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So you've (re)discovered LEGO! Welcome (back)! This is a thread for those of us who engage in the hobby in various ways. Some of us are collectors, some of us just like building sets to display, and some of us use the pieces to make new creations of our own, known in the hobby as MOCs (My Own Creation). We all share one magical thing in common, though: we all spend way too much money on plastic toy bricks. And hey, you came at a good time. LEGO has really focused down hard on the adult market lately. There are themes aimed largely or entirely at adult builders, including 18+ (formerly Creator Expert), Ideas, Architecture, and Speed Champions. There's also a ton of crossover into IPs such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Super Mario, and the MCU, as well as crossover tie-ins and collaborations with other hobbies and franchises like television (Friends, Seinfeld), shoes (Adidas), guitars (Fender), and, of course, The Spice Girls. Essentially, the company's ability to dig its hooks into fresh, new LEGO customers has arguably never been higher.       FAQs: Q: How should I sort my LEGO? A: If you have a large amount, sort by part type. Generally, we don't sort by color unless we want to set aside a particularly special or rare color like chrome gold. The reason for this is that it's much easier to find a red 2 x 2 plate in a pile of various colored 2 x 2 plates than it is to find a red 2 x 2 plate in a pile of various red plates. For small to medium collections, a go-to technique is using nested plastic resealable bags, with large bags for general part types (bricks, plates, slopes, tiles, car parts, minifig parts, etc) containing smaller bags for more specific sub-categories. For larger collections, small parts / hardware cabinets are your best bet. Akro Mils multi-drawer small parts cabinets are the hobby standard. Q: How do I clean my old LEGO? A: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?noseen=0&threadid=3328496&pagenumber=1572&perpage=40#post516708366 Q: Why do my old brown pieces keep breaking? A: From about 2010 to 2018, LEGO switched their method of producing pieces, and they experienced some growing pains. Darker colored parts with large amounts of red pigment such as Reddish Brown, Dark Brown, Dark Red, and Dark Orange became particularly brittle. These older pieces are prone to snapping. The issue has since been fixed and LEGO Customer Service will replace your damaged pieces for you. Q: Why do you keep calling it LEGO instead of legos? A: Q: How/where do I buy LEGO? A: Right off their website would be a good starting point. If you buy directly from LEGO, make a VIP account. You will earn points that can go to rewards such as exclusive VIP sets or discounts on purchases. Keep track of upcoming major set releases and get 'em while you can, because demand for LEGO is through the goddamn roof these days and certain sets can and will go out of stock quickly, and stay that way for a while. It's worth keeping an eye on sites like Amazon and Zavvi for occasional deals and exclusives. Physical stores are a good bet, too, of course: LEGO stores, Target, Barnes & Noble, etc. For loose pieces, you have a few options: 1. Pick-A-Brick online / Bricks & Pieces. LEGO's official part fulfilment service. You can use this to buy new pieces directly from LEGO. Especially good for acquiring larger quantities of parts that only came in small numbers in official sets. 2. Pick-A-Brick walls in physical LEGO stores. For a flat rate by volume, you can purchase loose pieces of particular types from the wall. The wall refreshes now and then with new stock. This is typically the most cost effective "normal" way to buy LEGO, assuming they stock pieces you want. Fill a large cup with small pieces like 1 x 1 tiles and you can end up paying less than a cent per piece. 3. Bricklink. This is the main aftermarket source. Bricklink is an aggregate marketplace of thousands of individual sellers all over the world, all of whom are selling individual pieces (and/or sets). You can browse by store, or create a wishlist of parts and fulfill it using multiple stores. There's a definite learning curve to using this site, but if you need the greatest variety of pieces (or any out-of-production pieces), this is your option. 4. LUGbulk. If you're serious about LEGO and you need a lot of pieces, you need to join a LUG- specifically, an RLUG (Recognized LEGO Users Group). This is basically just an adult LEGO club that is formally recognized by LEGO. They have access to a once-a-year program called LUGbulk, wherein the club picks a variety of pieces out of a list of nearly every single part in current production, and members of the LUG can then order those parts in essentially infinite quantities (albeit with a maximum spending limit per person). Nobody involved is allowed to discuss specific pricing, but I will tell you: it's very cheap. Our club ordered about 250,000 pieces this year. Other resources: Discord server, "Something AFOL": https://discord.gg/MRysheuRMN https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio/download.page - Bricklink Studio, arguably the best and easiest to use LEGO CAD software. Features Bricklink integration, instructions-making functionality, a built-in renderer, and PartDesigner, which can also be used for custom graphics. Sites and blogs: https://brickset.com/ - Broad appeal general blog. News, reviews, articles, part and set database. https://www.brothers-brick.com/ - Community MOC features. Reviews and occasional news. https://www.newelementary.com/ - New part coverage. Reviews, techniques, behind-the-scenes stuff. https://rebrickable.com/home/ - Custom LEGO instructions made by users. https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/ - Largest Euro community and forums. Great source of new MOCs, especially Technic and Scale Model.  (image credit) Carbohydrates fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Mar 26, 2022 |
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Jul 16, 2010 06:09
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 13:20 |
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Bout time we had a new thread! If you're a lego lover, be sure to check this thread often for info on sales and deals. We all like to bargain hunt and will share info on Toys 'R' Us and Lego.com specials. As for myself, anyone can check out my gallery here: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=ragnarock01 Or on Mocpages: http://www.mocpages.com/home.php/1193 Here's to another good thread!
