Burnt out with collecting?

BigOnBricks · August 2020

Has anyone else felt like they have or are getting burnt out with collecting?

Being born in the mid 70's I was big into Lego in the 80's and had a lot of sets, of which I still have quite a few. I came out of my dark ages around 2006 and really started collecting heavy. I mostly collect City, Modular, Castle, Nexo Knights, Power Miners, Ninjago, some Creator, etc. My wife and I were in a small house for a while and during that time I acquired a lot of sets I didn't have room to build or display. We have since built and moved into a new house where I have more than enough room. However I don't want to have a dedicated Lego room as I have already taken over one room for my video game set up and collection. My idea was to have a few sets out on display in my home office and rotate them out with others.

The problem I am facing is, #1 I have such a back log of sets to build I don't know if I will ever get to all of them and #2 trying to organize and store the collection is just becoming a chore. It almost feels like a job at this point and I feel like the joy for them is dying.

At the same time whenever I am in a store and I pass by the Lego isle, just seeing that blue City box and those pictures makes me want to buy it. Part of me has thought about just selling it all and ridding myself of it yet I fear I might regret it.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation?

madforLEGO · August 2020

I'm running into the same quandary. I was born in the mid 70's as well, and came out of my dark ages in the late 90's so I have racked up a significant collection of new and old sets. But I really did not want to try to build everything until I got a house as I have had previous experiences with having to dismantle a bunch of sets to move to my apt.

I'm determined to get a house still and set up a LEGO room, but with the mods and LEGO trains as well I'll want a pretty big area to set all of this up as well (hoping to get a house with a large basement). All that possible building does make me concerned as to how much time I will spend and if I will enjoy it like in years past (as I have gotten burnt out on LEGO rebuilding sets from lots).

That all being said, I still buy sets or parts that I want as I would rather buy it and part with it later (if I change my mind) than not buy it and want it later only to have to pay silly aftermarket prices.

Oldfan · August 2020

Yes, similar story and timeline for me too. I was hardcore Star Wars Lego until they started releasing the same sets over and over for 20% higher prices (admittedly, probably with 20% more pieces too), but it was the $169.99 Kessel Run MF (the original 7190 MF was only $99.99!) that finally had me saying "no more". I've finished my long-time-coming storage organization in the basement and sure enough, there's not quite enough room for everything, so it's a nice coincidence that I've stopped buying every single set that comes out as I'm out of space for more...

I've scaled back to buying loose pieces for my planned space MOC's, the remaining older classic sets from childhood that I missed the first time, and the yearly Modular and other cool one-offs as they come out. I went through a similar issue with the Star Wars action figures several years ago; I regard it as natural to have your tastes change and grow as time moves on. It's sometimes a tough transition (especially when the next items released just after you've decided to stop collecting look so cool!), but I'm at peace with my decisions. But it's not like I'm forced to sell everything I own; I have plenty of Lego to keep me happily building for years and years (and I still have a fair amount of action figures to display if I ever feel the need...).

klinton · August 2020

Don't be so compulsive about it? I very rarely purchase sets outside of my want list, irregardless of sale prices. I don't generally browse the Lego isles if I'm not out to purchase a specific set. I've no backlog of sets that I'll never use; I purchase sets with the intent to build them that day or that weekend, so each purchase is a little 'event' almost. Each set I sit down to build is as exciting as the last because it's something I've deliberately looked at, desired, and set out to acquire.

It's not a race. You dont get any prizes if you have more Lego than furniture in your basement. You really won't ever regret not getting any set outside of your core themes. There will always be another shiny new one just as interesting to capture your attention if you 'miss out'.

Just have fun with it. I juggle several hobbies and collections, with each taking varying amounts of my attention at any given time. Lego is in kind of a unique position wherin it tends to overlap with my other interests often (two birds, one stone... err, shopping trip).

drdavewatford · August 2020

BigOnBricks said:

Has anyone else felt like they have or are getting burnt out with collecting?

