So I decided to come back to Lego finally! I'm rebuilding my collection, and as I go, I'm finding a lot of these sets have a few stickers to go with it (be it 1-2 or upwards of 6+). So far, I've chosen NOT to apply them. I figure that once I've displayed the model for a little while, I'm going to take it apart and either rebuild it (for that tactile joy) or MOC with it. So as a result, I wouldn't want to lock a given piece into a given role by having a sticker on it.

What are everyone's thoughts on this? The best example of this is, recently, the 4866 Knight Bus that I just assembled. There are two little stickers that identify the bus and such. But especially with those awesome purple bricks, I opted against it. The 5770 Lighthouse Island Creator set had a few reflective stickers on it that I also said no to because I couldn't see myself USING the bricks as reflective pieces ever again.

Maybe I'm a bit paranoid/over-protective of my pieces, or maybe not. How do y'all go about this?

In most cases, I don't apply them. Eventually I'm planning to make scans of all of them, so I can make enough copies to reuse in MOCs. Most of the time I take a set I build apart within a month or two of building it, so it isn't worth it to apply stickers to a group of parts which I may likely never use for the same purpose again.

I always apply them. But then again, I don't normally use sets as parts packs - if I had been, I certainly wouldn't apply the stickers. Isn't it (more or less) that simple? If you intend to use the model as is, it will always look better with the stickers - as the designer intended - but if you don't, then it's much more practical to leave them on the sheet.

If I plan to use the set as a model I apply the stickers. If I plan to use the set as parts once built and taken apart, I do not apply.

So, for me, it depends.

Andy D

For me, it depends on a variety of factors - how useful the parts will be with and without the stickers when I MOC with them, how much they improve the model, whether they're across multiple pieces, etc. There are lots of sets for which I apply all the stickers, lots for which I apply none, and lots for which I apply some. With some sets of which I have multiple copies, I may apply the stickers in some copies but leave them off in the other copies.

I've missed out on some changes. The only time I remember seeing lego stickers was in an old idea book.

Are printed non-minifig pieces still made?

I don't use stickers. I also plan to scan them all, but haven't actually done it. It's rare that I feel like any model lacks much without it's stickers.

Are printed non-minifig pieces still made?

Yes, but when a set includes a lot of likely one-shot prints, they tend to do a sticker sheet. I've even see the occasional sticker for a previously printed part that isn't commonly in use any more.

For me, it depends on a variety of factors - how useful the parts will be with and without the stickers when I MOC with them, how much they improve the model, whether they're across multiple pieces, etc. There are lots of sets for which I apply all the stickers, lots for which I apply none, and lots for which I apply some. With some sets of which I have multiple copies, I may apply the stickers in some copies but leave them off in the other copies.

This is where I'm at. I guess part of it is the fact that I'm not an experienced MOC'er, so I don't look at a piece's usefulness in MOC'ing yet. That's partially what makes it tough to decide.

W also almost never apply stickers, we most of the time create a reproduction and put that on the model.

I've missed out on some changes. The only time I remember seeing lego stickers was in an old idea book.

Are printed non-minifig pieces still made?

Seems like a lot of the licensed sets use printed bricks but stickers abound in the standard theme sets.

I have decided not to use the stickers anymore. First, I like to keep the pieces "moccable", and I never know what I might be using them for. Plus, some of the stickers I put on (on old Batman sets) are about to fall off the Lego. So I'd rather keep the sticker sheet as it is and store it somewhere safe.

Edited November 21, 201113 yr by Miss Kyle

It depends. If I am happy with the design I will stick it on the part, if I just like how the sticker looks I will keep it on the sheet until I have a MOC it would work on.

For me, if stickers are needed to give the design it's i.d. then I apply them....unless I'm buying the set purely to part out for my MOC's !

I always apply the stickers. I feel that usually they add to a model, and it's even fun to reuse stickered parts in MOCs (although that can be harder with licensed themes, which I only rarely collect).

I use the stickers, even if I usually buy sets more for the parts than the model.

Once I've put a sticker on a piece, it's not true that I cannot reuse the piece. I can reuse the piece with the sticker on it, simple. This usually works fine in MOCs, with the sticker'ed brick giving you the same potential inspiration/usage as if it was printed. Of course it doesn't look as good as a printed one, I'd always prefer the look of a printed brick over a sticker. But from a usability point of view, stickers are better that printed bricks: a sticker'ed brick can be easily undone, while a printed brick it's more complicated to "reset" without damaging it, so it's most likely going to stay "locked" into the use implied by its print, which will slowly fade and make it look just as bad as an old sticker.

I don't understand why should I worry about the possibility that I might need that brick for something else: I'll just get another copy of that brick! Is that so hard? Unless the brick is really super-rare and expensive... but then I would scrap the sticker off and I would be fine, since I'd care more for the brick than the sticker.