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Jul 16, 2010 06:19
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I made some figs for all the Western crap I've been doing lately. All guns and pointy implements are from Brickarms. Official LEGO figs with better equipment  Bandits and thugs  Morally ambiguous gunslingers with mysterious pasts and townfolk
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Jul 16, 2010 06:22
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Carbohydrates posted:I made some figs for all the Western crap I've been doing lately. All guns and pointy implements are from Brickarms. Why are so many of their hands upside down? 
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Jul 16, 2010 06:36
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Flavor Bear posted:Why are so many of their hands upside down?
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Jul 16, 2010 06:38
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They're awesome anyway. I am torn about BrickArms stuff. I'm not as much of an anal purist as I was when I was a kid, but I still don't know that I could tolerate their presence if I ordered some.
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Jul 16, 2010 06:44
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When the new Imperial Shuttle comes out I am buying that thing and then locking myself away for weeks until I have MOC'ed up a complete hangar-scene diorama with it. Moff Jerjerrod will be promising to redouble his efforts to get the Brickstar built in my den or I will simply not be satisfied with my Lego skills.
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Jul 16, 2010 06:47
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I wish legos didn't cost so much. I'd buy the poo poo out of that train
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Jul 16, 2010 06:59
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Those are some sweet figs, Carb. I am very excited to see your western town come together. Definitely an underrepresented theme in official sets and in what AFOLs build as well. As for personal links, here's me on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34338074@N06/ Also, if you happen to be in Pennsylvania, northern Delaware or south Jersey, consider looking up the LUG (Lego Users Group) I'm a part of! http://pennlug.forum-motion.com/forum.htm There are other clubs scattered around the country and around the world, so if you ever feel the need to be surrounded by other people who know what the hell you're talking about when you rant about which Slave I best captured the look of the original, or how Space totally went downhill after Exploriens, you do have some options. Also, BrickFair, the big east coast Lego fan event, is in a couple weeks. We'll be at the Dulles Expo Center August 7-8, so consider coming down. There'll be somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 registered attendees, most of whom will bring MOCs. My club is bringing a massive layout. http://www.brickfair.com/ Flavor Bear posted:They're awesome anyway. I feel the same way. The problem for me is that they make more than weapons. Like, look at this little beauty (the clip holding the rocket on)and tell me you can't imagine a ton of uses for it. 
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Jul 16, 2010 07:14
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Using BrickArms stuff is just as bad as using MegaBloks. 
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Jul 16, 2010 07:21
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Big Mean Jerk posted:Using BrickArms stuff is just as bad as using MegaBloks. Yeah, that's what a little voice in my head tells me every time I consider making a purchase from there.
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Jul 16, 2010 07:27
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I've been sort of interested in starting a collection of just the figs. I looked into it a year or so ago and realized quickly how ridiculously enormous a collection like that might be. Is it a silly idea? Are there any sites out there that note where certain figs came from?
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Jul 16, 2010 07:29
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Shuppiluliumas posted:
Glue two hands back to back and make your own? 
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Jul 16, 2010 07:30
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Tanith posted:Glue two hands back to back and make your own? I'm too anal to buy non-official bricks and accessories, I'm sure as poo poo not gonna cut up bricks.
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Jul 16, 2010 07:33
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ExtraNoise posted:Are there any sites out there that note where certain figs came from? If you go to Bricklink (link in OP) then Catalog, then Minifigs, you'll find a complete listing of them. Also note that you could probably put the down payment on a new car for the cost of a complete set of Star Wars figs. People sometimes buy the larger sets, sell the figs and basically recover the entire cost of the set that way.