Yep - I was a Star Wars completionist until recently when I finally decided to pack it in, for reasons outlined in my blog post here.

Beyond the Star Wars-specific reasons (too many near-identical remakes, too many sets based on uninspiring subject matter, too many sets which were purely an excuse to release minifigures) my purchases of other sets has reduced too, for reasons outlined by others on this thread - my storage capacity is exhausted again having already purchased additional space twice, and I already have enough sets to last two lifetimes etc..

I'll still get the piano. and the NES, and the mosaics; I'll also cherry pick the odd selected set from other themes. Truth is however that LEGO release too many sets these days for anyone to realistically stay up to date unless they're extremely focused on a couple of specific things and strong enough to ignore everything else.

gmonkey76 · August 2020

I couldn't agree with drdavewatford more. Star Wars was what got me back into buying LEGO on a regular basis. With the current state of Star Wars my love for it is almost gone. It's gotten to the point that I'm 90% sure I will try to sell my collection of over 600 sets. That is if I can ever find a place big enough to move to and get them out of storage.

autolycus · August 2020

I completely understand getting burned out on trying to collect every set. What I don’t understand is how Lego re-releasing sets makes someone want to stop buying _anything_ and sell their entire collection. You can allow yourself to just buy the new sets that interest you. It’s not all or nothing.

The_Rancor · August 2020

People know I’m a big Star Wars fan, and this has always been the case since the theme started in ‘99 when I was only 6. I have had to take measures occasionally to make sure the interest doesn’t wane though.

Obviously I wasn’t a full set completionist as a younger child, and I’m still not. But it’s important to pick and choose what you like the most and what you think is going to keep you entertained more. I limit my compulsive tendencies to just the sub themes I enjoy the most too - which tend to be Prequels and Clone Wars (I’m hoping the UCS Gunship support is the mark of a sea change in offering a little more from the prequels).

TLG’s tendency to constantly rehash certain vehicles in Star Wars (like they’re police cars or fire engines in City) is tiresome, but no one’s forcing anyone to buy them. Fortunately for me prequel vehicles are much less subject to this than Landspeeders, X-Wings, TIEs and Falcons. I don’t buy the rehashes unless there’s something significant about them that’s different, but I’m a sucker for new colourful paint jobs like the Episode IX X-Wing.

I’m constantly aware of the storage dilemmas I could have if I bought a ton of sets for years to come, so I’m very selective with the non-SW sets I buy too. It really has to be a perfect match for my tastes or I won’t bother with the theme/sets. It doesn’t mean they’re bad - I just have to sacrifice what doesn’t interest me as much, for what does a lot more. That’s probably what’s key. (But to be fair this method has been very easy whilst TLG insist on having no Castle, Pirates or non-IP space).

I am actually a hopeful completionist for Star Wars minifigs, but I can buy these on the secondary market to top up my displays and they don’t take up much room at all. I accept there are compromises here too - I’m basically never going to have white gold and platinum R2-D2s because a certain AFOL basically has them all, but i’m fine with that!

I know I’m babbling on mostly about Star Wars but I think it applies to someone who’s trying to be a completionist for any theme, or trying to buy across loads of themes. To me the biggest part is always accepting your limitations - whether that’s storage space, buying power or general headspace to spread your interest across. You can always go ‘Marie Kondo’ on sets that no longer ‘spark joy’ and sell them off a little at a time (rather than throwing the baby out with the bath water).

CCC · August 2020

I've only ever been completionist out of habit for CMFs but that ended somewhere around series 12 or so. I was collecting ones that I wasn't really that bothered about just to be complete. I found selling the ones I no longer wanted from previous series helped break the habit and now I only buy the ones I like.

I am complete in other themes but I'm happy with that.

Bosstone100 · August 2020

I'm burnt out on Lego. I haven't been really following new sets and I still have a few modular buildings to build. I have quite a large Marvel and DC collections, mostly for the minifigs. I'll get the piano but have no plans to really purchase anything else until the next modular.

