Moon Base Established

 

With three exceptions, I have found and assembled all the kits I have instructions for. Two of the kits still remain unassembled because I was missing pieces that have since been ordered. The third kit, the tall standing robot one in the back right of the above photo is a different story.

As I go along and have fewer and fewer pieces to sort through to locate each proper piece, the process is speeding up. Eventually though, I had either assembled or were waiting on parts for all the kits that I had build instructions for or could remember owning. But as you can see in the picture below, I still had a large gallon sized baggie full of blue bricks and I assume that most of them belong to space themed sets that I no longer have build instructions for nor remember owning. 

However, the Bricklink.com website has a feature that when you select a particular part, you can hit a button that will show you a list of LEGO builds across all it's lines that the singular part has been used on. That is not terrible useful for a common brick that might return 1000's of result but the Classic Space series used a fair number of unique parts that were used only in the Classic Space series and nowhere else. So I picked out a part that I knew was likely only in Classic Space and after some trial and error of coming up with the correct part name, I pulled up a list of only six builds that it was used on. That list also comes with pictures so by looking at those pictures and listening to my gut, I felt that the tall robot build in the back right corner was perhaps one I had once upon a time though I really don't remember it.

I printed off a list of all the components and quantities used to build the creation, also compiled by Bricklink.com, and after awhile, determined that I had ever single piece. I wasn't missing a single small tiny part easily lost in carpet and subsequently vacuumed up or lost over 50 years. I did that before taking picture of the remaining bricks you see below so I'm guessing I still need to do that again several times over to use up the bricks.

The end is quickly coming though when I'll likely have diminishing returns, i.e. there will be more missing parts than I care to replace or I just can't figure out what sets I have in disassembled form. When that comes, as of now anyway, I plan to take individual pictures of all the sets and then tear them apart and put them online to sell. To give you a sense of value, just the individual spacemen with air tanks can sell for upwards of $20 these days. I've seen the largest set in the above picture sale online for $200+. But as the set gets toward completion, my children and wife's eyes have been gravitating towards it so my plans of some pocket money might get thwarted. I'll have to see.