My WHOLE Collection!!

This is the first time that I have finally got around to photographing my ENTIRE collection. I have it stored in so many different places (being I'm in a small San Francisco Apt), but I think I gathered everything up. Just a refresher: 76 unique sets and over 30,000 pieces. 5 sets are not pictured because they are currently on my desk at work. Here it is...

This is a 3" binder that I keep all my instructions in. I need to get another one though, this one is bursting.

This is the container I keep my NXT in. I had to cut out a section to make the control brick fit in. I'm really happy how it turned out.

Some readily assembled sets that I keep on display around the apartment.

I was amazed on how much there actually is. Here is my set list:

Set #

Name

Parts

Figs

Price

Year

Qty

6624	Delivery Van	34	1	?	1983	1
6623	Police Car	40	1	?	1983	1
6882	Walking Astro Grappler	86	1	?	1985	1
392	Fire Engine	23	1	?	1986	1
390	Helicopter	24	1	?	1986	1
5580	Highway Rig	637	0	?	1986	1
6521	Emergency Repair Truck	?	1	?	1987	1
6380	Emergency Treatment Center	284	5	29.75	1987	1
6522	Highway Patrol	?	2	?	1987	1
6054	Forestmen's Hideout	198	2	17.5	1988	1
6675	Road & Trail 4 X 4	79	1	?	1988	1
6235	Buried Treasure	20	1	3.25	1989	1
6274	Caribbean Clipper	372	4	54	1989	1
6257	Castaway's Raft	50	3	8.5	1989	1
6276	Eldorado Fortress	496	8	66	1989	1
6270	Forbidden Island	176	4	37.5	1989	1
8835	Forklift	240	0	?	1989	1
6481	Light & Sound Construction Crew	168	2	27	1989	1
6661	Mobile TV Studio	71	1	?	1989	1
8854	Power Crane	508	0	?	1989	1
6245	Harbor Sentry	24	1	4.25	1990	1
6396	International Jetport	485	8	69.75	1990	1
6811	Pulsar Charger	25	1	3	1990	1
6260	Shipwreck Island	69	2	12	1990	1
6956	Stellar Recon Voyager	221	2	36	1990	1
6593	Blaze Battler	116	1	?	1991	1
6259	Broadside's Brig	64	3	8.75	1991	1
6679	Dark Shark	78	2	?	1991	1
6669	Diesel Daredevil	84	1	8.75	1991	1
6531	Flame Chaser	51	1	?	1991	1
6440	Jetport Fire Squad	84	2	27.5	1991	1
6542	Launch & Load Seaport	1022	7	?	1991	1
4021	Police Patrol	185	3	34	1991	1
6273	Rock Island Refuge	372	7	66	1991	1
6933	Spectral Starguider	204	2	25	1991	1
8815	Speedway Bandit	77	0	?	1991	1
1477	Unnamed - Part of 1476 5-Item Bonus Pack	34	1	?	1991	1
6286	Skull's Eye Schooner	892	9	126.5	1993	1
6595	Surf Shack	88	3	?	1993	1
8042	Universal Pneumatic Set	226	0	38.5	1993	1
6246	Crocodile Cage	56	2	7.25	1994	1
6278	Enchanted Island	412	7	66	1994	1
6264	Forbidden Cove	207	4	29.75	1994	1
5591	Mach II Red Bird Rig / Mach II Red Bird	1166	0	110	1994	1
6339	Shuttle Launch Pad	536	4	66	1995	1
6625	Speed Trackers	56	2	6.75	1996	1
8445	Indy Storm / Formula 1 Racer	440	0	40	1999	1
5925	Pontoon Plane	71	1	6	1999	1
8448	Super Street Sensation / Super Car Mk II	1408	0	130	1999	1
10020	Santa Fe Super Chief	436	2	40	2002	1
4511	High Speed Train	333	3	90	2003	1
10027	Train Engine Shed	633	2	70	2003	1
10128	Train Level Crossing	325	2	50	2003	1
8782	Danju	46	0	8	2004	1
8802	Dark Fortress Landing	142	2	?	2005	1
8652	Enzo Ferrari 1:17	477	0	40	2005	1
8801	Knights' Attack Barge	163	2	?	2005	1
7246	Mini Digger	36	1	3	2005	1
7242	Street Sweeper	63	1	5	2005	1
4891	Highway Haulers	209	0	10	2006	1
8527	Mindstorms NXT	577	0	250	2006	1
4894	Mythical Creatures	588	0	30	2006	1
7903	Rescue Helicopter	245	3	20	2006	1
6206	TIE Interceptor™	212	1	20	2006	1
6205	V-Wing Fighter	118	1	10	2006	1
10175	Vader's TIE Advanced	1212	0	100	2006	1
4939	Cool Cars	206	0	10	2007	1
4953	Fast Flyers	312	0	20	2007	1
4915	Mini Construction	68	0	5	2007	1
4918	Mini Flyers	76	0	5	2007	1
8146	Nitro Muscle	598	0	50	2007	1
5621	Coast Guard Kayak	21	1	3.5	2008	1
4993	Cool Convertible	648	0	45	2008	1
7667	Imperial Dropship	81	4	10	2008	1
4837	Mini Trains	73	0	5	2008	1
8699	Takanuva	267	0	30	2008	1