Bottom line: stickers are meant to be used. Clearly if you just don't like how they look, you're absolutely right to choose not to use them at all! But being afraid of using them doesn't seem very reasonable after all... are you going to keep them in a drawer forever?

If you're afraid of wasting the brick, it's not true -> you can easily remove it and wash the brick clean from traces of glue

If you're afraid of wasting the sticker -> scan it, and you can have as many copies as you want

I think there should be some website where AFOLs would upload their scans of Lego stickers so that we won't ever run out of copies.

So I decided to come back to Lego finally! I'm rebuilding my collection, and as I go, I'm finding a lot of these sets have a few stickers to go with it (be it 1-2 or upwards of 6+). So far, I've chosen NOT to apply them. I figure that once I've displayed the model for a little while, I'm going to take it apart and either rebuild it (for that tactile joy) or MOC with it. So as a result, I wouldn't want to lock a given piece into a given role by having a sticker on it.

What are everyone's thoughts on this? The best example of this is, recently, the 4866 Knight Bus that I just assembled. There are two little stickers that identify the bus and such. But especially with those awesome purple bricks, I opted against it. The 5770 Lighthouse Island Creator set had a few reflective stickers on it that I also said no to because I couldn't see myself USING the bricks as reflective pieces ever again.

Maybe I'm a bit paranoid/over-protective of my pieces, or maybe not. How do y'all go about this?

If i know i really love the set ive got i will apply the stickers to it but if its a set i wont keep then i dont.

Bottom line: stickers are meant to be used. Clearly if you just don't like how they look, you're absolutely right to choose not to use them at all! But being afraid of using them doesn't seem very reasonable after all... are you going to keep them in a drawer forever?

If you're afraid of wasting the brick, it's not true -> you can easily remove it and wash the brick clean from traces of glue

If you're afraid of wasting the sticker -> scan it, and you can have as many copies as you want

I think there should be some website where AFOLs would upload their scans of Lego stickers so that we won't ever run out of copies.

I guess you have a good point. I mean, unless the piece is rare, I shouldn't necessarily be relying on that last piece to complete my build. :P

And I'm all for coming up with a site or something where high quality scans are submitted and stored for printing! It seems like a smart idea...

Yes, I apply them, although it's important to note that I am more of a set collector than a MOCer.

Yes, I apply them, although it's important to note that I am more of a set collector than a MOCer.

As am I. I don't get why people don't put them on regardless. You can always turn the piece around, it's not like, in most cases, that both sides of one piece show.

Last set I bought, the 5770 Lighthouse Creator, I didn't even know there exist a reflective sticker in the set. Personally, I'm against the use of stickers in LEGO sets to improve the aesthetics, its almost cheating if you asked.

I much prefer the raw one-look-and-you-know-it's-LEGO stuff.

For sets that I plan to keep intact and not to be 'scavenged for parts' for MOCs, I apply the decals. As much as I would want the particular pieces to be printed, I still feel the need to apply the stickers to complete the overall look of a certain set or vehicle. It just doesn't look right without applying them, and they are there for a purpose and that is to improve the aesthetics when there are no possible building technique could achieve the same effect.

However, there are certain stickers that are unnecessary IMO and that I could live without, particularly the bumper decals of some of the the new 2012 CITY vehicles. The grill tile pieces used before already worked, I'm quite dumbfounded why the designers had to go with this sticker route? This will be one of those examples where I would certainly not apply the stickers, and instead use the conventional grill piece set-up.

Last set I bought, the 5770 Lighthouse Creator, I didn't even know there exist a reflective sticker in the set. Personally, I'm against the use of stickers in LEGO sets to improve the aesthetics, its almost cheating if you asked.

In fairness, I'd say the stickers in that particular set, more so than nearly all other LEGO stickers, are about more than merely improving the aesthetics; the reflective stickers are meant to work as reflectors, after all, so they really qualify as functional elements. That said, it would have been nice if they'd just used a chromed element, though of course it would probably have made the set more costly.

maybe a mod could add a poll to this topic?

For me, yes most of the time.

I'll apply a sticker if it's an instance where applying makes the brick/slope/tile usable in different ways, such as computer screens, signs, hieroglyphics, etc.

I won't if it's just a racing stripe or limits a rare part's function, such as an odd-shaped panel or slope that could be used in more ways without the sticker.

I also keep the stickers for use in MOCs down the road and more importantly for customizing minifigs. I've bought small sets (and even clone brand sets) just for the decals, so you can see where my opinion slants.

I always apply stickers, sometimes I even put them on other bricks after I have applied them. I'm not exactly a purist.