Bricklinking Modular Buildings

[stevkir]

Ran down to the mail box today hoping for a present to be there and nothing. Argg, I want to finish building my GG. What I really want to get in is the PAB order I did 2 weeks ago to come in as that has some key parts to be able to continue building it higher than 2 bricks high. I am sure that if I am able to at least build it a few layers higher it will get me my fix for a couple days. Problem is the PAB order shows being shipped but there hasn't been any movement on the tracking site. Just shows being tendered on the 11th at 6:11AM and no movement since. Going to wait out 22-23 days after being tendered and call LEGO's customer service and have them resend the order if it doesn't show by then. The BL orders I did at the end of last week and over the weekend are mostly showing as shipped today with 2 hold outs.

[Inzane]

^ I feel your pain bro. I too am waiting on a key PAB order, and have built as much of GG as I possibly can. The order was placed on Feb 16th and shipped Feb 18th. And like you, no further movement on the tracking info since it was "tendered".

So i opened and built my Pet Shop set over the weekend to get a fix. It helped of course.

Please please please, be in my mailbox tonight!!

[rollermonkey]

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

You build sets the same way more than once?

In other 'news' I figured I'd go through my little stash of extra parts that have came in sets since I came out of the dark ages, because I knew there was one or two parts in there I could use for GG.

In less than 1/4 of a PAB cup, I had 15 lots, plus 64 additional pieces, for a total of 114 pieces.

OK, I also cannibalized a three polybags I don't care about, but still. Not too shabby, but it's a shame that I didn't do this first, I actually ordered a couple 1x1 tiles and 1x1 plates that I didn't actually need. I think I'm up to 34 of 311 lots now.

Edited March 17, 2014 by rollermonkey

[stevkir]

^^

A month and still nothing. You need to contact LEGO customer service. They are great to work with and they will either help to track it down or resend your order with a faster delivery. What is great about them sending another one is if the first one "does" end up being delivered you get to keep it.

You build sets the same way more than once?

In other 'news' I figured I'd go through my little stash of extra parts that have came in sets since I came out of the dark ages, because I knew there was one or two parts in there I could use for GG.

In less than 1/4 of a PAB cup, I had 15 lots, plus 64 additional pieces, for a total of 114 pieces.

OK, I also cannibalized a three polybags I don't care about, but still. Not too shabby, but it's a shame that I didn't do this first, I actually ordered a couple 1x1 tiles and 1x1 plates that I didn't actually need. I think I'm up to 34 of 311 lots now.

A set I purchased to get up to $75 for the holiday box was the bank/Sheriff Lone Ranger set and as I was building it I noticed there was a tone of parts I could use for the GG. I never got around to building the sheriff part as I ended up cannibalizing the set for parts. I am thinking of selling the minifigs in time as the prices on them go up now that the sets have been discontinued.

[rollermonkey]

I thought I had at least one more polybag around, and sure enough: a second Monster Fighters poly was in my nightstand, which actually completes two more lots. (Shovels and black 1x2 slopes) The clear piece for the cash register is missing from the first one I found, otherwise that'd be done, too.

And I actually have three more lots on hand, if I'm willing to break up my 3300014... Top hat, trans clear head and red 1X2 arch, plus seven other pieces...

Nah. I can order all of them.

[Inzane]

You build sets the same way more than once?

Maybe you didn't get what I meant. You said:

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.

You only get that luxury for the first time you build a set when it's coming out of its original packaging. If you can't handle building a set with all the pieces out in a big pile, what do you do the next time you build it? Are you OCD about segregating the pieces back into their original bags before storing it?

If you're like most of us, your parts for a set probably end up in a ziploc freezer bag or some kind of plastic container with a lid. Hence, a big pile next time. No?

Edited March 18, 2014 by Inzane

[rollermonkey]

I think you misunderstood my smileys...

I was inferring that the only reason to disassemble a set was for mod'ing or MOC'ing, thus never being rebuilt in original form, or even being disassembled without plans for immediate reutilization.

