Rebuilding LEGO Sets – My Process

Last week I showed you my process for sorting LEGO lots.  Today I’m going to show you how I go about rebuilding LEGO sets from large LEGO lots I purchase.

Rebuilding LEGO sets for fun and profit

Why bother rebuilding LEGO sets from mixed up madness?  Well, there a couple reasons you might want to do this.

For one, you might really want a particular set.  Maybe you had it as a kid, and it was lost to the ages and you want to recapture that part of your youth.  Or maybe you wanted that set as a kid, but were never allowed to have it.  Now’s your chance!

Another reason you might want to do this is to sell the set.  Built LEGO sets command much higher prices on the secondary market than loose bricks do.  And they’re way easier to market.  Why sell Legos I just bought, you ask?  For me, it’s all about recouping my investment so I can start looking for that next purchase.  I tend to rebuild sets that just don’t fit my collection so I don’t mind letting them go.  Or I rebuild sets I know will sell for a premium.  This allows me to buy even MORE LEGO! <insert evil laugh…>

Identifying your LEGO set

The first thing you need to do is identify which set you are trying to rebuild.  I look for easily identifiable stickers, printed parts, minifigures, etc.  Then you get to work  If it’s a printed part, I’ll just google a description of it, since Lego is a well recognized brand in toys, if you want to do the same with your brand you can get Custom Soft Toys to promote it.  Something like “lego airport sign sticker”.  Then look through the results until you find a match.  If that doesn’t work there are Reddit and Facebook groups dedicated to this and are aptly named “Help Me Identify this LEGO Part”.  These guys are usually really good and really helpful. Remember to be specific!  Don’t ask what set a 2×4 red brick came from…

Whatever method you use to identify the set, make note of the set number.

Getting the instructions you need

Once you have a set number to look for, head over to the LEGO website.  Toward the bottom of the page you’ll see a Support section, and a link labeled Find Building Instructions.

Once here, type in your set number to find your instructions.  They’ll be in PDF format and can be quite large to download.  Be sure to download all the instructions books.  More often than not, there is more than 1!

Getting down to business

Now that you have your instructions, you’re almost ready to start building.  What you need to figure out now is how are you going to use the instructions.  I was printing them in color for a while but that seems super wasteful and the colors can come out horrifically.  I decided to make use of my iPad and Google Drive.  Now I just upload the PDF and can page through it as needed.  This allows me to zoom in if something isn’t clear and I find I see the colors better.  Old eyes and all…

I start wit the bits and blobs I collect along the way during the initial sort and make sure they’re clean.  Sometimes they can use a good washing, but more often than not, a good brushing does the trick.

I just keep stepping through the instructions and building away.  When I need to find a part, first I paw through the appropriate pile I just sorted.  If I can quickly locate the part, then I’ll go to my super organized parts storage bins like the ones pictured above.  The key for me is speed.  I want this set built as soon as possible so it can be sold as soon as possible!

What to do next

Like I said, that’s up to you!  Some sets, I proudly display in my office or they find a spot on my town display.  If I decide to sell, there are a few places I list them.  Depending on completeness and overall condition, Bricklink will get the best price.  The problem is, Bricklink is made up of fellow collectors so they expect a pristine product, as do I.  If the set is in pretty good shape, or missing a few pieces, I’ll sell it individually on Facebook Marketplace.  I used to sell on Craigslist, but that can be sketchy.  At least on Facebook, I can get an idea of who I’m dealing with and decide if I want to make a deal or not.  Craigslist is a crap shoot.  If the set is in OK shape, or missing several pieces, I’ll bundle it up together with some other sets and sell them all at a discount.

So that’s my process for rebuilding LEGO sets.  I hope you found it interesting or helpful.

Any other tips or tricks you can add?  Drop them in the comments!