SumoLego · August 2020

I see that on the eventual horizon for me as well.

Although space is not really a concern, good organization is my foremost challenge. I resolved to 'collecting' only CMFs and LEGO Minifigure Keychains (and particularly SW keychains), but I have a sizeable amount of stuff incidental to the primary collection.

I've found that much more space-efficient themed minifigure collecting keeps the volume of sets down. And I've found good trading partners happy to take the pounds of pieces out of the minifigure-pilfered sets.

And I have my LEGO City that hasn't seen any progress in two (four) years. I chalk that up to slow improvements in the building/display area in my basement.

But... I don't think I could bring myself to downsize my '80's Castle and Pirate sets. Or the collection of UCS SW vehicles...

SumoLego · August 2020

I should note that anything I percieve as 'disposable' - notably City vehicles, SW 'regular' sets, Ninjago and even SH sets, have little interest to me. They'll come around again...

KungFuKenny · August 2020

SumoLego said:

I see that on the eventual horizon for me as well.

Although space is not really a concern, good organization is my foremost challenge. I resolved to 'collecting' only CMFs and LEGO Minifigure Keychains (and particularly SW keychains), but I have a sizeable amount of stuff incidental to the primary collection.

What about all of those polybags that I’ve seen in photos before ? 😉

SumoLego said:

But... I don't think I could bring myself to downsize my '80's Castle and Pirate sets.

If it comes to that feel free to PM me first! 🙂

Bosstone100 said:

I'm burnt out on Lego. I haven't been really following new sets and I still have a few modular buildings to build.

I’m in the same boat with most new sets (Ninjago, SW, etc) - they tend to run together after a while. I have found collecting vintage sets from my childhood and early dark ages to be good therapy - the nostalgia element is a nice way to maintain a love for the hobby.

Astrobricks · August 2020

When your hobby starts to feel like a job, step back and refocus on what you actually enjoy.

bandit778 · August 2020

I've found it's not a burn out of LEGO itself, just the over abundance of sets released every year.
My buying of sets has slowed to a glacial shifting crawl and any new sets that come out go through a mental check list to decide if I want it and what I'm willing to pay for it if I do.
This works out nicely as if a set does get on to my wants list, the second criteria tends to mean I buy a hell of a lot less as for the majority of sets, price means it isn't worth getting it.

For me, Rebrickable has been the saviour from losing any interest in the hobby as I find sourcing parts for a build to achieve an end goal far more satisfying than just opening a box and building.

SumoLego · August 2020

KungFuKenny said:
What about all of those polybags that I’ve seen in photos before ? 😉

Um, yeah. Those too...

Keilup · August 2020

bandit778 said:

I've found it's not a burn out of LEGO itself, just the over abundance of sets released every year.
My buying of sets has slowed to a glacial shifting crawl and any new sets that come out go through a mental check list to decide if I want it and what I'm willing to pay for it if I do.

Yeah, basically this. Just so hard when even limiting yourself, Lego comes out with great stuff that calls to be purchased. My purchasing habits may change (they have - a lot) but don't know that my interest will ever change. Love reading these forums, watching new sets, reviews, people's great MOCs, conventions etc.

My pattern was similar to most. Discovered the hobby 4 years ago (no dark ages for me. Never a Lego set until 4 years ago). Collection grew quickly as I learned/wanted/purchased. My fun and route was around finding best deals rather than day one type purchases - new sets during usual clearance events, used sets on deal sites, and loose brick on deal sites to build the part collection. After all I wanted/needed my money to stretch as far as possible. Then I ran into mainly 2 1/2 issues.

The 1/2 issue is money. Stuff is not cheap even when deal hunting.

Issue 1 is space and organization. Yup, I'm in typical pattern there too. And with the growing collection, my stuff was/is all over, really not organized. Have a plan which I've started, but it takes a lot of time which I just really haven't had enough of. The amount of Lego and "disorganization" led into issue 2, the biggest one for me.

