GUIDES

Star Wars lego collecting and Minifigs

Simon Winning Simon Winning

I have been collecting Star Wars LEGO now for a year or two, Ebay being my primary source of LEGO and there are a few pitfalls to look out for.

Minifigs are my preference for collecting although getting my hands on a Millenium Falcon (kit no. 7190 & 4504) and Imperial star destroyer (kit no. 10030) are on the list. Try this link to get some results from Ebay for Minifigs Minifig search.

A Brief history of LEGO

Lego is a Danish company formed in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen who was a carpenter, they originally produced wooden toys, surprisingly! In 1947 the forerunner to today’s Lego Bricks were produced and then in 1953 LEGO bricks, as we know it today were created.

LEGO expanded at a fast rate with the kits and instructions we know today being introduced in 1964 and the Minifigs with moveable arms being introduced in 1978. Duplo was launched in 1969 and Technic in 1977 and the Danish LEGOland was opened on the 7th June 1968. 1996 sees LEGOland Windsor open and by this time LEGOland Denmark has seen 25 million visitors. Then finally in 1999 LEGO launch the Star Wars brand with other brands including Harry Potter and Bob the builder following quickly afterwards.

Resources for Star wars LEGO

Collecting Star Wars Minifigs and LEGO kits can get complicated there are approx. 134 sets of Star Wars LEGO each having their own Minifigs and some kits repeat the Minifigs they have. So if you buy the kits to get the Minifigs this is when you see kits being sold on Ebay with out the Minifigs and where the loose Minifigs come from, in some cases!

Now how do we sort this lot out, well there are some good websites giving you all the info you need, try the following: -

From Bricks to Boffins, Lugnet, Rebelscum, Bricklink, Legofigs and of course LEGO's own site

And if you look in the forums of FBTB you can find some people who have created Spreadsheets with all the info you possibly need on. Bricklink also has a very comprehensive database of Minifigs that is kept up to date. So if you download one of these spreadsheets you can use Bricklink o keep it up to date.

If your into customising then the Bricklink website has to be your 1st stop as you can buy any LEGO parts you can imagine on there, from a Minifig black left hand to a Millennium Falcon 4504.

Things to watch out for on Ebay

Apart from your standard Ebay scammers hear are a few things to keep an eye out for when collecting kits and particularly Minifigs.

Over priced sets When a new set comes out, you'll find people selling them on Ebay for more money that they are worth. Checkout Lego's own website, there shop sells all the new kits and this is where most Ebay sellers get thier's from.

Look out for Customs these are Minifigs that collectors have modified to create new characters or to look like existing characters. Although some people create Customs to enhance their collections and they do a good job a lot of people don’t. If you see a rare figure going cheap (some of them can go for up to £40) make sure it’s not a custom.

Empty packets You always get dome slimy toad that sells empty LEGO boxes with poor descriptions making you think your getting the LEGO as well. Be careful and read the description thoroughly.

Pricing Be careful with the pricing of Minifigs, you can often by the whole kit with Minifig for less than the Minifig on its own.

Blasters, lightsabers & Tools Look out for auctions without these included with the Minifig if you prefer to have these items.

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