How NOT to Store Your LEGO Pieces

[@danguzy918]

I’ve got a pretty small collection, all my stored pieces fits on my desk. I have a 24 drawer hardware container, a bunch of mini sterilites connected and stacked up, and several large tackle containers. It’s not a great system because I’m a bit overloaded and most things that I want sorted separately are mixed together. Unfortunately I don’t have the space or money for new storage right now but I hope to expand one day. I did recently though start putting my books into a file system with categorical folders (animals, space, Star Wars, Technic vehicles, etc). Its so much better than throwing them all into a box.

[@brickbadger2938]

Well done video! I, too, have a few different storage drawer solutions. It is definitely an evolution. Love your organization videos, thanks for sharing!

[@koloth5139]

Honestly, I thnk anyone with a moderately large collection goes through this. It is a process to find a system that works for you. My journey started when I was trying to rebuild Benny's Spaceship. I just had everything in a 5-gallon storage container. Which I think is where we all start. Well, after spending a week digging that wasn't going to work anymore. The sorting journey for me began with some 10x10 sterilite bins. Then decided I needed some of the small ones. Then a bit later I got more of each. Then I got some Arcobins. Then a couple of art boxes. Then a couple of the tackle boxes. And on and on it goes slowly paring it down until you find something that works. I even employed plastic baggies at one point. Now you want to talk about how not to store Lego, plastic baggies are the absolute worst solution.

[@isleeg]

I stored them in clear boxes that you can stack but it's a pain if you need the lower boxes. I don't recommend that if you have a lot of lego, but it's a lot cheaper to start with.

[@BrickBatDad]

The struggle is real.. Good advice! Great shirt!!!

[@brickitect]

Thanks man! I appreciate you taking time to watch 😀

[@rdubthebrickmaster]

I'm struggling to sort my massive collection and this video (although it's from a while ago) has given me some inspiration. I've been trying to figure out how to sort my collection then change it and restart every time.

[@brickitect]

Nothing wrong with trying something and switching it up if it doesn't work. My strategy has changed as my collection has grown and probably will continue to evolve in the future. Good luck!

[@josephandkarley]

I have one of my tool boxes using that to store my Lego for now. I don't have a big collection yet but I am working on getting there

[@brickitect]

A tool box is a good solution for a small collection. Once that overflows, you will have to decide on getting a second tool box or start on drawers.

[@Ninnomus]

I would have the one central place you store the pieces, but in each drawer would have dividers to separate the pieces by colour or colour groups. Obviously depending on the amount of that piece you have.

[@brickitect]

I think color might be my next sort category.

[@trollinmace]

2:41 where did you get these plastic dividers?

[@ThatGuyOni]

I like the look of the white drawers so thanks for the video about it

[@sabirel7]

I sort by colour and genre of parts like green plates green bricks green slopes etc

[@BrickTsar]

When I am looking for a part I need I look through a few drawers then go to Bricklink 😅 My collection is like Jekyll & Hide - personal stuff disorganized and lost. Bricklink stuff all has a place and a count.

[@brickitect]

I couldn’t imagine trying to organize a collection as big as yours. It’s a good problem to have 😀

[@Crimson_Builder]

I use akro mils as well with a combo of a variety of sterilite drawers and other containers

[@EzBricks_]

I don’t care what anyone says Greg’s a Lego legend

[@brickitect]

You’re too kind

[@TheArmouredArmadillo]

I love my equivalent of your tackle boxes lol. We ended up using a sharpie on each one and numbering them, then keeping a record of what was in each number, then over time we just start remembering where each number is. I do agree with stuff you said in the video though, big draws or boxes work great for some elements big collections or certain people, but I don't think that 1 solution normally works for a whole collection, maybe if could. But I love having a mix of big boxes, smaller boxes and then those 'tackle' boxes. I don't have drawers just because all my stuff is in cupboards, otherwise I'd get something similar to them instead of the boxes. Overall though great video again

[@brickitect]

Hope I didn’t offend you as a tackle box enthusiast! They do work for the tiny pieces but I never labeled them or gave any thought to the layout and find myself looking through each of them quite a bit for parts. I personally would rather have them in drawers, but sometimes it’s hard to justify an entire drawer to something that can fit in a little square of the box. As my collection has grown, I’ve been moving things out and actually eliminated a box, but they will probably always be a part of my strategy.

[@TheArmouredArmadillo]

@@brickitect yeah makes sense, I guess I really like them as well as you can move the dividers in them to accommodate more or less or small bricks. (Hello 2 million dots... or is that just me from using them as p&b fillers for the base lol)

[@SmlFy0]

Love your vlogs and video's

[@brickitect]

Thank you!

[@Vesi_Ankka]

imagine having a storage system with huge wall, and X,Y coordination thing. (not so fluent in english). with the brick type from right to left and then the color from top to bottom

[@brickitect]

I love that!

[@johnrogers1251]

I like your suggestion, Vesi Ankka. It appeals to the mathematician/engineer in me. BTW : Your English is excellent - I was able to immediately understand what you meant!

[@mapzta]

I also sort by "umbrella category". Sloped in one drawer, inverted in another, rounded in one and so on. I also sort wallbuilders by color groups, red/orange/yellows in one drawer, blue/green in one, etc. The only thing I'm particular about is tiles which I sort by 1x1, 1x2 etc. They get used so much in my bjuilds that I really need it like that.

[@brickitect]

I could see myself moving to a more defined system like yours. I have “regular” slopes and what I call “plate” slopes which are the smaller ones but both drawers are getting full. I need to break it down further and then go for a color sort as well to help with MOCs

[@mapzta]

@@brickitect For me, it's all about FOR(First order retrievability) rules. I'm mostly building GBCs, so having immediate access to tiles are essential, followed by gears, pins, connectors and regular 1x wide bricks. I'm guessing FOR rules within city-styled MOCS are centered around 1x bricks, masonry, SNOTS maybe?

