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The pfm Lego Investment Challenge

Mad Max meets Planet of the Apes meets... Lego.

I feel sorry for Emmet with his now deeply unfashionable high-vis jacket.

PS I’ve not checked prices for ages so I have no idea how my ‘portfolio’ is doing. I’d expect things to start to move up fairly soon as the stuff I bought is all deleted. I know the Wall Es are doing pretty well (I have 2), but not sure about the rest.
 

I posted this working Lego Commodore 64 computer build on the Vintage Computer thread earlier without realising it was a Lego Ideas candidate. Anyway it is, so here’s a link to vote for it!

It is available via the guy’s YouTube channel, but is currently *very* expensive as buying individual bricks always is. This is such a cool idea, especially as original C64 cases suffer from awful age yellowing. He had some amazing luck during the build in that purely by chance the original C64 key-tops are actually Lego compatible, so putting Lego tops on a working keyboard is surprisingly easy, plus the mounting holes in the keyboard assembly will take a Lego pin, so mounting it securely into the case is possible too.

There is also a completely static Lego build with Lego mainboard etc (chips, caps, regulator, modulator etc all in the right place), and it is this which has been submitted to the Lego Ideas process. Whilst obviously exceptionally niche market it has to be one of the cleverest Lego builds I’ve seen, it really is stunningly well thought-through and the result looks so cool! I’d love to see this build accepted by Lego, but it needs a lot of votes to get anywhere near there. Give it a click if you are a Lego member!
 
Finished building the Saturn V rocket yesterday. Really enjoyed that one. My problem is I can't relax and take my time putting them together - I just want to open another bag and carry on. Ended up still sat at the table till 2am on Tuesday - it's like a bloody drug! :cool:

Although it's a big model, it takes up little space if you stand it upright - just don't knock it over. ;)
 
I'm rebuilding one of my Lego Technic cranes at the moment. Just a few steps at a time each evening, long enough so I don't fall asleep watching Masterchef or University Challenge.
 
I'm rebuilding one of my Lego Technic cranes at the moment. Just a few steps at a time each evening, long enough so I don't fall asleep watching Masterchef or University Challenge.

I admire your restraint - I just don’t have any. ;)

Still have the 911, Mercedes big truck and a tractor to assemble. All big of them are pretty big builds so I aim to take my time next time. He says...:)
 
I tend to build very fast too, I think I took one meal break on the Saturn V! I did it on the floor upstairs so was listening to music on the JR149 rig whilst I did it.
 
I tend to build very fast too, I think I took one meal break on the Saturn V! I did it on the floor upstairs so was listening to music on the JR149 rig whilst I did it.

So you did it in one session albeit with a meal break included?
 
So you did it in one session albeit with a meal break included?

Yes, I can’t remember how long it took, but I’m pretty fast at this stuff! Too fast really, I’m sure I’d enjoy it more if I took more time! There was quite a lot of repetition in the Saturn V build and I tend to do those in an assembly-line manner, i.e. lay the four or however many identical assemblies out and add the new brick to all four in sequence rather than repeating the whole module. I didn’t make any mistakes with the Saturn V either, whereas I did with both the Volvo loader and Yellow Sub (I got one structural piece shifted forwards or backwards by one stud which involved some un-picking). The Volvo took the longest as I’d never dealt with ‘Technic’ pieces before, they didn’t exist back when I was a kid, whereas the rest was pretty familiar albeit with far more complex (SNOT) techniques etc.
 
Yes, I can’t remember how long it took, but I’m pretty fast at this stuff! Too fast really, I’m sure I’d enjoy it more if I took more time! There was quite a lot of repetition in the Saturn V build and I tend to do those in an assembly-line manner, i.e. lay the four or however many identical assemblies out and add the new brick to all four in sequence rather than repeating the whole module. I didn’t make any mistakes with the Saturn V either, whereas I did with both the Volvo loader and Yellow Sub (I got one structural piece shifted forwards or backwards by one stud which involved some un-picking). The Volvo took the longest as I’d never dealt with ‘Technic’ pieces before, they didn’t exist back when I was a kid, whereas the rest was pretty familiar albeit with far more complex (SNOT) techniques etc.

