LEGO Paranoia

[RaincloudDustbin]

Hello again,

I was wondering whether I'm the only one who is rather paranoid about their LEGO. I recently sold my house and dreaded every viewing as I didn't want anybody to go into my LEGO room so I decided to stay home and 'guard' it.

I sometimes think my minifigures fight each other when I'm gone (not really.) I think I've been watching too much Toy Story. I did randomly find Thor's arm across the room though...

I also worry about seeing someone I know in the LEGO aisle so my excuse is ''It's for my Cousin's birthday.''

I invite others to share their weird stories on how they protect their LEGO and if gthey have worries about it being moved or played with.

TT

[Fugazi]

As this topic is more about our members than about LEGO, I feel that it belongs in Community.

[RaincloudDustbin]

Cool, I'm always getting the two mixed up.

[Mr Bill]

For me I don't really worry about someone I know seeing me buying Lego. Pretty much anyone I know KNOWS that it is my hobby (and once they see what I do they don't find it weird at all -- for the most part).

On the other hand as far as displaying my models goes, i do worry about "little hands" getting into them. Most of my MOCs and more cherished models are displayed above the level where such hands can do harm. As for "adult" guests I suppose I just trust that I choose my friends wisely enough to feel comfortable knowing they would not take something that did not belong to them. I definitely don't worry if they are friends who are NOT into Lego and conversely when the Lego friends (members of my LUG) come over I believe we all have enough respect for our hobby that we would not take something belonging to a fellow member.

I think the only time I worry is when my kids have friends over. I skulk about and if it looks like they;ve taken an interest I monitor a little closer and (after they leave) do a cursory inventory of what's on display. Only once did I notice something missing (some cypress trees) and since I knew my son and his friend were building their own MOC at the friend's house I simply told my son and showed him what they were worth on BrickLink, he brought them right back. After that we set up a sort of "library card" system where if they wanted a certain piece they "checked it out" and I was able to keep tabs on the part. So far that has worked fine.

--Mr Bill

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I have my collection under lock and key; no windows, no air ducts, one way in and out. It's at my parents house and usually kept lock, but every now and again I am there sorting a new BL order or dropping off some new set(s) and will forget to lock the door. I don't really have much to worry as my youngest brother is 17, going on 18, but my mom occasionally babysits for a family friend. Thankfully has only discovered some of my old, beat up, Hot Wheels and Matchbox. His father actually gave my 2 brothers and I his old LEGO when we were 5, 10, & 13, so it'll probably be a couple years before the little guy discovers LEGO. It would have been nice to show the little guy my city before it was packed up, though

[L@go]

I accompanied a female friend of mine into a toy store on Monday, offering a bit of LEGO advice as she wanted to buy a present for a friend's daughter. An employee overheard it and said "My oh my, you are knowledgeable about this, aren't you!" - in a tone that sounded a bit condescending. So I just replied, "Yes, I'm a proper expert" and left it at that :)

My friend thought it was much funnier than I did. She couldn't stop giggling.

[bricklayer]

When i go down the lego aisle just itching to spend some time looking at the sets.

My son has no interest to look(gotta fix this)

I try coax him to look so that it doesnt look like me whos looking.....but he doesnt.

Listen, got nothing to be ashamed of.I keep telling my wife.

Its an innocent hobby and not illegal.

[Grimmbeard]

I'd say I'm a little paranoid. I don't really mind when people come over, most don't mess around with the LEGO. What I'm really worried about is floods . The sump pump is a little erratic where I live, and whenever I hear the slightest news about a bad storm, I'm booking it down to the bricks to get it all to safety

[Kristel]

I brought 5 of the new Friends sets in one go when they came out earlier this year. The old lady behind the counter commented that "someone's a lucky girl". Although, those sets were (mostly) for my daughter, I responded with "Yes, I am". It was worth it just for the look on her face - I don't think she approved.

I don't hide that I enjoy building with LEGO. Most people's attitudes change pretty quickly once you show them what can be done with LEGO these days. For those that don't get, it's their loss, not mine.

At home, my daughter and her friends are allowed to play with all the LEGO we have, with just two rules - it stays off the floor and they don't touch any of my builds (including WIPS) until they have been photographed. I trust her friends, their parents and my friends enough not to take anything. Having said all that, I do "hide" some of the more valuable pieces. For example, the DBG parrots are not stored in the "Animals" box, while the red and green ones are.

