Brick Haul: Pick-A-Brick

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit a LEGO Store and see how many pieces I could fit in a Pick-A-Brick cup. (Unfortunately, this only happens about once a year because the closest LEGO Store is some distance from where I live.) This time, I was able to get about 1.55 pounds (703 grams) of LEGOs into one Pick-A-Brick cup (subtracting the mass of the cup it ends up being about 1.41 pounds or 640 grams).

Pick-A-Brick Cup on Scale

How do I get so much into one Pick-A-Brick cup? It all starts with patience. I take the time to fill up as much of the volume of the cup as possible with plastic. This takes about an hour to an hour and a half, but it is a fun challenge for me to try and maximize the number of LEGO pieces I can squeeze in there. (When I say squeeze, I really mean squeeze. Do you see all of the cellophane packing tape on the cup? that is there because I have cracked cups multiple times with my method of cramming in as many LEGO pieces as possible.) Here is the method I normally use:

According to the staff at the nearest LEGO Store, the lid does not have to snap shut, it only has to touch the rim of the cup. I start by filling up the bottom of the cup with small pieces, being careful not to cover the top of the anti-stud (this is very important), but still making sure that I maximize that space.

Small Pieces at the Bottom of the Cup

Next I create a 6x6 stud core that goes from the bottom of the cup (the top of the anti-stud) to the underside of the lid. At the top of this core is a 4x4 stud section that will fill up the space on the underside of the stud molded into the lid. (Note: placing tiles or other smooth pieces on the top will allow you to get a few more pieces into what would have been wasted space.) Then I create four identical side pieces that follow the outward slope of the cup, being skinnier at the base and gradually getting thicker towards the top.

 

Layout of How I Pack the Cup

 Finally, I wedge all five assemblies in tightly (thus the need for the reinforcement provided by the tape) and fill the empty spaces in the corners with small pieces. Then I put the lid on, making sure the lid still touches the rim of the cup, and ask a LEGO Store employee to tape it. And there you have it, a fully packed Pick-A-Brick cup!

Cup Fully Packed

After sorting all of the pieces out, it really gives some perspective on how many pieces one can cram into one Pick-A-Brick cup if one really tries. You cannot see it very well from the top view, but if all of the pieces were just packed loosely, they would take up about 2 full large Pick-A-Brick cups (the extra cups in the picture are just ones on hand that I use for sorting).

 

Sorted LEGO Pieces from One Pick-A-Brick Cup

  Do you have a method you usually use when you fill a Pick-A-Bick cup? Leave a comment below.