A Brick Buyer's Guide

This new series will help you become the best LEGO shopper possible. Learn the tips and tricks all LEGO buyers should know to make the most of your shopping excursions. Find out some of our favorite retailers and e-tailers to shop with. You will hear a few of the mistakes we have made and how to avoid them. We will focus on both in store and online shopping so you will have plenty of choices. Check back for a new edition on every other Friday starting on March 21, 2014. Reading this series will keep you enlightened and informed about all aspects of LEGO buying. Stay tuned for more awesome series in the future!

Pick-A-Brick Vol. 1

 

It has long been a debate over which LEGO® Store Pick-A-Brick cup gets you more bang for your buck. I decided to take things to a relatively scientific level and really find out which is a better deal. In the United States, a small pick a brick cup runs at $7.99 and a large pick a brick cup goes for $14.99. Just by glancing, it may be hard to see an actual difference. To conduct my experiment, I will use the most useful substance, water. Studies have been done with 1x1 flat, round bricks, but water is much more reliable. Since the cups are made of plastic, water will not damage the interior. To start, I filled the small cup with water. Then, I dumped the water into a measuring cup and recorded the volume. I repeated the process for the large cup. I rounded the volume to the nearest readable ounce mark. After that, I divided by the price of each cup. Therefore, my formula becomes: opd = V/I

opd = the number of ounces per USD.
V = the volume of the cup in ounces.
I = the initial price.

To find the price per ounce, I divided 1 by the ounces per dollar.  $ = 1/opd

My findings are shown below:

Cup	Price	Volume (ounces)	Ounces Per Dollar	Dollars Per Ounce
Small	$7.99	17	2.1276595	$0.47
Large	$14.99	34	2.2681787	$0.4408823

And the winner is…

The large cup! You save about three cents per ounce.

But Wait! We did not include the size of the lids. Most LEGO stores allow a Pick-A-Brick cup to be bought if at least one side of the lid is touching the cup. Therefore, we can basically just set the lid on the cup and our volumes will change. The lids are the same for each cup, an important attribute, and the each have a volume of 5 1/3 ounces. When this is factored in, our results change:

Cup	Price	Volume (ounces)	Ounces Per Dollar	Dollars Per Ounce
Small	$7.99	22 1/3	2.7951605	$0.3577612
Large	$14.99	39 1/3	2.6239715	$0.3811017

The odds are now in the small cups favor! There is another way to maximize your savings. Most stores offer a 25 cent discount with a reused small cup and a 50 cent discount with a reused large cup. It is, however, a better deal to get new cups every time you visit. They make great storage containers and look great in your collection. So, the verdict is... The Small Cup! Unless you need 1x16 beams, the small cup is the way to go. So take this advice, always buy the small cup and you will end up saving mucho dinero!

LEGO Octan Semi Tractor Trailer

I have finally completed my rendition of 3180 Tanker Truck. The Tractor was completely remodel to include a desk behind the cab. The design was also improved to reflect the look of semi's outside the United States. I am very fond of the design of a flat 'nose', so I knew I had to incorporate it into my current design. The vehicle is of course an Octan fuel carrier, LEGO's imaginary fuel brand. The trailer has gone through a few minor changes. I added a hitch at the back to allow multiple trailers to be towed at one time. I also removed the mess of parts that served as the hose carrier and storage space. This made the trailer look more realistic, an attribute I am always looking for in LEGO models. I would like to made the trailer about 25% longer, but I need two more of the round compartments to accomplish this goal. Right now, the tractor is almost as long as the trailer.

I realize there are a few color discrepancies, but my collection is not perfect. Over all, I am very pleased with the look and function of the new rig. The model is quite simple to make as long as you have 3180 Tanker Truck and a few more parts from your collection of loose bricks. I am happy with this model and it will not be changing any time soon.