Lego questions by newbies, and not-so-newbies

[Lint]

Hello Everyone,

I've had the itch to do a lot of Lego recently but find myself with difficulties finding parts for custom projects at a reasonable cost.

If Lego enthusiast with more knowledge than myself would be so kind to answer a few questions for me:

- Is there a cheap way to get 2nd hand or even 3P lego parts at a reasonable costs, specially for specific parts.

- Has anyone used the official 'Pick A Brick' lego shop service to order parts? How is shipping and how reliable is it? Cost, shipping time, sending correct parts.

- I am aware of Lego Creator which is a free software that I have not used yet. Does it tell you in list form all the parts used for a project? I would use this to work out what parts I need to order.

Cheers!

Bricklink is the way to go for specific parts. The only drawback is that most stores have a minimum order quantity (usually around 5-10 USD). It can be frustrating when a shop has that single part you want but nothing else so you end up buying a whole bunch of crap you didn't need to pad out your order.

I haven't used pick a brick but I hear its pretty pricey. Even the most benign part is over 10c per piece. Not an economical way to obtain parts at all especially when shipping starts at $25 (not even sure if thats US or AUD).

I've downloaded the software before a few years back. It's frustrating to use and I didn't find it useful at all (especially for people who are accustomed to using professional modelling software such as AutoCAD or Solidworks). Maybe the most recent version is a lot better?

As a final comment buying bulk lots off ebay or gumtree can be a good way to establish a decent stockpile of parts on the cheap. Some sellers even classify lots (eg. bricks of a certain colour, type like trees or tyres or a particular theme like castle or space) so you can somewhat target what type of parts you're after.

[Omega Metro]

I haven't used pick a brick but I hear its pretty pricey. Even the most benign part is over 10c per piece. Not an economical way to obtain parts at all especially when shipping starts at $25 (not even sure if thats US or AUD).

It's free shipping if you spend over $200 plus you get the freebie. So if you buy smart, it can work out cheaper than a lot of Bricklink purchases. Research is the key.

[kup]

Cool, thanks guys for the helpful response . The project that I have in mind is primarily a single color so can be tricky.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Cool, thanks guys for the helpful response . The project that I have in mind is primarily a single color so can be tricky.

UCS Millennium Falcon, Super Star Destroyer or Death Star II? OR your own Starkiller scaled to Death Star II?

[kup]

UCS Millennium Falcon, Super Star Destroyer or Death Star II? OR your own Starkiller scaled to Death Star II?

Non Star Wars related although I guess you could make it so but not directly.

I'll give a hint - I mainly need light grey and to a lesser degree, purple colors.

[BruiseLee]

Non Star Wars related although I guess you could make it so but not directly.

I'll give a hint - I mainly need light grey and to a lesser degree, purple colors.

I'm looking forward to see the results once you engage on this project. Though with the amount of grey bricks you're going to need, a replicator would have been ideal

[kup]

I'm looking forward to see the results once you engage on this project. Though with the amount of grey bricks you're going to need, a replicator would have been ideal

You have no idea how often I dream I had a replicator, specially when I need a special part of some kind.

BTW, not Star Trek either