Building a BIG set from BrickLink parts

[beethead]

I just finished putting the Fire Brigade together with my kids this past weekend and it was great fun. I especially liked the "1932" number build as it was quite unique (I put a piece in wrong and it ended up looking like 1582). The decorative building parts on the 2nd floor and roof were also interesting.

I picked up a Grand Emporium from the Lego Store in Bellevue and the Green Grocer from Craigslist a few weeks ago (I think Brick Baron was the seller). I have yet to build them.

Now I want the Cafe Corner! Only problem is it is discontinued and the price for a new one is outrageous, $600 and up. I'm planning on assembling the parts from BrickLink and using the online Lego instructions. I've parted out the set into my Wanted List and browsed a few stores. Looks like it might cost around $200-250 plus shipping without instruction book. Has anyone ever done anything similar with another large set? Any suggestions before I start placing my orders?

[DeGobbi]

you can always try to use other colors that are already in your collections or are cheaper online . That way you are making something a little more original . Use the some techniques or style from the other buildings if you have to as well . But if you really want an 100% Accurate model then I would make a list of all the parts you need then buy them via bricklink. Use the backpages of the instructions for the parts lists off brickset

[chump]

I'd concur with Brickhead. In a model like this, you're better off choosing your own colour scheme and flourishes. Awhile back, I really became enamoured with Pharoah's Forbidden Ruins and was attempting to put it together via various means. If you could get it all at one BL store, great, but that's rarely the case and then S/H becomes a costly endeavour. You'll find that there may be better ways or pieces now to accomplish what you want to achieve. More so for a set as old as Pharoah's Forbidden Ruins, less so Cafe Corner, but you get the idea.

I recently built this Lego Mini Chess set model from Flickr pages

http://thebrickblogger.com/2010/12/lego-mini-chess-set/

He sells the model for $60 and when it came down to it, I'm guessing that it wasn't that far off. Maybe $40? I did use Lego S@H Pick a Brick which isn't the cheapest way, but they had a good chunk of the pieces I needed which made it really convenient. I also had pieces from my own collection and from two Bricklink Stores and a few VLC members. Mind you this is a small model. Doing something like Cafe Corner with the number of pieces it has can add up (probably not to MISB level though). It also really depends on how soon you want this thing done.

[beethead]

Thank you for the suggestions. I've started a spreadsheet with all the parts needed compared against the parts I already own and although tedious, it will save me money in the end. I plan to build it as the original set. We'll be adding our own original modular buildings to the block for that personal touch.

So far we have most of the black elements. I'm 100% positive we have none of the dark blue and dark red elements. After the orders are placed and we're waiting for parts, the kids will have to collect the needed parts from our own collection.

I'll post an update on our status once I get the parts list inventoried.

[RadStar]

A bunch different approaches yeah Personally I'd find it too time consuming and tedious to acquire every needed piece to build something like that- espcially when I figure I could just start building something similiar sooner than later - so I'd go with what I have I really liked Brickhead's Police Station, I like seeing new ideas or a twist on a exisiting set/structure.

However, its a great set and would look great in a city block display, and defentily getting the parts off bricklink is cheaper than buying the set!

I would buy the instruction book off Bricklink if it wasnt that expensive though

[RadStar]

I recently built this Lego Mini Chess set model from Flickr pages

http://thebrickblogger.com/2010/12/lego-mini-chess-set/.

interesting the end cost difference was $20 in cost... i could consider it as cost for the time it takes the guy to gather all the pieces needed.. it isnt that bad if I consider it paying $20 to NOT spend 5 hours just to hunt down pieces I have, what I dont have.. making a list and then comparing prices online, making 2-3 separate orders.. *then* the joy of waiting for 2-3 separate packages to all arrive..etc..

BUT HEY! That chess set is awesome. I really am loving it. What color scheme did you build the board in?

[AC]

Making it your own and changing it up can be great but it sounds like you are a collector and that is just not going to do if you want the original is it? If you can get the parts at a good price from a few Bricklink stores go for it. If you need the instructions I may have an extra set. I bought two of these sets, one to build and one to add an additional middle story. The rest of the parts have come in handy on a few other projects. If you want the instructions let me know and I will look for them, if I still have both sets that is.

[chump]

I recently built this Lego Mini Chess set model from Flickr pages

http://thebrickblogger.com/2010/12/lego-mini-chess-set/.

interesting the end cost difference was $20 in cost... i could consider it as cost for the time it takes the guy to gather all the pieces needed.. it isnt that bad if I consider it paying $20 to NOT spend 5 hours just to hunt down pieces I have, what I dont have.. making a list and then comparing prices online, making 2-3 separate orders.. *then* the joy of waiting for 2-3 separate packages to all arrive..etc..

BUT HEY! That chess set is awesome. I really am loving it. What color scheme did you build the board in?

I brought it to the last meeting, but you must have missed it. Tan and dark red. I may glue the 1x1 plates down, as they tend to come up with the pieces. Being a purist vs playability and functionality.

It may have been lower, as I can't quite remember how I costed it out. Some pieces I bought at a higher price point because of convenience of getting it from one source and some I may have ignored. The black towballs were 30 cents each through S@H PaB but the white I bought from BL at 7 cents. The crowns were $1+ a piece. The 1x1 plates can add up, if you bought them at 10 cents a piece on S@H. Same with the 1x1 cones. And whether you choose new or used.

[chump]

Saw this on Eurobricks, topic Modular Building 2011. Cut and paste it here.

travisco nabisco, I don't know how committed you are to I am but I too missed out on Cafe Corner. However, I bought all the pieces individually off BrickLink and it really only cost me between $150-200 which is not that bad. I am just about finished, just waiting on pieces for the 3rd floor. Those pieces were the only real issue with the set. You need a bunch, i think almost 40, of the dark red slopes. However, they are discontinuted so Pick a Brick on Lego.com doesn't have them and the only place that I found enough on BrickLink was an international seller and I am still waiting on them. Other than that, it was well worth it.

I also did the same thing for Market Street and now have all 5 modular houses together!

[Jonathan S.]

Saw this on Eurobricks, topic Modular Building 2011. Cut and paste it here.

travisco nabisco, I don't know how committed you are to I am but I too missed out on Cafe Corner. However, I bought all the pieces individually off BrickLink and it really only cost me between $150-200 which is not that bad. I am just about finished, just waiting on pieces for the 3rd floor. Those pieces were the only real issue with the set. You need a bunch, i think almost 40, of the dark red slopes. However, they are discontinuted so Pick a Brick on Lego.com doesn't have them and the only place that I found enough on BrickLink was an international seller and I am still waiting on them. Other than that, it was well worth it.

I also did the same thing for Market Street and now have all 5 modular houses together!

The thing with that to is you can buy different colors/bricks to personalize the building. That way its more like a MOC then a set.