I Spy: Searching for Sets in a LEGO Bulk Buy
/If you’ve looked at any LEGO-related group on Facebook or other platforms, you’ve likely seen a few posts or photos, asking: “I found this brick/minifig/segment. Where does it come from?” Another AFOL usually chimes in with the correct answer in minutes. But how did they find it out so fast? There are many answers to that, and I will share a few using this pile as an example.
We posted this picture last week and a few commenters had fun identifying the contents! The photo above is a representative pile of what was left from a bulk lot of Belville sets I ordered, but after I removed the sets (or fragments) that had been identified in the listing. There was quite a lot of not-Belville in there. What was this bonus brick that was leftover?
It is worth noting that this lot was purchased from Germany. Some LEGO product lines were more popular in certain regions of the world, so this can be a factor in solving a brick mystery like this one. So let’s dive in and discover what caught my eye first.
Most of the information we need to start is in this detail above. These pieces have a lot of obvious features. First, I started with the Duplo-looking blocks. But I found that they aren’t Duplo. They’re System, but they look childish. (Indeed, they are what was called “basic”.)
The most common way for me to solve these mysteries is BrickLink. You can search for any element! However, you do need to know the exact element and the exact identifying feature. There is not much room for error. For example, you may not find the right answer by searching “apple” but you might find it with “apples” for instance. Search terms are more generous if you Google “LEGO apple brick”.
However, that brick with the apples is in thirteen sets that looked quite similar, so I needed to look at some other elements. Let’s check the bear, instead! After figuring out the exact part name, I found the face.
The “bear face” brick only appears in four sets, and only one of them seemed a small enough piece count for what I had leftover. The photo for set 4121 looked spot on. And, indeed, I found all of the pieces except for the flowers!
In the big pile, I also noticed a minifig with a palm tree printed on it (obscured in the main photo, sadly). Searching “torso palm” on BrickLink showed that it also appeared in a “basic” set 3040. That’s another mystery solved! It also started to give me a general sense of the time period where this bulk lot originated (80s to 90s).
But that angry red monkey-looking brick was still leftover. Again, BrickLink threw a spanner in the works. Looking for a “monkey” brick didn’t yield results… Instead, I learned, BrickLink calls this a “monster face pattern”. But it only appears in the set “Bad Monkey”. Suuuuure.
In any event, that’s another mystery solved. Looking closer, “Bad Monkey” is a pretty unusual set. What is it? Well, according to Brickset, the polybag was a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy in Germany. That checks out!
Next, let’s look at those horses. These were simple: the “pony” only appears in two sets, and we can see the minifigures for set 6404 “Carriage Ride” in the photo, too. But you do need to search for “pony” not “foal” which gives you other kinds of horses. (Check out the many kinds of LEGO horses in our previous article here.)
Speaking of horses, there was still one leftover. It had a printed red bridle, and after searching led me to believe it was a horse that appeared in 22 sets. I had to find more clues. I happened to see some transparent wheels which sure are unique… I looked them up and, hey there is the horse! They both appeared in 6355 Derby Trotter. Well, most of the set was there and it cleared up a lot of the remaining mystery bulk!
I was curious about the two pink rowboats still in the mix. Except it turns out they aren’t rowboats, and they aren’t dinghys, and “boat” is way too broad. Turns out according to BrickLink, it’s a “rubber raft”. (Now I see why so many people just ask a Facebook group what a part is from…) And it turns out that pink “rubber craft” only came in one set.
Oddly, my bulk lot had two of the pink boat - excuse me - “rubber raft”, but only the pieces for most of one copy of 5841 Beach Fun. Hoever the lot did include two girls who seemed to belong - one with short hair and a hat and one with a long braid. I looked closer at the BrickLink listing which mentions both of these figures in the set, but one as a “counterpart”. I’ve seen this in the parts list many times, but never saw the evidence in real life. Were there two versions of this set released!? Why do I have those counterparts in this same lot!? This is a new mystery to me!
Here’s a bonus round! Look at this odd element below where the arrow is pointing. A few people might not even know it is LEGO. I know it’s from a football/soccer set, but there are lots of those, and there’s no way I know the name for that element off the top of my head.
Hidden under something in this photo, however, I found a torso with a “10” on it, which narrows it down to five sets. I had thrown the Technic bits aside, thinking they just didn’t belong here, but nope! They are used as the goal in Soccer Player polybag 5012. This has been a lot of extra bonus in this bulk lot!
And finally before we go, let’s look one last time at the Belville dregs in the full picture… You know what? Those columns (pillars) definitely come from 5890 Pretty Wishes Playhouse.
And actually… after borrowing a few pieces here and there from the other sets in the lot and modifying a few colors, I was able to recreate most of the original set. Behold, the playhouse from Belville’s innaugural year, one of four Belville sets released in 1994! (But more about Belville later…)
Thanks for going on this journey with me as I discovered what was really in this random bulk lot. Good luck with your own treasure hunts!
What is the best bulk lot you’ve ever received? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a top patron like Charlie Stephens, Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, Megan Lum, and Andy Price to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.
