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In doubt with collection

KyloRen0806KyloRen0806 Member Posts: 11
in Collecting
Hi

I’m new here so I don’t know much about this forum but I try and hope I do the right.

I have a question which I have wondered in some time. I’m currently collecting every single LEGO set which has “Disney” on as I am a big fan of Disney. This also includes every single Marvel Super Heroes set as Disney owns Marvel.

I’m in a period where I’m in doubt with my collection. One of the things being the lack of space, but also the high price of the sets that makes it totally impossible to collect them all.

i would have loved to get all Disney sets but with over 50 Star Wars sets every year it’s gonna be hard. And I think it’s sad to keep them in boxes and not building and displaying them.

So, I’ve thought if I just should buy the sets I think are cool and more interesting and let the other sets pass by? Maybe it’s a strange question but I think it’s hard to make this decision. And I would hope some of you could give me your point of view of this.

Thanks in advance.
BumblepantscatwranglerSumoLegoFizyxblakusdkLegoEveryoneJackad7
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Comments

  • PaperballparkPaperballpark Member Posts: 4,268
    I completely agree with @Bumblepants. Buy the sets you feel are cool and interesting, and spend the money you save on other things that you find cool and interesting (whether Lego or otherwise).
    Mr_Crossgmonkey76SumoLegoFizyxLittleLori123appleman
  • catwranglercatwrangler Member Posts: 1,894
    Everything Disney is a very large filter. I would say, just buy the ones you love. Start by re-evaluating the ones you've collected so far. What speaks to you? Which ones do you think will be really fun to build? I think you're only going to find out what you really like by opening a few sets and experiencing them. 
    Lego_StarMr_CrossKeilupgmonkey76SumoLegoFizyxLittleLori
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,357
    I'll echo everyone above. I am a huge fan of all things Disney/Pixar. I had a similar goal coming out of my dark ages. I then quickly realized it wasn't going to happen. So I started only buying sets/figs that I liked. It's still a tall order, but much MUCH more enjoyable. Plus, when I look at my sets on display, it brings me a lot of joy instead of anxiety that I'm missing this one or that one. 

    YMMV
    SumoLegoFizyxLittleLori
  • Baby_YodaBaby_Yoda Member Posts: 1,295
    Well, it depends on why you enjoy collecting Lego. I don't know how you think, but maybe a few nice but unrelated sets here and there would be unsatisfactory for you. If it's the idea of a 'common theme' that you like - such as Disney, as you've mentioned - you could try focusing on collecting a more specific group of sets within that broader criterion. For instance, if you enjoy the original trilogy more than the others, you could collect only sets from episodes IV through VI. If you enjoy starfighters a lot, try collecting only starfighters. You get the idea.

    The prospect of purchasing only the sets you want can be overwhelming when you want more than you can afford. If you like the idea of a 'complete' collection, then you can still have one, but base it on what you decide constitutes a collection. You don't need to be bound by the official theme designations.
    FizyxAstrobrickscatwrangler123applemanDjblythe05
  • FireheartFireheart Member Posts: 631
    When I got back into LEGO collecting a few years back, I started with a wide range:
    Star Wars back catalog especially UCS
    Fairground
    Creator expert buildings

    Then when space got tight, and I have filled lofts, extensions etc. I started to get more selective. Not that I wanted to, but that seeing that I would have to rent storage space, to continue along that path. Which is a big no no for me, as I didn’t want to think that if something ever happened to me, the wife would forget about it, and my whole collection would be on a storage hunters being purchased by a dealer who didn’t have any clue what they were, and turned it around for a quick buck.



    So to keep it under control,  it’s strictly:
    Star Wars UCS
    TT Bricks
    SDCC and NYCC sets
    Rare LEGO advertising / store displays.

    Normally I purchase my sets from LEGO online, and I was surprised to see from the order history that it may be 6 months between any LEGO set purchase (normally SW UCS / May 4th releases).