Issue 2 - the wife. Two things here. Unfortunately she is not into Lego at all, but has been relatively tolerant of my love and my kids enjoyment of Lego. But the second thing is perhaps the biggest challenge of all - my wife is HIGHLY, I repeat, HIGHLY intolerant of clutter in the house. Things laying around, out of place and just out there stress her out and absolutely drive her crazy. No really, it's not acceptable. A couple months back she just couldn't take it any longer and decided to "sort" my already nicely sorted manuals and move them from my already determined long term collection into some drawers (which meant my other stuff in those drawers got cleaned out). That was not a good day in this house. She was in a bad mood and then so was I - first she did it without saying anything and second, I was deflated that the one thing that was truly organized no longer was. I still haven't had the energy (or time) to re-sort.

Then last week, she couldn't handle it anymore and started to "organize" my stuff. That meant moving stuff from one room to the other. Then moving a lot of stuff into a closet and one cabinet that was empty. She basically doesn't want it visible (which as we all know is not really possible or appropriate for Lego collections.) This means that my unorganized stuff that was organized from the fact of "in process" of groups together of various things to do (already sorted, lots that need sorting, sets that need piecing together etc.) are now all mixed up. That means it'll be harder and take more time to sort as now I don't know what groups go with what. And she doesn't understand the need for easy access to build/sort etc. as now very inconvenient to find/pull container from wherever they are just to retrieve or file away more pieces. Just like over time I had learned what types of containers work great for me for sorting. I had found certain food containers from take-out are great and I've been collecting certain ones that make it easy to stack and store so I could throw out the mis-matched. Well she tossed them all the other day because that's just "clutter".

I'm going to have sell some stuff and somehow make/find time to organize somehow. Until then it's going to be extremely hard to justify any purchases (I hear "too much Leg" a lot).

I suppose this was a bit of a rant, but it's my reality. Maybe once I get past my big 2 year project at work that consumes most of my "free" time, I can put more into organizing.

Needless to say, there are a lot of good points in this thread. Everyone's ability to collection will and should change. We all need to find what works for us. In the end, the "collection" shouldn't ruin the beauty that is Lego itself. We all need to find a way to enjoy it, be it to buy and sell, amass huge collection of parts or sets, build MOCs, enjoy other people's works, etc.

Leg Godt

KungFuKenny · August 2020

bandit778 said:
For me, Rebrickable has been the saviour from losing any interest in the hobby as I find sourcing parts for a build to achieve an end goal far more satisfying than just opening a box and building.

I second this sentiment - I find the planning required for building MOCs (the creative design process and sourcing of parts) much more satisfying than buying stock sets off the shelf...

Blockwork_Orange · August 2020

The fact that so many are commenting in this thread shows that they are not as totally burned out as they may feel at times. I'm in the same boat and have found that my enthusiasm for some themes and sets is not what it once was.

The common challenges of lack of storage space, lack of display space, affordability and just a lack of time in general are all factors that have contributed to a more select and focused collecting "plan". Add in the lack of new model ideas in some themes such as City (with its annual wave of fire/police sets) and Star Wars (there are only so many ships in that universe) and an over focus on a number of themes that just didn't appeal to me such as Superheros (both Marvel and DC) or Ninjago and I find that, while I still browse the LEGO selection in stores, I just don't buy as much as I used to.

That said I still consider myself an avid collector, but much more focused than in the past. I do have weak moments and go the occasional buying splurge when I find sets that are at the right price and usually justify it with the "I'll sell this for a profit to buy more of the sets I really want" excuse but still seem to buy more that I sell. :p

Keilup · August 2020

Blockwork_Orange said:

That said I still consider myself an avid collector, but much more focused than in the past. I do have weak moments and go the occasional buying splurge when I find sets that are at the right price and usually justify it with the "I'll sell this for a profit to buy more of the sets I really want" excuse but still seem to buy more that I sell. :p

I can very much relate to this.

