Storage and Sorting LEGO

[Thee Pirate]

I use 5 drawer towers from Wal Mart to sort basic system bricks by color.

Specialized items, accessories, decorated bricks, et cetera are stored in bait and tackle bins mae by Plano.

Other items like tiles and the like are just sorted by themselves... eg. all my tiles are in one drawer on a tower.

all my minifigs are on display in a tower made of red, yellow and orange system bricks since I hardly ever use those colors

[Shoc]

I use mainly boxes and drawers, but some containers I've found particularly useful are these ones.

They're like large boxes, but you open the diagonal flap from the side. They're easy to get pieces from and to store models, I find them really good. Just don't ask me where I got them from, because I can't remember.

:skull:

[JCC1004]

Michael's craft stores. But here is the product if you want to look for them elsewhere.

http://www.amazon.com/Bagettes-Recloseable.../ref=pd_sim_k_2

They're just a simple 2x3 in. craft bag that can be found at nearly any craft store or department store's craft section.

Also, Eilif, I've seen pictures of your collection floating around and always thought it was very impressive.

Thanks.

[DarthSion]

Has anyone ever seen anything like this, i really want one for my chrome Vader.

[Peppermint_M]

Ok, so I keep my figures in a great big bowl, so I often have to get them all out and make sure all their headgear and held items are still on. My favourite figures which I use most often are stored in a smaller tub and all the dissassembled figures are kept in a screw sorter box by type (head, headgear, castle weapons,food,construction tools, etc)

[ILikePi]

Has anyone ever seen anything like this, i really want one for my chrome Vader.

It came free for those lucky 100 people with a "collector's pass" who came to the 2009 New York toy fair and got it for free.

[Oky]

Has anyone ever considered using these for storage? Would be kinda cool IMO.

[DarthSion]

It came free for those lucky 100 people with a "collector's pass" who came to the 2009 New York toy fair and got it for free.

Yeah but it there must be something like it.

Where did you get them sigs from.

[mania3]

Has anyone ever considered using these for storage? Would be kinda cool IMO.

Yes, I absolutely have. I'm probably going to use some of these to store quantities of like colored bricks. I just think it would look too cool not to do it

[ILikePi]

Yeah but it there must be something like it.

Where did you get them sigs from.

I think there's only 100 of those chrome Darth Vader display case thingies in the world though...

P.S. Was this discussion about this chrome Vader box thingy normally in the Storage and Sorting LEGO topic?

Edited March 14, 2009 by ILikePi

[DarthSion]

Yes it is because i want a box like that for storage.

[JimBee]

I found that when I was deciding how to organize my collection, I spent a lot of time looking at how other people did it. When I first started collecting, I knew that I was going to be buying a lot rather quickly, so I had to develop a system of organization early on. Given that, even as meticulous as I am now, I find that it gets away from me rather quickly when I buy 4-5 sets at once. Even as we speak, I still have Roughly 15 unopened sets in my closet I haven't gotten to yet, 5 of which are over 1,000 pieces. I even have some sitting in the floor that I've decided to remove from display but have yet to dismantle. It really is an endless job, but luckily a fun one. Here are some other examples of how I organize my things out.

>snip<

Wow, that's quite a collection you have, there, mania3. Thanks very much for the inspiration on my sorting.

Speaking of which, I'm in the middle of sorting myself. For now, I'm just using big Ziploc baggies to store one color of brick in. I'm dumping a little bit of unsorted bricks from my 20-gallon bucket at a time, and putting the bricks into the appropriate bags. Once all of it is done (I'm about halfway through), I'm going to dump one bag at a time and sort that color into two size categories. Judging bricks' sizes is mostly a personal opinion for me, but usually 1x3 bricks and smaller go into the small category, along with almost all plates. Everything bigger goes into the big category, and huge pieces (such as the big ugly airplane wing piece (BUAWP)) are left loose. Finally, once every brick of mine (except for built sets) is sorted, I will attempt to hunt down pieces from broken sets and rebuild those sets. Then expect to see lots of reviews. It's a very, very, slow process for me, but I hope to have it done by September. I should probably just get it over with, but I won't.

Minifigure pieces/ accessories not in use are all thrown into one Ziploc bag.

Has anyone ever considered using these for storage? Would be kinda cool IMO.

