I was never a fan of universal building sets.

I had this as a kid, new upon release. The box is long gone but I still have the parts and the instruction manual. These universal sets were wonderful - fun to build with at first, and then gigantic parts packs to expand the world of Town, Space, and Castle sets that came out soon after at the dawn of the minifigure era.

I need to get myself one these, they look fun

And no “to 99” upper age limit! We can enjoy it forever!

@Bart_66 said:
"I was never a fan of universal building sets. "

Exactly. Some of these models looked cool, but I never liked that I had to choose just one to build and then decide what to do with the remaining bricks.

Perfect set. No errors

@Bart_66 said:
"I was never a fan of universal building sets. "

I don't know that I ever had any but 720 (and 8035, if you count Technic Universal sets),, but that one is near and dear to my heart. You see, before I got that one, my brother and I had to share a bucket of Lego that we played with in our dusty basement. But then my parents gave me 720 (I don't remember if it was for birthday or Christmas) and I had Lego all of my own to play with. It was mine, my own, my... Precioussss...

@Brickalili said:"And no “to 99” upper age limit! We can enjoy it forever!"

https://www.tumblr.com/microsff/179907338235/tweetstory?source=share

I still have the motor from 107, sitting in the bin. I also remember seeing the rubber tracks. I'll check my parts, if I can build something with them.

@RUL said:
" @Bart_66 said:
"I was never a fan of universal building sets. "

Exactly. Some of these models looked cool, but I never liked that I had to choose just one to build and then decide what to do with the remaining bricks."

Apparently, “don’t throw them away” needs to be stated. Right, @SetToBuild?

These models look really good! Some of them could have been their own standalone sets! I think it just goes to show how well the parts can be used. And unlike the Classic sets of today there were only so many colors and a LOT of bricks in said colors!

My first 'big' set. One of the best Christmas' ever.

@PurpleDave said:
" @RUL said:
" @Bart_66 said:
"I was never a fan of universal building sets. "

Exactly. Some of these models looked cool, but I never liked that I had to choose just one to build and then decide what to do with the remaining bricks."

Apparently, “don’t throw them away” needs to be stated. Right, @SetToBuild?"

Yeah, I save *all* the extra parts from my sets. Even the stud shooter triggers.

This reminds me of the builds found in 226-2.

It would be nice to have these big basic sets make a return, with a good selection of mini-figures.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @RUL said:
" @Bart_66 said:
"I was never a fan of universal building sets. "

Exactly. Some of these models looked cool, but I never liked that I had to choose just one to build and then decide what to do with the remaining bricks."

Apparently, “don’t throw them away” needs to be stated. Right, @SetToBuild?"

Yeah, I save *all* the extra parts from my sets. Even the stud shooter triggers."

I mean, I do understand the logic. You buy an IKEA bookshelf, put it all together, it doesn’t fall apart like the one Blind Al built, and you’ve still got one screw leftover because they sent you an extra. You verify that you didn’t miss any during assembly, and it’s a legit extra. Do you save them in a jar against the random possibility that you need a spare screw someday? Or does it go in the trash?

Someone who builds, disassembles, and rebuilds their sets, and especially someone who eventually parts out their sets, will always save those extra elements because they can always lose or break parts over time, or they can always use them on some MOC later on. But someone who only builds sets once and turns them into permanent decor might not feel the same way because there’s very little chance they’ll ever need those extra bits.

I actually knew someone in college who, when invited to sit down and help assemble a puzzle with a group of us, refused on the grounds that we were just going to separate the parts and throw it all back in the box afterwards. Any time she did a puzzle, it had to be glued to a backing of some sort and turned into a poster. If it wasn’t, she didn’t even want to join in as a group activity. And I also bought my mom a puzzle of the Northern Lights over Norway as a gift, and when my parents and I sat down to put it together, discovered the tool used to cut the pieces apart must have broken, because some of the pieces had incomplete cuts, and the box actually contained enough pieces to assemble the puzzle 1.6 times. So, if my friend had purchased that puzzle for herself, and put it together, what would she have done with the extra ~2/3rds of a puzzle afterwards? Put it in a smaller frame?

@TheOtherMike said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @RUL said:
" @Bart_66 said:
"I was never a fan of universal building sets. "

Exactly. Some of these models looked cool, but I never liked that I had to choose just one to build and then decide what to do with the remaining bricks."

Apparently, “don’t throw them away” needs to be stated. Right, @SetToBuild?"

Yeah, I save *all* the extra parts from my sets. Even the stud shooter triggers."

I have so many of those built up at this point, they needed a section of their own in my storage

@PurpleDave said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @RUL said:
" @Bart_66 said:
"I was never a fan of universal building sets. "

Exactly. Some of these models looked cool, but I never liked that I had to choose just one to build and then decide what to do with the remaining bricks."

Apparently, “don’t throw them away” needs to be stated. Right, @SetToBuild?"

Yeah, I save *all* the extra parts from my sets. Even the stud shooter triggers."

I mean, I do understand the logic. You buy an IKEA bookshelf, put it all together, it doesn’t fall apart like the one Blind Al built, and you’ve still got one screw leftover because they sent you an extra. You verify that you didn’t miss any during assembly, and it’s a legit extra. Do you save them in a jar against the random possibility that you need a spare screw someday? Or does it go in the trash?