Astrobricks · August 2020

I have the familiar problems of storage space, display space, and organization. I’ve been reminding myself recently that my parts collection is now big enough that buying random cheap sets for parts is no longer justified. But finding sets at ridiculous clearance prices has been one of my favorite parts of collecting. Unfortunately, it leads to me looking at those sets in their boxes and thinking “why did I get that?”, or “Crap, I need to break that down and sort the parts.” And just to complicate things further, I now look up those unopened sets on BS or BL and see what they are selling for on the aftermarket, and think I should really sell some (but I never do).

klatu003 · August 2020

Ahh. This has been the thread I have been waiting for. My LEGO passion has died. It started in 2011 in my 60s. I still enjoy LEGO, but my passion has returned to painting in my 70s. I will continue to collect Modular Buildings, Winter Village and a few very Architecture sets. I was relieved when the Fairground series ended. My LEGO has become a burden on my space (we moved and downsized.) Dealing with it has become a mental and physical block to my time. BUT it is almost impossible to let go. What if I want to build that again after all? I managed to give my City sets to a grandnephew. Except for a row of MISB LOTR/HOBBIT my sets are all used. I collected lots of parts to MOC, but never turned into much of a MOCer. It is nice to have spares when rebuilding a set and pieces have gone missing. I have no desire to spend time selling. I do not need to recoup the money spent. I need a counselor who specializes in LEGO reduction.

autolycus · August 2020

klatu003 said:

I was relieved when the Fairground series ended.

Who wants to tell them?

M1J0E · August 2020

Glad I’m not the only one. I’m the one in our house completely intolerant of clutter, so I’ve found myself busy enough this year with everything else, that I have a number of unbuilt “smalls” taking up shelves in my closet. Along with the 1989 batmobile, procured last fall on day 1, still in sealed box. The ninjago city is still only 3/4 complete, with the docks unopened. I know it’s summer, & I’m planning on a couple <$100 sets so I can sit down & build/complete without it being an ongoing project. But yeah between cost & space, I can surely understand being a bit burnt.

Fireheart · August 2020

Wow reading all these posts sounds like my thoughts over and over again..

I’m a huge SW fan, but now only get UCS sets / SDCC exclusives, and ignore any regular set (as I probably have it somewhere in a previous rendition). In the lockdown my son wanted sets to build which is great to see, so I opened some storage boxes to find sets I totally forgot about.. realising I had 4 x MISB Ewok village. Why ?

I probably spend more on CGC comics now than LEGO.

All I can say is that when the time comes that I sell the whole collection, it’s going to be one hell of a sale, and maybe the best part of collecting all this, seeing another collectors faces finally getting the set / exclusive they always wanted, and remembering the days when that was me..

daewoo · August 2020

I learned a long time ago that there was no way to get everything that caught my eye, so I debate about purchases before I make them. I love trains and I focus on those Lego products that go with that. I'll get things that fall outside of my focus, but only because I see a way to integrate them into what I do (trains) or they are good display pieces (like Ship in a Bottle).

pxchris · August 2020

To me, it's figuring out what really makes me happy to see out on display and focusing on that. Right now its definitely the classic pirates that's bringing me the most joy. The sheer volume of sets that LEGO is releasing every year right now definitely makes it harder to be a collector. Picking and choosing what newly released sets I'm getting is always a challenge.

bpk2300 · August 2020

I suppose I am on the other end of the spectrum, but this topic is still relevant. I am 29 yrs old, came out of my DA 4ish years ago and have approx 130 sets (lots of polys). I moved from a condo to a house and have my own room for my stuff, but already have had to scale back my Lego displays since it became a mess visually and it didn't bring me "joy" to be around. Once I reorganized (and packed away a bunch of sets), I began to enjoy the space again.

