Has anyone ever built an old MISB set before?

[Blackjack]

Has anyone ever done this? I think it would be uber fun, (albeit wastefull) to build an old set like Jango Fett"s Slave 1 mint out of the box today. It would be so wierd to be getting those classic gray/grey pieces out of an unopened bag!

[Fcbarcelona101]

A Millenium Falcon would be more fun. Just knowing that you are building something worth around 2k brings more excitement to the whole process...

[Blackjack]

Yeah, but you wouldn't get the classic gray pieces!

[Grolim]

Ah that classic grey... I've been rebuilding some of my old SW sets for sale purposes and the classic grey nostalgia is strong.

[gregpj]

We just built a Green Grocer a few weeks ago that was MISB! We built a used Cafe Corner before that.. that MISB was just too valuable. :)

[eklein03]

I've always been meaning to ask someone; is light grey not being produced anymore?

[Rich B]

I found a MISB Green Grocer for cheap and had planned to flip it for a profit on ebay. I needed it for my modular collection though so I decided to open it and build it. Glad I did, it looks great!!

[dunkers97]

A Millenium Falcon would be more fun. Just knowing that you are building something worth around 2k brings more excitement to the whole process...

My one thought as I would be building this set is "Man, I'm waisting a bunch of money, but then again... BRAGGING RIGHTS!!!"

[Rich B]

My one thought as I would be building this set is "Man, I'm waisting a bunch of money, but then again... BRAGGING RIGHTS!!!"

Haha exactly, then when your friends that don't know much about Lego ask you what is that hunk of plastic worth, you reply "2 ***'s!!!" and watch their faces as they are astonished LOL

[dunkers97]

My one thought as I would be building this set is "Man, I'm waisting a bunch of money, but then again... BRAGGING RIGHTS!!!"

Haha exactly, then when your friends that don't know much about Lego ask you what is that hunk of plastic worth, you reply "2 ***'s!!!" and watch their faces as they are astonished LOL

You got dat right!! that would be so funny haha!!

[joelfinch]

I've always been meaning to ask someone; is light grey not being produced anymore?

It's a visibly different shade of grey than it used to be, now known as "light bluish grey" or "light bley". No more classic light grey.

Visual comparison:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47970632@N06/6121056018/

[dunkers97]

My one thought as I would be building this set is "Man, I'm waisting a bunch of money, but then again... BRAGGING RIGHTS!!!"

Haha exactly, then when your friends that don't know much about Lego ask you what is that hunk of plastic worth, you reply "2 ***'s!!!" and watch their faces as they are astonished LOL

Then they'd say "duuhhh where'd you say you can buy Legos again?" another one hops on the train of Lego business.

[dunkers97]

It's a visibly different shade of grey than it used to be, now known as "light bluish grey" or "light bley". No more classic light grey.

Visual comparison:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47970632@N06/6121056018/

I like the newer bleys better though its probably because I never had the "old grays" in my sets.

[TheOrcKing]

It's a visibly different shade of grey than it used to be, now known as "light bluish grey" or "light bley". No more classic light grey.

Visual comparison:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47970632@N06/6121056018/

Huh....that's something. Old dark gray almost looks black, and old light gray has a bit of brown to it. Could just be age and dirt mostly.

[Polar_Beast]

Hey all. Long time visitor here, but I'm ashamed to say a very infrequent poster, mostly due to not being able to keep it short ****** sweet as you'll soon see.

Anywho, this thread coincides with a really unique circumstance that I think ya'll will find quite cool and interesting (and some will probably be a bit jealous too!).

Now I know they're not retired yet, but they're both definitely old as we all know here on this site. I'm talking of course about the 10221 Super Star Destroyer and the 10188 Death Star. I personally have 3 each, and told myself I would not buy any more, unless I found very step discounts. I got each of mine for between $300-$340 total including shipping.

A little back story to this unique case... The very first set I ever sold on ebay was a used 7965 Millennium Falcon (ship only). Now the weird thing was that the guy wanted it shipped to him completely built, and IN TACT! For those of you who have built this Falcon, you know that it is more or less hollow, and can easily break. Needless to say, I packed it like there was no tomorrow, and I succeeded in getting it to him completely in tact, making him quite happy, and consequently a repeat customer.

Anyways, fast forward to now, and he's bought a handful of other medium to small sized ships from me the very same way, but now, get this... now he wants the SSD and Death Star!!! Shipped completely built!!! The boxes will be gigantic, it will be really funny!

So, I get the absolute joy of opening and building a mint 10221 and 10188 all while making a nice profit! I can't wait, I never thought I would actually get to be able to build these sets. I start building as soon as I get the check! Also, he told me he doesn't need them for a few months, so I will probably leave each one out on display for a few days before I ship it off.

Thanks for reading, but more so thanks for all of YOUR great posts. This truly is a wonderful and insightful forum. Oh, and if you made it this far, sorry for being so long winded and using so many exclamation points!

-PB

[CNH1974]

The main problem between Grey and Bley is that if you are building from a pile of Lego you have acquired over the years you can end up with an annoying checker board effect.

I have this on a Castle I am very slowly building (2 years and counting).

But if you are just building sets out of the box you will not be affected. To me most of the colours have changed over the past 20 years.

[Huskers1236]

The main problem between Grey and Bley is that if you are building from a pile of Lego you have acquired over the years you can end up with an annoying checker board effect.

I have this on a Castle I am very slowly building (2 years and counting).

But if you are just building sets out of the box you will not be affected.