There's a 3 year gap from when I lost touch with Lego and fell more into computer hobbies. It's funny because that coincides with my sophomore through senior year in high school.

The ones at my work are: 8652, 10175, 6273, 6205, 8699. There are some instructions shown in the pictures that are not on my list. Reason for this is I plan on keeping them apart of my bulk pieces and not as sets.

Here are some key points to my collection. I keep my bulk in plastic drawer containers. Each drawer holds a different piece and in some cases different colors. I need more containers though as all the plastic bags on the left of the first picture are overflow. The white boxes on the right are from Ikea (though they no longer carry that size :( ). Each one holds a different set unless stated otherwise on the tag. The small boxes in front center are homemade. They each hold a small set. The plastic bags on the right are all sets that don't have a box yet. The red Lego tub is all Bionicle parts. I try to keep every box for my sets if I have room to store them. When I can't I just cut out the box top. That's about it, I plan on goin on a little further on those plastic drawer contianers in another post.

Colors

This post will mostly be a rant about the different color names that sites use and Lego discontinued colors. I have mentioned some sites all ready that are great Lego resources. The biggest downfall to all these sites is that they name the colors of elements different names. Naming is not the only thing that gets thrown out the window, but the value of these colors change amongst the sites and programs such as LDraw.

I get most of my Lego information from peeron.com and bricklink.com is where I buy all my missing parts. Lets say that I have set 7628 and I need to replace the blueish 1 x 2 brick. Peeron names the color as "NavyBlue". I go to Bricklink to add the part to my wanted list and find that the color "NavyBlue" is not an option. Bricklink's "NavyBlue" is actually named "DkBlue". To make it even worse, Lego now offers "Pick a Brick" on their online shop. You can go there to buy bulk pieces of most of the parts that are currently in production. But, Lego doesn't have a "DkBlue" or a "NavyBlue", their color name is "EarthBlue". Three different color names for the same color. WTF, are you serious? I can see why Peeron and Bricklink might not have the same name as Lego due to copyright or something, but why can't they have the same name between them?

How does one keep track of all this? Peeron has a great color chart that lists each color and the name given by all three sites. There is also a program that sorts it out, but it's outdated and crashes if you try to do any updating.

MdStone = LtBlueGray = MdStone

In 2003 Lego decided that it's time to change some colors that it has been using. Biggest of these changes was that the grays changed from a warm gray to a cool gray. There are numerous interviews and articles with Lego spokesman on this change and they say that esthetically a cool gray makes every other color "pop" more. The new gray got a rather unflattering name by the Lego user community, "Bley". The community has since embraced then new gray. I, for one, don't mind the new color but find it more of an annoyance then anything. The grays are named "MdStone" and "DkStone" by Lego and Peeron, but Bricklink decided to go with "LtBlueGray" and "DkBlueGray". The only place now to buy parts in the older gray is Bicklink, named "LtGray". One last thing, Peeron and Bricklink spell gray with an "a" while Lego spells it with an "e" (grey).

As fun as Lego can be, finding the right color name is not.

Catch Up.

I've been sorting and organizing my new bulk Lego purchase and slowly putting everything away. Through my sorting I came across a few undiscovered sets. I had mentioned the ones that used the 9v battery box, but I found a hidden gem amongst the rubble.

