Many LUGs have traditions that are unique to their group. It might be the meeting location, the kind of food the members enjoy, the preferred MOC style, or even a special game they play. For the Melbourne LEGO User Group (MUGs) in Australia, it’s an activity known as Partsies.

I recently chatted to Partsies Master, long-time MUGs member and current MUGs committee member, Travis Matheson, about the origins of Partsies, and why it’s been an enduring activity in the MUGs community for nearly 20 years.

SAB: What is Partsies?

TM: Partsies is a part-sharing activity similar to a Parts Draft, but with less formality and fewer copies of a set.

SAB: How did it start?

TM: Like a lot of LUG activities, the origin story begins in the early days of the LUG in the early 2000s. MUGs founding member, Paul Baulch, was the instigator of Partsies, and is responsible for the name. It started as a way for Paul to offload the unwanted parts from the sets he had purchased at a discount. Sometimes he had multiple copies of a set. Other times is was just a single copy.

SAB: Isn’t this just a variation of a Parts Draft?

TM: Well, yes, you could say that. The key thing with Partsies is that it’s usually very informal and the only person with any initial financial outlay is the person running the Partsies. It often runs with just one copy of a set. Some of the participants might spend as little as fifty cents or a dollar depending on the parts they select. Others might spend a large amount of money if they choose lots of parts.

SAB: There isn’t an even distribution of parts?

TM: Correct. This is one of the reasons why Partsies is popular. When it first started, many of the participants were at university or had limited disposable income. Bricklink was in its infancy, there were no local LEGO stores, and the LEGO website (Shop at Home) had only just been made available in Australia, and postage was $90 regardless of the number of sets purchased. Prior to this time, the only place you could really buy LEGO was from toy or department stores. Logistically speaking, it was challenging for a person to buy multiple copies of a set if they just wanted a small number of parts. Partsies gave the average AFOL, with limited funds, the opportunity to purchase someone else’s parts without having to worry about overseas currencies or postage. You could purchase as little or as much as you needed depending on the funds you had available

SAB: How does it work?

TM: A large, but low, round container/tub is placed on a table and the participants gather around in anticipation. The organiser usually takes one bag at a time out of the set, selects what they want from the bag and places the rest into the tub. The participants then frantically grab any parts they wish to own. If the organiser has multiple copies of a set, they will open all copies of the same bag at once before moving onto the next one. Once all the bags have been opened, the participants work out what they owe the organiser based or an agreed price per part.

PARTSIES 2021 photo courtesy of Melbourne LEGO user Group (MUGS)

SAB: That sounds a little insane…

TM: It can be. Speed is the key to grabbing the parts you wish to have. There is usually no time to hesitate. Sometimes you can negotiate with the other participants to even up selections - especially if there are left and right hand versions of a piece. Partsies has been compared to a feeding frenzy at the zoo. Nobody gets hurt, though, and violence is actively discouraged. The organiser will ask someone to leave if they are being silly or too rough.

SAB: How many people can participate in Partsies?

TM: The number is usually limited to the number that can comfortably gather around a trestle table and still have access to the parts tub. If everyone is squeezed in because there are too many participants, then it becomes too competitive and unfair for some people.

SAB: How much does it cost to participate in Partsies?

TM: There is no minimum expenditure and the price per part is determined by the organiser depending on how much they paid for the set. These days it can work out to be around ten cents per part (AUD). In the past, it was calculated by portion, but that was deemed to be unfair for those purchasing larger parts compared to those with just smaller parts. Sometimes, the organiser has purchased the set at a heavily discounted price and wishes to make a profit from selling the leftover pieces. This is often referred to as Profitsies. If there are parts at the end that no one wishes to purchase (Dregsies), then you can sometimes negotiate a discount with the organiser so they don’t get stuck with parts for which they have no use.

SAB: Does this apply to minifigs as well? Can I get a minifig for forty cents?

TM: Not usually. The minifigs are usually separated prior to the parts being placed in the parts tub and are made available separately. Their cost will either be an arbitrary amount like $2 or at a price comparative to the current listings on Bricklink. It just depends on the desirability of the minifig.

Discovering interesting parts before starting Partsies. Photo by Ross Crawford

SAB: Do you need anything special to run Partsies?

TM: Trust is the main requirement. You need to have trust in the person running the Partsies and the other participants. It stops being fun if you think someone will not do the right thing by everyone else involved. Practically speaking, there should be a large round container in which to place the unwanted parts. A square or rectangular container does not always give even access. It helps if there are zip-lock bags available for your purchases and for each participant to bring along small change and a small container in which to collect their parts prior to payment.

SAB: Have you tried to do Partsies outside of MUGs?

TM: It’s been tried, but with limited success. Last time I asked, MUGs was the only LUG that does Partsies on a regular basis. It happens at most in-person MUGs meetings and at regular Pizza and Partsies social events throughout the year.

SAB: Why is it so popular with the MUGs community?

TM: To be honest, I’m not sure. It’s just a thing we do.

So there you have it, Folks! That’s how it’s done in Melbourne. Is this something you might want to try with your friends or LUG? Do you have Jedi reflexes, and think you’d be fast enough to scoop up all the parts you want? Let us know in the comments section below!

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