Someone who builds, disassembles, and rebuilds their sets, and especially someone who eventually parts out their sets, will always save those extra elements because they can always lose or break parts over time, or they can always use them on some MOC later on. But someone who only builds sets once and turns them into permanent decor might not feel the same way because there’s very little chance they’ll ever need those extra bits."

I haven't MOCed in years, but I save the extra pieces for two reasons: One, if I lose a small part when dismantling a set or something, I have a replacement ready to hand. Two, it's against my nature to throw Lego away.

@TheOtherMike said:
"I haven't MOCed in years, but I save the extra pieces for two reasons: One, if I lose a small part when dismantling a set or something, I have a replacement ready to hand. Two, it's against my nature to throw Lego away."

But you _have_ built MOCs, and you had a childhood collection to boot, so you're already used to the idea of having loose parts that aren't merely the contents of the box you just opened for the set you're about to build. This IKEA mentality towards spare parts is something that only makes sense if the builder is someone who has never built anything except stock sets and has never disassembled them afterwards.

@PurpleDave said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"I haven't MOCed in years, but I save the extra pieces for two reasons: One, if I lose a small part when dismantling a set or something, I have a replacement ready to hand. Two, it's against my nature to throw Lego away."

But you _have_ built MOCs, and you had a childhood collection to boot, so you're already used to the idea of having loose parts that aren't merely the contents of the box you just opened for the set you're about to build. This IKEA mentality towards spare parts is something that only makes sense if the builder is someone who has never built anything except stock sets and has never disassembled them afterwards."

Does anybody know how Lego decide what extras to include. As a child I can't remember there being extra parts (mind you in those days there were not many small parts). When I first came out of my Dark ages (2011 then a break and then properly in 2013) along side the 1 x 1 plates etc, if a set contained https://brickset.com/parts/design-48729 you always got an extra one of those, then I noticed a few years back you never get a spare 8729 now.

@LegoStevieG said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"I haven't MOCed in years, but I save the extra pieces for two reasons: One, if I lose a small part when dismantling a set or something, I have a replacement ready to hand. Two, it's against my nature to throw Lego away."

But you _have_ built MOCs, and you had a childhood collection to boot, so you're already used to the idea of having loose parts that aren't merely the contents of the box you just opened for the set you're about to build. This IKEA mentality towards spare parts is something that only makes sense if the builder is someone who has never built anything except stock sets and has never disassembled them afterwards."

Does anybody know how Lego decide what extras to include. As a child I can't remember there being extra parts (mind you in those days there were not many small parts). When I first came out of my Dark ages (2011 then a break and then properly in 2013) along side the 1 x 1 plates etc, if a set contained https://brickset.com/parts/design-48729 you always got an extra one of those, then I noticed a few years back you never get a spare 8729 now. "

When I was a kid in the Eighties, the only way I remember sets having an extra part was if the model had an odd number of 1x1 round plates. Since those came on sprues of two back then, if you didn't need an even number to complete the set, you'd end up with an extra. I wonder if 6810 used two at the front to use up the extra, to make the laser look more powerful, or both.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @LegoStevieG said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"I haven't MOCed in years, but I save the extra pieces for two reasons: One, if I lose a small part when dismantling a set or something, I have a replacement ready to hand. Two, it's against my nature to throw Lego away."

But you _have_ built MOCs, and you had a childhood collection to boot, so you're already used to the idea of having loose parts that aren't merely the contents of the box you just opened for the set you're about to build. This IKEA mentality towards spare parts is something that only makes sense if the builder is someone who has never built anything except stock sets and has never disassembled them afterwards."

Does anybody know how Lego decide what extras to include. As a child I can't remember there being extra parts (mind you in those days there were not many small parts). When I first came out of my Dark ages (2011 then a break and then properly in 2013) along side the 1 x 1 plates etc, if a set contained https://brickset.com/parts/design-48729 you always got an extra one of those, then I noticed a few years back you never get a spare 8729 now. "

When I was a kid in the Eighties, the only way I remember sets having an extra part was if the model had an odd number of 1x1 round plates. Since those came on sprues of two back then, if you didn't need an even number to complete the set, you'd end up with an extra. I wonder if 6810 used two at the front to use up the extra, to make the laser look more powerful, or both."

Yup, some early extras consisted of paired elements on runners. 1x1 round plates were the first I encountered, but then they added knives and short spears to that category. Plus, there were the other type, where you’d get a set of plumes and only need to use one of three styles.

But to answer the original question, it’s largely based on mass. Older machines couldn’t detect the difference in weight if a smaller element got left out, and automated systems were being used to reduce labor cost. It was probably cheaper to just throw in a few extra bits than it was to have someone manually verify the contents of bags, and it’s definitely cheaper than paying to ship a replacement 1x1 tile halfway around the world. These are also parts that are small enough they may not all make it out of the bag when you dump out the contents, or they may get easily lost at any point after you break the seals on the box. They don’t always make sense, though. I’ve built sets where I end up setting an “extra” part aside, only to find I need it to complete the build. And in the same set, I’ll encounter something I’d never expect to be extra, and have to check the content list in the back of the instructions to make sure I didn’t miss where one of them was supposed to be placed.

