Bricklinking Modular Buildings

[stevkir]

Received my larger order in today of 435 pieces for a grand total of 1742/2385. Still missing enough parts to the point I can't build much past 1-2 layers. If all goes well, I should have the needed parts in next week to get it up a few layers before I hit another road block. Here is a photo of what it currently looks like. I have a PAB order of 204 parts that has the remaining 2x2 tiles for the floors and some other pieces. Those of you who are familiar with this build will notice a few color changes to a few pieces that are hidden or colors close enough that I personally didn't care. Also cheaper to go with those changes than to ordering them on BL. So far only 4 BL and 2 PAB orders to get it to close to 2100 pieces.

Edited March 14, 2014 by stevkir

[Drachmyre]

As I would take the recreation of this as more of an act of entertainment I see why people do it. However, my own personal feeling is unless it's going to cost me twice as much to buy the original is just isn't worth it. 1. You won't have the original instructions, and if you add is to the cost it's going to kill the budget. 2. It won't be an original set. As much as I love my Lego hobby I do see it as my emergency fund if I end up unemployed. So you spend 500 to build a 600 dollar set. Five years from now you have 400 worth of Lego... Or you have a 1200 dollar lego set. Just my opinion, but you have to factor e value increase in the original set.

Now, if you want to modify the crap out of it and have fun... Go for it however.

[TheLegoDr]

Well, I'm a builder. I prefer to modify existing sets to make them better in my view. As in, I am definitely modifying the GG and CC instead of having an original set. I am not worrying about the resale value. I don't plan on selling any LEGO anyway, so it works out.

A lot of the budget depends. I haven't kept track of how much I've spent on my modified versions, but I know it is significantly less than the official aftermarket prices.

[rollermonkey]

Well, I'm on this train now, too, it seems.

Placed 4 orders: two through LEGO (one PAB order, one Bricks and Pieces order) and two BrickLink orders.

Started by ordering all the 1X1, 1X2 grooved, 1X3, 1X4, and 1X8 sand green bricks. Then supplemented that with all the parts required for steps 1-3, ordering the full quantity for each part required for the whole build. (Example: two 1X2 metallic grate tiles are used in step 2, but I ordered all 7 required during the whole build. I also got the blue 1X3X2 blue arches from someone who also had the mouse. That came out to 22 of 311 lots, and 548 of 2352 total pieces.

I figure if I keep alternating buying a couple expensive parts and all the remaining parts for the next step or two, I can spread the cost out a bit and actually slowly start building.

I see Stevkir is using a 32X32 plate instead of two 16X32s, I plan on doing the same, just because it should be easier to obtain.

Oh, nice! I didn't realize that the sand green 1X8s and 1X2s were the biggest cost in the whole set, and that's behind me already. For the most difficult pieces remaining, I guess those would be the lady's red-brown hair, the boy's torso and the white cat.

:)

Edited March 17, 2014 by rollermonkey

[stevkir]

Yes, I did use a 32x32 base plate, mainly because I only had to buy one part and didn't see the reason why it was 2 pieces in the first place.

Another thing is don't buy 1X8 Sand Green bricks, break them up into 50 1X2's and 50 1X6's and it comes out much cheaper. You will end up paying between .60 to .90 for the equivalent of the 1X8 that costs over $3. Huge savings.

I would recommend checking out Emperors Palace and 4 Fun Bricks & More as they both have a good selection for the GG and they are family in the same town and have started sharing shipping. So you buy from both make sure in the comments they know you did that and it will all be shipped out in one package. Save a few $$ in shipping that way. I did 2 orders from Emperors Palace and received the first one yesterday and they were excellent parts and packaged very well. They also do 2 day shipping with the USPS so you don't have to wait long to get your package.

At the moment I have about 23 lots left to order but those will have to wait a few more weeks or my wife is going to kill me since I have already spent $210 on BL in the past week. It's about 200 pieces left out of the 23 lots.

[Inzane]

Just a heads up. The white cat is available from lego via BnP.

My PaB order didn't come in time for the weekend. :-( I may have to open a set and build that instead. (E.g. I have Pet Shop NIB, in the que waiting to be built).

[TheLegoDr]

I think more than likely the 2 16x32 baseplates were used because that was what was available at that time. One 32x32 is easier and sturdier, so I'd opt for that as well. Plus, they are $5 as an add-on from amazon if you ever make any purchases from there. I have a stack that are still unopened/untouched so I don't know why I have so many.