Those are neat, but very expensive. Plus, I wouldn't need huge bins like those for sorting Lego.

[Ratshot]

I use rubbermaid tubs for storing weapons,hats,barrels ect, I find it works really well.

[mrchris]

i've spent a small fortune on 'really useful boxes' i think they are a UK company, but they have hundreds of different sizes and they stack nicely and dont have the annoying dips and curves at the sides you usually get in storage boxes.

[Dark Wanderer]

I have fifty, probably approaching sixty fishing tackle boxes with all of my bricks sorted by type. I'd like to go for sorting by both color and type, but until I acquire more room, I cannot. And then I'd have to re-memorize the places of every single brick again.

[AwesomeStar]

Here in the UK, we are approaching the Easter Break, and, in light of my decision to push ahead with my Enormous Project, myself and my mother (Julia) who all my life has put up with the constant hassle of "Oh s**t, JOE! I JUST TROD ON A LEGO BRICK AND IT BLOODY HURT!" has agreed to help me through the pain-staking process of sorting my Lego.

The absolutely hilarious thing is, I don't quite think she realizes how much Lego I have.

My aim now is: Get as many freakin' containers as you can, sort it all by type, colour, size - then build!

~A.S.

P.S. Just saw a container online - 64 compartments for £15 - YAY!!

[Oken]

I want to sort my bricks like Eilif but I have not enough space (and not enough bricks too) :__(

Sometimes I feel like WallE with the fork/spoon, enable to choose between two sorting methode...

[Ralph]

Michael's craft stores. But here is the product if you want to look for them elsewhere.

http://www.amazon.com/Bagettes-Recloseable.../ref=pd_sim_k_2

They're just a simple 2x3 in. craft bag that can be found at nearly any craft store or department store's craft section.

Also, Eilif, I've seen pictures of your collection floating around and always thought it was very impressive.

If you have a Walmart or a Target, check the "craft" department the bags are usually near the "scrapbooking" supplies in those stores.

OK, so recently the 5 millionth topic was opened about storage. Let's keep it all to one sub-forum and one topic.

How do you sort your LEGO?

How do you store your LEGO?

Discuss...

How do you sort your LEGO? For general bricks it's all about sorting by color.

How do you store your LEGO? Special parts are stored in small parts containers like those found at craft stores for storing beads and things. Figures are stored one to a small ziplock style bag like several others here have pictured. For the bricks I use plastic storage boxes from a place called the container store. http://www.containerstore.com/

Edited April 8, 2009 by Ralph

[Eilif]

P.S. Just saw a container online - 64 compartments for £15 - YAY!!

Grab those, they are great for sorting!

I want to sort my bricks like Eilif but I have not enough space (and not enough bricks too) :__(

Sometimes I feel like WallE with the fork/spoon, enable to choose between two sorting methode...

Consider starting with the food containers first. Before I acquired all the drawer containers, and before my collection expanded, I used the 2-section microwave food containers. A stack of these containers don't take up much more room than just a bin of bricks. Also, from a system based around food containers you can later expand (as you get more bricks and space) into some drawer containers for special pieces, and larger containers for bulk storage.

Edited April 8, 2009 by Eilif

[ILikePi]

Does anyone else want to share their storage and sorting techniques? No one's posted in here for a while, even though it's a pinned topic.

[Ricecracker]

Well, I just got the following items this weekend for sorting Lego:

Sorry for the bad pic quality.

[CP5670]

Nice.

I need to get one or two more of the Stack-on/Akro Mills containers. I've been running low on space lately.

[Oken]

Mon Dieu ! Gosh! Mein God ! Arghhhh... you're crazy lol

Drawer B 12 for this kind of bricks, J 25 for the 1x3 black flat... :P

But it's very cool. I'd like to have the same :D (and enough space too) (and a stair to reach the top ;)

(sorry for my english)

[Ricecracker]

Mon Dieu ! Gosh! Mein God ! Arghhhh... you're crazy lol

Drawer B 12 for this kind of bricks, J 25 for the 1x3 black flat... :P

But it's very cool. I'd like to have the same :D (and enough space too) (and a stair to reach the top ;)

(sorry for my english)

. I do have a step-ladder in my room for them......

[Legoking]

Ricecracker, those stack-on products are a lot of money. I only bought 4 and paid 119.99 including shipping. How much did you pay for all those cabinets?

LegoKing