What is LEGO?
LEGO isn’t a plastic brick, the classic Minifigure – It’s a Toy company. When we say “LEGO”, we usually mean LEGO Brick.
Appendix: Version History of this Guide
In this chapter:
Below The Fold
A dumping ground for in progress scraps…
Getting Started
In this introductory article, we are going to look at:
- Understanding your LEGO collection — Let’s learn about the primary LEGO builder in your home, how many LEGO bricks you have, and where you want to store your collection.
- Determining your storage needs — We’ll determine the right level of organization and best storage solutions for your collection.
- Planning for future growth — Don’t forget to leave room for additional LEGO as your collection grows.
Once you’ve decided how you want to organize your collection, we will explore some of the best storage solutions to meet your needs.
You have several options when storing your LEGO bricks:
- Store your LEGO bricks with no organization whatsoever by putting them in a single container.
- Sort your LEGO bricks into broad groups, most commonly ‘by color’ or ‘by type’.
- Sort into separate containers for each unique part.
- Sort into separate containers for each unique part and color combination.
You are encouraged to mix and match these approaches. For example, you can sort your commonly used parts more precisely than your seldom used parts.
[FUTURE ARTICLE] No Organization – Best LEGO Storage options for Young Kids (and new LEGO builders.) – No sorting – One large container, under-bed storage, Swoop Bags, or play tables, and maybe cabinets with a few drawers.
[FUTURE ARTICLE] Organize by Category – Best LEGO Storage for Older Kids (and medium-sized collections) – Sort by broad category (part type vs. color) – Cabinets with a few drawers, stackable trays, etc…
[FUTURE ARTICLE] Organize by Part, or Part+Color – Best LEGO Storage for Large Collections – Sort by part (or part+color) – Tackle Boxes, Plano Trays, Drawers with dividers, Plastic Bags, Cabinets, etc…
FLOW CHART:
How many bricks?
– Less than 5000
– hate sorting more = no sorting
– on the go? = Really-good-boxes
– in house = Swoop Bag
– hate searching more = sort by category
– on the go? = Tackle Box or large Plano.
– in house = small cabinet with 6 drawers
– 5000 – 100,000 bricks
– hate sorting more = sort by category
– on the go? = several Really-good boxes
– in house = Large drawers without dividers.
– hate searching more = sort by part
– on the go? = Tackle Boxes
– in house = cabinets with tiny drawers or drawers with dividers.
– 100,000+ bricks
– hate sorting more = sort by part
– on the go? = probably not a good idea, but if you must – Tackle Boxes & Really-good boxes w/ Dividers
– in house = cabinets with medium drawers.
– hate searching more = sort common elements by part+color, less common by Part.
– on the go? = probably not a good idea, but if you must – Tackle Boxes & Really-good boxes w/ Dividers & Plastic Bags.
– in house = drawer cabinets or drawers with dividers.