[@ThatGuyOni]

Thanks for answering my question. Will get for Christmas

[@brickitect]

Happy to help. Thanks for the inspiration to make this.

[@rosemarie9956]

This made me laugh as it is everyone's struggle. So what I have decided is that I will be building MOCs etc over the winter months and using up as many pieces as possible before buying more.

[@Trainspotting1987]

Thanks for showing us different ways to store our Lego, unfortunately for me I have more Lego than I have space to store it organized so my one official Lego version of those big sterlite units is overflowing at the moment

[@brickitect]

You could build a massive MOC to clear some of that LEGO out.😉

[@Trainspotting1987]

@@brickitect I would if most of wasn’t technic pieces, I’m horrible at designing technic stuff

[@felipechan]

so organised! I have no storage system at all at the moment ....

[@brickitect]

Those little bins aren’t too expensive if you want to give them a try.

[@thesaltyseadog7785]

i dont have much legos,but were do you get the tubs,how much are they,and does it take a while to sort all of my legos and rebuild all of my lego sets again?

[@ljoffe]

Greg, where did you get the clear plastic tray inserts that fit the 12” drawers? Thanks!

[@brickitect]

I got them from Michael’s which is a craft store. They are 12 inches and fit in the drawers nicely.

[@HiMorgan]

Thank you this is a huge help!

[@duplotraci]

Realizing I must think similarly to Greg because I have also tried all these methods. Also I would label the parts the way he does in my brain but put the official name on the drawer. I'm thinking about just sticking an example part on the front of each drawer so I don't confuse myself.

[@brickitect]

I should definitely learn the official part names. It’s so frustrating going to bricklink and knowing exactly what you want visually but having no idea where it is because you don’t know what it is actually called lol

[@legolovinchick1440]

@@brickitect I hope this makes it to you. Video is a bit older. Heard of Tom Alphin (brick architect)? You can get free labels from him naming all Lego parts. Aside from that, his blogs are great too. Keep up the great work. Love your videos… your sorting has inspired me to get back to it! Thanks

[@what-uc]

There's nothing wrong with any of what your have. That is different sizes of box depending on piece size, amount of pieces, and your need to categorize. Finer cateogrisation for smaller pieces because they are more difficult to pick out. Prefer wide flat containers for easy of finding pieces and transparent for visibility. Grouping 1-wide and 2-wide bricks and plates is also the way to go. If you have to start seperating colours, start by spliting into monochrome and colour.

[@brickitect]

I think color will be my next level of sorting. Clark and I are getting more into MOCs and sometimes it’s nice to have a “blue section”

[@janellemiller1195]

We separate pieces by color .it's easier for find the piece your looking for.

[@brickitect]

We might end up converting to a color system once the MOCs start hitting.

[@janellemiller1195]

@@brickitect its amazing how easy it is to find the piece you want when everything is the same color.

[@winterrain1947]

Someday Lego is going to create a system of robotic AI organizing. You just dump all the legos into an input bin, and a bunch of robot arms will sort everything out for you into various containers. When you want a specific part, you go to touch screen device, choose what you want from a list of 3d images, and the robotic arms will deliver the container to you that contains that particular part. Every single piece in your inventory will be categorized, counted, and contained perfectly. You'll know exactly how many of each part and of what colors you have because the Lego sorting system will keep track of all of that.

[@brickitect]

That would be amazing!

[@lindafarnes486]

Not sure how it works with your systems. Coming from a walmart and Ikea free zone, have you thought if going to the hardware store and getting those drawers for small screws and nuts and things?

[@macdaddy2344]

What ya guys build at 6am missed the live feed and couldn't access it in my notification have great weekend greg and son

[@macdaddy2344]

You sort by size thoughtful did by color ? Or is it some of both

[@brickitect]

We were just playing around with a Minecraft and Batman set.

[@macdaddy2344]

@@brickitect its all good just wierd I get a notification at like 3 o'clock in the morning here for something I couldn't view when I woke up lol have great weekend happy Halloween 😊 🎃

[@lu_ar1264]

Large zip lock bags for me!

[@kurtcyrusdagta6489]

Im Actually Like Your Drawers Greg😀 Awesome!

[@sonotover]

That has got to easily be over a million dollars worth of Lego products in one room, change my mind. I've got a local small business that sells used Lego and their storefront isn't even half of the amount of Lego you personally own.

[@brickitect]

I don’t know if we have that much, but the storage room is certainly stacked.

[@TheAntManChannel]

i put all my extra pieces in ziploc bags by color lol

[@brickitect]

Having colored bags sure would make MOCs easier.

[@jamesrolfe1651]

Everyone stores different. You gotta do what works for you.

[@brickitect]

Yep! Learn what works as you go. Bins will never go to waste.

[@cbxwarrior1]

This is good but I would put everything on one wall.

[@SimoneOconnell]

how have you ended up with so much lego to store when you mainly buy lego sets and when you break them down you keep all the pieces together to be able to build it again in the future

[@brickitect]

These parts are almost entirely from years of yard sale hauls and small things we’ve gotten here and there from mail time.

[@ZordonV]

Where do you find old lego minifigures

[@andrewthornton6137]

and i have also made all of those mistakes for my pieces.

[@jrolnatividad8319]

Wow good all

[@rodolfohernandez4009]

I have a circular bag my self

[@seantucker9340]

Hi

[@hiker1392]

#1: take the product labels off the bins.

[@brickitect]

It works great until you're trying to order more and can't remember what they were.

[@kenneth822]

hey cam you send me the flash and green latern minifigures 👮‍♂

[@FROSTED_FERRARI]

funny