One of the nicest aspects of a shared hobby is exchanging ideas with like-minded people. Regardless of news, offers or reviews, there are many LEGO topics that you can philosophize about, and that’s exactly why we created “Smalltalk”.
At irregular intervals we touch on a topic that we can all talk about in the comments. Find a cozy place, grab a delicious coffee or another hot drink of your choice and chat with us and with each other!
Today the topic is:
What do we actually do with the sets we buy?
Reading through the comments on previous editions of Smalltalk, I once again noticed how many different approaches there are to LEGO. Many of you only buy sets to cannibalize because they contain interesting parts or have a particularly low price-to-part ratio, and then use these bricks to build your own. Others, on the other hand, set up the sets first because they are looking for exciting construction techniques and parts uses and want to be inspired by them, but then do not display the finished models, but dismantle them immediately afterwards into their individual parts, which then into the parts pool pass over. Still others build the sets according to instructions in order to modify them afterwards or to integrate them into a larger world, e.g. a city. And some simply put the sets in a showcase and enjoy them. The stability of value of LEGO, sometimes even an increase in value, is a reason for some to buy a LEGO set.
So we all buy the same product, but what we do with it is very different. And that’s exactly what I would like to discuss with you today: What do we actually do with a LEGO set once we’ve bought it and how do we keep it for the long term?
For example, I have a supply of bricks, which I rarely fill with sets, but mostly via Bricklink or the LEGOLAND factory. On the other hand, I assemble sets according to the instructions and then display them unchanged, because well-made LEGO sets are like little works of art to me. This not only includes the set itself, but also the packaging, instructions and advertising in the catalog. Behind some sets, I think I can see an “artistic vision”, which then jumps over to me and gives me pleasure. In such cases, I don’t want to tear a set apart. For example, I would never dispose of the cardboard box, but try to keep everything in as perfect a condition as possible, especially with old series, where the OVPs were even less standardized and often more elaborately designed than today. Throwing parts of several sets into one big box has been reluctant since childhood, because everything has to be in order. ????
In other words, most of the sets are not so much about building (which should still be fun, of course), but about my emotional reaction to the finished model. Just as most art enthusiasts would probably not buy a picture they didn’t like, I don’t buy LEGO sets that don’t appeal to me exactly as they are.
If a set does go into the parts inventory, it is either because I succumbed to a hype (that is supposed to happen), later realizing that the set does not give me anything and I see little chance of selling it again, or because I do acquired it for this purpose from the start. If it’s a mere brick box from the LEGO Classic series or a set from the Jurassic World series, where it is obviously primarily about the dinosaurs and the rest is often just “accessories”, I have no problem at all, Put the dinosaurs in my dinosaur box, the remaining parts in the stone reserve and the boxes in the trash.
But that is more of an exception. As a result, I usually try to keep all the packaging, instructions and spare parts and after a while stow the sets back in their original packaging so that I can assemble them again at some point. Sometimes I even bought damaged or lost cardboard boxes individually in order to be able to complete sets from my childhood and to be able to store them “properly”. The thing with the original packaging has only one huge disadvantage: they take up space. Lots of space.
My solution for this are inexpensive wardrobes with a depth of 50cm, as they can often be bought for less than 50 euros. The larger LEGO boxes can also be safely stored here – provided there is space for the closet. Another popular variant is to store the boxes of assembled sets flat, i.e. unfolded. Of course, this can only be done non-destructively if their head ends are not firmly glued, but closed with adhesive strips. However, since I often “rotate” the built-up models in my showcase and sometimes they can be completely free, this variant is not suitable for me.
The only thing left for me to do is to carefully stack my sets and make the best possible use of my cupboards. And finally, the intense space required by the boxes also has an advantage: It helped me learn to limit myself to the sets that are really important to me.
What is your motivation to buy a LEGO set and what do you do with it? Do you see it as a stone box, a total work of art, an investment in the future or perhaps something completely different? W.change your sets to the parts inventory in the medium term or do you keep them as a whole, and what do you do with instructions and boxes? I look forward to the exchange in the comments!
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