    I think the long and short of it is, see a LEGO theme that you really like, and stick with it. And don’t deviate too much as you can never collect it all. Unless you have very deep pockets, and huge climate controlled storage areas..
    Fizyxstlux123appleman
  • colaycolay Member Posts: 547
    @KyloRen0806 I echo what the others say, in collect what is interesting to you. My only other take on it, is, I dont class Star Wars as Disney. Nor Marvel. Peronsally, if I was a Disney fan (for whatever reason) as an outsider to it, Disney to me is Mickey Mouse etc.
    and I'd be going for the 'purer/original' Disney characters and themes. But hey, that's just me :)
    BumblepantsMr_Cross123applemanLostInTranslation
  • KyloRen0806KyloRen0806 Member Posts: 11
    Thank you so much for your comments. That gave me a wider view of this trouble. According to my Brickset database, I have about 650 sets in my collection (not only Disney) and I am 340 sets away from a complete collectiom - also Polybags. Therefore it’s hard to make this decision as I’m only mission 1/3 of the sets right now. But you’re all right. I will go on a tour in my collection and on Brickset and view all sets I have and want, and then I will take the most intereseting sets. I love the TV series Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars Resistance so that isn’t a hard choice. I  hate that much of the Disney Princess sets are basically the same, so many with Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. So I don’t think it’s gonna be hard to sort in my collection. Thanks again.
    catwrangler
  • KyloRen0806KyloRen0806 Member Posts: 11
    Okay, I’m actually only missing about 150 real sets in my collection. But that is also the most expensive ones
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,229
    I also found (realistically) if someone where to try and sell off one's collection, sets that have routine reissues or nothing unique are difficult to move.

    I'm not sure that there'll be much collector value to the 3rd, 4th or 5th A-Wing reissues.  Or the 18th iteration of the playset Millienium Falcon...
    FizyxFireheartMr_Cross
  • KyloRen0806KyloRen0806 Member Posts: 11
    SumoLego said:
    I also found (realistically) if someone where to try and sell off one's collection, sets that have routine reissues or nothing unique are difficult to move.

    I'm not sure that there'll be much collector value to the 3rd, 4th or 5th A-Wing reissues.  Or the 18th iteration of the playset Millienium Falcon...
    Yes, you’re right. I don’t even what’s the difference between TFA Millennium Falcon and TROS Millennium Falcon. They look much the same. I already own 75105 so why buy the new one? I understand they can’t keep all sets on shelves but still.
    SumoLego
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,229
    LEGO produces these sets for an ever-changing kids' market.  It is certainly clear by the 'regular' offerings that there will always be certain sets available in certain themes.  

    As collectors, we often complain about the reissues, but these are the bread-and-butter for new consumers.  

    Although, I am confused as to why we've had multiple iterations of Kylo Ren's Shuttle.  (He seems to be popular with those aforementioned kids.)
    ModeltrainmanFizyxstlux
  • KyloRen0806KyloRen0806 Member Posts: 11
    SumoLego said:
    LEGO produces these sets for an ever-changing kids' market.  It is certainly clear by the 'regular' offerings that there will always be certain sets available in certain themes.  

    As collectors, we often complain about the reissues, but these are the bread-and-butter for new consumers.  

    Although, I am confused as to why we've had multiple iterations of Kylo Ren's Shuttle.  (He seems to be popular with those aforementioned kids.)
    Yeah, I know, but without buying the re-releases or the updated versions, you can not call it a complete collection of all sets. But I do know what you mean.

    I might be one of those kids because I love Kylo Ren. He’s really cool.
    SumoLego
  • autolycusautolycus Member Posts: 1,430
    I’m glad they updated Kylo Ren’s shuttle. This version is much better, and I had not gotten the first.

    I agree with the general point being made though: completionism is a very tough standard. Buy what you like. If you want to be a completionist, limit that just to the core Disney stuff, not the Marvel and SW stuff. Then buy what you like from the others.
    FizyxKyloRen0806
  • BrainsluggedBrainslugged Member Posts: 2,250
    I agree that the new Kylo Ren's shuttle is amazing. I was just chasing my 4 year old with it this afternoon and marveling at just how big and ominous it looks with its wings deployed.
    KungFuKennyBumblepantsSumoLegoFizyxstluxKyloRen0806Koolbrix2018
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,229
    (Which would bring be back to the long-term collectability of the first version of the shuttle or the second version...)

    Anyway, I'm as much of a completist as anyone.  I was recently contemplating buying all of the Iron Men minifigs I didn't happen to have coincidentally on-hand.  (Note - that was only the scuba Iron Man.)  My barrier is getting my hands on the NYCC Iron Man.  What's the point of collecting them if I cannot possess... all of them.

    I haven't figured out a reasonable way to acquire a genuine, but orphaned, NYCC Iron Man.  And I've tried.  (But if you are a huge Captain America minifigure collector and happen to want to jettison your extra NYCC Iron Man - call me!)