5580 - Highway Rig, released in 1986, is one of the more popular Model Team sets. It comes with a full 10 wheel base and plenty of detail to look at. The hood flips forward to reveal the engine. It's a rather large and interesting build. It is the predecessor to the famous 5571 - Giant Truck which when released in 1996 was the largest themed Lego set ever made. It held that title until TLC (The Lego Company) released the Star Wars UCS and Sculptures series in 2000/ 2001. 5571 didn't come with a full 10 wheel base and is considered its biggest flaw by many.

My 5580 set is missing a few pieces and 6 of the tires, but it is still able to be built and is fun to look at.

I think that all the sets that I want to build from this lot have been found; the rest have been sorted and stored in my 39 bin units. I will be posting more of my final sorting/ storing this weekend. Maybe I will finally get a picture of my whole collection.

Sorting 101, part 2

I finally got around to do some more sorting. Last article I talked about breaking down a large pile of Lego into the smallest number of groups as possible. The best way to do that is to sort them by color. Now that each color is sorted out, I break down each color into types of elements. The number of groups depends on how many different types of elements are in each color group. The most common groups are: bricks, plates, tiles, slopes, wedges, hinges, doors and windows, technic, and modified plates.

To start out, I dump one color out on a blanket. Then just pick through the pile one by one putting the element in the respective pile. Here's a picture of what I ended up with. The 2 largest piles were bricks and plates.


The piles above are (left to right): wedges, panels, bricks, modified plates, hinges, train, modified tile, fence, windows/ doors, brackets, tiles, canopies, supports, plates, technic, and slope. I also found one car jack and one old minifigure legs.



Also, when I go through and sort any Lego I am keeping an eye out for any Mega Block or other non - Lego parts. I bagged up all the separate piles and stored them in their box, until it's time to sort them out even more.

The next step after sorting by type is sorting each type into size. That will be next time.

NXT 2.0 annouced!!

The Lego Mindstorms NXT made a huge buzz in the robot community when it was first released nearly 3 years ago. There have been rumors flying about that Lego was going to be releasing a new version. Well, we have definite proof of a new version. Lego has been showing off the new 2.0 at Toy Fairs around the globe.

VIDEO

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Set to release this August, the 2.0 version comes with a few new features. The light sensor has been replaced with a color sensor. The NXT-G program features a remote to control the robot via computer/ laptop. A mechanism to launch small colored balls is included. Instructions to build a robot alligator, colored ball sorter, a ball launcher, and the new Rex 2.0 are included. Bluetooth is still present for wireless control, and the set contains roughly 620 pieces up from 400 in the current version.

Nothing new about control brick, whether or not it will have more memory or faster processing. With the release date out 6 months, I'm sure we will see some improvements.

Now the price..... £200 which is roughly $300.

Other then the few features I listed I don't see too much difference between the two versions. Hopefully they allow firmware/ software updates for us with the current model. Until more news comes out, I'm happy with my robot.

My New Sets!

As I have been going through my recent purchase of bulk Lego, I came across quite a few unique pieces. As I mentioned in this post I like to take out any peice that looks like it "belongs" somewhere. It's hard to describe, but you know when you found a piece that just looks like it should be in a set.

A few of those pieces were:

Turns out that first piece is a siren. I found two, one black and one white. They are part of the electric series from the early 90's and late 80's. Along with the sirens I found 3 9v battery boxes, and many electric lights. These are the sets that are in that bulk purchase; missing instructions and may not be 100% complete:

6481 - Light & Sound Construction Crew
6440 - Jetport Fire Squad
6780 - Light & Sound XT - Starship

The next piece is a shock absorber. I found 4 in that lot and thought that they went to a car or something. Turns out this is the set they go to:

6933 - Spectral Starguider

The last piece is a large 6 x 6 x 9 panel. I found 2 and they go to this set:

6396 - International Jetport

The only set out of these 5 that I tried to build was the Jetport. Turns out that I'm only missing 2 pieces for it. I can't wait to try and build the other sets. Again, none of these sets had instructions in the lot; the only way I found them was by tracking down pieces on peeron.com. My sorting has been put on hold for a bit while I play. No harm in that, right?

