Numbered Bags

[rollermonkey]

(I searched and didn't find a similar topic in the first 5 pages of results, so here goes.)

When I was a kid, I'd open up all the bags in a new set, dump them all out into the flip-lid box, then root through them for the next few hours all while building the set.

A few decades later, shortly after coming out of the dark ages with the Architecture line, I bought the UCS R2-D2 set and discovered numbered bags. My first thought was how cool it was, and how much easier it was to build a larger set without having to search through hundreds or even thousands of pieces. Heck, a few months later, I was actually upset when Tower Bridge DIDN'T have numbered bags...

But now, I'm not so sure I like them any more because smaller and smaller sets are being broken up into numbered bags.

Recent examples I found egregious were 75015 Corporate Alliance Tank Droid which has 2 numbered bags for 271 pieces and 75003 A-Wing which actually has 3 numbered bags for only 177 pieces!

Am I the only one who finds this trend somewhat disturbing? LEGO has always been about encouraging creativity and flexibility, and somehow this just seems like a dumbing down of the product.

As I said, for large sets with thousands of pieces, it doesn't bother me. It even makes sense. But for sets under 500 parts, it doesn't seem right.

Does anyone else feel the same, or am I overreacting?

[Andy D]

I like numbered bags for any of the sets that use them. Mostly I build in stages, frequently by the bag or bag set and I may not get back to a build for days, so completing a bag set helps keep me organized.

Andy D

[Hrafnblod]

I generally like them, especially for larger sets. Are they really necessary for smaller ones? Nah. I just laughed at the fact that the A-wing had 3 for less than 250 pieces. If you don't like them though, I don't really get why you'd complain. What's stopping you from just ripping open all the bags and pouring everything in a pile anyway? They're there if you want them and easily circumvented if you don't.

[Rick]

Am I the only one who finds this trend somewhat disturbing? LEGO has always been about encouraging creativity and flexibility, and somehow this just seems like a dumbing down of the product.

I'm not sure what it's like for other adult-oriented sets, but the Modular Buildings have the bags numbered per floor, which still leaves 500-800 pieces for bags with the same number. This used to be the size of the biggest sets until about 10 years ago, so not much has changed in that respect. Sets targeted at a younger audience use the modularity prominently as a way to sell the product on the back of the box and pack 50-100 pieces per bag nowadays. I'm sure TLG has researched this. Apparently it has become more important to achieve instant results quickly, for example, being able to build the car that goes with a police station within a short period of time, instead of having to sift through a big pile of pieces.

[rollermonkey]

That's also part of what I mean... "Kids" today have instant gratification on everything, and now they are getting their LEGO building spoon-fed to them for faster builds, too.

[TheOrcKing]

I don't quite see the point for having small sets (under $20 for example) with numbered bags but it can help for many of the large sets. I know putting together the Haunted House would have took a whole lot longer if none of the bags were numbered. Haha. Even for moderately sized sets it can help as sometimes you only have enough time to build a section or maybe two due to the usual constrictions of life in general. Still for the most part I build the same way I did as a kid; tear open all the bags and dump them into one big pile!

[Faefrost]

Nostalgia aside I think the benefits of the numbered bags far outweigh that nostalgic fun feeling of sorting through a massive pile. I don't think they increase the speed of the build, beyond they allow you to build more efficiently in a smaller space. This can be huge for both kids and AFOLs. Just being able to have greater control of your workspace, and putting fewer parts bouncing around loosely at a time, vastly minimizes lost parts, or the need to do your building in places that infringe on other family members.

[dr_spock]

You don't have to follow along the numbered bag system. You can always just open all bags and toss all the pieces into a big pile. Numbered bags are great for those could make use of it or appreciate it.

[ShaydDeGrai]

You don't have to follow along the numbered bag system. You can always just open all bags and toss all the pieces into a big pile. Numbered bags are great for those could make use of it or appreciate it.

I think this is really the point of it. Good-Cop/Bad-Cop isn't going to kick in your door and tell you your doing it wrong if you open all the bags at once and make a big pile.

That said, I do think numbered bags in small sets can be a little silly, but, in general, I see two very useful outcomes to having the _option_ of numbered bags:

1) Partitioning large builds for time and space - I, for one, rarely have time to sit down and build a modular building or SW UCS model in one session and with two cats (who think I'm buying the Lego for them, because they clearly don't have enough toys to chase about the apartment) I really can't leave a WIP and a pile of bricks out on the dining room table awaiting my next window of free time. Numbered bags allow me to "look ahead" and gauge how big a can of worms I'm about to open, realizing that 45 minutes from now I'm going to need to pack things up. Packing up an unfinished kit with dozens of open bags at once is just asking to lose pieces - better to partition things into manageable chunks and leave as many bags factory sealed as possible until you really need them.