[Flipz]

I'm normally pretty chill about people knowing my affection for LEGO. That said, I've gotten a few dirty looks from both shoppers and staff when I'm looking through the Friends sets at Walmart or other retail stores. That's alright, since I normally shop at the LEGO store anyway. The staff there understand when I browse through Friends (heck, I've talked them point-by-point why Olivia's House is one of the absolute best sets/parts packs for beginning MOCers of any gender), but I generally get one or two really nasty looks from parents whose children make some comment about me looking at sets for girls. I'm usually forgiven once I've found three or four CMFs their kids wanted while I'm digging through them on the hunt for my own targets, though.

As for the safety of my LEGO, I'm pretty relaxed with them, too (far more than I should be, given the rarity of a few key sets), but there are a few parts I am desperately paranoid about--mainly because, aside from the archival copy kept at LEGO HQ, they are the only parts of that type in existence. I am, of course, talking about the unique parts in this:

Pod 7 and minifig pilot by The Bradford Rant Institute, on Flickr

I keep the set itself in a safe place, and if I'm going away for a long period of time, I always take it with me, just in case.

[Legononymous]

The only paranoia I suffer from is trying to buy what I want to collect before they retire it.

[tomdobs55]

Sometimes I get weird looks when I look through the Lego aisle but generally I have my boys with me so people assume they're looking. One time I helped a kid about ten years old decide between a couple city sets. He was very grateful but I don't think his mom liked a random guy by himself talking to her son. In terms of my collection I'm way too lax my 4 modular buildings are in various States of disarray due to my little 4fol (4 year old fan of Lego). But the way I see it is that that's the best part of Lego, you can always put it back together

[Vindicare]

Coming from someone who finally got over the house showing, I feel your pain. I dreaded when people came with kids. At Thanksgiving, my two cousins were touching both 10225 R2-D2 and 10228 Haunted House. I hovered over them and watched them like a hawk! I was so nervous when they're little fingers were messing with Artoo. Luckily, no harm came to him or the house. I'm just glad they stayed out of my room, thank God for a slightly paranoid mom who doesn't let them get too far out of her sight.

[Leo604]

I'd have to say the only time I'm paranoid about my collection are when my brother's friends are over; considering they're all around the 9-10 years old age I usually tell them specifically not to go in my room, or just guard it myself. Other than that I'm fine with other family members or friends of mine taking a look around.

[Daenerys Targaryen]

My other hobby is tabletop wargaming, so in terms of dealing with what others may think of me for collecting a few LEGO sets, I honestly couldn't give a flying rat's fart about their opinion.

Sure I've gotten some strange looks from others when browsing down the LEGO aisle in stores sure, but it's my hobby/enjoyment which is all that matters to me.

IMHO, the only thing you need as an adult is a sense of proper responsibility. Maturity on the other hand can go sulk like a Sad-Sad Panda for all I care!

I keep all my stuff either in display cabinets or else on the higher shelves of my book cases due to my two little kittens.

My friends will typically check out things like my little Minifig displays or ask to look at some of the asembled sets, but considering most of them have been/are still LEGO fans themselves and/or collect tabletop models as well, I'm not too worried about anything getting broken.

I guess you could say I'm a total nerd and proud of it!

[Paul B Technic]

I have my city collection on a large table with sides so that is fairly safe, my Technic is all on fairly high shelves so that is also safe,,, Just remember LEGO is to be played with :)

[Geki Brick]

You take your brickhead lifestyle way too seriously. I openly flaunt to my pals that I am a Lego fan and that when I walk into the Lego Store, I am not buying for my nephew's birthday party...I'm buying for Myself. Although I'm beginning to question my VIP status at Lego as the $5 reward doesn't beat the discounts offered at retail stores/Amazon on certain sets.

[PenPlays]

My only paranoia is earthquakes. It has been so many years since a decent sized earthquake occurred where I'm located. The moment there is even a gentle shake, weeks upon weeks of rebuild!

Another would be whether I'll have enough room in the house for more Lego in the coming years...

[Flipz]

You take your brickhead lifestyle way too seriously. I openly flaunt to my pals that I am a Lego fan and that when I walk into the Lego Store, I am not buying for my nephew's birthday party...I'm buying for Myself. Although I'm beginning to question my VIP status at Lego as the $5 reward doesn't beat the discounts offered at retail stores/Amazon on certain sets.

