Breaking Down Sets

[Erdbeereis]

How do you normally decide weather you take apart a set and use it for pieces, or leave it together as a whole set?

The reason I am wondering, is that currently, I have been keeping all of my sets that I have bought lately together. But I frequently have the need to go to these sets and use a part here or there if I don't have it in with my other parts. So I am thinking about using all of my set pieces for MOCs, however I think it is also good to have sets in their complete form.

Any thoughts?

[Siegfried]

I often pick pieces off sets when needed (and sometimes put them back) but I mostly break down sets when I start running out of room! Some sets I break very fast though if I buy them for parts only. Very few of my sets I plan to never break.

I too have been considering breaking all and building big.

[Fatespuppet]

I used to build things and then break them down and bag them after I ran out of room. I've since given up on this idea when I realized just how many sets I have. People thinking storing legos is hard, but it's those dang instruction manuals that are the hardest to store. All the shapes and sizes don't lend themselves well to being sorted by number.

Now I only keep the sets I really like together and the rest tend to get torn down after a couple weeks. The parts then get canibalized to make castles and mecha.

[VBBN]

I would simply break them down and buy doubles or just use bricklink. I keep togeher sets from the current two years, and break them down later, then rebuild them when I can.

[xenologer]

If it's a StarWars or Bionicle set it goes straight to parts. Maybe built, but only for a few days.

Duplicates that I found on sale, also go straight to parts, unless they are small ones and I was feeling bored and wanting to do some army building.

If you have a set on the shelf and never look at it or take it out to play with, then thats probably a good candidate for parts...

[SWMAN]

Simply keep the sets that you like the most together, and use the rest for parts.

[filefolders]

I usually build the set and then cannibalize it as I need the pieces if it is not a great set. Either that or I just build it and modify it until I am happy with it.

[Norrington]

I usually take parts off as I need them, and very few I keep together forever. Some fall apart or something on accident, and I sadly never put them together.

This happened to my few original pirate sets, Elderado Fortress, Bounty Boat, Harbour Sentry, and Cannon Cove. I like to keep them together, and would like to restore them, but as the parts are currenttly used in MOCs that I plan to keep together for n extended period of time, that's going to be difficult.

[AFOL SF]

If you can accept the fact that once you cannibalize a set(s) for parts, you may not be able to put together the said set(s) again, then go ahead...

I, personally, could not cannibalize a set for parts. I try to keep my sets complete in case I have the urge to build it back. I do make a point, however, to have an ample supply of bulk parts for MOC building. If there are any parts I am missing, then I buy those at Bricklink.

[Sandy]

I don't keep any sets together, they all get dismantled and their pieces sorted for MOCing purposes. Then again, I take care of all the instructions, so I can build my sets back whenever I want to.

But I only have 50 sets which are all relatively small, so I imagine it's a different thing for those of you with hundreds of sets and big spaceships and castles that actually have something to show off.

I don't really have space to showcase my sets (nor MOCs) in any case. And I personally don't really see any reason for me to do that, either. As fascinating as a whole room dedicated to LEGO would sound, it just isn't going to happen in my life.

[Brainbox]

I don't tend to buy sets solely for pieces. In the long term, yes, but very rarely will I buy a set just to cannibalise it. To that end, most of my sets spend at least some time on display, but I MOD them all first. The actual act of cannibalisation doesn't usually take place until I run out of space... which is most of the time! I've run out again at the moment, so I could do with making some.

[Wilhelm screamer]

Once I build a set, I always find my self liking it to much to dismantle it.

However, I often mod the ever loving crap out off the star wars sets to make them more accurate to cannon.

Edited July 23, 2008 by Wilhelm screamer

[Endigo Vandane]

I don't keep any sets together, they all get dismantled and their pieces sorted for MOCing purposes. Then again, I take care of all the instructions, so I can build my sets back whenever I want to.

But I only have 50 sets which are all relatively small, so I imagine it's a different thing for those of you with hundreds of sets and big spaceships and castles that actually have something to show off.