This is only the 3rd Lego kit I've built - the Caterham was the first, then the Technic 24 hour Race car and now the Saturn. Looking back on them I think I have a preference for the Ideas kits as they seem more 'pure' Lego than the Technics kits which i know are more about the mechanics of what's built. I can see me keeping the Ideas kits whereas I'm more likely to build the Technics kits, then dismantle them and sell on again.
 
Agreed, I like the Ideas range a lot. I’m similarly only on my third kit (Yellow Sub, Volvo, S5, the rest of my stash is sealed as an investment). Back when I was a kid you just got boxes of bricks etc and built whatever came to mind. I had the blue 4 wheel drive motor thingy and some of the gear wheels etc (precursor to Technic I guess) so could build things that moved along etc, but I never buit anything from plans. I’m rather impressed by the Lego manuals, they are very well illustrated and laid out. I struggle with the colours now and again as I’m rather colour-blind in some electric light, e.g. I really struggled between the yellow and orange on the Yellow Sub, I had to use an LED torch to tell those apart!
 
Only one family of kids had Lego in our street when I was growing up so we'd all end up at theirs as they had boxes of the stuff. I never had any idea of what I was building - I just stuck bricks together! I can still remember when the eldest got one of the early Technic kits - the buggy around 1984. Watching him build it was incredible back then. I wouldn't have had a clue how to put it together. I guess I'm just playing catch up from those early days - It's only taken me 34 years! :D
 
There was quite a lot of repetition in the Saturn V build and I tend to do those in an assembly-line manner, i.e. lay the four or however many identical assemblies out and add the new brick to all four in sequence rather than repeating the whole module.

I did exactly the same thing with the Saturn V. I also struggle with some of the colours - black / greys have me reaching for the torch. I tend to find I need the work area fairly well illuminated at all times anyway.

My favourite build by far has been the Merc Arocs truck. There wasn't much repetition at all, and the crane assembly was complex.

Next up is the Volvo Concept Wheel Loader Zeux. Picked this up for £60 from Smyths about 6 months ago.

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/themes/technic/products/volvo-concept-wheel-loader-zeux-42081
 
Some nights I go with the wind and make a lot of progress. The worst part of it is finding the pieces that you need. It gradually gets easier when you go along but when you start and you've got 1,884 pieces to go through, finding the right ones brings needles and haystacks to mind....!
 
Some nights I go with the wind and make a lot of progress. The worst part of it is finding the pieces that you need. It gradually gets easier when you go along but when you start and you've got 1,884 pieces to go through, finding the right ones brings needles and haystacks to mind....!
This is where the progressively numbered bags that came with the Arcos truck and Saturn V sets make it far easier.
 
This is where the progressively numbered bags that came with the Arcos truck and Saturn V sets make it far easier.
All the kits I've done have the numbered bags. Makes it a doddle. I might empty them all into a big pile next time, if only to slow the build process down.

Think I'll be doing the big 911 next or maybe the Acros - can't decide.
 
As this is an investment thread I wonder if a built/used model would sell better if neatly disassembled back into numbered zip-lock bags? It would be easy enough to do when putting it back in the box to ship. Would that add further value to a rare model?

PS New Flinstones Ideas set is rather cool, but disappointing there is no Pebbles, Bam-Bam or Dino. I’ll pick one up for the collection if I see it at a good discount.
 
As this is an investment thread I wonder if a built/used model would sell better if neatly disassembled back into numbered zip-lock bags? It would be easy enough to do when putting it back in the box to ship. Would that add further value to a rare model?

PS New Flinstones Ideas set is rather cool, but disappointing there is no Pebbles, Bam-Bam or Dino. I’ll pick one up for the collection if I see it at a good discount.

I’ve kept the supplied numbered bags so I can (hopefully) put them back as they came.
 


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