Wait until the double points periods (like the one lasting until April 8th)--you end up getting a LOT back in rewards. Also, buying at the Downtown Disney LEGO Stores while having a valid pass for the appropriate Disney park also offers a 10% discount on your entire purchase--which ends up saving a LOT over the long run.

[Orange Leader]

All the rooms of my house have some LEGO models displayed. So no, I'm not paranoid what other visitors think. Same for the toy stores, although that took some time to get used to. They will always ask If It's a present to wrap and I answer "No" with a kind smille. Male sellers tend not to care as much as female sellers from my experience. Female sellers tend to giggle or frown upon me.

[jonwil]

I do get a little worried about some staff member having a go at me if I am in a store feeling the CMF packets but so far that has never happened to me.

My only major paranoia when it comes to LEGO is loosing parts from creations or having major damage occur to them (recently I took my Octan petrol station out with me to show someone and it got dropped on the footpath and smashed. Thankfully there was no real damage to any of the parts and I was able to re-assemble the creation no problems although it did mean I couldn't get to all the shops I wanted to get to before they shut.)

[B34TBOXX5]

Couple posts I agree with/relate to...

I openly flaunt to my pals that I am a Lego fan and that when I walk into the Lego Store, I am not buying for my nephew's birthday party...I'm buying for Myself.

Hahaha I'm with you 100%! I never hide my love of Lego, my friends sometimes make fun a bit when they come by and see me buried in a box, but they know it's my hobby, and deep down they all think it's cool too. I have a friend who just graduated from Dalhousie for engineering, whenever he's by he loves checking things out and tinkering with stuff. Even my more smart-a$$ friends who like to make fun will only say harmless things like "Dude, these guys with the bow and arrows in the tower don't have much cover", then laugh. I'll laugh along but on the inside I'm like "Hmmm. Good point. I need more protection up there."

One time I helped a kid about ten years old decide between a couple city sets. He was very grateful but I don't think his mom liked a random guy by himself talking to her son.

This happened to me too, at Toys R Us, two young brothers were trying to decide on which set their parents would buy them, and I just threw out a couple comments about why one was much better than the other, and their mom looked at me like I was Hannibal Lector. I don't judge her on being protective, but come on! If it's what we're into, why does age matter? It's not like when a kid learns a sport their Coach is their age. With age comes wisdom, but I guess it's just the world we live in, don't talk to strangers.

[tedbeard]

...I guess it's just the world we live in, don't talk to strangers.

I was just writing about this on Classic-Castle and it bears repeating:

I don't have a sense of the levels of paranoia in Europe and elsewhere but child-abductions are a huge issue for parents (reasonable or justified or not) [in North America]. It is to the point where here in sleepy Victoria, BC, Canada I got looked at funny when I suggested my middle-schooler (grade 6) should be able to get himself a mile-and-a-half to and from school, every day and many kids do not walk the four blocks to elementary school unaccompanied.

So, as a parent, LEGO-nut and Cub Scout leader, in these sort of situations I always respect the parents and children by clearly addressing the adult and allowing them to mediate any interaction with their child. It is really just good manners frankly.

[TheLegoDr]

I think at first I was paranoid as to what other people thought, but it doesn't bother me anymore. I frequently feel the packets at stores, and as far as I can tell no weird looks are sent my way. No one has questioned who the sets were for, but if they asked I would tell the truth.

Recently at TRU, I was feeling the CMF packets and a mom and her daughter came up looking at the friends polybags and then started to feel the packets themselves and started a conversation with me. I tried helping a little, but they weren't weirded out at all, which was nice, even though the parents weren't technically into the hobby, but they supported the daughter's hobby. After they left, the little girl came back to tell me she found more CMF in another part of the store. I didn't even see them originally, so that would have been helpful, but I never got a chance to look at them and everywhere I've looked CMF 9 is no longer available. So I guess, that's the thing I'm most paranoid about. Not getting sets before they aren't available anymore, mostly polybags/CMFs. A lot of stores around here haven't got them in and now series 10 is almost out...

As far as displaying sets, I have them on random shelves in our basement and our den/play room for our daughter. She definitely likes to play with them and has broken quite a few sets, but I tell her what she can and can't do and has got a lot better about it. She loves the big Hulk figure and other expensive figures, so it's hard to say no, but hard to keep away.

EDIT: As far as friends go, everyone knows it is my hobby and most of them think it is cool, even though they don't plan on doing anything with it. But they can appreciate it.

Edited April 15, 2013 by TheLegoDr