I am cognizant of the fact that I am eager to greatly expand my collection, even going as far to consider buying sets that I can "store" and then enjoy in the future. I realize this is a dangerous path and can create a slippery slope. The things that hold me back: my lack of space and just general life being the focus of my cash flow (mortgage, 401k, baby on the way... etc).

BUT, all of that being said, if I one day have the space AND the disposable income, I will go overboard and over-collect, and then end up like you poor sods above ;-) One thing I do know about myself is I get a "rush" during the purchasing phase, and then it sadly wears off after some purchases. This fact has prevented a fair few purchases.

To answer the thread, collecting has not burned me out, yet, but I am certainly feeling burned out by the shear volume of sets TLG produces, as well as feeling burned out by the FOMO I get when I don't buy 1/4 of the sets that I want.

gold682 · August 2020

I’m not sure I’m burnt out but I really wish I didn’t collect a lot of the sets I now have. My interests now are primarily Modulars, SW UCS (selective - don’t want a rehashed set, yeah I’m looking at you Death Star, Star Destroyer and MF) and Creator Expert vehicles.

I need to shift all my Monster Fighters, non UCS SW, LOTR & Hobbit just for the space.

KungFuKenny · August 2020

drdavewatford said:

Yep - I was a Star Wars completionist until recently when I finally decided to pack it in, for reasons outlined in my blog post here.

I've enjoyed Gimme Lego over the years, especially the reviews of vintage sets, and I was happy to see a couple of new posts in April and May. Are you planning on keeping it up?

Shropshire · August 2020

Exactly same position as others here in terms of burn out to the extent it's warranted a rethink, born in 1970, large backlog of mostly sealed sets that i'll never realistically get through.. buying enough new sets of interest to make the problem even worse as i'm adding to the pile quicker than taking from the pile..

So I had a rethink year before last and slowly going through the lot in batches with a "will I ever actually build you" hat on.. and have set a very high bar and have been selling the rest except where I think it's worth the gamble of selling down the line. Have now sold around 250 sets and around the 2x to 3x that still to go. I'll end up with around 100 left in the 'build' pile I think and maybe 200 in the sell later pile and a few hundred in the sell soon pile but still going through it and finding random stuff - this week rediscovered a stash of Mixels and more of the Shell promo poly's.

HugeBlueBrick · August 2020

I was collecting Elves and Ideas. When the final wave of Elves came out, I just couldn't work up any enthusiam for them. And now it seems that recently there have been too many, too expensive Ideas sets, so I've stopped. I may get one or two to build in the winter months.

MCNwakeboard · August 2020

Did Fairground officially end? The haunted house has a different style but seems like it could continue. For me, I think my fairground is set as I can build a train/monorail around the current fairground and intersperse a few themed areas (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pharaoh's Quest, Castle and Jurassic Park).

The last few years have produced some great sets so space is limited, forcing me to be a bit more selective in what I buy.

drdavewatford · August 2020

KungFuKenny said:

drdavewatford said:

Yep - I was a Star Wars completionist until recently when I finally decided to pack it in, for reasons outlined in my blog post here.

I've enjoyed Gimme Lego over the years, especially the reviews of vintage sets, and I was happy to see a couple of new posts in April and May. Are you planning on keeping it up?

Cheers, @KungFuKenny. Yep, definitely planning to keep it going, and I think the focus will continue to be on older sets interspersed with the occasional update on my LEGO city. Currently building something quite interesting from the 1990s with a view to posting a review on Gimme LEGO in due course.

KungFuKenny · August 2020

drdavewatford said:

KungFuKenny said:

drdavewatford said:

Yep - I was a Star Wars completionist until recently when I finally decided to pack it in, for reasons outlined in my blog post here.

I've enjoyed Gimme Lego over the years, especially the reviews of vintage sets, and I was happy to see a couple of new posts in April and May. Are you planning on keeping it up?

Cheers, @KungFuKenny. Yep, definitely planning to keep it going, and I think the focus will continue to be on older sets interspersed with the occasional update on my LEGO city. Currently building something quite interesting from the 1990s with a view to posting a review on Gimme LEGO in due course.

