I dunno, for me, if it's a Tatooine or Endor set, I gotta have it (including any sets that have an Endor/Tatooine connection like the Millenium Falcon and the UCS Imperial Shuttle). I pretty much have all the relevant Endor/Tatooine sets to date since they switched to tanned skin from the yellow skin. I used to collect Hoth based sets but I didn't want the collection to get out of hand, so I sold them all.

The goal is to build a large Tatooine and Endor based display. Currently, all my sets are sealed and I am MOC'ing the Endor landing pad to use later in an Endor display. However, I've recently had a change of heart about doing the Endor display first because I am not sure if I should MOC a satellite dish and use my sealed UCS Imperial Shuttle in the display or wait for a new system scale release of the shuttle. I do not own the system scale shuttle and with me considering selling the UCS (sealed) and waiting for another system scale release, Endor will be on hold.

With that said, I intend to do a Tatooine display first which will feature the latest Sandcrawler and the Millenium Falcon in docking bay 94. My only concerns for these displays are the size. So we'll see.

So I pose the question to all of you listed in the subject of my topic because the impression I get is that many of you seem to just display the sets you like, fully constructed, on a shelf. I guess that's cool but why just display individual sets/vehicles by themselves on a shelf. Building a Lego world around your favorite sets helps bring them to life. Actually, the UCS imperial shuttle is what got me into Lego collecting. The original idea was to custom build an Endor display around the UCS shuttle (not to scale of course) to serve as an accent around the UCS shuttle, making the set the center piece.

So what do you guys do with your Star Wars Lego? Or, plan to do?

For me it's about the usefulness the set will have in the long run. I'm not gonna buy the 75043 AT-AP because to me it looks like grey slanted plates and technic threw up all over it, the thing isn't very recognizable, and overall it looks bad. I won't have much use for the parts in the future when I take it apart, either. I can't keep everything built because of the lack of space I have to display my LEGO. Sure, it's nice to have the new Commander Gree and Tarful, but it's $60 too. All that makes it a no for me. Vehicles such as the Star Destroyer and the Millennium Falcon are just a bunch of grey too, but they are so iconic and look great that I'll find a place for them in my precious space I have available. I don't collect CW sets either. I will buy some battle packs, however, even though the set part isn't that great because the figs are so cool and you get 4 of them. I love playsets, too, and when they realease one for SW I'll almost always get it. You catch my drift?

Edited March 30, 201410 yr by BrickRally217

Honestly, I have a big shelf for them, and pile them on top of each other

But for some of my favorite/rare sets I tend to make a small display (I had 2 Jango Fett Slave 1s from my two cousins and I built a large asteroid and a stand for them to fly around chasing my two yellow-skinned Obi Wan's Jedi Starfighters)

I buy what I like.

Preference is OT stuff, but there have been some really interesting sets from other areas, like the Sith Fury-class Interceptor was just too cool to pass up.

Oddly, unlike most folks, I don't actually care about MF, though. (If they make a new UCS one, I'll jump on it, as I love the UCS line.)

Good question.

I never used to have a particular way of buying Lego, as it was just a case of buying what I liked best, usually the ones with either the most or the best minifigures. Nowadays, I sort of have a habit of buying either only Republic or only Imperial sets depending on the wave (in the summer wave coming up it will of course be Imperial sets) but occasionally I'll still buy a set just because the minifig are cool!

I have a few rules that I (mostly) follow:

1. Has to be OT, or something EU that interests me (such as the Fury Interceptor). I avoid prequel and clone wars stuff like the plague.

2. Has to be a starship or vehicle of some kind. I don't really like playsets much - you can't swoosh them! That being said, I'll make exceptions for cool non-vehicle stuff (like UCS R2-D2).

3. I'm not a huge fan of minifigs. That's not to say I don't want a certain minifig if it's particularly cool (Admiral Ackbar or Max Rebo), but I won't buy a set that doesn't interest me just for the minifigs in it.

4. I prefer UCS over system scale. I have all the 2012-2013 OT system scale ships, but that's because I had come out of my dark age and assumed stuff like the UCS X-wing and Y-wing wouldn't be remade (at least for some time). Had I known Lego was going to release the 10240 a year after I got the 9493, I would have skipped 9493 entirely. I have the UCS Shuttle and B-Wing, so will probably skip any system scale remakes of them (like the 75050).