The truth is that since Architecture sets drew me out of the dark age, all of which are still displayed in original form. Apart from those, I've only bought Star Wars UCS sets, which are still displayed in original form and a very small number of Star Wars sets (3) that are also still built, but not displayed.

So... I have no idea what I'll do, or when it will become a factor. :)

Although, I did actually make a small MOC from the leftovers of the two Monster Fighters, I have yet to really amass enough bricks and sets to really start doing interesting things on any kind of scale.

[Inzane]

I think you misunderstood my smileys...

I was inferring that the only reason to disassemble a set was for mod'ing or MOC'ing, thus never being rebuilt in original form, or even being disassembled without plans for immediate reutilization.

Ah, ok gotcha now. I guess that means you've never encountered the "need to disassemble sets to make room to display others..." situation. My lego collection far exceeds the available space to display it all. I've never even attempted to date to display all my SW UCS sets simultaneously, let alone everything else.

[rollermonkey]

Yeah, I don't have much more room, and I'm going to need to do something if I'm going to start doing modulars... Sydney Opera House, London Bridge, B-Wing UCS, X-Wing UCS, R2 UCS, all 21 Architecture sets, plus the big Space Shuttle and the Y-Wing and A-Wing are starting to take up some serious space.

I also have three salt-water aquariums right now while I'm upgrading one...

Now you know why the wife's not happy about money.

On topic, all four of my BL orders are paid and on the way. :)

[polarscribe]

I'm anti-OCD about the bags... I build my modern sets just like I built my old sets: by tearing open all the bags and dumping all the parts into a pile. (In the case of a modular, a HUGE pile.)

I didn't need LEGO to make parts-hunting easy for me when I was 7, I don't need them to make it easy for me when I'm 30.

Plus, it makes building everything take longer. And somewhat more frustrating ;)

[stevkir]

I also tend to throw things into a pile and dig through it to find my parts. I have tried keeping them in the bags LEGO packs things into but I find that to be annoying and prefer all in one group. Though I won't recommend watching a ADHD 4 year old that thinks that breaking stuff is fun like my wife did. The little bastard destroyed both my FB and Emporium and scattered the parts all over my room, hallway and living area. Lets just say I was not pleased when I came home from work that day. I was fortunate to be able to find all of the Emporium and all but about 5-7 pieces of the FB, which I used the BnP to get replaced. At one point my wife was willing for me to go to the LEGO store and just re-buy them since she thought it was a lost cause at the time. Took me a couple weeks here and there after work digging through the massive pile of 5000 bricks. Some parts were still missing after but over time I found most of the remaining parts as some were between the bed or found there way under the couch and edges of walls.

Also, another day with nothing in the mail. But by some of the tracking information on at least 2 orders I should be getting some in tomorrow.

Edited March 18, 2014 by stevkir

[rollermonkey]

When I was a kid, most sets used to come in boxes like a pizza box, and I used to dump them all out into the box and root through them to build. Now that most sets, and all of the biggest ones, open from the end, that's not a real option. So, I open each bag, and array them all around my building area (AKA my desk) and reach and pull and return, and repeat until the set is done. I gotta say, my back was SCREAMING when I finally finished Tower Bridge. I don't think there's any way I could build a set that large again with unnumbered bags.

[elleana]

When I was a kid, most sets used to come in boxes like a pizza box, and I used to dump them all out into the box and root through them to build. Now that most sets, and all of the biggest ones, open from the end, that's not a real option. So, I open each bag, and array them all around my building area (AKA my desk) and reach and pull and return, and repeat until the set is done. I gotta say, my back was SCREAMING when I finally finished Tower Bridge. I don't think there's any way I could build a set that large again with unnumbered bags.

Yeah, why don't they do the pizza box style packaging anymore? Dissapoint.

Also, I was the person who originally posted the comment on rooting through pieces - just meant it as a warning for others not to repeat my mistake but its been interesting to see how different people do it!

