Introduction
In an age where new is often better, even products with millions of users at a given time may fade into obscurity in just a matter of years. MySpace, valued at USD12 billion at one point, has been relegated to the (perhaps coveted in 2019) status of a meme. The Tamagotchi, king of the toy hill just 10 years back, with an astounding 40 million units sold, has barely made a dent on its return this year, showing us just how difficult it is to maintain a loyal fan base.
This makes LEGO an interesting exception. Founded in 1932, it remains one of the most powerful brands in the world and the most valuable toy brand, with its USD7+ billion valuation (2018) being 6 times more than its closest rival in Bandai Namco.
The success of LEGO has been chalked down by many to the shrewd management by Vig Knudstorp, former CEO of the LEGO Group through policies such as streamlining the business to concentrate on areas they were good at. However, what was perhaps more important was the opening up of conversations with its customers. From LEGO Friends to LEGO IDEAS, the company gave its customers the opportunity to influence, and even create the toys they sold.
LEGO MOCs
While anyone who has built LEGO will know that there is a seemingly infinite number of ways to put even a small number of bricks together, Mathematicians have come up with a more definite number – 915,103,765 combinations for 6 4×2 bricks. With the largest set, the LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (2017) tallying in at 7541 parts, it would certainly be a tremendous waste to build only the model that came in the instruction booklet!
Enter LEGO MOCs (My Own Creations), where builders use parts, oftentimes not from any particular set to bring their ideas to life. Some builders choose to showcase their works physically at conventions like Bricks by the Bay and Brickvention, even working collaboratively in the case of modules for the Great Ball Contraption.
Others take to online platforms such as the official LEGO IDEAS page, other third party sites like Rebrickable, and more generic ones such as their own Youtube Channels and Facebook Groups.
Regardless of how these creations are shared, and even if they are kept private, LEGO MOCs are a great form of individual expression and an excellent way to hone one’s technical abilities and intuitions. LEGO’s take on the Bugatti Chiron, perhaps inspired by this earlier build, is testament to the potential of this platform.
About this series
This series shall attempt to introduce the beginner to the creative process behind designing their own LEGO MOC through the 4 main methods detailed below:
- Steam Engine Locomotive Project (follow along)
- Coming up with an idea for projects open (usually self-initiated), closed and anywhere in between (when building for client, subject to openness of expectations)
- Deciding your Scale
- Balancing Accuracy with Build Complexity and Part Availability
- Motorization/Adding Electronics
- Building for Interactivity
- Past Projects
- General Pointers
- LEGO Parts – The Art of Sorting, Dealing with Constraints, Buying LEGO, and Using non-LEGO Elements
- Documenting Your Build – from Logging to CADs to Renders to Photography
- The MOC Community
- Opinions from the SG MOC Community (Do contact me if you are willing to share!)
Through these posts, I hope to lower ones’ psychological barrier to starting their first MOC, and provide a simple workflow from ideation to completion for anyone to build on and make their own, and hopefully grow the MOC community, if only just a little.
