When I was younger...

[rogue27]

When I was younger, building with LEGO seemed so much simpler.

When I was younger...
...I would take out my LEGO and just start building until every part was used. Now I have so many parts that is virtually impossible to use them all.


...I could spend an entire day building with LEGO. Now I am lucky if I can find 2 or 3 hours in one evening to build.


...I only had to dump out an ice cream bucket to start building, and scoop everything back in when I was done. Now I have a massive sorting system that allows me to find any part quickly, but I probably spend more time re-sorting the parts and re-structuring the storage system than actually building.


...Every part I had was used, chewed, and worn out, but I was perfectly happy with them. Now I refuse to use such parts.


...I never felt like I needed to go and buy some specific part before building something. Now I spend plenty of time and money purchasing parts that I might use on some MOC I would like to build someday. (but probably never find time for)


Has anybody else found that their LEGO habits have changed over the years?


Due to these changes, I sometimes try to "go back" to a simpler building experience, and force myself to work with a limited pool of parts.

One weekend I opened a 10000 Guarded Inn, 2x 10039 Black Falcon's Fortress, and a 3739 Blacksmith's Shop, and sat down with my girlfriend to build with just those parts. It was fun. That is certainly more fun than buying 4 copies of Vladek Encounter on sale just to sort out the parts I want and file them away for later use.

Another thing I often do is to pick a part I don't normally use and try to build something with it or around it. Sometimes I just can't get the part to do what I want it to do, sometimes I do neat things with it, and I always learn something from the experience.

Does anybody else have ideas for "simplifying" the building experience when you have a large collection of parts?

[forester3291]

I don't have a large collection of parts but I know what you're talking about. My sister and I would spend hours down in our baement just building. Now I'm lucky if I get and hour.

I really enjoyed going downstairs with my frineds and making pirate ships and castles. I think some of the reasons I don't od that anymore is. Our basement is not my LEGO room anymre. There was plenty of room down there to build anytning. No all's I have is my room wich has my drums, dresser, desk, and computer in it. Not much room for building . Maybe it's time I moved my LEGO back down to the basement. Or not. My cats are down there!

Another reason is that LEGO doesn't have all the really nice small and in-expensive sets anymore. I used to get small $5 sets every month or so. Once I got a space and time cruisers set from friends of a friend. And they were free. And they were big too.

I will stop my rambling now and let someone else post their thoughts.

[Formendacil]

Ideas for simplifying?

Umm.... that would be no.

I understand what you're getting at, but other than just taking a random assortment of parts and seeing what can be made of them, I really don't have an idea.

And, of course, not knowing HOW your Lego is sorted, in exact detail is a problem. I mena, if it was sorted is such a way that you could just take one bucket and build from there, I'd say do it.

Of course, that would be unlikely with any highly-sorted system.

[LEGOFREAK]

sometimes when i am in a hurry i will sweep the tables clean and put every spare lego lying around in a tub for later sorting. sometimes these tubs dont get sorted for a long time. sometimes I like to sit down with these tubs and see what I can come up with.
also - I build with my son. I know, I know - I have said this repeatedly.... but it still holds true. Build with a little kid.
you would be surprised at some of the things they come up with.
stormtroopers riding dinosaurs with jetpack wings..... now THATS original.

[Jojo]

Hello!

When I was younger, building with LEGO seemed so much simpler.

Oh yes.

Now I have so many parts that is virtually impossible to use them all.

Right.

...I could spend an entire day building with LEGO. Now I am lucky if I can find 2 or 3 hours in one evening to build.

But back then I had a finished model in the end of the day. Nowadays I only have some small parts of a model finished.

...I only had to dump out an ice cream bucket to start building, and scoop everything back in when I was done. Now I have a massive sorting system that allows me to find any part quickly, but I probably spend more time re-sorting the parts and re-structuring the storage system than actually building.

I had a simple sorting system when I was younger. Plates separated from bricks, from tiles, from slopes, from wheels, from minifigs + accessories. You are right, though, I'm in the process of resorting right now...

...Every part I had was used, chewed, and worn out, but I was perfectly happy with them. Now I refuse to use such parts.

So do I. But even back then I used worn out parts only in invisible places.

...I never felt like I needed to go and buy some specific part before building something. Now I spend plenty of time and money purchasing parts that I might use on some MOC I would like to build someday.

Oh yes! I have got lots of parts from BrickLink that I never used and only bought for the eventuality...
Three years ago I only built with parts that I got from sets I bought. Now many sets are ugly and come with too many parts that I will probably never use, so i opt for BrickLink.


