtles. I no longer try to buy enough soldiers in any particular faction to build an army. Prioritize! That's what I try to do.Part of me is OCD about collecting and I try very hard to beat that part into submission. I don't have the regular Unikitty, Lord Business, WildStyle with a hood, I don't have all the Elves keys or Atlantis jewels or Boba Fett variants or whatever. It's fine, it's fine. breathes deeply It's fine.
CMF Series = Complete including Team GB, Simpsons 1 & 2 (but no Mr. Gold)
Superhero Minifigs = Complete including all SDCC
Star Wars Minifigs = Complete >95%
UCS Star Wars = Complete
Modulars = Complete
LotR/Hobbit = Complete
Creator Expert = Almost complete (missing Grand Carousel and Statue of Liberty)
Creator Racers = Complete (Ferrari, Lamborghini, VW)
Disney Princess = Complete (It's all for my gf, I swear!)
Winter Village = Complete
Then Lego made LOTR! Oh my, that was some feasting/spending of epic proportions.
I've dabbled with City , Trains, Friends buildings, 3in1 Buildings, Architecture, Dinos, a few small Super Heroes, Chima buildings, Ninjago buildings, Elves. My big rule is "no Star Wars", but then Jabba's Palace and Ewok Village slipped into the mix and Slave1 has such pretty colors. For a while "but it's on sale for parts" got me into a lot of purchases. I've resisted Simpsons, but submitted to the Fairground builds.
Now, I am scaling back. I will continue collecting buildings of quality from multiple themes, and Elves despite the mini dolls. And those darn CMFs keep on tempting me to feel-up and buy additions to my minifig population.
When our older son, now six, expressed an interest in Lego, I managed to liberate all the old sets which my parents had put in storage (my brother & sister have no interest in them). So we now have a huge amount of old Castle, (classic) Space, Technics & Town sets in the family collection as well.
I was trying to limit my personal collection to MARVEL, but I sort of broke that by collecting the UA sets & the SW Microfighters. Most of the SW stuff I am buying is primarily for a MOC I am planning, but I will be getting Obi-Wan's Jedi Interceptor, because I loved the look of it in EP III. Most of what I'd want from the SW theme, isn't likely to happen now with Disney's declaration on the EU, so I'm pretty safe there, just wish that the Jedi Defender Cruiser & Sith Fury Interceptor had been more readily available locally.
Limiting to a theme is really hard though, as sometimes amazing sets come along and set-envy/guilt is not good, so I think from now on i'll (carefully) buy what I want.
I do also have a system of writing down the sets I want in a notepad along with the date. If I still want it after a month, then I will consider buying it. This hopefully reduces impulse buys but doesn't always work, especially when ebay is involved!
One fantastical idea I've had would be to buy every set available in the LEGO catalog. Alas, a fantasy that will probably never come true.
Me I used to collect all of exclusives but lego is releasing to many sets at to high a price for me to keep up so I now pick and choose I also prefer my older sets. My favourite set is Green Grocer and it'll probably stay that way for the considerable future though parisian restaurant is now my second favourite modular.
Though since the direct exclusive line is officially over and replaced with creator expert I got a complete lot of direct exclusives from 10173 to 10229
I collect Creator houses and the new buildings (deli, bike shop and cafe)
I got a small collection of star wars consisting of 10221, 10225 and 10227 I plan on getting the 75060 slave 1 as it looks amazing, accurate and that boba fett is crazy detailed
Other than that, I randomly buy whatever strikes me with no real philosophy. Unfortunately, I really need to stop doing that because those are the sets which I get bored of quickly and end up regretting later.
Crazy...
I collect several things. Lego Service packs, black falcon/castle minifigures and sets, and 2x4 bricks (Lego bricks and testbricks).
I've also bought a couple of larger Creator 3in1 sets as I think that animal / monster ones make quite good display pieces. We both build to display so space has become an issue and the plan is to accept that we never listen to our CDs and box them up to free up the shelf space. I'm pondering whether to get some of the Architecture range as I like the Trevi Fountain and Louvre. I think the next step has to be MOCs. Once I've built a couple of architecture models I might try something local to Stockholm. Drottiningholm Palace would be the obvious choice but I'm not sure about scale (and I really should finish bricklinking the Taj Mahal first).
My first Lego Order was on the 4th May. Since then I've tried to get UCS sets and some other larger SW sets.
However, it soon became aparent that after the first modular was built, I would want to collect these too.
Then I had fun with a lot of the creator 3-in-1 sets, especially those that fit nicely into the display of modulars. Ninjago dragons were then also a must and of course the Temple and now also the Battle for Ninjago City.
Yesterday I built my first Elves set (a small one) but I can see at least 1 more that I want from that line.
I've tried to stay clear of the City theme and Technics so far, and I guess time will tell what kind of collector I turn out to be.
For Lego I'm interested in quite a number of themes including City, Creator, Ninjago, Modular buildings, Friends, Chima, Education, Games, Minifigures, Star Wars, Super Heroes DC & Marvel, Trains, Winter/Seasonal etc. Also had complete sets of the smaller themes such as Lone Ranger, Monster Fighters, LOTR/Hobbit, Lego Movie, TMNT, Scooby-Doo etc.
If there are clearance sales of sets, I will also get just for the parts.
However, as funds and space are limited, will have to reduce the themes from next year onwards. Probably still buy all the Ninjago, Super Heroes, Games and Modular building sets, with the rest on selective buy.