Tell me more ×
LEGO® Answers is a question and answer site for LEGO® and building block enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 5 down vote favorite

I am a life long Lego Maniac, and my kits from when I was a kid were passed down to my nephew, who has just passed them down to my son (40 years of history...). The trouble is that none of my old plans/directions are still around, and neither are the plans/direction from my nephew's kits. My nephew and I started to do a quick inventory, but he couldn't remember all of the kits that were in the hoard (3 LARGE boxes so far). Is there an easy way to figure this out? Does LEGO offer any of their old plans for free online or will I need to pay for them? Can any one offer help in identifying some of the fairly recent stuff? I can post images if needed. Some of the newer parts are quite unique.

share|improve this question
2  
The following question also has details of how to get hold of instructions for older sets: bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/64/… – Zhaph - Ben Duguid♦ Oct 31 '11 at 12:05
1  
This previous question raises the problem of identifying kits from list of parts bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/102/… – pcantin Oct 31 '11 at 14:42

2 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

Your best shot is to identify individual piece and look them up on Peeron or BrickLink. Since both carry set inventories, you'll be able to find lists of sets in which the parts can be found. Try to start with more bizarre parts, chances are they are in a few models only.

Once you're sure you've found a model for which you've all the parts, build it using old instruction scans from PICSL.

If identifying LEGO parts proves too difficult for some of them, ask experts.

share|improve this answer
1  
You might want to include the note that almost all parts have their element or part id embossed on the underside. – Zhaph - Ben Duguid♦ Oct 31 '11 at 8:58
1  
Actually, no, I don't want to do that as it's not really the point of this question and it has been covered in another question. However, you're quite right that I should have at least pointed to that corresponding question on how to determine the name of a brick. I've added that. – Joubarc♦ Oct 31 '11 at 9:07
1  
Also, once you have parts for at least one kit identified, use rebrickable.com to find other kits that you may also have had with those parts. – Grandpappy Oct 31 '11 at 14:03
@Joubarc +1 for a good answer, I check out those links and I'm sure they will help with ID'ing the more obscure pieces. – bakoyaro Oct 31 '11 at 17:28
1  
@Zhaph-BenDuguid Some of the kits I have date back to the early 1970's, and don't necessarily have part numbers embossed on them. – bakoyaro Oct 31 '11 at 17:36
show 1 more comment
up vote 3 down vote

Lego has an online page that can be used to download manuals in PDF format. Unfortunately, the page mentions that manuals are only available for kits that were released in 2002 or later:

We currently have over 3300 building instructions available onlinevwhich date back to sets packed in 2002.

You might want to contact Lego customer service to see if they might be able to direct you to other resources for these older kits. According to squidoo.com, Lego customer service can provide older instructions for a fee. That page also lists several alternate resource that you can search to find older manuals for free:

share|improve this answer
+1 for a good answer. Some of the kits that I had as a kid date back to the early 1970's, and I recall some kits and some just boxes of bricks, with no planned structure or vehicle. – bakoyaro Oct 31 '11 at 17:29

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.