To build or not to build

[candyman]

Hello this is my first post so please dont kill me if im in the wrong section. I have accumulated a few technic kits over the years and recently built a couple as I actually have some spare time on my hands! So most recent is the off roader with the lights - 8297, and one of the Ferrari F1's . I have also got a brand new in the box 8865 test car the red and blue one, its still sealed! I cant help but think i'd be committing finantial suicide by opening and making it, any idea what its worth? Im sure I have a new pheumatic crane somewhere..... a red one, really should have a rumage round in the attic and find it!

thanks for your help!

[JunkstyleGio]

Here in the Netherlands a 8865 MISB=Mint in sealed box) can get you aproc. € 200.

Did you buy it to play with it and you forgot to play with it, or did you get it to make some money of it?

For more info about vintage sets check:

Eurobricks "Sticky Sets"

[Blakbird]

I have also got a brand new in the box 8865 test car the red and blue one, its still sealed! I cant help but think i'd be committing finantial suicide by opening and making it, any idea what its worth? Im sure I have a new pheumatic crane somewhere..... a red one, really should have a rumage round in the attic and find it!

That's up to you of course, but in my opinion LEGO exists to be built. The greater crime is letting such a treasure sit there and never getting to enjoy it. Now if you have two of them, then you can let one stay in the box!

If you don't want to build it, then you should probably just send it to me.

[CP5670]

I agree with what Blakbird said. I got out of my Lego "gray age" by buying a ton of MISB Technic sets from ebay and Bricklink around 2000-2002, and never thought twice about building them if I had enough room on my display shelves.

Did you get the set when it originally came out or from ebay later on? It's worth taking inflation into account here. The set might not have appreciated in value as much as it seems, relative to the original price you paid.

Now if you have two of them, then you can let one stay in the box!

I did have two unopened 8865s at one point (reasonably cheap at about $130 each), and built them both. The only thing I regret is using the 1980s-style friction pins they came with, and not realizing the effects of that until recently.

[Rick]

The only thing I regret is using the 1980s-style friction pins they came with, and not realizing the effects of that until recently.

I'm not into Technic at all. What's the effect you're talking about (or are they just expensive in 'New' condition)?

[candyman]

I got hold of it about a year ago, I paid about the same as built ones were going for, badly worded auctions for the win. Main reason was the newer lego kits dont really do it for me...... i mean, the off roader i just built is ok but almost every other brick is a custom moulded piece of plastic ive neer seen before, and ontop of that, the biggest problem I have is 1 lego brick doesnt stick to another! what is all that about! (im talking about the smooth oval style bricks).

I think i might sell the test car then and get hold of a couple of older kits that have been built once and then put away, I dont mind that so much, just seems a waste to open a brand new kit if its worth a lot.

Edited October 8, 2009 by candyman

[CP5670]

I'm not into Technic at all. What's the effect you're talking about (or are they just expensive in 'New' condition)?

The problem is that they slightly damage the holes in Technic bricks over time. They have an extremely firm grip and their plastic rubs off on the insides of the holes, leaving dark smudges there. Also, when you remove them from bricks, you have to pull them out at a perfectly straight angle. If you mess up and they come out at an oblique angle, the lips on them crush the brick plastic and leave visible indentations at the edges of the holes.

Add in the general difficulty of removing them in the first place, and you have arguably one of the worst Technic pieces ever made. When I realized all this a year ago, I took them off from all of my built models and replaced them with the modern kind. If nothing else, they can still be used as rocks or some other granular material.

8865 and many other late 1980s sets came in two versions, one with the original pins, and an updated 1990 version with the new pins. My copies both included the old kind though.

I got hold of it about a year ago, I paid about the same as built ones were going for, badly worded auctions for the win. Main reason was the newer lego kits dont really do it for me...... i mean, the off roader i just built is ok but almost every other brick is a custom moulded piece of plastic ive neer seen before, and ontop of that, the biggest problem I have is 1 lego brick doesnt stick to another! what is all that about! (im talking about the smooth oval style bricks).

I hear you. Studless construction does have its benefits, but not when it is used exclusively like today.

[Meatman]

I used to be all about studded building, but with all of these cool new studless parts that have been coming out, it is hard(For me) to go back to studded parts. It's funny I finally got to talk to crowkillers(Paul) last night for about an hour on the phone and this subject came up. We talked about all of the advantages of studded vs studless building. He said that building studless was like playing chess where you always have to be 4 or 5 moves ahead while studded building was like playing checkers. I never really thought about it like that. He's a pretty funny guy too.

Oh yeah, one of his favorite advantages with studless parts which I completely agree with is that they much easier to clean also.

[CP5670]

I agree with him on both points too. I think your preference on this topic will depend on what the main attraction of Technic is to you, whether it's the structures or the mechanisms.

For me, it's the latter all the way. In fact, I think the biggest advantage of Technic over more advanced (metal, tool-based) building systems is that you can largely ignore structural issues and focus on the mechanical aspects of your models. Studded Technic bricks allow you to build a framework quickly and intuitively, and you can then think about the geartrains, linkages and other moving parts of the model. This is no longer the case with purely studless construction, which forces you to plan out the structure carefully and can involve some trial-and-error to just get the framework right, before you get to the mechanical aspects. I don't necessarily limit myself to only studded or studless construction, but I use whatever I think will the best and easiest way to make a given mechanism work.

In short, I like to "play chess" with the mechanisms. Anything that helps me make mechanisms is good, and anything that detracts from that is bad.

[candyman]

like it was bought yesterday!

[Milan]

Wow....

Many Technic fans are probably speechless right now, looking at the photos...

This was my dream when I was a kid.

[CP5670]

Nice. And it's a 1991 copy too, so it doesn't have the bad friction pins I described earlier.

Now show us what it looks like when it's built.

[allanp]

Wow! that is what I call pristine condition! What I wouold suggest is find one that has been build maybe once then put away, buy that one and build it. Alternatively you could build the one you have and then either store it in a dust tight box that does not allow sunlight in or dismantle it and put the peices back in the box, bags and trays before any dust gets on it. Iv'e done that with a few MISB sets and this is the way I enjoy them most. I deffinately would not sell it though.

[candyman]

Ive given it some thought and i think I will sell it, to be honest its not one of my favourite kits. I'll get more pleasure from selling this and then buying a mint used airclaw rig and space shuttle, 2 i would quite like to build up.

[Milan]

Or you could sell this rare sealed set for good money, and at the same time order one in very good condition.

In that case you can have both extra money and well conserved set.

Just my opinion...

[allanp]

Ahhhhhhh, two VERY excellent modles sir.

[Burf2000]

Wow a new one, gor iI had that model when I was little (have it now to on my fridge), one of my favourite models because of the childhood memories

I mainly like stud building, I just seem to enjoy the old school technic. I try to build big structures and so a) I have more stud than studdless and b) it easier to build big things from c) you can use bricks with it. So I spend less time desgining the structure and more time making it do something !

Studdless was very useful though when building a lego hand and rollercoaster. I used it as part of the track

[LordGalewind]

If you are planning on selling this set I would very much like to buy it...and pay good money for it. If you don't wan't to do deals on here, then I highly recommend selling it on eBay...you would get some decent money out of it off there.

[candyman]

Hello, I cant PM you, i guess my post count is not high enough. Mail me direct if you like admin@ukmonsters.co.uk

[candyman]

forget it :)

Edited October 15, 2009 by candyman

[Milan]

candyman,

You have to have 10+ posts to be able to send PMs!