It is commendable to the lot of you for actually rebuilding the entire set, including the animals and specific figures. I had no interest in that so it will save me some money, but with my changes I've made, probably won't save too much in the long run.

[rollermonkey]

Just a heads up. The white cat is available from lego via BnP.

The white cat AND the ladies hair, AND the dark red inverted slopes.

Made a second, smaller BnP order. :)

Another thing is don't buy 1X8 Sand Green bricks, break them up into 50 1X2's and 50 1X6's and it comes out much cheaper. You will end up paying between .60 to .90 for the equivalent of the 1X8 that costs over $3. Huge savings.

I would recommend checking out Emperors Palace and 4 Fun Bricks & More as they both have a good selection for the GG and they are family in the same town and have started sharing shipping. So you buy from both make sure in the comments they know you did that and it will all be shipped out in one package. Save a few $$ in shipping that way. I did 2 orders from Emperors Palace and received the first one yesterday and they were excellent parts and packaged very well. They also do 2 day shipping with the USPS so you don't have to wait long to get your package.

I already ordered the 50 1X8s. Paid 2 euro each, for US$138 total.

I'm done buying parts until next month, too. Wife is mad about money without even knowing I've bought LEGOs this month. :)

Edited March 15, 2014 by rollermonkey

[Inzane]

The white cat AND the ladies hair, AND the dark red inverted slopes.

Made a second, smaller BnP order. :)

WHICH of the ladies' hair pieces? Certainly not this one: (?) Element ID: 4506002 Design ID: 59362

Please confirm, but I've been checking and checking and even called to ask at customer service. They didn't have it and even said it was licensed (because it came in harry potter set(s)).

It's not showing in stock right now.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Inzane

[rollermonkey]

Ah, it's one digit off. 4506003 is the same color, and looks the same to me, but then again, I'm a guy. I thought 4506003 came up in the list of parts at BnP when I typed in the set number for GG...

[BCanilho]

Someday i will also start this quest for the MS and CC. This topic is being very usefull.

Fortunately i'm not a purist so i will just skip the minifigures and occupy my modulars with collectible minifigures series! :)

Please keep posting with all the diferent aproaches and customizations that allow these builds to become cheaper! ;)

[Inzane]

Ah, it's one digit off. 4506003 is the same color, and looks the same to me, but then again, I'm a guy. I thought 4506003 came up in the list of parts at BnP when I typed in the set number for GG...

That's the OTHER female hairpiece that comes in GG (there are two). They are listed side by side in the parts inventory for GG on the BnP site. How did you miss that?

[rollermonkey]

Because I mistook which was the rare piece? I thought it was the longer hair that is uncommon, not the shorter hair. I thought someone said that the rare one is also Hermoine's hair, and the other doesn't look like hers at all.

[Inzane]

Because I mistook which was the rare piece? I thought it was the longer hair that is uncommon, not the shorter hair. I thought someone said that the rare one is also Hermoine's hair, and the other doesn't look like hers at all.

Sorry I might be partly responsible for the confusion earlier. If I recall correctly it was Cafe Corner that included Hermione's hair. The harry potter piece in GG belongs to one of the Hogwart's teachers (forget the name). The one in GG is even rarer.

[sin]

I see that this topic has sprung back to life while I was out of town, nice to see some new people taking the plunge

Sin, any chances of me getting ahold of your LLD changes to your CC and MS?

My MS LDD file does not contain all of the mods that I ended up making to it and is also missing the upper two floors, I would be happy to share the files for both CC and MS, if someone could explain how I can attach them in a post

[rollermonkey]

I see that this topic has sprung back to life while I was out of town, nice to see some new people taking the plunge

My MS LDD file does not contain all of the mods that I ended up making to it and is also missing the upper two floors, I would be happy to share the files for both CC and MS, if someone could explain how I can attach them in a post

I think your best bet will be to exchange e-mails in private messages, or host the file remotely and provide a link.

[stevkir]

Down to only 11 lots to go for everything for my GG. Waiting on the 1x2 Sand Green with slot in the middle coming from Denmark and 7 other packages that most of them should be coming sometime this week. I plan on getting the remainder from BnP, as I won't have to pay for multiple shippings as those last 11 lots can't be purchased from a single seller. For the most part I have stayed true to parts and colors with very few variations. Once completed you will notice I have gone with a Dark Red instead of the Dark Blue for the awning over the windows of the first floor. Much cheaper part and a lot easier to get.

[rollermonkey]

^Interesting. The dark blue for the awning is one of the very first pieces that will make it's way to my mail box.