5. I would rather have something that looks cool (and accurate) over something with play features, as all my sets get put on a display shelf as soon as they are put together.

6. I don't plan on getting remakes, unless they are light years better than the version I have. This hasn't been an issue for me so far, since I only starting buying Lego SW a few years ago.

Given the above, the new summer wave is going to absolutely demolish my bank account. The AT-AT, snowspeeder, jedi scout fighter, star destroyer, and sandcrawler all fit my rules.

The majority of my collection is OT, both system-scale and UCS, but I do have a handful of PT sets. Everything I own has been opened and built, but I only keep a small amount on display, the rest is carefully stored in the original boxes.

One of the problems of collection Lego SW these days is that there's simply too much of it, and I feel that I need to moderate my purchases to keep mine to a sensible amount. Perhaps I'm a bit odd, but I frequently have a ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ Homer moment about collecting in general and it often results in me down-sizing it all for a bit! I’m quietly hoping that we’ll get some new Cloud City sets at some point, and then I will get everything available!

It's all about size for me!

Love the huge sets - something like the sand crawler, full of features, figures and just dazzling on display.

I'll get smaller sets for the minifigs but it's the big sets that stay. Think there is something so impressive about these giant vehicles (or locations) rendered in lego form. Larger sets can show more flair - clever building techniques and the like

That said - if I'll be getting a great figure I'll be buying a set...

I overwhelmingly focus on the OT era (that is, sets from the OT itself, plus EU material set in that timeframe), but I do also get prequel-era stuff from time to time, particularly when it contains elements that lend themselves to incorporating in OT-era MOCs and/or when I find good deals.

I usually don't get sets right away, as I'm perpetually behind in my acquisitions, and I'm in a constant state of "LEGO triage," trying to scoop up all the older sets I want before they're gone. I do make exceptions from time to time, though.

I particularly like getting sets that go together (i.e., Jabba's Palace, the Rancor Pit, Jabba's Sail Barge, and the Desert Skiff), and I also try to army-build, though it gets difficult and frustrating when they keep "updating" the prints on uniformed troops.

I prefer the PT, so I try to collect mostly sets from those movies, however given how those films are hugely under-appreciated LEGO of course doesn't release many sets from that trilogy, except the occasional large Republic Gunship or UCS General Grevious or Jedi Starfighter. I mod most of the sets I buy, and plan on building MoCs designed by other people by looking at either instructions or just taking my best shot by simply looking at the main picture. I collect OT too. I think when I'm no longer a student I'll be able to build MoCs designed by other people that are larger UCS models such as this Venator http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=37663, or just design my own. I might also like to build UCS podracers and other UCS sets from the prequels. Then when I have all of my prequel collection complete I might focus on the OT, or maybe do Lord of the Rings dioramas instead.

Edited March 30, 201410 yr by OBI-WAN37

As I grew up watching the OT and playing with the toys along with the original space lego when TLG started producing Star Wars Lego I was instantly transported back to my youth. Therefore I tend to only buy OT sets, my first being the original Sand speeder and Speeder bikes sets. When the UCS Falcon came out I was in my element. Since then Star Wars lego has become a bit of an addiction. I do buy the odd PT set but these are mainly ROTS sets. I avoid Clone Wars sets completely and have had no need for an EU set as of yet.

The Sand Crawller, Cantina, ATAT and Star Destroyer will be instant purchases

I used to focus on stormtroopers, but now most of what I have is clone troopers and TCW sets. I still get OT sets because of the troopers. I get mandalorians and droids (I need more of them) and am hoping to get the saleucami, death star troopers, grievous wheel bike, snowspeeder and at ap as well as the police gunship sets.

Basically I get troopers and occasionally I get custom ones...

I also got the old republic sets, minus the Darth malgus one.

So basically I buy to get small armies (compared to loads of people on here) because I love the clone wars.

Though I've only been at this for a couple of months, I spent a few weeks prior just looking through all the sets that were, had been and were rumoured to soon be available and made a few lists. As I'm slowly getting closer to the abyss of 50 years old, it was OT all the way, with a focus on ships and Tatooine to start. I've watched a few seasons of the Clone Wars and found it to be alright, and the hold the same PT opinion of many others my age, so sets from those eras don't get more than a passing glance (I did make an exception for the Republic Gunship however...it's pretty cool) when I'm scanning/browsing/searching for the next item on a list.

