Sorry if this topic was posted elsewhere.  I searched but couldn't find.

 

If your goal is MOC'ing, specifically city scenes (modular buildings, streets, railway, etc.), what's a better approach to gathering materials?  Buying bulk on ebay or buying sets?  

 

For example, there's some discussion about the Tower Bridge being a good raw material set because of the high price per piece ratio.  Would it therefore be better to buy that set?  

 

Assume I'm looking to build buildings in usual colors like dark brown, dark gray, tan, light blue, etc.  Tower Bridge has a good amount of those.  Or should I wait for what looks like a good ebay bulk sale in terms of the kind of bricks I might want?  Or, yet again, should I look for used sets on ebay?

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks.

While I will never be talented enough to do amazing MOC's, I would think Bricklink or purchasing parts you want directly from Lego Shop at Home would be the best way to get exactly what you what. 

This has been talked about before somewhat with varying results in opinion. I think if you just need a few or a whole bunch of specific parts then Bricklink or sometimes Shop-at-Home is a way to go. It's also worth giving your local Lego Store's Pick-a-Brick wall a try. Overall for myself, I just find it easier and cheaper on the whole to buy sets new with parts I need at the moment and others I'll find a use for later (which I always do).

 

For example, there's some discussion about the Tower Bridge being a good raw material set because of the high price per piece ratio. Would it therefore be better to buy that set?

Assume I'm looking to build buildings in usual colors like dark brown, dark gray, tan, light blue, etc. Tower Bridge has a good amount of those. Or should I wait for what looks like a good ebay bulk sale in terms of the kind of bricks I might want? Or, yet again, should I look for used sets on ebay?

If there is a readily available set you know to mainly contain a lot of pieces you need then just buy the set. You won't save any money trying to buy every single part individually from separate Bricklink sellers with different minimum buying requirements, fees, and shipping costs. Plus, you never know how the condition of each part will be until you receive them.

I like collecting sets and MOCing, so usually I'll buy the sets I like, leave it built for a while, and then take it apart and sort the parts into my collection.  I've hit the pick a brick wall a couple times to get a large amount of common bricks that I need, like the tiny stud pieces or plain bricks.

 

I haven't bought any large bulk lots because I'd rather buy new instead of sorting through someone else's parts.