[stevkir]

received a package today of about 200 parts. If it wasn't for a package somehow finding its way to Billings, Montana I would be getting another 2 tomorrow. Now it will be 1 tomorrow, at least 2 by Friday and another one on Saturday or Monday. I have one that I have paid for but the person is taking their time packaging it and getting it shipped. I am starting to think PAB orders from LEGO.com is not worth the hassle because 2/3 of the PAB orders I have done over the last 2 years have taken over a month to ship to me. Almost worth BL'ing as much as possible and using BnP for the rest as they get shipped from the USA.

[rollermonkey]

^That's tough to do, because BL will often have parts that BnP doesn't.

[stevkir]

Right now the remaining 13 lots that I need are actually available on BnP. I just need to get the $54 to make that final order. If I try to do it via BL at this point it will cost me a bit more than that as I have compared the prices of the remaining parts and add in the cost of shipping from 2-4 more stores.

[rollermonkey]

Ah, that's cool that you're so close, then. That order is for your MS and CC right?

I just realized that I can hit the PAB wall at my local LEGO store for some of these GG parts.

:o

Edited March 19, 2014 by rollermonkey

[stevkir]

At the moment I am working on my GG and I was able to find 300-400 parts for both the MS and CC from my own supply I already had on hand. Also from time to time I do find parts I need from the PAB wall at my local store.

[rollermonkey]

A trip to the LEGO store's PAB wall brought me up to 51 lots completed!

:)

[Inzane]

What useful parts (for GG) are you guys managing to find on your PAB walls?

PS - no package for me yet... I phoned customer service the other day and they said they actually had 2-3 PALLETS worth of orders that were issued around the Feb 18th date that were apparently held up in customs. Mine is likely among those. I was told to call back monday if I haven't received it by end of this week.

[stevkir]

Medium Blue bricks, Dark Red 1x2, light and dark blay 1x1, 1x2, 1x3 and 1x4, and I even found some 1x2 mail tiles and sextants in the mini figure stand and hid a couple of each into a PAB cup to complete those lots. The stand to build your own mini figures sometimes has items you need in the bin with random parts that mini figures hold. I have also seen legs, hats, hair and chest parts for making the mini figures but I haven't bothered getting mini figure parts that way for my modulars. I figure I will just buy them from BL and not bother piece mealing them out like that as you never know what mini figure parts they will have out. The current selection at my LEGO store doesn't have much of anything for the GG, CC and MS minifigs but did have some back in December.

[The Jersey Brick Guy]

Medium Blue bricks, Dark Red 1x2, light and dark blay 1x1, 1x2, 1x3 and 1x4, and I even found some 1x2 mail tiles and sextants in the mini figure stand and hid a couple of each into a PAB cup to complete those lots. The stand to build your own mini figures sometimes has items you need in the bin with random parts that mini figures hold. I have also seen legs, hats, hair and chest parts for making the mini figures but I haven't bothered getting mini figure parts that way for my modulars. I figure I will just buy them from BL and not bother piece mealing them out like that as you never know what mini figure parts they will have out. The current selection at my LEGO store doesn't have much of anything for the GG, CC and MS minifigs but did have some back in December.

Your PAB has Dark Red 1x2 bricks? Lucky!

[stevkir]

Your PAB has Dark Red 1x2 bricks? Lucky!

It did about a month back. They are all gone now and I picked up enough for my CC at the same time and my kids got the rest of them for there play use.

[rollermonkey]

The 1x2 mail tiles are a newer, different print...

And I couldn't find the sextants at my store even though they'd had them recently. The guy said he'll keep an eye out and save me two though. Regardless, I got like 14 lots, so it was a productive trip. I'm going to check the other Lego store tonight. :)

[TheLegoDr]

My sand blue grocer is almost complete. I have one last order coming from PnB. It was over a month since I placed the order and called them up. For whatever reason they cancelled my order right away (even though they told me payment went through and it was marked as shipped). So I've been waiting and waiting to no avail. They alerted me since the mistake was on their end they would send it right out free of charge! It mostly just had some sand blue bricks and some unrelated minifigure parts, but still free is free. That makes me a happy camper. I've been in the camp that their customer service wasn't good because of all of the problems I've had with them, but after this I am definitely more positive about them. I guess I will wait and see if they actually arrive this time.

I'll post pictures as soon as I'm done. I also have an interior in progress.