Problem is, sometimes you get what you wish for. Consider for a moment the behemoth that is Set 10179 UCS Millenium Falcon. This is the pinnacle of the LEGO Star Wars theme - the culmination of 10 years of sets. At 5195 pieces it's the second largest set that LEGO have ever produced, and it's gigantic. From the moment I first saw shots of the beast I planned and plotted how I might raise the £350 that it would cost to own it, and when I eventually got it, it took me a full month to build, working on it for 30 minutes here and an hour there. So far so good, but when it was finished, the inevitable question raised its ugly head - where the *@%^ could I display it ?
I captured the picture above (click to enlarge) by setting aside (a lot of) space on the floor, getting hold of a huge black sheet, gingerly lowering the beast onto it, and snapping a few shots. All well and good, but it obviously couldn't stay there - the wife wouldn't have it, and someone would have tripped over it eventually and done themselves and/or the iconic Corellian freighter some serious damage. So I had to find somewhere else for it, and you can see below where it ended up.
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| Dignified. Not. |
I had similar problems with Set 10030 UCS Imperial Star Destroyer. Another complete monster - 3096 pieces and around a meter long. It's absolutely jaw-dropping once constructed - one of those sets which has even non-LEGO fans shaking their heads in utter astonishment when they see it. It's also incredibly fragile, however - the enormous upper and lower surfaces are held in place by a series of magnets, and woe betide you if you touch it, breathe on it or even look at it - the laws of physics will kick in, gravity will overcome the magnetic forces, and the bottom of the ship will detach. And then you'll spend half an hour cursing and trying to reattach it.
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| UCS Imperial Star Destroyer - no chance of that fitting on a shelf.... |
A Google search reveals that others have been a little more creative with their display solutions than I have, with the UCS Millenium Falcon at least. Two solutions which particularly impressed me were wall mounting and building the beast into a glass-walled and topped coffee table, but I have to confess that both of these solutions require somewhat more time and effort than I'm willing to expend. Still, kudos to those resourceful AFOLs.
This problem isn't going away. In a matter of days, the LEGO company will launch the 4th biggest set (in terms of piece count) in their history - Set 10214 Tower Bridge. It looks wonderful, and I want it. And it's a meter long..... Given that the Millenium Falcon continues to occupy the display plinth that is my chest of drawers, I wonder whether the wife will let me put Tower Bridge on top of hers.....?
The difference this time, Dave, is that there's a fair chance the wife will let you put it somewhere prominent a it's such a beautiful model. The other huge great grey behemoths, are, to the untrained eye, ugly great things...
ReplyDeleteLol, I haven't made my Falcon yet for the same reason. Where am I going to put it? Love the glass case idea but no patience to make one. Pretty to look at while it's still in the box I guess...
ReplyDeleteGR
Great post. This is an issue I find with the recent wave of (amazing) LEGO sets aimed at adult collectors. There are a lot of them, each more amazing than the previous, and each in the $150, $300, $500 range.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I was thrilled to learn about each set, that they took the adult collector market so seriously, put so much thought into making the sets more inventive, more complex, and not dumbing them down.
But I can't help but feel there is a saturation point, in the retired sets market, and in space to keep all of these. I see collectors having to sell off their sets for lack of space, and lack of funds. Some are merely collecting minifigs, which is partly what I have been doing most recently.
That said - I am amazed and thrilled to see the LEGO culture so vibrant. I suppose there are worse problems to have than too many LEGOs!
You're dreaming, Huw - beautiful set or not, hell will freeze over before my wife will allow my LEGO to encroach any further upon her living space !
ReplyDeleteDan, hold that thought about too much LEGO - it'll be the subject of an upcoming blog posting.....
Yeah, got the same problem as far as storage and display is concerned. I've managed to get hold of the Tower Bridge and built it already, and believe me, its stunning. Amazing detail and really well worth the price. As far as display goes - the wife (thank heavens) absolutely loves it and has allowed me to display it in the living room, where there is enough space for it, and boy you need space because its massive. My modulars, other sets and worst of all my parts, however, got banished to my study, where there now isn't even enough space to build!
ReplyDeleteSo best of luck getting one of the Tower Bridge sets displayed. (Tell your wife you want a Lego room perhaps? We can all think positive I suppose)
Will see on the post of too much Lego - food for thought ...
Jean