Thinking about Modulars

[Simon74]

3 hours ago, Zelgazra said:

... certain ones can't be avoided though, like those Dark Red slopes. ...

those are now easy and relatively cheap to get at Lego Bricks & Pieces (the color and shape are exactly the same except for the studs which are not exactly the same but once built those studs are hidden...)

[TigerEyez]

Bought my first modular this week. I picked up the PC (and an Ecto-1) at the Orlando Lego store while I was down there for work.  I've really liked this set since I first saw it and had almost bought it a couple times. Really enjoyed the build. It was a little easier than I expected. I love it.  The walk of fame stars, the posters, the details in the concession stand, etc. My favorite detail, however, is the use of small blue and white tiles and 1x2 bricks with holes to spell out "Palace" on the sides of the marquee. 

My plan is to use my profits (when and if they occur) from selling new and used sets to pay for the GBHQ. I currently have a pretty decent stock but have only sold 3 sets, all used Ninjago sets. 

[Pseudoty]

2 hours ago, Simon74 said:

those are now easy and relatively cheap to get at Lego Bricks & Pieces (the color and shape are exactly the same except for the studs which are not exactly the same but once built those studs are hidden...)

The color is not the same. The color used in CC with the "translucent like" coating I believe only appears in one other set from the 2008 production run. http://rebrickable.com/sets/8031-1/v-19-torrent-mini-star-wars-clone-wars-2008

This and the stitching on the female minifig are one of the easy ways to identify a BL set. 

[Simon74]

6 hours ago, Zelgazra said:

If you're a purist, it would likely be more economical to just hunt down a Used 100% complete set on Auction and aim to pay around $800. After shipping, that's roughly what bricklinking it piece for piece would cost. 

If you're NOT a purist, and just want the model to display and not necessarily flip, there are lots of potential options to modify certain parts to more common ones, without affecting overall completed appearance. With substitutions on mold types etc you could probably get it together for around $500; though, certain ones can't be avoided though, like those Dark Red slopes. Unless you're going to go for a full colour swap, which could save you even more...You can always concede to doing something like the Sand Blue Grocer to avoid high cost rare colour parts like those slopes.

Thanks Pseudoty... I did not know about the color coating difference.

Either way my comment was in a non-purist context perthe above quote. :-)

Edited June 26, 2016 by Simon74
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[Pseudoty]

6 minutes ago, Simon74 said:

Thanks Pseudoty... I did not know about the color coating difference.

Either way my comment was in a non-purist context perthe above quote. :-)

Oh non-purist, mine as well get this then  

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=122023875260&globalID=EBAY-US

 

[Phil B]

9 hours ago, Wimmer said:

I'm going to brick link it, I think. Not looking to do this for flipping, but to get my series complete this way, I have all the other ones except Market Street which I don't really consider being part of this line...

i always have it organized by pieces when I built, so that won't be a problem.  Thanks for the information all of you.  I'm starting ordering parts tonight.  I already found all the red roof pieces. 

And remember: Excel (or any other spreadsheet) is your friend. Keep a list of all the pieces you need (extract from BL), and keep track of what you've purchased from where and how many (plus cost + shipping if you want to find out how much you saved versus just buying a used one). BTW, unless you're really strict on yourself, you might find you get close to what you would have paid if you bought a new one ...

And the obligatory warnings: You will most likely run across incomplete orders (i.e. you ordered quantity X from a BL seller, but got X-1, or got a different part or something like that). Plan for this - unless the part is really expensive, just buy a few more than you need (if the seller has them available).

And you will inevitably go hunting for that cat, or that lady minifig, or those sand green bricks with groove etc. Resist the temptation, you must.

[MarleyMoose]

Anyone have an idea what with this FB?

[Kevink24]

1 hour ago, MarleyMoose said:

Anyone have an idea what with this FB?