That’s great to hear! I also enjoyed following the progress on your “supersized” town hall / railway station .. I actually had been planning on traveling to the UK (before COVID) in the fall and was considering going to The Great Western Brick Show. Sadly it has been cancelled this year, but hopefully the trains will be up and running in 2021...

autolycus · August 2020

MCNwakeboard said:

Did Fairground officially end? The haunted house has a different style but seems like it could continue.

Quite the contrary. The Haunted House is the first set in the line to have the official branding “Fairground Collection”. Seems like a pretty decent indicator that the line will continue in the future, if you ask me!

CCC · August 2020

Shropshire said:

Exactly same position as others here in terms of burn out to the extent it's warranted a rethink, born in 1970, large backlog of mostly sealed sets that i'll never realistically get through.. buying enough new sets of interest to make the problem even worse as i'm adding to the pile quicker than taking from the pile..

So I had a rethink year before last and slowly going through the lot in batches with a "will I ever actually build you" hat on.. and have set a very high bar and have been selling the rest except where I think it's worth the gamble of selling down the line. Have now sold around 250 sets and around the 2x to 3x that still to go. I'll end up with around 100 left in the 'build' pile I think and maybe 200 in the sell later pile and a few hundred in the sell soon pile but still going through it and finding random stuff - this week rediscovered a stash of Mixels and more of the Shell promo poly's.

And the good news is once you've sold the sell pile, you can buy loads more!

PeteM · August 2020

I don’t know that I’ve burned out, but I’ve definitely reached a natural plateau which has reduced my interest and spending. This is mostly due to an ever increasing backlog of sets - I have generally been buying the sets I have an interest in ‘at retail’ to avoid having to spring for the increased prices in the aftermarket. While this has worked well in that I have sets that I would otherwise not be able to afford, I hadn’t properly judged just how little time I have to build, and the space required to display these (predominantly large) sets.

I'm find it harder to justify spending money on new sets when the backlog is so substantial and I know I probably won’t get around to building them possibly for several years (I still have the Town Hall modular in the ‘to build’ pile!) - so sets that I would have snapped up previously (like the roller coaster) are now relegated to going on a wait list for when there is a deal too good to pass up (if ever) so I can concentrate on sorting out my ‘time and space’ issue without making it any worse!

First world problems though!

drdavewatford · August 2020

PeteM said:

....I still have the Town Hall modular in the ‘to build’ pile!

Blimey - even I've gotten around to building that one!

brickedin · August 2020

The_Rancor said:
I am actually a hopeful completionist for Star Wars minifigs, but I can buy these on the secondary market to top up my displays and they don’t take up much room at all. I accept there are compromises here too - I’m basically never going to have white gold and platinum R2-D2s because a certain AFOL basically has them all, but i’m fine with that!

Likewise

My situation is similar to many, a huge collection taking up way too much space. I am lucky in that i have a reasonable storage area which doubles up as a place to display or store built sets. One positive of the Covid situation is it has given me more time to sort out my storage and i have started to move some of the excess.

In the early days post dark age i was prone to buying anything that was discounted ( i have a bunch of surplus superhero figs without actually knowing who the characters are). Fortunately i realised that this was daft some time ago and changed my habits accordingly. The main thing that triggered my change in collecting was that i realised i spent nearly all of my lego time hunting deals and sorting instead of enjoying what i actually liked. I now concentrate on modulars and UCS, although i also have a complete Winter village.

I have collected Star wars for some time but in truth i never build System sets. I do however enjoy hunting down figs.

bricktuary · August 2020

gold682 said:

I’m not sure I’m burnt out but I really wish I didn’t collect a lot of the sets I now have.

I need to shift all my Monster Fighters....

Oh hi there :)

If / when I get around to moving house maybe I could help you clear some space!

