Storage solutions: Galaxy12_Import
Posted by Huw,
Nathan, aka Galaxy12_Import, a 4th year university student in the Midwest US shows us his compact storage and building space:
I’m currently living year-round in an apartment; space for LEGO is limited but I do have my own room with a small closet, so this has become the dedicated building desk. I maximised the available area by building a simple plywood table, keeping in mind that I will not be here forever. This desk serves as a building surface, photography studio, and a background to video content I produce for YouTube.
I have found that the 24-drawer units sold by Akro-Mils offer the best solution for my current collection size and level of sorting. I like these drawers compared to other models as they are somewhat transparent and can be completely removed to be brought down to the building surface.
Recently I have subdivided some of the individual drawers with containers from a different brand, Tool Shop if I remember correctly. I was surprised to find that they are the perfect height and fit almost exactly three deep in the larger drawers. I am aware that Akro-Mils produces a model with smaller drawers but I like this solution as it is more flexible and can grow with my collection easier. Here are a few different types of SNOT bricks filling their allotted compartments.
When a certain part type outgrows the Akro-Mils grid I don’t have any single style of bin for them to graduate into. Over the years I have amassed a variety of miscellaneous bins including a few of the official LEGO items from the 1990s, included in sets like 365 Build-n-Store Chest
These larger bins are stored under the desk. One other bin from this division is dedicated to minifigures, a Stanley model that opens in stages. The upper stage works perfectly for disassembled minifig components, perhaps my favourite section being the long trough at the bottom I use for heads that have printing on both sides.
A little more room is required to open the lower section, which contains assembled legs, torsos, and a few full figs. There are enough subdivisions for printed legs to have their own compartment, and some figure parts are even sorted by theme in the top two sections.
I mostly buy used bulk lots on eBay these days, it has been a very cost-effective way to grow my collection, working out to about three cents per piece over 20-some lots. This includes random minifigure parts and bulky elements like boat hulls and train bases that are otherwise somewhat expensive.
When I do buy new sets, they are usually put on display elsewhere in the apartment. Most of the LEGO sets I collected during my childhood are still in my parents’ basement, waiting for a new home once I graduate and find a more long-term place of my own. Some of the other articles in this series have been a source of inspiration for what kind of system I would like to have when that happens, so thank you to everyone who's participated.
74 likes
7 comments on this article
Being an AFOL, I envy your classic minifig heads. I don't mind having new faces with different expressions, it's unavoidable, but I prefer regular smiley face any day over any modern head.
That is a wise use of space. My sister and I had white painted plywood desks under our white painted plank shelves beside our white painted captain's beds in our bedroom growing up. My four brothers had the same (in colors) in their two rooms. Plywood is great, but it is good to hear that you have collected some ideas over the last couple of months for your future Lego room. The Stanley case is a very efficient way to store your minifigs, and it must be fun to create them each time you do need them. Do you produce video content for your own YouTube channel or for someone else? Thank you for sharing your creative use of space!
Decent! A down-to-earth man.
Just one question: if your LEGO is in your closet, where are your clothes? Not a big deal of course (what's more important, after all!), but just curious...
And thanks for the Tool Shop tip, I use those same Akro-Mills containers and found separators to divide them into two halves, but the ability to separate into 1/6 the space might be really handy.
Thanks for the feature Huw! One minor edit for the reference to set 365, I should have clarified as 365-3, there was no red storage bin included with the Wild West set that I am aware of. I'll try to get back to questions as I am able;
@mfg3000 , I co-host a channel with my brother called Brick System Brothers, the lockdown has allowed us to produce much more content than usual: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3cwKNbnS0ZKDekoPFt24UA
@oldfan , there are four drawers built into my bedframe, so the clothes that can be folded go there. Items on hangers have found their way to the hall closet.
The dimensions of those little containers are quite the coincidence, no? If you can't find the Tool Shop model anymore I think these are the same size: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017W2Q6PG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Thanks for the other remarks as well!
Seeing as I have a smaller collection, I use the smaller, 64 drawer Akro-Mils. I'm glad you like the bigger ones, as I'll probably upgrade to them in the future. So thanks for the article!
@Galaxy12_Import said:
"Thanks for the feature Huw! One minor edit for the reference to set 365, I should have clarified as 365-3, there was no red storage bin included with the Wild West set that I am aware of. I'll try to get back to questions as I am able;
@mfg3000 , I co-host a channel with my brother called Brick System Brothers, the lockdown has allowed us to produce much more content than usual: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3cwKNbnS0ZKDekoPFt24UA
@oldfan , there are four drawers built into my bedframe, so the clothes that can be folded go there. Items on hangers have found their way to the hall closet.
The dimensions of those little containers are quite the coincidence, no? If you can't find the Tool Shop model anymore I think these are the same size: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017W2Q6PG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Thanks for the other remarks as well! "
Thanks for the link. I'll enjoy checking out some of your videos this weekend!