Building LEGO castle sets you never owned from scratch

[Terry Tuffnuts]

Who else builds vintage sets that never existed (official castle sets not MOCs) from nothing, just parts they find on bricklink etc

There are so many sets I would have struggled to get either because I'm in New Zealand or it would be waaaay too expensive, so, I just looked up the parts on Toysperiod.com and gathered them all using either Bricklink or our TradeMe (our country's version of eBay).

Now I own more vintage sets that have never originated in a box than the number of childhood sets I own (and I started with a dozen+ sets).

Still cost over $1,000 but ive saved a bunch right, right...? Loved ever minute of this never ending project

[anotherParrot]

I have recently complete via BL, my (first step) castle collection, based on sets I owned, but missing +/- 30% of parts. I spent almost 500 euros (total).
For the sets :
6038 Wolfpack Renegade
6054 Forestmen's Hideout
6057 Sea Serpent
6062 Battering Ram
6081 King's Mountain Fortress
6085 Black Monarch's Castle
and 920 (classic-space) Alpha-1 Rocket Base

Extra sets that i did not owned :
2nd 6085 Black Monarch's Castle I found on Ebay near 95% complete for +/- 50€ few years ago
6080 Kings Castle, near 70% complete found in boxes i bought for 5€ at a garage sale (with a complete sets of train)

A friend helped me by giving me some pars, including baseplates : lunar base plate, and elevated baseplate for King's Mountain Fortress (but wrong pattern)

I still missing a crow (black parrot), but it cost min 20€, so...

The main concerns in my opinion: :
If you care or not about the difference of old/new colors (light gray, brown).
Minifigs, weapons, shield, feathers, may be really expensives.

Bricklink's tools really made my job easier. Open the set page (example : Catalog: Sets: Castle: Black Knights: 6085-1) then click on "My Wanted List > Part Out"
Open the wanted list, and update the "Have" cells with parts you already have.
You can use "easy buy", or if you're not in a hurry, when you visit a shop you can view which parts on your wanted lists are for sale, and get if if the price is ok for you.

I also made a test with the Stud.io sofware. Import the Yellow Castle, eventualy change some old parts / old colors by new/alternate, then import list to BL.
I found that I can buy a Yellow Castle from scratch (without minifigs and accessory) for 35€ (+ 35€ of shipping cost)
The average price for the set on BL is 200€, but there are some in sale for 40~80€ (maybe with broken or missing parts)

I have already started to put together from scratch the sets 6040, 6041, 6067 (2nd step).
Just waiting for a coupon, or a good deal, and put the pieces together as it go.

[jtooker]

If you care or not about the difference of old/new colors (light gray, brown).
Minifigs, weapons, shield, feathers, may be really expensives.

Bricklink's tools really made my job easier. Open the set page (example : Catalog: Sets: Castle: Black Knights: 6085-1) then click on "My Wanted List > Part Out"
Open the wanted list, and update the "Have" cells with parts you already have.

I think these two points are key. Not caring about certain parts, especially minifigure, can save most of the money. But you cannot skip raised baseplates if you want to build one of those.

[Formendacil]

Technically, I've done this with only one Castle set: 6105 Medieval Knights... and I had half the minifigs before I started, so that's not a tonne of effort.

That said, I have done this for a large Space set (6984 Galactic Mediator) and a Pirate one (6265 Sabre Island). There have also been sets that I've completed after getting part of them used, and I think that's where my sweet spot is: I'll reconstitute an old set from parts, but the parts/figs need to be fairly general or I need to have something giving me a head start: like the right baseplate (which is how Sabre Island happened) or some of the minifigs or a large chunk of the parts. Otherwise, while there are cases where it's probably cheaper to buy the parts than the sets, it's a lot of hassle--and probably a lot of shipping costs.

[Terry Tuffnuts]

it's a lot of hassle--and probably a lot of shipping costs.

Yeah, although the 'hassle' turned out to be my favourite part!! I want to do saber-island too; its pieces are fairly generic.