    I worry that LEGO will do another Mr. Gold-ish promotion for the CMFs, and I'll have to compete with @samiam391 to get that figure.  (Or I'll just end up buying it from him.)  However, Mr. Gold is a CMF, and is necessary for one to claim to have a complete set of CMFs.
    KungFuKennyFizyxKyloRen0806catwrangler
  • KungFuKennyKungFuKenny Member Posts: 2,368
    edited October 2019
    SumoLego said:
    I worry that LEGO will do another Mr. Gold-ish promotion for the CMFs, and I'll have to compete with @samiam391 to get that figure.  (Or I'll just end up buying it from him.)  However, Mr. Gold is a CMF, and is necessary for one to claim to have a complete set of CMFs.
    Buckle up kids, here we go again! 😀

    SumoLego said:

    Anyway, I'm as much of a completist as anyone.  I was recently contemplating buying all of the Iron Men minifigs I didn't happen to have coincidentally on-hand.  (Note - that was only the scuba Iron Man.)  My barrier is getting my hands on the NYCC Iron Man.  What's the point of collecting them if I cannot possess... all of them.
    I have felt the same way about lots of Lego product lines... what comes to mind recently is the frustration of SDCC Brickheadz, and even worse the ITBH - Inside Tour Nonnie Brickheadz.  Through therapy and medication I have learned to breathe deeply and let go... 
    SumoLegoFizyxKyloRen0806Switchfoot55catwranglerRonyar
  • FizyxFizyx Member Posts: 1,359
    SumoLego said:

    Also, people are weird.
    HEY!  I resemble that remark!
    SumoLegogmonkey76davetheoxygenmanDjblythe05Mr_CrossFowlerBricks
  • ModeltrainmanModeltrainman Member Posts: 1,222
    You should only collect what you like best. I've limited,(or tried to limit) myself to Disney, Speed Champions, and Trains, and the only Marvel and SW sets I have include characters that were playable in Disney Infinity.) Then I like building my own stuff, so I have basic brick sets. Also, @SumoLego is right. People are weird. Rocks are terrible conversationalists, but don't have weird tendencies and ideas.
    KyloRen0806davetheoxygenman
  • redarmyredarmy Member Posts: 741
    edited October 2019
    SumoLego said:  However, Mr. Gold is a CMF, and is necessary for one to claim to have a complete set of CMFs.
    Boooooooo!

    I stand by my claim that i only require 33 and not 34 CMF's and no amount of common sense will change that.

    Booooooooo!
    KyloRen0806SumoLegodavetheoxygenmanBOBJACK_JACKBOB
  • colaycolay Member Posts: 547
    People are weird. Rocks are terrible conversationalists, but don't have weird tendencies and ideas.
    Take that back. Some of my best friends are rocks! They listen to me ALL day long and don't complain when I complain that I don't have every set I want!
    KyloRen0806Fizyxdavetheoxygenman
  • DadDad Member Posts: 816
    I have a full set of sealed CMF's except Mr Gold. I can have a Mr Gold anytime I like, I just buy him. Do they give me any pleasure? Not at all. Do they make me an expert? Even less so. I can't even tell you which series some are from.
    The third shelf on the image does give me pleasure, they are the CMF's I like. I look at them everyday.
    Now the top shelf in the image is far from complete, even though I have many more sealed on cards. It will never be complete, never ever. But it is a serious collection and I do consider myself to be an expert on these. I don't need the collection to be complete to be an expert. If i sold them tomorrow and didn't own any then I wouldn't lose my knowledge of them! 
    Switchfoot55catwranglerKyloRen0806BOBJACK_JACKBOBtallblocktoo
  • Steve_J_OMSteve_J_OM Member Posts: 995
    edited October 2019
    I would also add - I’ve found it helpful to create my own terms for ‘completion’. For example, I have the goal of collecting a Minifigure variant of every character in the Harry Potter theme. I’ve no interest in trying to collect every variant of every character. I don’t have room, and never will, to display that many Minifigures from a single theme, and the money it would require to collect every one of them would go towards multiple large sets. In fact, I sold my Mad-Eye Moody and Professor Trelawney when the CMF line came out, because I preferred those variants.
    BumblepantsBaby_YodaKungFuKennySumoLego123applemanbandit778stluxKyloRen0806BOBJACK_JACKBOB
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    I'm somewhat similar. I was completist for CMFs until S10, and I think at some stage have owned every CMF made to date except Mr Gold and some S19 that I still haven't got and sold on. But Mr Gold made me realise that I didn't need every CMF, and in fact made me look again at why I was collecting them. I realised I liked some and didn't like others, and not having the ones I didn't like didn't really matter. More than that, getting rid of the ones I didn't like actually meant I focused on the ones I do like.  And so any I do get that I don't like get sold on. I would hope that even if I did accidentally get a Mr Gold, I would have still gone down the same path and sold him. At the time, it didn't bother me too much, as I was collecting "normal" retail CMF. I think I started selling off the ones I don't like around S12.