To me most of the colours have changed over the past 20 years.

Yes, the colors have definitely changed a bit over the years. If you throw some old yellow in with new, you can pick them out immediately. The pieces are also not as sharp anymore either.

As for the greys, I love new bley over the old grey. Even brand new old grey looks dirty to me now that I've gotten used to the new grey.

[TheDarkness]

When I have considered opening previous sets that have skyrocketed after going EOL, I have felt very guilty knowing the dollar value it could fetch. I struggle with it big time, so I am better off opening a set as soon as possible if I am going to keep it for myself.

[steveviscious89]

When the OP said old set I thought we were talking about stuff from the 90's. That would be sweet to have some models from back then MISB, and open them up to build.

[Snowcrash]

I'm not a collector, so I feel a little detatched from the situation you describe. It does seem that almost all the older sets are available loose in some manner for a fraction of the price of a mint sealed set. My question is how high do you value the thrill of opening that set and being the "first" one to touch it? Because essentially that's what you're paying for. Personally, I'd sell the mint set and use some of the money to buy a loose one.

[oldsmobile]

When the OP said old set I thought we were talking about stuff from the 90's. That would be sweet to have some models from back then MISB, and open them up to build.

I remember getting some great deals on MISB Aquazone sets on Ebay around 2005 or so--of course, I had to put them together. 1990s boxes were made of thicker cardboard than Lego uses now, and the larger ones included hand-packed "display trays" that allowed the buyer to see the rarest pieces in the set before purchase. Opening a large '90s set like the 6199 Hydro Crystallization Station felt special somehow, kind of like opening an Architecture set today.

The other advantage to opening older MISB sets is that used sets usually pick up some playwear in 15+ years: even if a set is used for display only, white and gray pieces can get sun damage, and plastic canopies can scratch from improper dusting techniques. If you really love an older set, buying MISB is the only way to ensure that you are acquiring one in excellent condition.

[TheOrcKing]

Yes, the colors have definitely changed a bit over the years. If you throw some old yellow in with new, you can pick them out immediately. The pieces are also not as sharp anymore either.

As for the greys, I love new bley over the old grey. Even brand new old grey looks dirty to me now that I've gotten used to the new grey.

Strangely enough, I like the new bluish gray over the old gray and I've built so many sets from before 2000. There is some noticeable difference between old and new parts, though not exceedingly so. Course I wonder if it's because the pieces have been played with and displayed for so long that it could have more to do with age than the color formulas they use now.

My question is how high do you value the thrill of opening that set and being the "first" one to touch it? Because essentially that's what you're paying for. Personally, I'd sell the mint set and use some of the money to buy a loose one.

It's the "virgin effect". People will pay out the nose to be the first to break that seal. ......Wow, that sounded kinda gross actually. Eck.

The other advantage to opening older MISB sets is that used sets usually pick up some playwear in 15+ years: even if a set is used for display only, white and gray pieces can get sun damage, and plastic canopies can scratch from improper dusting techniques. If you really love an older set, buying MISB is the only way to ensure that you are acquiring one in excellent condition.

That is my way of thinking when it comes to any set I buy. Sometimes you may strike out with a 'previously owned' one, but I usually end up with parts that have teeth marks, discoloration, little clutch strength, and they smell funny. I'm okay with paying more for a set I really like at a higher price if it means that I will get the complete package in the condition I should.

[eklein03]

thanks for the side by side picture. then what's medium grey? i guess i should have stocked up on this set. Only have one :(

[Studebricker]

Hey all. Long time visitor here, but I'm ashamed to say a very infrequent poster, mostly due to not being able to keep it short ****** sweet as you'll soon see.

Anywho, this thread coincides with a really unique circumstance that I think ya'll will find quite cool and interesting (and some will probably be a bit jealous too!).

Now I know they're not retired yet, but they're both definitely old as we all know here on this site. I'm talking of course about the 10221 Super Star Destroyer and the 10188 Death Star. I personally have 3 each, and told myself I would not buy any more, unless I found very step discounts. I got each of mine for between $300-$340 total including shipping.

A little back story to this unique case... The very first set I ever sold on ebay was a used 7965 Millennium Falcon (ship only). Now the weird thing was that the guy wanted it shipped to him completely built, and IN TACT! For those of you who have built this Falcon, you know that it is more or less hollow, and can easily break. Needless to say, I packed it like there was no tomorrow, and I succeeded in getting it to him completely in tact, making him quite happy, and consequently a repeat customer.

Anyways, fast forward to now, and he's bought a handful of other medium to small sized ships from me the very same way, but now, get this... now he wants the SSD and Death Star!!! Shipped completely built!!! The boxes will be gigantic, it will be really funny!

So, I get the absolute joy of opening and building a mint 10221 and 10188 all while making a nice profit! I can't wait, I never thought I would actually get to be able to build these sets. I start building as soon as I get the check! Also, he told me he doesn't need them for a few months, so I will probably leave each one out on display for a few days before I ship it off.

Thanks for reading, but more so thanks for all of YOUR great posts. This truly is a wonderful and insightful forum. Oh, and if you made it this far, sorry for being so long winded and using so many exclamation points!

-PB

So you never asked the guy what his reason was for not wanting to build the sets himself?

[TheOrcKing]

then what's medium grey? i guess i should have stocked up on this set. Only have one

You know, now I am confused 'cause there are three different shades of gray now, isn't there? Dark bluish gary, medium (regular?) gray, then light bluish gray. Or is it four shades of gray now? Ugh, I can't remember.