Altair · August 2020

I own about 150 sets and 600 minifigs, but still have 100 sets in their sealed boxes including some of the biggest ones: MF 75192, Taj Mahal 10256, Death Star 75159, Tower of Orthanc 10237, Destiny's Bounty 70618, Old Fishing Store 21310, Temple of Airjitzu 70751... As several of you I am waiting to have a bigger house to build all of them. I have a majority of sets from the SW OT, LOTR, Ninjago, Architecture, Lego Ideas... I feel also a bit burnt-out, so I try to give myself some limits and now only buy the sets I truly love. I have recently built a few MOCs: Minas Tirith and Edoras to complete my LOTR collection, and Game of Thrones locations in micro-scale: the Wall, Winterfell, the Twins, the Eyrie, King's Landing, Meereen.

Huw · August 2020

In my experience there is no point hoarding large sets to build later because (a) you'll never find the time and (b) there is always something better being released.

vanvonfull · August 2020

I’m burnt out on Star Wars.

When I stopped focusing on that line over the last couple years, it has seemed less like work and become much more enjoyable.

Also, from a color perspective, it’s like I’ve walked out of Dorothy's front door in the process.

The_Rancor · August 2020

I build every set I buy soon after I’ve acquired it with extremely rare exceptions, so I definitely don’t suffer with ‘too many sets I still want to build but haven’t found the time’ burnout. But then I know so many AFOLs on here buy multiples of sets or pile them up thinking they’re going to build them some day, so maybe I’m escaping a trap there, and I feel for you. This is why some people actually complain that TLG keep releasing so many good massive sets - if you’re buying them but not building them it’s a very hollow experience.

Star Wars sets would inherently be a lot more colourful if more were produced from the Prequels, Clone Wars etc. but TLG love regurgitating the OT ships which have the least colour and are all admittedly grey or black (ISD, X-Wing, Y-Wing, TIEs, Falcon, B-Wing, AT-AT, AT-ST).

KungFuKenny · August 2020

The_Rancor said:

Star Wars sets would inherently be a lot more colourful if more were produced from the Prequels, Clone Wars etc. but TLG love regurgitating the OT ships which have the least colour and are all admittedly grey or black (ISD, X-Wing, Y-Wing, TIEs, Falcon, B-Wing, AT-AT, AT-ST).

I’ve found you can kill two birds with one stone - recreating Star Wars sets in different color schemes can relieve the monotony of grey and fight burnout by getting your MOC juices flowing. Here is a Psiaki Friends inspired X-wing I did last fall (posted in a different thread at the time I believe)...

CCC · August 2020

^ Can you fit Zobo into R2-D2's spot?

KungFuKenny · August 2020

CCC said:

^ Can you fit Zobo into R2-D2's spot?

Well, I tried the Zobo from #41307 and it was a no go. I looked up and built the smaller version from #41357 and it fits better...

FollowsClosely · August 2020

Love the friends colors on the xwing. Recreating the modulars in a friends skin has been on my todo list.

PeteM · August 2020

drdavewatford said:

PeteM said:

....I still have the Town Hall modular in the ‘to build’ pile!

Blimey - even I've gotten around to building that one!

Ah well, that’s the other side of the coin - seeing things like the impressive job you did with turning it into a station, I start to get grand ideas for MOCs I’ll surely make with the sets when I finally open them . . . only that delays even further as of course I don’t have the time for that either...
TL;DR: I’ve managed to turn prevarication into hoarding!

Huw said:

In my experience there is no point hoarding large sets to build later because (a) you'll never find the time and (b) there is always something better being released.

This is a level of wisdom I am only just reaching!

KungFuKenny · August 2020

FollowsClosely said:

Love the friends colors on the xwing. Recreating the modulars in a friends skin has been on my todo list.

I’m working on one right now. I have trouble finishing projects, so I usually have 4 or 5 MOCs in various stages of completion... sort of like the pile of books in my library now that I think about it!

Burnt out with collecting?

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