:)

Here's a question:

What is the difference between 4276180 and 4539103?

Both are inverted slopes in the red family / new dark red, but the online instructions have the 427 part and the BnP has the 453 instead. Is one a replacement for the other? Are they the same color? They have the same design ID, and they look the same...

Edited March 17, 2014 by rollermonkey

[elleana]

To everyone that's doing this, here's a tip - do not just open and dump all your BL / BnP / PAB orders into one giant box. I seriously regret doing that. I thought I would be fine given I'm usually pretty good at picking out specific pieces from a box of Lego (besides, I find the sound of Lego bricks rustling against each other therapeutic - there's a Danish(?) word for it that I forget) but trying to find one single element out of 2000+ nearly drove me crazy.

[Inzane]

^Interesting. The dark blue for the awning is one of the very first pieces that will make it's way to my mail box.

:)

I think you guys mean "blue". The awning on GG uses regular blue, not "dark blue". (dark blue = earth blue)

What is the difference between 4276180 and 4539103?

Both are inverted slopes in the red family / new dark red, but the online instructions have the 427 part and the BnP has the 453 instead. Is one a replacement for the other? Are they the same color? They have the same design ID, and they look the same...

I suspect that is just an updated part #, similar to what's been discussed earlier in this thread for other pieces (e.g. the dark blue arches for CC & MS). It could be as simple as hollow studs vs. partially filled studs, etc. Or perhaps nothing at all if its just a new mold.

To everyone that's doing this, here's a tip - do not just open and dump all your BL / BnP / PAB orders into one giant box. I seriously regret doing that. I thought I would be fine given I'm usually pretty good at picking out specific pieces from a box of Lego (besides, I find the sound of Lego bricks rustling against each other therapeutic - there's a Danish(?) word for it that I forget) but trying to find one single element out of 2000+ nearly drove me crazy.

When I receive my orders the first thing I do is I sort all the parts and verify the lots and quantities are correct for each order. Then I sort the parts by set, because I'm BLing multiple together (CC, MS, and GG). Once they are sorted by set, I check off against the set inventory for parts I've received so far for that set, and THEN they get dumped into the appropriate freezer bag or plastic container (something like the shoebox size rubbermaid or sterilite containers ,for example).

[rollermonkey]

lol at TLG and their numbers.

And yes, I mean "blue".

[The Jersey Brick Guy]

To everyone that's doing this, here's a tip - do not just open and dump all your BL / BnP / PAB orders into one giant box. I seriously regret doing that. I thought I would be fine given I'm usually pretty good at picking out specific pieces from a box of Lego (besides, I find the sound of Lego bricks rustling against each other therapeutic - there's a Danish(?) word for it that I forget) but trying to find one single element out of 2000+ nearly drove me crazy.

I made that mistake to start also. After the first 1000 pieces I knew I had to do something differently. I did it by color only for each specific modular. It worked out well for the most part.

[rollermonkey]

I have NEVER dumped all the LEGO from one set into a big pile. Every piece stays in the bag it came in until it gets attached to the build.

Made Tower Bridge a complete nightmare, but apart from that, it works great for me. I can usually remember what's in which bag within the first few minutes or so of starting.

[Inzane]

I have NEVER dumped all the LEGO from one set into a big pile. Every piece stays in the bag it came in until it gets attached to the build.

Made Tower Bridge a complete nightmare, but apart from that, it works great for me. I can usually remember what's in which bag within the first few minutes or so of starting.

So how do you handle re-building a set in your collection for the 2nd time?

[Wodanis]

To everyone that's doing this, here's a tip - do not just open and dump all your BL / BnP / PAB orders into one giant box. I seriously regret doing that. I thought I would be fine given I'm usually pretty good at picking out specific pieces from a box of Lego (besides, I find the sound of Lego bricks rustling against each other therapeutic - there's a Danish(?) word for it that I forget) but trying to find one single element out of 2000+ nearly drove me crazy.

Thankfully when my orders came in I verified the count of each part on my order and then separated the parts to place into a zip lock bag for CC and GG. One thing I goofed on was the building itself. The electronic instructions are hard to read at times and I placed a palisade brick where two black round bricks were supposed to go onto the stairs. Took me awhile to realize I had made the mistake...after ordering an extra part...

So how do you handle re-building a set in your collection for the 2nd time?

Actually my sets are all in one bag each with the windows usually separated so as to limit scratching. It's not too hard to deal with on the second build just more time consuming if you can't find that one piece that you are looking for.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Wodanis