    And for regular (non-blind) sets, if I don't like what LEGO currently offer compared to what I already have, I don't get.
    SumoLegoMr_CrossKyloRen0806LittleLori
  • daewoodaewoo Member Posts: 815
    I'm a train guy, so I pretty much stick to trains and City sets that complement my layout.  I will buy things from other themes if I see a way to work them into my city...or I think they're unique and cool and there is no way that I could possibly draw another breath if I didn't have them.
    KyloRen0806Snizzlebutts
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,229
    I should note that I write this with a fair amount of self-deprecation.  I completely agree with @CCC, in that possessing all of some particular item does not create a causal nexus with expertise.  I know too many SW figures collectors that despite having lots of stuff, they have no idea what they have, and even less idea of what have value.

    As I watch a trailer for Midway, I am reminded that there are lots of factors that go into genuine expertise.  

    But generally, there is correlation between completionism and expertise.   It's tough to get everything without doing the research to find out what everything actually is...

    (And thank you, Brickset.)
    KungFuKennyFizyxMr_CrosscatwranglerKyloRen0806OldfanBaby_Yoda
  • RecceRecce Member Posts: 923
    SumoLego said:
    (Which would bring be back to the long-term collectability of the first version of the shuttle or the second version...)

    Interesting that you mentioned the shuttle sets as I've just sold one off 2 weeks ago. 

    Had both the 10213 and 10231 and was contemplating which to keep and which to sell. I noticed generally the market price for 10231 is higher? In the end I sold the 10213 set including the service pack. 
    SumoLego
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,229
    I meant the various versions of the Kylo Ren Shuttle, but the same rationale would apply to the various Space Shuttle sets as well.  

    Unless I were collecting Space Shuttles, I'd probably upgrade if the set were more detailed or a better design.  I find I do that with fire engines for my modular city.  If a newer set is 'more' scale or looks better, the older version goes in the spares drawer.

    I'd be more apt to display a 'better' version of the Emerald Night - should that ever be re-released.
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,250
    SumoLego said:
    Unless I were collecting Space Shuttles, I'd probably upgrade if the set were more detailed or a better design.  I find I do that with fire engines for my modular city.  If a newer set is 'more' scale or looks better, the older version goes in the spares drawer.
    Why not use both (or all, depending on how many times you've upgraded)? I rather like when incongruous Lego designs collide. 
    ModeltrainmanSumoLego
  • piratemania7piratemania7 Member Posts: 2,146
    One of the things I struggle with the most is opening a set. It sounds silly but I know as soon as I open it it isn’t sealed and is typically not worth as much. It’s actually one of the reasons I have lost some of the allure of LEGO because I used to not care! Anyway, a collection is definitely a personal journey for which you set the tone, I think it’s whatever you want it to be.
    KyloRen0806SeanTheCollector
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    piratemania7 said:
    One of the things I struggle with the most is opening a set. It sounds silly but I know as soon as I open it it isn’t sealed and is typically not worth as much. It’s actually one of the reasons I have lost some of the allure of LEGO because I used to not care! Anyway, a collection is definitely a personal journey for which you set the tone, I think it’s whatever you want it to be.
    I guess the important point here is why did you buy it? If it was for an investment, then fine. If you collect sealed sets, then fine. But if you enjoy actually building LEGO, then surely the point of buying it was to open it.
    KyloRen0806ModeltrainmanSwitchfoot55Mr_Crosspiratemania7catwrangler560Heliport
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,250
    edited October 2019
    piratemania7 said:
    One of the things I struggle with the most is opening a set. It sounds silly but I know as soon as I open it it isn’t sealed and is typically not worth as much. It’s actually one of the reasons I have lost some of the allure of LEGO because I used to not care! Anyway, a collection is definitely a personal journey for which you set the tone, I think it’s whatever you want it to be.
    Seriously? If it's causing you such distress, to the point where you're losing your interest in the hobby... then just open them already. Who cares what the set 'might' be worth some day? It's an absolute waste of money (and space!) to amass a pile of sets that you never stop to enjoy. Collect high resolution pictures of the box art if that's all you want. 