AnotherParrot you should just use a grey parrot for it and call it a day -thats my attitude.


I've been doing most of mine from 0% rather than topping up a near complete set, (or in some cases i'll have a minifigure only)
I've done 14 vintage castle sets this way

[anotherParrot]

Yes I already have 2 grey parrots in extra fort that.
While trying to erase permanent marker lines (in vain) on a lunarbase plate, I even thought I would just ink one black.

The thing is, to have completed these inventories, and to see that only this one is blocked at 99% for a part. You have to resist.

I especially wanted to tell how the wanted-list system of BrickLink helped me a lot. It requires a lot of time and rigor. There is a field in the details to specify a maximum price for each parts.
I wonder if this system could be improved, by means of a script and the API, to set a provisional budget (in relation to statistics, average prices, availability).
A long time ago, I had made a program of this kind to find the best price/parts between BrickLink and the online pick-a-brick catalog. (it probably doesn't work anymore)

[Elephant Knight]

I have pieced together a few sets together from scratch, most notably the Black Falcons Fortress, and Pirates Perilous Pitfall. I'm planning to do it again for some other pricier Pirate sets.

On a couple other occasions I got some lots of Lego that included some sets that ere in the 75% complete range. One lot had a Star Hawk 2, Allied Avenger, Blizzard Baron, and Lagoon Lockup. All sets were around 75% complete, but all were sets I didn't have before, and felt the desire to go and complete them. I think the Star Hawk 2 was the hardest of them.

It's always fun to recieve used lots and get half complete sets, then browse Bricklink to complete them.

EKnight

[Kurojaki]

I've done it with something in the past, but I can't really remember. However it probably wasn't any castle stuff.

Now I would be very close to completing 6081 King's Mountain Fortress and possibly 6085 Black Monarch's Castle, since I got lucky on an auction site right after getting back to buying Lego. The price for all that VERY well survived castle stuff (and VERY badly survived Fabuland) wasn't too far from what the black parrot alone would have been on Bricklink. I know it's well over half of the parts of 6081 that I got in that lot.

After my Duplo years, 6081 was pretty much my first touch to Lego actually. My older brothers had that one and a lot of other good old stuff. But it was the only one I remember seeing built. I remember looking through the instructions, and my brother showing me how he built it without them.

I don't care too much about building official sets (or should I say, keeping them in one piece for longer than two days), but with that little history, along with likely very little effort required, I really should order the remaining parts and just finish it lol.

Apart from that, not exactly vintage as I see it, but I'll probably start to put aside spare parts needed for 3739 Blacksmith Shop. The set that inspired me and countless other Castle fans. The original one Siskind sold, or a little bit modified one LEGO sold. I don't mind which version - the building with it's beautiful roof and walls is the thing anyway. Just small and slow side project. I probably tried it back in the day anyway!

[Formendacil]

Apart from that, not exactly vintage as I see it, but I'll probably start to put aside spare parts needed for 3739 Blacksmith Shop. The set that inspired me and countless other Castle fans. The original one Siskind sold, or a little bit modified one LEGO sold. I don't mind which version - the building with it's beautiful roof and walls is the thing anyway. Just small and slow side project. I probably tried it back in the day anyway!

I can highly recommend the 3739 experience! Since the post above, I did that one myself: a few substitutions (base plates for baseplates, brick-built doors, new grey for old...), and the set holds up very nicely. I didn't go after the figs, which are nice but just KK1 re-uses. Absolutely exhausted my supply of 2x3 blue slope bricks and had to improvise a couple replacements

[Azaghal]

I've never done it for a Castle set, but I have managed to assemble a complete 6261 Raft Raiders with just a couple of pieces (sail and minifigure) bought off Bricklink.

I do have a long-term project to build a 6081 King's Mountain Fortress with only BL orders, but recently I've kind of lost track of where I am with it. Trying to do 5956 Expedition Balloon at the same time may have been a bad idea.