FAQ
Questions and Answers:
- How will I receive my instructions/sticker file/parts list?
- Do your instructions come with LEGO pieces?
- How do I buy LEGO pieces?
- How do I run the trains?
- Do I need stickers?
- How do I print stickers?
- What if I want stickers, but I don't want to print stickers?
- What if there's something wrong with my model, or I just think it's not as beautiful as I wanted? Or if I'm not happy for any other reason?
How will I receive my instructions/sticker file/parts list?
After you purchase, you'll see a Download your files section on the order confirmation page. From here, you can download your instructions PDF, printable sticker PDF, and parts list XML file. You can return to this page at any time from your order confirmation email.
You will also receive a separate email with the same files, immediately after purchase is complete.
Please reach out to us at hello@eggybricks.com if you have any issues!
Do your instructions come with LEGO pieces?
Sadly, no. Keep reading though!
How do I buy LEGO pieces?
Buying LEGO pieces for custom creations is a bit of an adventure! Sorry in advance. We've come to love the process now, but we know it can be a little scary at first.
(For a video walkthrough of the entire process shown below, check out Belle-Ve Bricks's great explainer video: How to Import an XML File into Bricklink to buy your LEGO Bricks!)
The easiest way to buy parts is to purchase from BrickLink. With your order, you will receive a BrickLink XML parts list file that can be uploaded to BrickLink.
To create a BrickLink Wanted List from the parts file:
- Log in to BrickLink.
- In the top menu, hover "Want" and click "Upload".
- Change the tab to "Upload BrickLink XML format".
- Change the "Add to" dropdown to the second-to-last option, "Create New Wanted List" and give it a name.
- Open the provided .xml file in a text editor (like Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac) and copy-and-paste the full contents into the input box.
- Click "Proceed to verify items". After this is done, you should get a list of parts.
- Scroll all the way down the page and click "Add to Wanted List".
- Click "View [wanted list name]".
To purchase parts from a BrickLink Wanted List (see article How to Buy from Wanted Lists for more details):
- Click the green "Buy All" button.
- Optionally set "Store location" to your location for cheaper shipping, usually.
- Click "Auto-select".
- Unselect "Select stores when item price is lower than store Minimum Buy".
- Click "Start". (The "Selected Stores" section should tell you what percentage of the parts in your list are available. It should say something like 377/377 assigned (100%). If fewer than 100% of the parts are assigned, that means that are some parts that weren't available on BrickLink.)
- Click "Create carts". This will create a cart for each of the stores.
- Check out from each store that's been selected separately.
If you like to bargain-hunt, you can trade off your time for some money by searching for parts manually instead. We do this on really slow days.
Other places you can order bricks are LEGO.com's Pick-a-Brick and BrickLink competitors like BrickOwl. These are less straightforward to use, though, and usually take longer to ship and/or have higher prices.
How do I run the trains?
You can do this with either a mobile device (phone or tablet) or the LEGO remote control.
Using a mobile device:
- Download and install the LEGO PoweredUp mobile app.
- In the app, select the CITY Express Passenger Train profile (it’s a green train) (or any other train profile).
- Select the Bluetooth icon and connect to the train's battery box/hub by hitting its green button.
- You should be ready to go!
Using the LEGO remote control:
The train can also be controlled via a LEGO Remote Control by pressing and holding down the green button on the remote control at the same time as the green button on the Battery Box/Hub. If paired successfully, the remote and battery-box lights should light up and be the same color.
Do I need stickers?
No, you don't! Our models are designed to look good with and without stickers. We just design the stickers because we like to, and we think they take the models up another notch.
How do I print stickers?
Like buying parts, printing stickers can be easy or hard.
The process that we'd recommend (note that we are nitpicky though. You can skip the parts that seem extra-finicky if you don't mind the stickers being a little blurry):
1. Buy WHITE sticker paper that matches your printer. We use an Epson Ecotank inkjet printer, and recommend HTVRONT brand printable vinyl paper: this glossy one if you want glossy stickers or this matte one if you want matte stickers. These supposedly work for both inkjet and laser printers, but we haven't tried them on other printers. Our sticker pages are designed and laid out for letter size paper (8.5" x 11"). It may take some trial and error to find the best paper for your printer, but once you do, you can stick with that type for life.
2. Tune your printer to make nice prints. This is one of the more finicky parts of this process. Our tips are to:
- Set your paper type on the printer itself to match your sticker paper, i.e. "premium glossy" if glossy or "premium matte" if matte
- Make sure your print dialog (software) settings match the paper setting above, i.e. premium glossy or premium matte
- Make sure your print dialog (software) is set to Best/Highest Quality. This makes a huge difference in the quality of your print, and will make your printer take much longer to print a page.
- Ideally, set a custom color profile or tweak the color output of your printer to get the most accurate output. This is unique to each printer and may be difficult to do, sorry. This is optional, but as color and printing nerds we have to mention it. (Google ICC profiles for more information, or play with the color profiles installed with your printer driver.)
3. If you printed on inkjet and not laser, let your page air-dry for at least 12 hours before you touch the printed part.
4. Optionally, laminate your printed sheet with a water- and UV-protective layer. This will keep the ink from fading with sun or scratching over time (or dissolving in water). We use Oracal Oraguard 210 on our stickers for this, but it's a little hard to source — a reasonably-good and easier-to-use alternative is HTVRONT self-adhesive vinyl (it's just a little less protective). You can skip this step — just be careful with your stickers since their ink is exposed.
If you have access to a sublimation printer, you probably know what you're doing but you can skip 1-4 and just sublimate your stickers instead — they'll be waterproof.
The hardest part for us, though, honestly, is:
5. Cut the stickers out. We have a Silhouette Cameo 4 automated cutter so we use that — without that, you'll have to use scissors. (We can provide the cut file if you have a cutter yourself — just email us at hello@eggybricks.com!)
What if I want stickers, but I don't want to print stickers?
We know some of you might want stickers, but not want to print them yourself. Since we have the equipment to print and cut, we provide sticker sheets for each of our models for an extra $9-12 each shipped. (This is only a little more than the cost of the materials + shipping.) We may stop doing this in the future, but until then it's fun to send you mail!
Just select "With Printed + Shipped Sticker Sheet" for any of the models to get the printed stickers. This is available in the U.S. and Canada only for now, but we're happy to expand if you reach out and are willing to answer a few questions about how mail works in your country!
What if there's something wrong with my model, or I just think it's not as beautiful as I wanted? Or if I'm not happy for any other reason?
We want our models (and their building experience) to be perfect, so if you have any thoughts or feedback we'd love to hear it! We want to fix anything that's wrong or even just a little awkward.
Please don't hesitate to email us at hello@eggybricks.com. (We have regular jobs too though, so we may not respond instantly — that doesn't mean we don't appreciate it! We are committed to fixing all suboptimal LEGO.)