r/legostarwars • u/Dunnathagunna • 12h ago
Collection sorting massive collection
this is going to take awhile, but will be worth it. if you guys have any tips to speed up the process feel free to share them.
i have some smaller old lego star wars builds that i completed but most of my collection as a whole is incomplete… i dont have much time to sort, but i feel its a disservice to the sets to be in this condition.
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u/hoopr50 12h ago
Following for tips .... I have a big storage bin filled that I have to sort and separate into sets. I get annoyed every time I start doing it lol
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u/Philkensebban7 10h ago edited 10h ago
I bought this from Kmart. May not help with the amount of bricks you're sorting but for a single set it was a big help. Just rebuilt my TIE Interceptor that was fallimg apart.
I divided everything by colour then split those into corrosponding parts. But not enough slots for individual parts so ended up doing dtuff like long boys, short boys, single digit boys, smooth tops etc and one slot of just odd shit that i couldnt catagorise.
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u/LordEonGil 10h ago
There's no real good way (other than hiring someone else to do it), but for what it's worth, here is my system: (Note, this is just for general sorting)
1. Just do a handful at a time. It'll take a while but it prevents burnout
2. Separate by brick type first
3. Then separate by color
4. For super commonly used parts I have storage drawers. For the others I take each color variant of a piece and put it into a ziplock sandwich bag. All of those colors then go into a food storage container that is labeled with contents. The containers go on a shelf, label out for easy search and retrieval.
You could also go by color first, as that's quicker, and then sort by type, but to me it feels like this takes more time in the long run. The exception is for the rare colors, like chrome, pink, lime green, ect.
I know there's nothing here that others have not/are not doing and it may not be what works for you. The biggest thing is to decide what your system is going to be and stick to it. The more you sort and the more you use the system the more second nature it will become.
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u/211XTD 7h ago
I did by colors, tech parts and studs which is working well with the exception of when I need a piece that is so unique I literally have only one or two of but that is only like one or two pieces per set.
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u/LordEonGil 5h ago
Yeah, I have what's basically a "Unique" container as well that all of the 1-offs go into.
I should have mentioned that when I tear down a full set that I might want to rebuild one day, it goes into its own container. They sell plastic "shoeboxes" that will hold most average sized sets. Those get labeled and put in the closet.
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u/TBD_Red 10h ago
Don't sort by color! Sort by piece type!!!
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u/Dunnathagunna 8h ago
hmmm idunno… maybe for the colors with a small amount of pieces but for the grays, whites, blacks, browns i think i should sort by piece… could be wrong tho.. whats your argument?
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u/TBD_Red 8h ago
It's the oldest trap in piece sorting, look into it.
It's far, far easier to search for the color brown in a pile full of slopes than it is to search for a slope in a pile of brown.
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u/Dunnathagunna 7h ago
OHHHH i’m slow…. i read that as “sort by color” i totally agree that it’s best to sort by piece type as opposed to sorting by color
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u/Crafty_Piece_9318 Star Wars Fan 10h ago edited 10h ago
A few tips from someone who is also drowning in Lego (and burnt out from the hobby as of this time)
- Sort by part type, you'll thank me now, start with broad categories first then sift down into specific types, also sometimes it helps to sort by part size first, then part type. I also recommend one of these sifters, super cheap, but they do aid in the process.
And also, take frequent breaks if you can, you don't have to do it all in one day.
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u/Dunnathagunna 8h ago
thank you! i have a lot sorted by color, but im realizing sorting by piece is a lot faster!
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u/Love-Bi-Neighbor 9h ago
Same. Lol. Same models as you. Naboo fighter is soon on my put together list.
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u/Dunnathagunna 8h ago
lol. naboo fighter is so clean. i need to get jangos slave I completed ASAPPP
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u/jojo____1 8h ago
show before and after
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u/Dunnathagunna 8h ago
i will. i thought about documenting it for a video or something. could be worth it
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u/die-jarjar-die 5h ago
I have a ton of Lego Mario sets I need to do this for
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u/Tim122576 12h ago
That’s quite the project. I just started sorting some bricks I purchased and I hate every minute of it.