Currently I'm only really interested in large display pieces, especially the UCS line, and once that list is finished I'll continue with smaller themed sets such as Jabba's palace, barge, skiff and Rancor pit, Hoth based sets, or {shudder} maybe even the Ewoks. Minifigs are something that I like to have to flesh out a display (can't fly a ship without a pilot sort of thing), but otherwise I really don't pay much attention to them. The subtle differences in pants, torsos and faces are mostly wasted on me, although as my collection builds over time I might start to notice and appreciate the details more.

Right now everything is simply lined up along narrow shelves in what is probably the most boring way possible. I have a 6’x12’ snooker table that is currently holding most of my R/C aircraft (I suck at snooker) that would make an excellent display table though...all I need is some ambition and vision and I'd like to make something like Something_Awesome is planning to make things much more interesting to look at.

I'm still not exactly sure which side of the collector/investor line I stand on yet. Calling them an investment makes it easier to rationalize the purchases I've made, but selling anything would just leave a vacuum that would need to be filled immediately. On the other hand once the available space has been filled to capacity, I'll either need to stop (noooooo....) or store/sell something to make room. Or build a bigger house.

Hmmm. A bigger house....

I'm back into Lego and Lego Star Wars in particular for a bit more than a year now. I've experimented with buying sets that look interesting, re-creating stellar mocs of other AFOLs like Psiaki's X-Wing, and creating a few mocs myself, mostly small to tiny ones.

What it boiled down to now is me prefering to buy and build sets that look interesting and have adult-fan-value for me, if that's a word. Since I always modify and improve official lego builds, that's fine with me and the time I have for hobbies. I'm currently building the 8129 AT AT with bricks from my already huge collection, (waiting for a few special parts I had to order like the leg joints), and have modified it significantly already to get the proportions and detail right and close the gaps (I'll post it when I'm done). So, in the end, it's about parts, Minifigs, and OT-stuff for me. I'm looking forward to the summer wave and have already cast an eye on the REBELS sets. Also, I've come to prefer large models, since they're so ey-catchy .

I dunno, for me, if it's a Tatooine or Endor set, I gotta have it...I do not own the system scale shuttle and with me considering selling the UCS (sealed) and waiting for another system scale release, Endor will be on hold...So what do you guys do with your Star Wars Lego? Or, plan to do?

Something_Awesome: Great topic, it's always interesting to read what everyone does once they get to the last page in the instruction booklet. I definitely share your goal of one day building a themed display. I, too, am a big fan of the Imperial Shuttle - I think you should build your 10212, you won't regret it! Overall it's #2 or 3 in the top 5 of the UCS line, in my opinion. I have a nice mod for the engine exhausts as well. About the only drawback would be the resulting scale of the Endor platform. I'm patiently waiting for a new system scale shuttle, as well. 10212 was a 2010 release, so it's about time for a nice system re-design, as the 7166 set was underwhelming to me.

For my part, I'm a hybrid Builder-Collector-Investor. Like many others above, I concentrate heavily on OT stuff, but I'll certainly not pass up a good sale on any LEGO theme. I currently have 1 wall of 1 room dedicated to display, and the UCS Falcon on my kitchen countertop. I'm approaching critical mass, which will likely force me to rotate my display selections. I keep the displays limited so as to avoid insanity from dust removal (hand-vac nozzle held close to dry paint brush - works great). If I ever find myself in the market for a new home, I'll definitely have a LEGO room!

I overwhelmingly focus on the OT era (that is, sets from the OT itself, plus EU material set in that timeframe)

OMG me too. I will also make an exception if anything from PT spills into OT. For instance, I have a few episode 2 sand people to go with my OT collection of Tatooine sets.

Have loved reading every word of everyone's post so far!

I don't really have a SW buying habit. I don't have a big budget so I always choose carefully, but when something EU stuff appears I can't help myself, I'm kinda bored of re-releasing the same vehicles so the unusual EU designs are a real treat to me. I'm not saying the other sets are bad, but I wait a few years and I can get it again...