BTW, I tried out all the electric elements I found with a 9v battery; they all work! The sirens are great. One makes town sounds and one makes space sounds. When I get them all put together I will post some pictures.

Know the Lingo

Before I continue to talk about sorting Lego, I want to share the lingo. Knowing what an element is helps so much when sorting. Also if you have someone helping you find an element, having both people know what something is helps in communication. So, what are some of the elements called? There are bricks, plates, tiles, slopes, windscreens, bars, wedges, wings, and many more. I will be covering the terminology that was been made by sites like peeron.com and bricklink.com. Lego has their own terminology that can be a little confusing.


Bricks are the basic thick element. In fact the 2 x 4 red brick is the most common Lego out there. Bricks start at a size of 1 x 1 and can be as large as 8 x 16. When I say dimensions like 1 x 1, I am referring to the space the brick takes up, counted in studs. Dimensions are always read low to high. The brick pictured is a 2 x 4 not a 4 x 2.


Plates are the thinner element. 3 plates stacked on top of each other equal the thickness of one brick. Plates run the size of 1 x 1 to be as long as 16 and as wide as 10. Large 24 x 24 plates are called Base plates.



Slopes are the angled version of a brick. Slopes are measure a little bit differently on peeron and bricklink. The element pictured is called an 18 4 x 2 Slope Brick. The 18 refers to the degree of the slope. Also note that slopes are called by the direction of the slope. The one pictured is 4 x 2 because the slope is travelling up the longer (4) side. A 2 x 4 slope would look like this:

That is a 33 2 x 4 slope. When I look for slopes I don't think of the angle degree. But you should know the difference between a 4 x 2 and a 2 x 4.


Tiles are completly flat in most cases and are the ones that can be a pain to find. Tiles will mostly be 1 stud wide. The only sizes of a tile are 1 x 1 - 1 x 8 and 2 x 2. Tiles are usually have a pattern printed on them, so finding a tile with the right print makes it even harder.

Those are the basic groups of elements everyone should know. Now if you want to get more advanced you will know rounds, corners, turntables, wedges, inverted, clips, and canopies.

all pictures courtesy of peeron

Sorting 101, part 1

If you don't know about craigslist.org, you should go check it out. It has become the place to post your wanted/ for sale ads. It is a great place to find deals on anything, but since this is a Lego blog, we'll talk about the Lego part of it.

Every now and then you come across great finds. Lego popularity will not die down anytime soon and the majority of people posting ads know this. However, a small portion don't know the value of their Lego. Example, I just bought 40 pounds of Lego, 15 baseplates, 15-ish manuals, 100 + minifigs and more for just $120 from a seller on craigslist. Average value for that lot on eBay is around $350 - 400. I will go more into craigslist and eBay in a later post, for now I want show how I go about sorting a large lot of Lego.

Basic methods of sorting Lego usually include, color, type, size, and quality. Anyone can sort the way they want to and as much as they want to. The way I sort works for me and is not necessarily the only way to go.

When dealing with a large quantity of elements, I like to break down the lot into the smallest number of groups possible. I don't want to get overwhelmed right away be sorting the pile into types, (plates, bricks, tiles ...) and have 50 different piles going on. Color is the first sort that I do. You can easily sort a large pile down into 6-8 piles. Here's a picture of the lot that I just got.

This is all ready sorted out a little bit. I have the bulk of the pile poured out on a blanket, (for easy cleanup) manuals off to the side and have picked out the large pieces ( from a plane). As I said before, I don't want to be overwhelmed by sorting out all the different types of pieces in there. I want to start smaller. Sorting color is probably the fastest way to break up a lot this size. Red, yellow, blue, white, black, gray, clear and wheels are the main groups I sort to first. Through the years Lego has introduced new colors. So my color groups have grown to include "like" colors. For instance, yellow also includes green and lime colors. Here's what my pile looks like now.

As I sort through, I also keep a look out for any piece that seems "special". Pieces like 9v battery boxes, large canopies, or any element that doesn't look like Lego but is. These usually lead to build an interesting set that I may want to keep together. Also during this first sort, I try and find any non-Lego parts. The world would be a better place if the "Mega Blocks" were gone. Any non-Lego elements find themselves in the trash. So once the first sort is done, I go on to sort by type. That will be next, stay tuned.