Marley,

I believe you are asking about the set on the left...I'm pretty sure that the dark green and gray set is the Town Hall from set #10184 (Town Plan).

http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=10184-1&name=Town Plan&category=[Town][Town Plan]#T=S&O

[Phil B]

27 minutes ago, Kevink24 said:

Marley,

I believe you are asking about the set on the left...I'm pretty sure that the dark green and gray set is the Town Hall from set #10184 (Town Plan).

http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=10184-1&name=Town Plan&category=[Town][Town Plan]#T=S&O

And the truck on top is the ice cream truck from the "small tumbler" set 7888 - The Tumbler: Joker's Ice Cream Surprise

[MarleyMoose]

54 minutes ago, Phil B said:

And the truck on top is the ice cream truck from the "small tumbler" set 7888 - The Tumbler: Joker's Ice Cream Surprise

 

Thanks Phil, I knew that one. Love that set. Have 2 of them.... mostly

[MarleyMoose]

1 hour ago, Kevink24 said:

Marley,

I believe you are asking about the set on the left...I'm pretty sure that the dark green and gray set is the Town Hall from set #10184 (Town Plan).

http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=10184-1&name=Town Plan&category=[Town][Town Plan]#T=S&O

Yup, you're right . 

[Wimmer]

20 hours ago, Pseudoty said:

The color is not the same. The color used in CC with the "translucent like" coating I believe only appears in one other set from the 2008 production run. http://rebrickable.com/sets/8031-1/v-19-torrent-mini-star-wars-clone-wars-2008

This and the stitching on the female minifig are one of the easy ways to identify a BL set. 

Interesting.  According to the brick list inside the CC instructions; and then going by the part number and design number, they should be the exact same color...

What am I missing there ?

 

[Wimmer]

20 hours ago, Pseudoty said:

Oh non-purist, mine as well get this then  

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=122023875260&globalID=EBAY-US

 

What the heck is that stuff ?  A Lego imitation, not Lego but will work with Lego ?

I might have found most of the pieces already, just those two doors are hugely expensive though.  I am not really caring about the minifigures inside the set, mostly want the building...

[gregpj]

Interesting.  According to the brick list inside the CC instructions; and then going by the part number and design number, they should be the exact same color...

What am I missing there ?

 

LEGO says it is the same color, but if you place an original beside the new one there is a difference in the glossiness which, if I'm not mistaken, makes the older ones look darker.

Also, I thought the slopes had differences in the tubes? Which of course are not visible.

[Calli]

This thread makes me want to build all the currently available modulars as soon as possible. I've bought the PC a couple of months ago and put it in my storage. I think once I am done building the Porsche I will get it out and start building although I am still a bit hesitant as I already know I will not be able hold back buying the other four ones. Poor wallet.

[marcandre]

10 hours ago, Wimmer said:

What the heck is that stuff ?  A Lego imitation, not Lego but will work with Lego ?

I might have found most of the pieces already, just those two doors are hugely expensive though.  I am not really caring about the minifigures inside the set, mostly want the building...

For the clear side door you can use 4258478. It's the same door with the hinges on the left instead of right. Will run about $5 vs $20 for the right hinged door. It works perfect just switch sides when building.

[Zelgazra]

10 hours ago, Calli said:

This thread makes me want to build all the currently available modulars as soon as possible. I've bought the PC a couple of months ago and put it in my storage. I think once I am done building the Porsche I will get it out and start building although I am still a bit hesitant as I already know I will not be able hold back buying the other four ones. Poor wallet.

This is my strategy on any new Modulars or UCS or Landmarks. If it's something I think is really cool, I buy it and crack those seals as close to release as possible. I've got 3 PCs and 3 PSs sitting in the other room, and since they're most likely to retire, I haven't been able to pop seals yet. If they retire, I won't be able to do it. So buy and build on release seems the safest thing to do if you want to just enjoy the model without feeling like you're losing on profits. In the long run your wallet will be thanking you.... You don't want any of the current 5 to enter the realms the retirees are already in, otherwise it's a really poor wallet! 

[gregpj]

18 minutes ago, Zelgazra said:

This is my strategy on any new Modulars or UCS or Landmarks. If it's something I think is really cool, I buy it and crack those seals as close to release as possible. I've got 3 PCs and 3 PSs sitting in the other room, and since they're most likely to retire, I haven't been able to pop seals yet. If they retire, I won't be able to do it. So buy and build on release seems the safest thing to do if you want to just enjoy the model without feeling like you're losing on profits. In the long run your wallet will be thanking you.... You don't want any of the current 5 to enter the realms the retirees are already in, otherwise it's a really poor wallet! 