    If you're looking to invest, play stocks. The returns are higher and more rapid. If you're looking to enjoy a hobby, then buy - and enjoy! - Lego. 
    bgl_84coconutb560HeliportbrickventuresSnizzlebutts
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,229
    klinton said:
    Who cares what the set 'might' be worth some day?
    I do.  Send them to me.
    FizyxKungFuKennyBaby_Yodacatwranglerpanchox1
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,250
    SumoLego said:
    klinton said:
    Who cares what the set 'might' be worth some day?
    I do.  Send them to me.
    Shush, you! Don't you have some retro fire engines to rebuild for your city? :p
    KungFuKennySumoLego
  • RecceRecce Member Posts: 923
    SumoLego said:
    I meant the various versions of the Kylo Ren Shuttle, but the same rationale would apply to the various Space Shuttle sets as well.  

    Unless I were collecting Space Shuttles, I'd probably upgrade if the set were more detailed or a better design.  I find I do that with fire engines for my modular city.  If a newer set is 'more' scale or looks better, the older version goes in the spares drawer.

    I'd be more apt to display a 'better' version of the Emerald Night - should that ever be re-released.
    Lol. I sold off my Emerald Night last week!

    Sad to sell it off though I needed the cash and also to free up space at home. :(
    SumoLego
  • colaycolay Member Posts: 547
    piratemania7 said:
    One of the things I struggle with the most is opening a set. It sounds silly but I know as soon as I open it it isn’t sealed and is typically not worth as much. It’s actually one of the reasons I have lost some of the allure of LEGO because I used to not care! Anyway, a collection is definitely a personal journey for which you set the tone, I think it’s whatever you want it to be.
    I've read some odd the comment son this, and this is where I am at too, for some things. I buy what I want to build, and like, and want to own. But, as my 'build' pile grows (as I don't have the space) some sets retire and they are worth more. What if it doubles again etc. I know though, that I am unfortunately, a consumer and sucker and bought in to the commercialism of the world and wanting everything, but, realise I just cant have it. Who am I trying to appeal to (outside of myself)saying, look what I have and built. Friends? Neighbors? People I dont know on the Internet? lol

    I wish it was simpler times, Lego was basic, didnt get any cooler or re-releases and that UCS sets never existed that made people go cuckoo years later, people wanting retro, and things they didnt have when younger and distort a market :)
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    colay said:
    I've read some odd the comment son this, and this is where I am at too, for some things. I buy what I want to build, and like, and want to own. But, as my 'build' pile grows (as I don't have the space) some sets retire and they are worth more. What if it doubles again etc. I know though, that I am unfortunately, a consumer and sucker and bought in to the commercialism of the world and wanting everything, but, realise I just cant have it.
    Yeah, that happens. Lets say something was £50, and is now being sold for £100. I can sell it on BL for £100, and I'm likely to get about £90 after fees, probably closer to £85 if sold on ebay. So would I prefer to have the original £50 set or £90 worth of new stuff instead? In some cases I'd go one way, in others I'd go the other way.
    coconutbFizyxMr_Cross
  • colaycolay Member Posts: 547
    TBF, I wish someone would buy the whole lot at RRP some days. But then also, some of the older (not many though) buy at the new Market value lol. I could do with a new car
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,229
    CCC said:So would I prefer to have the original £50 set or £90 worth of new stuff instead?
    My answer: Both
    Fizyxgmonkey76
  • OdeinoichusOdeinoichus Member Posts: 361

    I just stick everything in my Wants List. If I get it, fine, if I don't... a few years down the line I prune it so it doesn't say I want 1500 LEGO sets. (Because who in their right mind wants to own that many LEGO sets???)

    In all seriousness though I've limited myself to Jurassic World, Star Wars when on sale or clearance and only if it has a must have Minifigure or isn't the 20th version of Luke's Landspeeder, MCU Marvel SH with a few exceptions for interesting characters, DC SH because DC is more imaginative than Marvel's sets half the time, even if it is inundated with Batman's vehicle collection and the occasional other theme that has interesting builds.

    I too want a lot of Disney sets, but I realized very early on, Disney is a massive vault of ideas and so to collect them all would be rather difficult. Also, I do not need, want or desire 15 X-Wings thank you very much. To that end I still don't own one yet, but have my sights set on a few larger SW sets during TRU Bricktober/holiday sales.

    The only reason to get the TROS Falcon is really Lando, so I may get it if Costco has a good deal on it like TFA Falcon a few years back, but it isn't as high a priority as getting a set with Captain Phasma or one of the large walkers.

    coconutbKyloRen0806SumoLegocatwrangler
  • piratemania7piratemania7 Member Posts: 2,146
    KyloRen0806 said:
    I have read all your comments and I have decided to sell off and delete the sets on my wish list I won’t have. Thank you so much for helping.
    Excellent news!
    KyloRen0806
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