Stash

So, I just realised I misremembered when I first started with the whole Lego thing.  I know my first purchases were from Amazon and I just looked up that order:

Wow, things really escalated quickly didn't they!

Even more embarrasingly, here is the current stash:

Good job a lot of it is hidden by the pile as there are some big sets tucked in that cupboard.

In my defence this is all the product of 2 AFOLs that buy when they have spare funds that they can dedicate to Lego and we do buy for each other.  So much so there are some sets I have no idea now who bought them I just know who is pegged to build them.

Everything will get built but first off I need to clear some stuff off the bedroom shelving.  Bought a couple of large plastic totes yesterday to tuck them away in.  First to go will be the City Underwater and main City shelving.  Nice deep shelves so can get a lot on there and one of them will probably have the Ninjago transferred across as I have a couple of Monasteries to build too.  It will also give me the chance to repair the lighting that has fallen down.

June 2020 - March 2021

 A member of an AFOL Facebook Group I belong to casually asked for images of people's stashes and builds and like a fool I said I would post some.  That's when I realised how spread out The Boy and I's collection really is.  The main portion of the Lego is in my Bedroom:

The tub is just random bricks that I found when we were clearing the old toy shelves out.  There is part of a spaceship and definitely some Wild West themed stuff in there but I need to sit and sort it out.  I also have the Paint Party jigsaw but I am 10 Hours deep in to doing that so it lives downstairs wrapped up in my puzzle mat.

 

 

We only have a few in the Living Room:

Small display at the top of the stairs:

The hallway has a small picture rail that currently houses the Vidiyo stuff and some of my polybag figures:

There is also an old display cabinet that houses the bulk of my Harry Potter collection, photos are terrible but you get the idea:

There are a couple of old sets I found that I didn't know we had and they are on a really dusty shelving unit (Sorry!):

There is also a tub of cars and other vehicles that desperately needs sorting:

Also have a range of the Build Your Own Adventure books, a couple of Ideas books and a slew of the comics with polybags on the front but I figure you are bored enough!

Lego Monster Book Of Monsters 30628

Although the completed book is smaller than I thought it would be it does look the business when it is built.  Even better it actually has a snapping mechanism included so you can run it across a hard surface and it opens and closes to expose the fangs.

 The overall look is strikingly close to the book featured in the Prisoner Of Azkaban.  Lego even managed to get a furry look to it by using the small fang pieces to hang off the edges with gives it a fun look.  They are surprisingly well attached and not one fell off whilst I was playing with it - yes, I did get a great deal of pleasure from playing with the mechanism on this one.

Some new to me build techniques were included in this set and it was a great deal of fun to construct.

Number Of Pieces: 319

Approximate Price Per Piece: Gift With Purchase

Build Time: 45 Minutes

 

Harry Potter Classrooms

 

Lego Hogwarts Moment:Charms Class 76385

 As a big Harry Potter fan i was on the fence initially about these books.  I knew I would get them but I wasn't sure if I was really in love with them.  One plus point for me is that each Moment is based around a class that is related to one of the houses and this reflected in the minifigures included and the overall colour choices for the book.

Charms - Ravenclaw

The book itself is quite small and falls somewhere between A6 and A5 when compared to actual paper sizes.  I did think they would be slightly larger based on the box size.  However, there is so much detail included in each classroom that I found I soon overcame the slight disappointment I felt on their size.

The Transfiguration Class opens up to a full classroom scene that relies on it being laid out on a play surface.  Incorporating a blackboard explaing the Wingardium Leviosa spell, shelving with a range of supplies and a host of little bits and pieces.  Of course it has some classroom furniture so Professor Flitwick can teach Cho and Harry.

I was surprised at how snuggly everything fits back in to the book so that you can fold everything away in true playset fashion.  Unfortunately, the minifigures do not fit in to the closed book so they do stand a high chance of being separated from the set.

My favourite display option is to have it open as the full book.  If you have all 4 of the series they do link together in to a circle which makes for a fun look.  It does take up a surprising amount of space though.

Overall an entertaining take on the Harry Potter franchise that was fun to build and offers a good balance between playability and display.

Number Of Pieces: 256

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.12

Build Time: 45 Minutes

 

Lego Hogwarts Moment:Herbology Class 76384

 As a big Harry Potter fan i was on the fence initially about these books.  I knew I would get them but I wasn't sure if I was really in love with them.  One plus point for me is that each Moment is based around a class that is related to one of the houses and this reflected in the minifigures included and the overall colour choices for the book.

Herbology - Hufflepuff

The book itself is quite small and falls somewhere between A6 and A5 when compared to actual paper sizes.  I did think they would be slightly larger based on the box size.  However, there is so much detail included in each classroom that I found I soon overcame the slight disappointment I felt on their size.

The Herbology Class opens up to a full classroom scene that relies on it being laid out on a play surface.  Incorporating an indoor and an outdoor area with various plants and equipment.  Of course it has some classroom furniture so Professor Sprout can teach Cedric and Neville.  I am not a big fan of minifigures in general but I really enjoy the special prints on these and the inclusion of earmuffs for dealing with those pesky mandrakes.

I was surprised at how snuggly everything fits back in to the book so that you can fold everything away in true playset fashion.  Unfortunately, the minifigures do not fit in to the closed book so they do stand a high chance of being separated from the set.

My favourite display option is to have it open as the full book.  If you have all 4 of the series they do link together in to a circle which makes for a fun look.  It does take up a surprising amount of space though.

Overall an entertaining take on the Harry Potter franchise that was fun to build and offers a good balance between playability and display.  This is a big favourite for me but I think the Slytherin Classroom just pips it to favourite set award.

Number Of Pieces: 233

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.12

Build Time: 40 Minutes

 

Lego Hogwarts Moment:Potions Class 76383

 As a big Harry Potter fan i was on the fence initially about these books.  I knew I would get them but I wasn't sure if I was really in love with them.  One plus point for me is that each Moment is based around a class that is related to one of the houses and this reflected in the minifigures included and the overall colour choices for the book.

Potions - Slytherin

The book itself is quite small and falls somewhere between A6 and A5 when compared to actual paper sizes.  I did think they would be slightly larger based on the box size.  However, there is so much detail included in each classroom that I found I soon overcame the slight disappointment I felt on their size.

The Potions Class opens up to a full classroom scene that relies on it being laid out on a play surface.  Incorporating a blackboard with potion ingredients, shelving with a range of supplies and a host of little bits and pieces.  Of course it has some classroom furniture so Professor Snape can teach Seamus and Draco.  The way this particular Classroom is constructed means it splits in to 2 separate areas and this is really effective.  The detailing on the "spine" wall is exceptional and even incorporates a nice stylised snake.

I was surprised at how snuggly everything fits back in to the book so that you can fold everything away in true playset fashion.  Unfortunately, the minifigures do not fit in to the closed book so they do stand a high chance of being separated from the set.

My favourite display option is to have it open as the full book.  If you have all 4 of the series they do link together in to a circle which makes for a fun look.  It does take up a surprising amount of space though.

Overall an entertaining take on the Harry Potter franchise that was fun to build and offers a good balance between playability and display.  This is probably my favourite set, but it is close with the Hufflepuff offering!

Number Of Pieces: 271

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.10

Build Time: 45 Minutes