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I have been getting a lot of requests recently about old sets on EBAY, or old
sets that folks may already own. And sometimes I tell the people to avoid the
set because the parts are not original. Here is an example in the Lugnet data
base for Samsonite set #708 (USA/Canada 1961-64):
http://guide.lugnet.com/set/?q=708
Whoever purchased this set probably didn't know that some of the contents of
this box are not original to it. The first indication are the inside plastic
bins. They don't even fit into the box correctly. The lid won't close
correctly when it is attempted because the bins are too tall. And much of the
contents are not original to this set. The sloped bricks, blue/yellow bricks,
Lego wheels and a small Lego metal wheeled car with its garage were never part
of this set. The original inside packaging was made of cardboard (not plastic
bins), and the Lego bricks/base plates were originally place flat (in a
checkerboard pattern) on top of the cardboard insert.
I am thinking about starting a Lego consulting service for folks who buy (or
want to buy) old Lego sets, but who don't know a lot about them, and are afraid
that they may buy a set that is not what it should be (like the #708 set just
mentioned.
Is there a niche or need for such a service? What would I charge? I was
thinking about 3 consultations for $10 US, perhaps in a prepay mode, or?
Maybe I will offer it only to those folks who buy my Lego History/Price List CD,
as an additional service (perhaps a rare Lego mailing list (with permission) for
CD purchasers?). Or make it available to the whole LUGNET community?
And if I get a request that I cannot handle or don't know enough about, I simply
won't charge for it.
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Another service I was thinking about offering was what I call the LEGO
equivalent of "Hamburger Helper" (a USA/Canada food product that requires only
hamburger beef be added to make a full meal). I would sell partial old sets
(parts only, from my own rare parts inventory), but only the rare items that
people cannot find on Bricklink (or cannot find in decent quantities).
Examples: the old Model Builder sets of the mid 70's. I have the rare parts
for building #396 Thatcher Perkins, #390 1913 Cadillac, #391 1926 Renault, and
#395 1909 Rolls Royce. I have the large (red and white) and small (red) spoked
wheels, black axle bricks, rod/piston train works, 1x1x1 yellow classic windows,
2x2 outside corner blue slopes, etc. I probably have rare spare parts for about
40 (total) of these sets.
For example on the 1913 Cadillac (#390), I would supply the 5 large red spoked
wheels (with tires and axle bricks), and 4 1x1x1 yellow classic windows.
For the Thatcher Perkins (#396) I would supply the 11 spoked wheels (6 large
red, 4 small red, 1 small black) with tires and black axle bricks. I would
supple a #1119 Service pack (from 1975-78) that has the 6 piece rod and piston
set, 5 full stud yellow minifig head pieces (no faces!) and possibly 1x1 round
bricks, black and blue sloped bricks, macaroni bricks, and red arches.
Most pieces would be near mint to mint.
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Another item I am thinking about offering is what I call Fantasy Sets. Those
are sets that existed (or perhaps never released). I could offer them as an
embellished set, or as a complete set
Here are some examples:
A complete Town Plan (1960-66). The Town Plan (#810 in Europe, #725 in USA) I
would offer includes a Town Plan board plus all the buildings. But the
buildings would be much better (larger, more complex) than the ones in any of
the Town Plan sets. My buildings would all be of ABS (most Town Plan sets are
regrettably Cellulose Acetate), except for those rare items only available in CA
(such as a Esso Service accessories). My Town Plan hotel could be 10 stories
tall made of ABS classic windows/doors. My Esso Service garage door would be
the rare (Europe only) white one, not the common red one. I would include some
metal wheeled cars and trucks, some (continental Europe only) very rare traffic
policemen, some rare cyclists/motorcyclists, some old road signs, street lights,
and trees/bushes (hand painted European ones, not the USA/Canada unpainted
ones), and as already mentioned all Esso Service accessories.
A complete early #717 Junior Constructor set. The early (1961) version was
probably never released. But I have the plans for building this very rare set.
And better yet, I have enough parts (all ABS) to build several of these. The
originals would have all been Cellulose Acetate, but mine would be all ABS
plastic.
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Another idea was to build a set of twin Thatcher Perkins (#396) antique
locomotives, but one would have an orange/green locomotive cab and engine, and
the other would be the regular red/blue of #396. (Note all blue bricks in this
set are now available in green, and only 2 orange parts are not produced,
whereas they are in red in the original - the 4 1x6 red arches would be replaced
by 2x6 orange ones, and the 2 4x2 red gates would be replaced by (rare) black
ones). I was thinking about making these twin Thatcher Perkins locomotives as
sort of book ends, where they would be on Lego track (or as close to being
attached to track as the rubber tires permit), with a gray train tunnel opening
(6 studs thick) behind them (to look like they just exited the tunnel) with gray
arches above the black brick opening (to look like a dark tunnel). Another idea
on this is that instead of bookends, these could be marketted to the train clubs
as train club SIGNAGE for public Lego train events (the 2 train tunnels could be
connected with a large "hill" type thin structure that could have the train club
name on the flat sides.
Oridinarily I wouldn't be giving out these ideas. But I don't think that too
many people have the resources to attempt these ideas on their own (without deep
pockets). I've been collecting rare old parts for 25 years (since 1979).
Please feel free to offer feedback!
And if this should be in some other newsgroup, please send it there.
Thanks,
Gary Istok
A Lego Addict since 1960.
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Future Lego Services.....
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| (...) A followup to the original post..... There were some other additional supplemental sets I was thinking on offering, such as supplemental accessories for making the new classic Lego sets (like the new USS Constellation model, new Main Street (...) (20 years ago, 23-Aug-04, to lugnet.general, lugnet.trains)
| | | Re: Future Lego Services.....
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| (...) I think this is an excellent idea, but for every person who needs all the rare parts surely there are more who, like me, have the set but have lost only one or two of those parts. I have been looking on and off for several years for the black (...) (20 years ago, 26-Aug-04, to lugnet.general, lugnet.trains)
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