Sometimes the best LEGO adventures aren’t the ones planned weeks in advance, but the spur-of-the-moment trips that happen in the middle of an otherwise ordinary day. Today was one of those moments. A sneaky lunchtime run out to Bray turned into a delightful €30 LEGO haul – complete with Star Wars minifigure gems, a pile of instruction booklets, and a little bit of family negotiating that ended up costing me more than just €30.
The Haul
For a collector, the phrase “big unsorted box” is as tempting as “treasure chest.” You never really know what you’re going to find until you’re elbow-deep in it. This Bray pickup was exactly that: one large unsorted box of LEGO, with some loose parts visible on top and a promise that instruction booklets were included.
The seller handed me the stack of manuals, and my heart leapt a little. Among them were a mix of LEGO City, Creator, Technic, Ultra Agents, Bionicle, and The LEGO Movie booklets. Here’s what made it into the bag:
- 4643 LEGO City – Power Boat Transporter
- 7208 LEGO City – Fire Station
- 7639 LEGO City – Camper Van (missing the front cover but otherwise intact)
- 7936 LEGO City – Level Crossing
- 31028 LEGO Creator – Sea Plane
- 31030 LEGO Creator – Red Go-Kart
- 31032 LEGO Creator – Red Creatures
- 42020 LEGO Technic – Twin Rotor Helicopter
- 70163 LEGO Ultra Agents – Toxikita’s Toxic Meltdown
- 70789 LEGO Bionicle – Onua – Master of Earth
- 70811 LEGO The LEGO Movie – Flying Flusher
- 70812 LEGO The LEGO Movie – Creative Ambush
On their own, these booklets are worth holding onto. But the real prize, hidden among the bricks, was the unmistakable sight of some LEGO Star Wars minifigures: a classic Stormtrooper and a sleek TIE Fighter pilot. For €30, that’s already value secured. If even half the sets connected to the booklets are buried in that box, then this haul becomes a small but mighty jackpot.
The Negotiation – Rose vs. Dad
Of course, no haul adventure is complete without a little family drama. Today it was Rose’s turn to flex her bargaining power.
She wasn’t too keen on the idea of coming along for another LEGO pickup. Unlike Luke, who will happily ride shotgun on any hunt, Rose had other plans for her day. A Happy Meal bribe wasn’t on the cards this time either, as lunch had already been prepped at home. I needed both her and Luke with me, so the negotiation table was set.
Rose’s terms were simple: a toy from Smyths.
Her choice? An Our Generation doll bath set – complete with running water sounds. In her mind, this was a fair trade for sacrificing her lunchtime freedom to another Redmond’s Forge LEGO mission.
Luke, never one to miss an opportunity, decided he too should get something. His pick was a big one: Hogwarts Legacy for the PS5 – a title that had been recommended to him during last week’s Rathnew haul adventure. I had to admit, it was a solid choice.
By the time we’d pulled into Bray, I realised my “€30 LEGO haul” had spiralled into something far larger – but then again, these little family negotiations are part of the fun. LEGO is about building, but it’s also about memories, and today’s memory has Rose and Luke written all over it.
Smyths Bonus Finds
Once the Bray box was secured, we headed to Smyths to hold up my end of the bargain. The kids got their rewards, and while they were busy at the toy aisles, I stumbled upon a little unexpected treasure of my own:
Three LEGO One Piece posters.
One Piece is having a big cultural moment, and LEGO’s recent partnership around it is exciting to see. I picked up all three, and the plan is to frame one for display at Redmond’s Forge. It’ll be a fun splash of colour on the wall, and a reminder that LEGO is as much about culture and fandom as it is about bricks.
Why These Small Hauls Matter
On paper, this wasn’t a massive haul. There weren’t dozens of sealed sets or shelves of Technic giants to load into the boot. But there’s something special about the small hauls – the ones you pick up at lunchtime between work and school runs.
This Bray box has a bit of everything:
- City sets that remind you of LEGO’s timeless appeal in everyday scenes.
- Creator sets that show off LEGO’s clever 3-in-1 design philosophy.
- Technic that pushes the envelope with engineering builds.
- Ultra Agents and Bionicle – a slice of LEGO’s experimental, sometimes overlooked themes.
- The LEGO Movie booklets, which tie into one of LEGO’s most successful mainstream ventures.
- Star Wars minifigures, which are always collectible and always exciting to find in the wild.
And woven into all of that is the memory of Rose standing her ground, Luke plotting his next PlayStation adventure, and me quietly smiling as I added another small chapter to the Redmond’s Forge story.
Looking Ahead
The real question now: how much of those booklets will match what’s inside the box? Will I find the Camper Van, the Flying Flusher, or the Twin Rotor Helicopter buried among the pieces? Only time (and a few evenings of sorting) will tell.
But whether the sets are complete or not, this little trip to Bray has already paid off. For €30, a handful of booklets, and a couple of Star Wars minifigs, I’ve got a haul that tells a story. Add in two happy kids with their Smyths treasures and a trio of One Piece posters for the Forge wall, and I’d say today was more than worth it.
Sometimes the best LEGO hauls aren’t about size or value, but about the journey. And this lunchtime trip to Bray was one of those moments – small in scale, but full of heart.