Same here. I buy sets to complete the theme, be it Batman, Star Wars, or whatever, but once I've build them they get taken apart and all the parts get sorted.

I'm also quite careful with the instructions. Why keep something together if you can rebuild it any time you want.

Only exceptions might be some UCS sets. But only so long as I don't need any bricks from them.

I don't really have space to showcase my sets (nor MOCs) in any case. And I personally don't really see any reason for me to do that, either. As fascinating as a whole room dedicated to LEGO would sound, it just isn't going to happen in my life.

I'm lucky. I do have a dedicated room, at least I did until my sister moved in with her kids.

But she's looking for a place of her own. Once that has happened I can get to back to some serious building.

[Captain Green Hair]

I buy sets for parts, so i don't think my opinion on this matters..

[Eilif]

I like to build and display sets, but only for a while. I have 5 shelves that I can display on, and when space runs out, or when I want some pieces from a set, it comes down and get's sorted out into my collection. Unless you are a serious collector, don't fret too much about sorting out your sets. As long as you have a good method for sorting and storage, you should always be able to bring out the instructions and put back together any sets that you want.

[Brainbox]

I'm lucky. I do have a dedicated room, at least I did until my sister moved in with her kids.

But she's looking for a place of her own. Once that has happened I can get to back to some serious building.

My bedroom is my Lego room. While that means I have less storage, building and displaying space, I do like to display as much as possible to make my room very much 'my space'. It gives it character, and makes it a place I want to be.

As long as you have a good method for sorting and storage, you should always be able to bring out the instructions and put back together any sets that you want.

My sorting method has become too good. I've obsessively sorted to such a degree that I've forgotten that some pieces have been sorted.

Edited July 23, 2008 by Brainbox

[Lord Of Pies]

My bedroom is my Lego room. While that means I have less storage, building and displaying space.

Same for me too, all my Lego is in my bedroom, aside from a few sets downstairs.

As for dismantling, all of the sets I bought when I was younger are dismatled and are in several boxes, I use these for MOCs and the sets I buy recently are all still construted with very few mods. (I can't bring myself to change them!)

[Brainbox]

I can't bring myself to change them!

Not quite the same problem with me. I MOD most of the sets I buy to varying degrees (take a look at my Mach 5, it's almost a completely new set!), but then can't bear to dismantle them because it's something I've made. If I didn't bother MODing, I probably wouldn't have a problem.

[CP5670]

I keep most of my sets built and on display, although almost all of them are modified to some degree or another. I occasionally scavenge rare parts from them, but if I need standard parts for an MOC, I will usually just buy them off Bricklink instead of breaking down a model.

This changes somewhat if I have a multiple copies of a set though. In that case, I will often break down one completely for parts.

[voxel]

Hi!

SW and some other stuff such as Cafe Corner is being built and remains as is, most of the other stuff goes to parts (sometimes I build it beforehand).

Duplicate sets immediately go to parts.

[Matn]

Normally my sets just stand there for display. But now I have decided to clean my room good and making a good sorting system, so I will break down a few sets I have on display: some Star Wars set (little ones), Harry Potter sets that represent a castle with tan in it (for my upcomming project) and a few random sets. I have just installed two shelfs, so I now have a good place for my newer Castle sets and my other Harry Potter sets (so they won't bother me and just lay random in my room). And bigger sets, like the Café Corner will never be broken down. But smaller sets and not so impressive ones will be broken down.

And I buy sets for the set, not for the pieces. So my sets will be kept built, but if I don't have the place and I see it's becoming to crowdy, I'll break down a set.

[Fatespuppet]

As of right now, the only official sets I haven't broken down, and don't plan to, are the Cafe Corner/Market Street/Green Grocer sets. I was never a big City fan until these sets, and now I'm won over. Once I get the UCS Star Destroyer together it'll also be (hopefully) permanent display.

The only other permanent is my Teknomeka. Brian Cooper's instructions were incredible and considering how many hours went into building it and hunting for bits, it would be painful to have to break it down. Besides, I'll need it to have something for my in progress customized one to brawl.

Overall, I think that keeping the instructions safe and in order is the most important thing.