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Jul 16, 2010 07:46
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edit: ^^^^ Yeah or thatExtraNoise posted:I've been sort of interested in starting a collection of just the figs. I looked into it a year or so ago and realized quickly how ridiculously enormous a collection like that might be. Is it a silly idea? Are there any sites out there that note where certain figs came from? I happen to have the LEGO Book (thanks to a loving girlfriend and a birthday like a month after I saw it and said 'I want this a lot.') and it comes with Standing Small, which ~90 pages of minifigures, between 3 and 15 per page (about 10 per page on average) and as I glance through it, I recognize that even that is missing several for each one (like I have a king or two that I don't see under the LEGO Castle pages). So you're looking at in excess of a thousand minifigs. edit 2: Or in excess of a hundred thousand jesus christ
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Jul 16, 2010 07:53
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Big Mean Jerk posted:Using BrickArms stuff is just as bad as using MegaBloks. 
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Jul 16, 2010 07:59
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So is this just an OCD Lego nerd thread? I'm way into Legos, I use them for my job, I teach kids how to use them properly, but I'm not excited about the decoration pieces the way you guys are. I'm much more interested in how Legos can be used to express engineering ideas and actually DO things. Some MOC's I've made: motorized & hand-controlled tower crane with block & tackle, moving trolley, rotating boom, trussed tower. motorized car with rack & pinion steering, 2-speed transmission, rear differential - all operable from remote. motorized pneumatic robot arm, complete with creepy life-like grip. motorized telescopic handler with pneumatic controls, accumulators, skid-steer drive system. elevators, conveyor belts, transmissions, battle trains, race cars, top spinners, inchworms, gondolas, etc. many many more... I'd be happy to share some of my creations, but I'm afraid it'll get lost among all the fancy spaceships and other crap (sorry, that's just one guy's opinion).
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Jul 16, 2010 08:23
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Big Mean Jerk posted:Using BrickArms stuff is just as bad as using MegaBloks. MegaBloks never seemed to fit quite right with lego pieces. I think that's why I don't have MegaBloks. Brickarms stuff fits well with lego pieces. In addition, they tend to make pieces that Lego doesn't. I really like the bandoliers and holsters put out by Brickforge.:  
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Jul 16, 2010 08:27
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runlegosleeprepeat posted:So is this just an OCD Lego nerd thread? I'm way into Legos, I use them for my job, I teach kids how to use them properly, but I'm not excited about the decoration pieces the way you guys are. I'm much more interested in how Legos can be used to express engineering ideas and actually DO things.
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Jul 16, 2010 08:45
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Nice OP, and I'm not just saying that because I'm in it  I know LDD gets ragged on a lot, especially in non-universe mode, but I use it religiously because I have brain problems. That also means I know my way around the program pretty well, so if anyone needs help getting around LDD's more interesting quirks, I'm your man.
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Jul 16, 2010 09:09
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runlegosleeprepeat posted:So is this just an OCD Lego nerd thread? I'm way into Legos, I use them for my job, I teach kids how to use them properly, but I'm not excited about the decoration pieces the way you guys are. I'm much more interested in how Legos can be used to express engineering ideas and actually DO things. I'd really appreciate your participation in this thread. I have an NXT, an RCX, the dark side developer kit and the droid developer kit, and I play with my autistic brother. And I kinda got obsessed myself as a result, lol. But yeah, I'll want tips and advice and such. But right now I'm such a novice, I'd like just about the most basic stuff you have.
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Jul 16, 2010 09:31
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I'm glad there's a new Lego thread, I started into the old one at one point but that was a terrifying prospect. On the other hand I just recently moved back to the town I grew up in, which means all my old Legos are around here somewhere. If I make anything impressive (will not happen) I'll be sure to put it in here. Also, engineering dude: I'd love to see that kind of stuff, though I'm sure my own moving parts Legos are all long broken.
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Jul 16, 2010 10:30
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Fantastic thread title. Just bought Atlantis Exploration HQ. I'm a sucker for all that trans-green.
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Jul 16, 2010 10:37
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runlegosleeprepeat posted:So is this just an OCD Lego nerd thread? I'm way into Legos, I use them for my job, I teach kids how to use them properly, but I'm not excited about the decoration pieces the way you guys are. I'm much more interested in how Legos can be used to express engineering ideas and actually DO things. I'm sure we'd all love to see examples of your stuff, but leave your condescending tone at the door. "Your stuff doesn't automatically run a car-building assembly line? Heh, what crap" The last thread was chock full of display pieces like ships and such, as well as plenty of videos of truly amazing things like Autofabrik above, or The Lego "Useless Machine", the stunning piece of art Pop-Up Kinkaku-Ji, Containment; the auto-functioning space salvage facility (complete with working mineral harvester, cargo train, and garbage dump conveyor), Pirates and the NXTfied Theatre, or the working Lego 40k Dreadnought(with some extra computer stuff). In fact, Carbohydrates, if you want to stick the links to those videos in the OP as examples of what Legos are capable of, go right ahead. Everyone needs to see them anyways, as they're all pretty amazing.
