Making your own pieces

[Larry]

Does any one know how to make your own pieces? I would think that there has to be a way to make Lego pieces that are "after market" that you could use to make your creations better.

[Siegfried]

I know enough to know that I don't want to do it! There is an excellent article here that should give you an idea of how hard it is. Welcome to Eurobricks by the way! *sweet*

[Brainbox]

I know enough to know that I don't want to do it!

Hear hear! Lego is all about creativity, and that creativity is effectively destroyed by making a piece to fit, as opposed to using your initiative and going about it using what you've got. Besides, nce you've customised something, you can't get it back. How awful would it be to need one piece to finish a really cool MOC, and find you've sliced-and-diced your only one :-X .

[john cleese]

i bet if i made pieces they would be all mishapen and the color would be off. Ill leave it to those whacky machines in the factories and get my old parts via bricklink.

[Brainbox]

Ill leave it to those whacky machines in the factories

Whacky (or rather, whacking) machines, eh? Hinckley will be pleased...

[larry marak]

Whacky (or rather, whacking) machines, eh? Hinckley will be pleased...

The Forbidden Lego book has information on cutting and otherwised modifying pre-made lego bricks, and over on bricklink an automotive plastic dye was identified which is absorbed into white ABS, allowing you to make bricks in about 16 new colors...not high demand colors, but enough to greatly increase your variety.

[Brainbox]

The Forbidden Lego book has information on cutting and otherwised modifying pre-made lego bricks, and over on bricklink an automotive plastic dye was identified which is absorbed into white ABS, allowing you to make bricks in about 16 new colors...not high demand colors, but enough to greatly increase your variety.

But, like I said, it's kind of cheating isn't it? If a piece you'd really like doesn't exist, find a way of doing it with what actually got. Improvise, improvise, improvise.

[Starwars4J]

But, like I said, it's kind of cheating isn't it? If a piece you'd really like doesn't exist, find a way of doing it with what actually got. Improvise, improvise, improvise.

Well that's the great debate. Some say "don't modify pieces, building with what you have is art!" and others say "modify pieces, making new parts is art!" and they both hold water and seem valid enough. Overall if someone wants to modify pieces they need to be decent at it in order to make it look professional (and if it won't look professional, why bother modifying at all?). Personally I wouldn't modify parts to build sets with, but I have equal respect for people who do. And great respect for MF customizers.

[Brainbox]

Personally I wouldn't modify parts to build sets with, but I have equal respect for people who do. And great respect for MF customizers.

Oh sure, yeah. I admire custom minifigs as much as the next person. But they're just not something I'd try.

I suppose each to his own, and what you do with your collection is your business, though.

[Shadows]

Purist here. Mixing and matching official parts to achieve a look is one thing, but I wouldn't go so far as to cut a perfectly good piece. Now I might consider two broken parts being merged in some useful way, I just haven't found that opportunity yet.

As for making parts ... good luck. I tried making little lead cannons for a game once and it was a nightmare. A nightmare! *runs off screaming!* *wacko*

[Siegfried]

Now I might consider two broken parts being merged in some useful way, I just haven't found that opportunity yet.

Well that is something I plan to do. I have a lot of broken parts because during my Dark Ages I stupidly gave my lego away. (I bought it back later!) Most are useless now due to bent edges and I plan to square up them. That is about as far as I would go. My attitude is that if you want to build things with custom or modified pieces, just do kit bashing. Once you lose the re-usable nature of Lego you might as well be using something else. But that is just me.