I'm still not exactly sure which side of the collector/investor line I stand on yet. Calling them an investment makes it easier to rationalize the purchases I've made, but selling anything would just leave a vacuum that would need to be filled immediately. On the other hand once the available space has been filled to capacity, I'll either need to stop (noooooo....) or store/sell something to make room. Or build a bigger house.

Hmmm. A bigger house....

I can so relate to this. If you monitor Lego releases closely, you probably could sell retired sets for a nice price before news of a refreshed version gets to the mainstream public ;)

Of course that raises an ethical issue as you are profiting on someone's reasonable ignorance.

I tend to prefer OT over PT, but ever so slightly, and I tend to focus on battles and memorable scenes. and go about collecting them.

e.g.

Battle of Hoth

Tattooine (mos eisley cantina and surroundings, Jabba's Palace, docking bay 94)

Battle of Geonosis

Kashyyyk

Endor

Death Star: Trench Run, Hangar 272

Order 66 snippets

Super Star Destroyer with matching scale MOC star destroyers

Cloud City: Slave one scene

Inside a Venator: Republic Hangar

Bricklink puts me at 75 star wars set in total, and tons of other bricks and plates to do MODs and MOCs.

Edited April 1, 201410 yr by Pointblank

It started in 2005, I have quite a few of the 2005 SW sets, (one of which was my first Lego set. I think turbo tank or Jedi sf w/ VD) but every year I started to collect less and less. In fact there's only 2 or 3 sets I want to get this year. Mostly because of all the remakes we've had latley, I don't feel the need to buy a new version when I already have the old one. I'm only real interested in a set if it hasn't been done before, or if its a MAJOR improvement over the last one. (This years cantina for example) so it varies on what's being released.

I have been collecting since 99 and my buying habits are simple. If it is a Star Wars Lego set, I buy it!

I never got into pens and key chains, gear, etc. But Mini, Midi, system, UCS, OT, PT, EU, CW.

I have also built some models from instructions online, an UCS AT-TE, UCS Invisible Hand, UCS Venator.

Plus have MOCced some UCS TIE Fighters and an UCS AT-AT.

I'm kinda addicted!!

Jamie

I always want to make nice dioramas and stuff but basically i keep the new builds on my desk, than they move to my shelfs and then they move into their boxes (if i still kept those).

My favorite figs stay of course.

Edited April 1, 201410 yr by Borex

I have been collecting since 99 and my buying habits are simple. If it is a Star Wars Lego set, I buy it!

I never got into pens and key chains, gear, etc. But Mini, Midi, system, UCS, OT, PT, EU, CW.

I have also built some models from instructions online, an UCS AT-TE, UCS Invisible Hand, UCS Venator.

Plus have MOCced some UCS TIE Fighters and an UCS AT-AT.

I'm kinda addicted!!

Jamie

You must have a lot of sets! I am the same regarding the addiction and LEGO knows it!!!

Oh look a brand new amazing Sandcrawler with new Jawas and Uncle Owen mini figs, they know we will want it!!

I overwhelmingly focus on the OT era (that is, sets from the OT itself, plus EU material set in that timeframe), but I do also get prequel-era stuff from time to time, particularly when it contains elements that lend themselves to incorporating in OT-era MOCs and/or when I find good deals.

I usually don't get sets right away, as I'm perpetually behind in my acquisitions, and I'm in a constant state of "LEGO triage," trying to scoop up all the older sets I want before they're gone. I do make exceptions from time to time, though.

I particularly like getting sets that go together (i.e., Jabba's Palace, the Rancor Pit, Jabba's Sail Barge, and the Desert Skiff), and I also try to army-build, though it gets difficult and frustrating when they keep "updating" the prints on uniformed troops.

Basically, ditto this.

I try and avoid buying when they hit the shelves in order to pick up some price reductions later on. I've always loved Tatooine stuff, so will definitely be getting the new Cantina. I have the original Sand Crawler, and would have gone for the new one if it wasn't so expensive. And my other SW love is the Empire, even if it's only as lightsabre/blaster fodder for the Rebels (usually played by my kids). I've held off getting an ISD, but maybe this time I'll take the plunge and get one, or use some Jedi mindgames and talk my youngest into asking grandparents for it for her birthday, by which time the price should have dropped a bit.

I generally go for sets with Sith, or rare characters.