Useful Parts and Where to Get Them
The following discussion is quoted from the Facebook Group FLL: Share & Learn .
What are some useful extra parts a team should have? Where can these be bought?
Lots of great ideas about what individual parts to buy, which Technic sets can be useful and where to buy them all.
Image Credit: LEGO
Response by Asha Seshan
Coaches have often asked me what parts I buy my team. I keep an eye out on the sorted bins. The ones that seem to be depleted the most are the parts I replace first - different length beams, Ls, Ts are common. As your team gets more experienced, you might notice that they are looking for different parts. Most of our extra parts were purchased from Bricklink. A select few parts were from Lego Education. People also use Brickowl.
Response by Erin Kendall
We have been looking on Craigslist and ebay for bulk purchases. Would love to hear other options as well.
Response by Swati Gupta
Till now, I also look at Bricklink first, then eBay. Sensors from Lego Education. In hurry, Amazon Prime comes in handy. I ordered universal joints, panel plates, and 5M beams . We ran out of them last time.
Response by Shelby Davis LEGO’s Bricks and Pieces also works well when there are no good vendors on Bricklink: 5x7 frames, half width beams, 3 length combo pins / axles, knob wheels (for 90 degree power delivery on axles). Pieces not in the kits that I’m stocking up on soon: LEGO Axle Pin 3 (11214) (1 length axle, 2 length pin) and LEGO Axle 2m with Pin with Friction (18651) (2 length axle, 1 length pin)
Response by Ryan Evans The Bucket Wheel Excavator (LEGO set 42055) represents EXCELLENT value for money. Some of the parts in it can go for as much as $5 a piece (5*7 frames, panels) and there are a bucket load of them (pun intended). I worked out that the frames alone worked out at AUD $250, so the rest of that pack for $150??? Bargain. Other large technic sets are great also. Panels, larger wheels, newer universal joints…. Lotd
Response by Mic Lowne
Yes bricklink all the way but if you’re after a massive influx of pieces consider buying a kit like the bucket excavator. Sometimes having a range of strange pieces inspires the students to think differently about how they can solve a problem (plus you get to build a cool model first as a team building session)
Response by Ian Woods
We bought the Bucket Excavator kit. Part for part, it seemed a really inexpensive (although big-kit-pricey) way of getting a load of useful parts. linear actuators, 50 O-frames, 75 -15M beams, panels, etc. A stupid number of pegs. Great fun to build in the off-season too.
Response by Angela Wellink
We used a lot of parts from the old mission sets, we hardly ever bought extra parts. In The Netherlands it is very hard to find a good store for extra individual parts. Most teams buy them from over seas, witch make them even more expensive. Over the 10 years we participated we now have a lot of stuff also some extraordinary parts!the internet. We have access to plethora of design information.
Response by Catherine Sarisky
Amazon and Target have it on sale pretty substantially, for folks in the US at least.
Response by Chad Houck Bricklink in general, but in our kit a must have part is the weighted brick. We used 6 total between bot and attachments last season. #73090. Bricklink has a few, but for specific and expensive parts we have done better on eBay. Found 6 of these for $20 shipped last season.