Building a winter village

[bouncer]

After the holidays are over, I’m curious do you leave your holiday sets together or take them apart to build again the following year?

[Alpinemaps]

After the holidays are over, I’m curious do you leave your holiday sets together or take them apart to build again the following year?

I try to bag them up and carefully store them. If they come apart during storage, at least the parts should hopefully be with the set, with little damage.

[JereUsa1]

1 hour ago, Alpinemaps said:

 

I try to bag them up and carefully store them. If they come apart during storage, at least the parts should hopefully be with the set, with little damage.

 

We do the similar thing, try to keep sections together so we don't have to build everything from scratch the next year (would take forever) as we own all the winter village sets and get the new one each year.

[redghostx]

I used to take them apart, but now I bag each section and label the bags together. It makes it much easier to put back every November.

[odysea11]

We saved all of our Smugglers Bounty boxes and Marvel Collector Corps boxes and they are about the perfect size for each individual set. So we have each box labelled and we don't really have to disassemble much. Works very well for us.

[waddamon]

We take apart and rebuild, that is the fun of lego.  Each village looks different.  Finding all my white parts for snow now.

 

[House Schubert]

last year I put the sets in boxes mostly assembled.  This year, I am converting everything to a 32x32 modular, and am looking for boxes or crates to store 1 or 2 modules in.  I like keeping it mostly together. It helps it grow and change each year, instead of furiously rebuilding all the sets each year.

[SpaceFan9]

I also dismantle the winter village buildings by section each year, and store them in the small white gift boxes (https://www.target.com/p/2ct-china-gift-box-white-wondershop-8482/-/A-54632670) that Target clearances out at 90% off each year. This slipper box size is good for minifigs and polybags, too.

For storing modulars, I find the large flip-top decorative type of storage boxes are just the right size  https://www.michaels.com/large-christmas-cabin-deep-tab-paper-box-by-ashland/10602036.html  so that the buildings don't need to be dismantled too much for storage.  Michael's coupon magic can often get these down to below $5 each.

 

[odysea11]

7 hours ago, waddamon said:

We take apart and rebuild, that is the fun of lego.  Each village looks different.  Finding all my white parts for snow now.

 

We used to rebuild every year until it just got out of control. We would have to start assembling in October just to be ready for Christmas....we finally said "screw this" and started storing them assembled. Lazy? Maybe.......Efficient? Yes!

We are also working on all of the snow now....never enough white plates or pieces to do the winter justice!!

Everyone should post pics of their villages!! I love this part!!

[fuzzy_bricks]

3 minutes ago, odysea11 said:

We are also working on all of the snow now....never enough white plates or pieces to do the winter justice!!

That should change with the white baseplates coming out.

[waddamon]

Yes, I do like to build the three dimensional snow though.

[House Schubert]

6 hours ago, fuzzy_bricks said:

That should change with the white baseplates coming out.

seriously... I just spent $300 on 16x16  plates in white... Oh well.

[Alpinemaps]

3 minutes ago, House Schubert said:

seriously... I just spent $300 on 16x16  plates in white... Oh well.

Baseplates or plates?  There's a difference.

For myself, I use the MILS system for builds.  So my baseplate doesn't matter.  But the "ground" level does matter.  So I usually try to go for 4x4 white plates.

[House Schubert]

3 minutes ago, Alpinemaps said:

Baseplates or plates?  There's a difference.

For myself, I use the MILS system for builds.  So my baseplate doesn't matter.  But the "ground" level does matter.  So I usually try to go for 4x4 white plates.

Yes... I am aware... I love the MILS system, but don't use it for the winter village, and have been considering it for our city (which is currently all in sealed lego boxes, waiting for a finished  basement to go crazy in)  I was planing on building out the winter village with 16x16 white plates in a 32x32 modular format.  

 

Edited December 10, 2019 by House Schubert

[House Schubert]

eh... maybe you just convinced me to put these white plates to work using the MILS for the winter village... something to start to do this evening!!!!  Thanks, I was worried about what I was going to do with the 5 spare minutes I have.  

[House Schubert]

8 hours ago, odysea11 said:

Everyone should post pics of their villages!! I love this part!!

Great idea! I'll go first... We are still assembling, so here is a pic of the Winter Firehouse that I modularized a bit.

Tonight I am going to attempt to put it on a MILS platform thanks to AlpineMaps.

Edited December 10, 2019 by House Schubert

[House Schubert]

Wow, that was fun... I tried using the MILS to create the first stretch of the "River of Christmas Spirit" which originates at the Humbug Refinery. Watch the current, It's a bugger there at the headwaters!

The depth possibility is awesome...

 

[crayxlp]

It looks very nice with the white plates / boards. the green is kind of disturbing, though.

[bouncer]

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like the majority of you keep your sets together. 

Edited December 11, 2019 by bouncer

[Alpinemaps]

It looks very nice with the white plates / boards. the green is kind of disturbing, though.

Lol

Green would be winter in Southern California.

[House Schubert]

26 minutes ago, crayxlp said:

the green is kind of disturbing, though.

If you think that is disturbing, you should see the reindeer barbeque and the elf tossing area!

(Also, green will be gone once the village is done... in late Feb.)

Edited December 11, 2019 by House Schubert