I'll be sure to post pictures when I crack open my Maersk Train and SSD this fall. I always planned on building the SSD from sealed box and my partner convinced me that the Maersk train would look great in our new city. What fun is LEGO investing if you can't indulge every once in a while?

I've got quite a few others that were acquired for more than MSRP or have yet to be built and have since retired... No worries, they'll be built too!

What's the point? Just slice open those boxes and build them! You won't regret it!

[Zelgazra]

6 minutes ago, gregpj said:

What's the point? Just slice open those boxes and build them! You won't regret it!

Fair point and I can relate as well... mentioned just now in the other thread, Town Hall was my first modular, and I bought it about 5 months after retirement. Paid $540 for it, came home and sliced it open. It was awesome. But the wallet did hurt for a while.  

Edit: Now I'm indulging in custom modulars.... that can be heavy on the wallet too  

Edited June 27, 2016 by Zelgazra

[gregpj]

Just now, Zelgazra said:

Fair point and I can relate as well... mentioned just now in the other thread, Town Hall was my first modular, and I bought it about 5 months after retirement. Paid $540 for it, came home and sliced it open. It was awesome. But the wallet did hurt for a while.  

Never said the wallet doesn't hurt... mine cries all the time!

[Wimmer]

On June 27, 2016 at 5:10 AM, marcandre said:

For the clear side door you can use 4258478. It's the same door with the hinges on the left instead of right. Will run about $5 vs $20 for the right hinged door. It works perfect just switch sides when building.

Thanks for the tip,... but sold out on Lego.com; I must not be the only one trying to do this.

waiting for my first two orders of bricks coming from Lego, there in the mail while I write this.  The red roof slopes are part of it, if it is a slight color difference I can take it for the price gain.

Might just have to buy the two doors at the brickshop and spent the $20.00 each on them, ouch...  Specially that front door is a must since the whole tower there is built around it as well...

I can do it, just a little more overtime to pay for it all.

[Zelgazra]

It's great that you're taking advantage of the Pick a Brick online, and earning a small handful of VIP points.... but on average, you're going to find that Bricklink sellers are selling those same average parts for less than half the price in many cases. Starting price on any brick from PaB or Bricks & Pieces is around 8 cents. Many common bricks on Bricklink can be found for 2 to 5 cents. It may seem daunting at first, but it's absolutely worth wrapping your head around the wanted lists and all that if you want to save some money... on a little 300 part set it might be pretty negligible, but on a 2200 part modular the savings will show. 

All that said, it can pay to double check. There are some cases you may find rarer parts at a cheaper rate through Pick a Brick. 

Edit: CAD currency values quoted. 

Edited June 29, 2016 by Zelgazra

[marcandre]

6 hours ago, Wimmer said:

Thanks for the tip,... but sold out on Lego.com; I must not be the only one trying to do this.

 

There are plenty on bricklink.com 

http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?id=50374&idColor=86#T=S&C=86&O={"color":86}

Edited June 29, 2016 by marcandre

[cubfan78]

Just ordered Detective's Office and Brick Bank from LEGO Shop at Home and the Mystery Mansion for the kiddo who for some reason loves the Scooby Doo stuff even though she has never watched the cartoon. The important thing is that she likes Lego! I don't let here play with the bigger stuff that I build so it really gives her something to play with. 

I was on the fence between these modulars and the Sandcrawler. I am just not sure that I am in love with the SC, it would be a display piece and honestly as a display piece is looks rather bland for the $300 price tag. 

I now have all the current modulars and will look at buying the GE from a reseller sometime in the next month or two. 

[Simon74]

I am dealing with the very same dilemma except I do not have the PR yet and got an used GE and TH already. I might pull the trigger on the SC anyway since if I end up really liking it and have to get it after retirement my fear is that its price might climb faster than PR or DO/BB in similar circumstances.