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Jul 16, 2010 14:07
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Captain Invictus posted:I'm sure we'd all love to see examples of your stuff, but leave your condescending tone at the door. "Your stuff doesn't automatically run a car-building assembly line? Heh, what crap" OMG that 40k dreadnaught is AWESOME. Makes me wish I did better in my computer engineering classes. I'm currently working on a giant spaceship myself, and have started on part of the side of the ship. I want an array of 4 launch tubes (for fighters, no missiles; also not to scale, whole ship will probably only be like 3ft long), can't make up my mind if I want them like this: [ ]-[ ]-[ ]-[ ] or like this: [ ]-[ ] [ ]-[ ] If that makes sense. I have a concept done of the 2nd way in LDD, but it just seems... lackluster compared to what most of you make. There's no SNOT involved, which makes it seem very simplistic. I'll post up pics later, on the wrong computer atm.
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Jul 16, 2010 15:10
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I ran across this yesterday and thought it was cool as poo poo. http://roila.org/ I have an NXT kit, and while I can usually build some OK stuff, the programming has just never clicked in my head.
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Jul 16, 2010 16:15
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Wooo hooo new thread with an awesome OP. I still plan on doing the Exclusive European Advent Calendar order again this year, and my goal is to get it in by September. This year it looks like it will be Kingdoms Set 7952:  (click for big) The goods:  It isn't up on bricklink yet, but I will keep checking and updating this thread.
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Jul 16, 2010 16:55
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Speaking of castles, just stumbled across this amazing piece of work:       from here: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=414806
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Jul 16, 2010 17:37
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I love it. Ancient and gloomy, ancient and gloomy, ancient and gloomy, LASERS
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Jul 16, 2010 18:19
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Big Mean Jerk posted:Using BrickArms stuff is just as bad as using MegaBloks. For some projects, you just need to get some custom gear. This is a ghostbuster MOC I built last year, and the guys all have brickforge proton packs, particle guns, and gun belts and Ray has brickforge goggles.  You can't get this kind of completeness from standard LEGO.
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Jul 16, 2010 18:52
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Mascot posted:For some projects, you just need to get some custom gear. This is a ghostbuster MOC I built last year, and the guys all have brickforge proton packs, particle guns, and gun belts and Ray has brickforge goggles. You could totally build a proton pack using one of these as a base.
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Jul 16, 2010 19:36
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I am curious as to how much you guys tend to spend on this hobby a year?
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Jul 16, 2010 19:55
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This makes me want to start buying LEGOs again 
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Jul 16, 2010 20:28
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Sham I Am posted:I am curious as to how much you guys tend to spend on this hobby a year? According to peeron, I have spent $633.50 (without sales tax) since last December. But that's going in cold without any old LEGO from when I was a kid or bought at a junk sale. I think I would have spent way less if I had a good stash of bricks.
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Jul 16, 2010 20:33
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Sham I Am posted:I am curious as to how much you guys tend to spend on this hobby a year? Trying to stay under $800 this year, which is almost certainly pretty light compared to a lot of people.
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Jul 16, 2010 20:41
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Sham I Am posted:I am curious as to how much you guys tend to spend on this hobby a year? I tend to spend about $2,000 a year on LEGO, but that number is a bit misleading...because I tend to make about that much or more selling LEGO each year as well. The recent upswing in people's LEGO interest has left the market rife with money-making potential
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Jul 16, 2010 21:09
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Mascot posted:I tend to spend about $2,000 a year on LEGO, but that number is a bit misleading...because I tend to make about that much or more selling LEGO each year as well.
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Jul 16, 2010 21:34
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So, i made a robot i guess, i think my camera sucks.
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Jul 16, 2010 21:59
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 13:20 |
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Sham I Am posted:So you buy bricks to replace the bricks you just sold? Or are you buying and selling used kits? It's more like "buy two copies of set, build one, wait for the set to go out of production or stop being available at retail outlets, then sell the second set at a markup that covers at least the cost of both."
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Jul 16, 2010 22:00
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