Model Building Tips – LEGO Storage

I’m sure many people are wondering how I store my LEGO pieces. When I was young I kept all my LEGO together in a “big” box (at least it seemed big when I was a kid). But as I got older, I realized that digging around inside a big box looking for a particular piece (especially a tiny piece) although fun, takes too long. So, I started sorting my LEGO. At first it was just the small pieces that were most likely to fall all the way to the bottom. But as I got older and my collection grew, I started to sort more and more.

When I got to the Model Shop at LEGOLAND California, I found out that I had the right idea. Virtually every piece has its own place or box. They have shelves and shelves with thousands upon thousands of LEGO pieces. And for those that are wondering — Yes, it was like LEGO Heaven. At the Model Shop we actually didn’t have to sort our bricks, we ordered them by the tens, hundreds, or thousands depending on what piece it was (hundreds for something like a decorated element, thousands for 2×4 bricks). So when we received an order, all the bricks and elements were presorted and all we had to do was fill the bins.

But back to storing my personal LEGO elements. As you can see in this picture there are lots of acrylic drawers sorted with different LEGO elements.

These small drawers hold all my smaller elements: flower stems, windows, clips, etc. Sorting, although it takes time to do initially, it saves a lot of time later when you want to build. And although the drawers are great for smaller items, they are a little too small for all the bricks and plates that I have. Now in brick sorting I have to admit that I am a little obsessive in how I sort my bricks. I actually have all of them sorted by brick and color! Yes, it takes time, but for each project that I make like my Jing Jing Olympic Model or my Guitar Hero Model (see

Tags: LEGO, Model Building Tips, Olympic