Keeping track of parts or buying new ones?

[Lira_Bricks]

Hello,

I want to build a lot of MOC's, but do not want to take existing ones apart.

Sometimes I use a part in a certain MOC where I could have used another one. When building another MOC, I might realise that I needed that certain part.

What do you do in that situation?

• Do you take apart the first MOC to replace the part, taking the risk that you do not know how to put it back together?
• Do you buy the part (PAB, BrickLink,...) and leave your first MOC be?

[deraven]

Obviously it depends on time constraints, budget, etc., but I usually buy more of what I need (plus extra so I have them on-hand for the next time).  If I'm feeling impatient and not too concerned about disassembling the other MOC (or, more accurately, I don't care how long it remains in pieces before I get back to it  ) I'll take it from there.

I've tried to get a little less hung-up about taking things apart over the last couple years.  My thinking has changed to something like, "if it's so precariously built that I might not be able to put it back together, there's probably a better solution that I should investigate."  Also, for MOCs that I'm really fond of but have concerns, if I don't have anything on them digitally I'll sometimes make it a project to build them up in Studio as I'm carefully disassembling them (building from the outside, in) so I know I can always get back to it as-built or tweak them later in the computer at which point I'm OK with scrapping the whole thing for parts if needed.

[JintaiZ]

Personally, I get the pieces on bricklink. It's probably the cheapest place to buy parts! 

[MAB]

14 minutes ago, deraven said:

Obviously it depends on time constraints, budget, etc., but I usually buy more of what I need (plus extra so I have them on-hand for the next time). 

Pretty much what I do. I tend to know what I will use in many builds, so I tend to just buy out a BL store's stock of that part when I am buying something.

[koalayummies]

Take stuff apart. If you never take anything apart it might as well be Kragle'd.

Photograph it, share it with the world and then build something new with those pieces. Its ok to look back, but don't stare.

[Lira_Bricks]

29 minutes ago, koalayummies said:

Take stuff apart. If you never take anything apart it might as well be Kragle'd.

Photograph it, share it with the world and then build something new with those pieces. Its ok to look back, but don't stare.

I want to build an amusement park. So like the other people who are building cities, I want it to grow.

I had to look up "kragle", but yeah, I am like that guy in the lego movie :P (but without the city, just starting...)

[howitzer]

I guess the answer depends on how you plan to develop your collection in the long term. If you really want to display your MOCs or whatever for a long time and have the space to go with it, you obviously need to get new parts for each new build, but most people don't have the space or money to go that way so they will dismantle the builds at some point.

I personally have a few sets which I want to keep built for displaying but other than that I take my MOCs apart at some point. Sometimes though, I have cannibalized a set or MOC for parts when I have been missing some part and knew it's found in an assembled build. I try to replace them later though, with either new parts or when I take apart the MOC in question.

[Pinnacle]

“Killing your darlings” will always hurt a little in the beginning. But as I see how much dust, cobwebs and dead spiders ended up in a MOC, Then I am only happy to clean up all the parts and used them in a new MOC.

I make photos and drawings of the more complicated creations so I can always reconstruct them.  But I have never done that in reality. I’m more interested in a new challenge. But I need the old parts of course…  

[Lira_Bricks]

Permanently taking my MOC's apart is something I do not want to do. Maybe that changes in the future.

For now I am going for buying extra parts via Bricklink instead of disassembling to fetch a specific part.

 

Thanks for your replies! ^^

 

4 hours ago, Pinnacle said:

how much dust, cobwebs and dead spiders ended up in a MOC

May I know where you kept that MOC? Dust I can understand, but the dead spiders...

[Pinnacle]

On 12/12/2020 at 10:41 PM, Lira_Bricks said:

Permanently taking my MOC's apart is something I do not want to do. Maybe that changes in the future.

For now I am going for buying extra parts via Bricklink instead of disassembling to fetch a specific part.

 

Thanks for your replies! ^^

 

May I know where you kept that MOC? Dust I can understand, but the dead spiders...

My MOC’s are usually slightly larger than the average sets. I build them in an old barn and there they stand on a table. These MOC’s are often scale models of historic buildings such as castles, mansions and the like. Construction time on average one year. Usually, they have a lifespan of ten years and will be exhibited at various events. Because these buildings also have an interior, complete with stairs, hallways, doors, chimney channels and so on, there is plenty of space and opportunity for spiders to crawl in there and make a web. Unfortunately, flies and other food do not come in, so they die prematurely of starvation.

I live in an old farmhouse and I’m amazed that these spiders make cobwebs in the craziest places...  And then die...

Please don't ask me why they do that...

[MAB]

2 hours ago, Pinnacle said:

Please don't ask me why they do that...

If you are going to die, why not die in a cool LEGO moc?

[Pinnacle]

Well, it's always worth considering.

[Flak Maniak]

I tend to keep all my original builds built, so I end up just shoveling more parts onto my BrickLink/B&P orders. If something's in a creation that I consider good/finished, then yeah I'll almost never take it apart. Which, well, makes Lego quite an expensive hobby, if so many parts' destiny is to end up in something permanent. Many sets get broken down for parts; I apparently have far less reverence for those than for my own designs.

[BubbaFit45531]

You could use Lego Digital Designer to recreate it and then output the instructions as well as CTRL+K to screenshot it from whatever angle you want.

I'm trying to use a database to keep track of what parts I have because I forget I already ordered some special parts and order it again.