@LegoStevieG said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"I haven't MOCed in years, but I save the extra pieces for two reasons: One, if I lose a small part when dismantling a set or something, I have a replacement ready to hand. Two, it's against my nature to throw Lego away."

But you _have_ built MOCs, and you had a childhood collection to boot, so you're already used to the idea of having loose parts that aren't merely the contents of the box you just opened for the set you're about to build. This IKEA mentality towards spare parts is something that only makes sense if the builder is someone who has never built anything except stock sets and has never disassembled them afterwards."

Does anybody know how Lego decide what extras to include. As a child I can't remember there being extra parts (mind you in those days there were not many small parts). When I first came out of my Dark ages (2011 then a break and then properly in 2013) along side the 1 x 1 plates etc, if a set contained https://brickset.com/parts/design-48729 you always got an extra one of those, then I noticed a few years back you never get a spare 8729 now. "

the automatic machines can't weight under a certain scale with smaller pieces (eg: 1g)... so, LEGO setted them to give an extra piece to reach the next scale (eg: 2g), because better an extra piece than a less one...

@AustinPowers said:
" @CCC said:
" @Sandinista said:
"These were the sets I grew up playing with in the late 90s and early 00s because I inherited my dad's collection from the 70s. Quality sets and great memories. This is Lego to me, not the stuff released now "

I also remember this type of set as I grew up in the 70s. But if LEGO hadn't moved on and had continued to only make sets like this, they wouldn't be around today."
To be honest, more than 90% of today's output is stuff that imho doesn't even deserve the name LEGO anymore and I wouldn't be sad at all to see it go! Stuff that doesn't feel like LEGO, which, if I recall correctly was meant to say "play well“, not “build once and then put it in a display cabinet and let it collect dust“ - because that's what most of today's output is.
A company that is so actively showing it's hate and disdain for its own roots has no reason to exist imho.

Sure, flowers out of LEGO look fascinating, but after a while the novelty soon wears off, particularly nowadays when they often just use new dedicated pieces instead of NPU like in the beginning.

Or a brick built Titanic. That is stuff that used to be a MOC that wowed people at exhibitions. Selling it as a luxury item is just vain.
Same goes for all those other gigantic display sets. What about them is LEGO? Those could just as well be model kits, and these at least wouldn't be full of compromises to achieve the desired result.
Oh, it's for the minifigs you say?
Then why not just make cool and affordable play sets of something like the LOTR franchise and throw the desirable minifigs in there. Be true to your company's core reason for being and still make kids as well as hardcore fans happy. "

AMEN. You've summed up my thoughts and gripes with Lego perfectly.

I always marveled at this set. I previously owned sets 400 and 402, the red set and the blue set as I once referred to them. I always though set 404 was the Holy Grail of the three because it was the largest set and had the motor to add action to what you built. Plus, all those yellow and black pieces screamed construction vehicles of all types to build.

Does anyone know what does the motor powers in the factory, crane winch? The motorized corvette is still pretty cool. Really helps to have a yellow motor unit which blends in, and makes fairly rare compared to the usual black box.

@ambr said:
"Does anyone know what does the motor powers in the factory, crane winch? The motorized corvette is still pretty cool. Really helps to have a yellow motor unit which blends in, and makes fairly rare compared to the usual black box."
Had to look for a video, looking at the instructions only made it more confusing....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuL5dtRRTsA

@PurpleDave said:
"Yup, some early extras consisted of paired elements on runners. 1x1 round plates were the first I encountered, but then they added knives and short spears to that category. Plus, there were the other type, where you’d get a set of plumes and only need to use one of three styles."

I miss thos old feather wheels.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @LegoStevieG said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"I haven't MOCed in years, but I save the extra pieces for two reasons: One, if I lose a small part when dismantling a set or something, I have a replacement ready to hand. Two, it's against my nature to throw Lego away."

But you _have_ built MOCs, and you had a childhood collection to boot, so you're already used to the idea of having loose parts that aren't merely the contents of the box you just opened for the set you're about to build. This IKEA mentality towards spare parts is something that only makes sense if the builder is someone who has never built anything except stock sets and has never disassembled them afterwards."

Does anybody know how Lego decide what extras to include. As a child I can't remember there being extra parts (mind you in those days there were not many small parts). When I first came out of my Dark ages (2011 then a break and then properly in 2013) along side the 1 x 1 plates etc, if a set contained https://brickset.com/parts/design-48729 you always got an extra one of those, then I noticed a few years back you never get a spare 8729 now. "

When I was a kid in the Eighties, the only way I remember sets having an extra part was if the model had an odd number of 1x1 round plates. Since those came on sprues of two back then, if you didn't need an even number to complete the set, you'd end up with an extra. I wonder if 6810 used two at the front to use up the extra, to make the laser look more powerful, or both."

I've remembered one other example: Light & Sound sets coming with extra domes for the lights. 6440 covered the lights with trans-red 1x2 slopes, and it still included some.