Bye
Jojo

[Robin Hood]

Well I don't know about simplifying, but I do know that about six years back or so, I spent hours building MOCs out of just this set. http://guide.lugnet.com/set/?q=6036_1&v=z I think that half the reason I built with it so much was because i wanted a Castle and I didn't ahve any while my brother had two.

Now I have a lot more sets and castles, and I make way less stuff than I did. I think that when we were younger the playing and building was more important to us, now it might be that the having is more impotrtant, I dunno there must be some reason why we built more in the past.

Dan

[MaxiVisVires]

When I was younger, I didn't care if my castle was all grey. Now, it's different. I had so many legos when I was a kid, that my parents got me a tool box to store them. Now, I have a huge plastic drawer system. I still build for more than an hour, but my creations now are less creative than when I was a kid.

The best way to just go back to the creative way of our childhood is just to buy a creator bucket and start building. Who cares if your creation isn't the same color? You didn't care when you were a kid. Just build. You won't have all the 1 x 2's or 1 x 4's you're gonna need, but you didn't care when you were a kid. Build it and post the pics. Look out for the yellow red white blue green castle of doom!

[Green Fox]

I didn't care about colours until December '03. my MOCs were colour co-ordinated, but with a HUGE range of colours. My MOCs were a lot bigger back then... Now I can't even use multi-colours for hidden supports 'cos I KNOW THEY ARE THERE.

I need help...

[JPinoy]

Back in the day, I would just build whatever I felt like. Now Im more into realism.

Back in the day, I would mix up any minifig part and I was okay with it. Now I feel like a fashion designer making minifigs look good when I switch around minifig parts.

Back in the day, I had few parts and built things in System scale. Now I have them by the thousands and Im building on a MASSIVE scale.

Back in the day, when I had 10 soldiers, that was called an army. Now, I don't consider anything an army unless there's AT LEAST 100 of them.

[Sir Vincent]

Back in the day...I used to build in all themes...I had a Masters of The Universe kind of world...maybe someday I'll revive some of those figs and creations...

[Brad]

If you really want a creative experience, you should have tried building something with the 4 Vladek Encounters only.

[JPinoy]

If you REALLY REALLY want a creative experience... try building with this set.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=453412

[Formendacil]

If you REALLY REALLY want a creative experience... try building with this set.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=453412

It's a micro-microfig mountain!

Hmmm.... By that token, I have a mountain range incorporated into my castle.

Back in the day, I thought those were great pieces. Actually, I still do.

[Legomaat]

That is really a nice set to start with! No useless parts at least.
Well, when I was younger, and that is long, long ago, LEGO-life was simpler indeed. There was only red and white, and you could buy bricks almost piece by piece.
Then, I built two castles in one hour and was totally content with them.
Now, one castle means a year of searching, designing, drawing and building, and when finished, I mostly think; It could have been better.

All the things rogue27 mentioned, are true, but I don't think that it is reversible. The ambitions of most builders are bigger than the amount of bricks available. And I can say you guys, that is a constant process till you are old and senile.

Well, at least for me it is...

[rogue27]

If you REALLY REALLY want a creative experience... try building with this set.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=453412

I picked one up last night. It was great! First I built a rock, then I built a small mountain, then I built a mid-90s style castle. All I had to do was use my imagination!

Maybe it's time I moved my LEGO back down to the basement.

Maybe it is. A big part of my problem is crowding. After taking a few parts from one container, I have to snap it shut, and stack 5 other containers on top of it before getting to the container holding the next parts I need. I'm working on re-arranging my room so I will have more room to spread out my LEGO and that should help.

sometimes when i am in a hurry i will sweep the tables clean and put every spare lego lying around in a tub for later sorting. sometimes these tubs dont get sorted for a long time. sometimes I like to sit down with these tubs and see what I can come up with.

I am quite familar with these unsorted tubs you speak of. I never thought to try building exclusively with them, I usually just dump more parts into them instead.

Build with a little kid. you would be surprised at some of the things they come up with. stormtroopers riding dinosaurs with jetpack wings..... now THATS original.

Actually, I build with my girlfriend, and she's always doing silly things like octopuses that ride elephants or hiding small parts inside of my treasure chests.

I think that when we were younger the playing and building was more important to us, now it might be that the having is more impotrtant...

Now that is a truly dreadful thought. It's about what I was thinking when I decided to start this thread too. That is the thing I most want to get away from. Fortunately, I've scheduled my time in such a way that I will actually have time to play this weekend.


Thanks for the replies everybody, I enjoyed reading them all even if I didn't directly respond to what you said.