2) Allowing for family "parallel" build - let's face it, a) Lego can be a very solitary hobby, b) it can be hard to make time to spend with family, and c) anyone who has ever tried doing a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of competitive little kids can attest that accusations of "hoarding all the good pieces" and other such squabbles erupt at the drop of a hat. Numbered bags and separate instruction books can help address all three of these issues by breaking the build into separate tasks which family members can work on in parallel while co-located in one place. Everybody gets to be "in charge" of something, everybody gets their own collection of parts, and everybody contributes to the finished product.

Of course not all sets with numbered bags allow this to happen. Modular Buildings, for example, are far easier to partition into parallel tasks than, say, a large Technic kit where step three needs the output of the prior steps or it will have nothing to hold it together. Still, when building in parallel _is_ and option, it's a great way to keep kids busy and engaged while reducing the normal triggers for sibling squabbles.

[Andy D]

The "parallel build" is something I forgot about in my earlier post, even though I used it just this last Christmas. On Chtistmas day me, my son and his wife always build LEGO. in the past it was seperate sets, this year we built the Helms Deep, which has great partitioning in terms of numbered bags and instruction manuals.

One more reason why numbered bags are great!

If anyone does not want their children to use numbered bags, just open and dump all the bags on the table and walk away.

I believe the benefits of numbered bags far outweigh the negatives.

Andy D

[naf]

I don't mind the numbered bags. You can always rip open all the bags and mix all the pieces together before building (what I call "old school mode"), or you can follow the numbers. Because of kids, work, other responsibilities, I only get short periods of time to build, so I like being able to crack one bag open, build, and then pack the rest away for later.

[Tuinman]

For the big models, I sometimes build them in two or three stages, so numbered bags are useful. For smaller sets I just rip all bags open and start browsing through all the pieces during building. In that case I do not pay attention to the numbers.

[Clone OPatra]

If anyone does not want their children to use numbered bags, just open and dump all the bags on the table and walk away.

You've given me lovely images of an angry dad ripping into a LEGO set and tearing into all the bags in a rage as his child looks on in tears. Thank you for that.

[Andy D]

You've given me lovely images of an angry dad ripping into a LEGO set and tearing into all the bags in a rage as his child looks on in tears. Thank you for that.

What that was for was for the people who think numbered bags are somehow bad for their kids, that way their kids can build "old school, as LEGO way intended". Not as an angry fit of rage.

Andy D

[rollermonkey]

So the general consensus is about what I figured? Numbered bags for large sets is good, but kind of silly for small sets... Yes?

:)

I do like the parallel build idea, I hadn't considered that, but it seems more like a big set thing, anyways.

[Sarah]

I generally like them, especially for larger sets. Are they really necessary for smaller ones? Nah. I just laughed at the fact that the A-wing had 3 for less than 250 pieces. If you don't like them though, I don't really get why you'd complain. What's stopping you from just ripping open all the bags and pouring everything in a pile anyway? They're there if you want them and easily circumvented if you don't.

My son (who is 6.5) struggles to find the piece he is looking for if there are more than about 80 pcs there. We look for sets with the multiple bags to enable him to build the larger sets. I'm sure as he gets older this process will be easier (And I'm trying to teach him to sort by color, etc) But for now, the numbered bags are quite nice and help keep him from getting too frustrated when building.

[talos]

I have mainly only gotten large sets and they have the numbered bags, but like said, Tower Bridge, which just came on Friday..yay! doesn't have numbered bags..and its the 3rd largest set so far! I am in trouble..haha.

I like the bags numbered so I can stage the build, mainly due to the size of my table, its not enough space to spread out more than 5 or so bags of parts at a time. I always sort everything into like pieces before I start building. I find that a lot of fun, to look at each piece and try and guess where each goes, and how its used.

Everyone has their own way of approaching, and help can either be taken or ignored, ie the numbers on the bags.

[Descoladore]

The thing I really like about numbered bags is that for a larger set, if you only have a limited amount of time, you can just build, say, bags one and two, and then come back later to build the rest. With non numbered bags in a large set, you either have to have enough time to finish it in one go, or be able to leave all your sorted bricks lying around somewhere.

[paul_delahaye]

I like to tip all the bags together, nothing better than a 3000+ piece technic set with all the bricks mixed up, really makes the build more enjoyable for me and takes longer so I get more enjoyment from that.

[rsb0204]

ill admit, when im on the road, I use the numbered bags. nothing more annoying than having 200 bricks laying in your bed, and then have the yard dog tell you its time to bump dock, your gonna lose a few and youll find them that night when you have to pull them out of your spine. now at home though, yea screw it, all bricks one pile. I don't care if its a 100 piece set or 1000, all one pile, makes the build last longer, and I build cause its fun so the longer I can make it last the better.

Edited April 29, 2014 by rsb0204