I know that many of you are frustrated by the lack of color parts and the lack of cool kits to build. My goto for years has been e-Bay. But if you are looking for things, you should actually know what things cost.
Amazon.com: HEXBUG VEX Robotics AXIS Robotic Arm : Toys & Games
These are the same kits - the Amazon one is $28 with free shipping, Target is $29 at the store, the Ebay one is $51 with shipping added.
Know what you are buying!
Facebook marketplace and local thrift stores/Goodwill has been my go-to. Especially Goodwill, as there is the enjoyable “treasure hunt” aspect if one is lucky enough to a set(s). I found a “Snap Shot” and “Crossbow” (1.0 version) last week. Each unopened, each $3.99.
In addition to fun colors, there are some unique Hexbug parts that can be useful. My son’s team has a finicky “pinhead” intake that they have tinkered with all season. Some important pieces have been the 3-pitch wheels from “fuel truck” sets, the spherical capped 0x2 pin from the old Spider set, and the 1x3 angle/slope “tooth” piece. Each of these has a definite function not met by any of the usual IQ pieces.
Yah about the colored pieces, was their an official color store by VEX where you could by colorful parts? Because when you go to big organizations you see many colorful parts.
In the early days you could buy all the parts in 10 colors https://kb.vex.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044274672-Color-Part-Number-Info-for-VEX-IQ There are also translucent black ones, lime green ones and the mythical clear ones that @bkahl writes about.
I think management of all those SKU was a problem, so they slowly sold off the stock.
I have a ton of Purple, Orange and Blue parts that I grabbed at the time. There was also a North Jersey team that closed down and I got a station wagons worth of parts, most of them random colors.
Since then the games have had colored parts.
There is a entire series (over 40) different kits made with IQ parts. The last series was yellow and red construction vehicles. Market Place and thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.) is your best bet for reasonably priced ones.
Not mythical, just rare.
