Source for inspirations?

[wolfwing]

What do you use for your ideas, just off the top of your head, looking at other creations, or just pictures and such? Finally getting my collection up to where I can make some stuff, and starting to look for particular specialized pieces like desert colours and such. Now just need to start thinking of what to make.

[Darth Jar Jar]

Well Usually I drive around london for modular buildings and such like right now my bank im making

[-zenn]

I mostly get inspiration from movies and the occasional 'what can I do with this weird piece'.

[Masked Builder]

Pictures, other peoples Mocs etc. Sometimes I also just start doodling.

[Aanchir]

Most of my inspiration comes from actual sets. I'm comfortable building "within a theme"--in other words, adhering to the aesthetic conventions and building styles of an actual theme or set. Sometimes I go one step forward and try designing things that seem like they could be or could have been viable as actual sets.

Needless to say, it's no surprise I don't produce that many completed MOCs this way.

LEGO movies, like the BIONICLE movies or The Adventures of Clutch Powers, have also been inspiring. On LDD I've attempted microscale Space Police III sets at the same scale as the microscale Galactic Enforcer which appears in the latter film.

And lastly, I do a lot of MOCing based on things I encounter in real life. I have a completed MOC of my dorm room on LDD (ought to post that here eventually) and a nearly-completed MOC of one of the bathrooms here at college. I also have attempted time and time again to MOC a Ford Excursion like the one my dad drives, but am hindered by my insistent desire to make it genuinely fit at least four minifigures (two in the front seats and two in the back seats). Most of these MOCs are built on LDD, and I don't always attempt to use only existing parts (although it's a lot more satisfying when I can stick strictly to parts available in sets).

[fred67]

Everywhere. Lately, while some people hate those collectible minifigures, they've given me the most inspiration ("What can I do with this one?"), and it's surprising how minifigures I didn't even care for while looking at the whole collection have become the ones that inspired me to make little vignettes.

Official sets do little for me... while I love them, I'm usually not happy with the build (especially castle themes), and that inspires me to make better ones. I probably also do a lot of modding after building sets because I think they are lacking, or sometimes to just add something to make it more displayable (like the clear pieces to hold up flying quidditch players, since I don't really "play" with the sets).

Other people's MOCs inspire me to an extent... I don't think I've ever wanted to duplicated someone's MOC, but a Eurobricks thread is what got me started on modular castles (and lack of space and pieces made it microscale).

So... I don't know; I never know when something will hit me.

[Aanchir]

Everywhere. Lately, while some people hate those collectible minifigures, they've given me the most inspiration ("What can I do with this one?"), and it's surprising how minifigures I didn't even care for while looking at the whole collection have become the ones that inspired me to make little vignettes.

Official sets do little for me... while I love them, I'm usually not happy with the build (especially castle themes), and that inspires me to make better ones. I probably also do a lot of modding after building sets because I think they are lacking, or sometimes to just add something to make it more displayable (like the clear pieces to hold up flying quidditch players, since I don't really "play" with the sets).

Other people's MOCs inspire me to an extent... I don't think I've ever wanted to duplicated someone's MOC, but a Eurobricks thread is what got me started on modular castles (and lack of space and pieces made it microscale).

So... I don't know; I never know when something will hit me.

I never really bothered building within a theme for castle sets, either, but then again it's been forever since I've done any castle building (or even collected any castle sets). My creativity is somewhat lacking, and when it comes to actual structures I'm most comfortable with things I can see around me. My in-theme building is pretty much restricted to designing stylized vehicles for themes like Agents, Power Miners, Atlantis, and Space Police III.

Speaking of which, another thing that serves as inspiration in sort of the same way as in-theme building is building using a limited parts palette. For instance, I like restricting myself to the parts from one or two sets nowadays (which is practical anyway since I'm at college and don't have my full collection at hand). I also challenge myself with the DesignByMe palette on LEGO Digital Designer.

Building with limited parts is one of the reason I've come to love the sets that come with the LEGO Brickmaster magazine. Most come with less than 100 pieces, and it's nice to see what one can do with just those pieces. Since my twin brother also gets the magazine (and is my roommate), we may even combine the parts of two identical Brickmaster sets and see what we can come up with.

I don't have anywhere near my brother's creative talent, though. He's built some wonderful things with his Brickmaster sets, including an adorable frog from his Creator crocodile (far better than the one for which instructions were included in the actual magazine) and a stylized miniature Jedi Starfighter from his Star Wars Mini Republic Gunship set (although I had to modify that one to eliminate an illegal connection).

One reason building Castle sets "within a theme" is ridiculous is because budgetary considerations take a HUGE toll on the quality of many Castle sets. Making a castle substantial (i.e. more than just boring walls and a few action features) requires ignoring budget as well as any limitations on complexity encountered with regular LEGO sets. Certainly some LEGO sets do manage using incredible, atypical building techniques, but those are mostly LEGO exclusives like the modular buildings-- indeed, the best Castle set I've seen in a long time was the Medieval Market Village, a LEGO exclusive itself. If only a LEGO exclusive were released that were an actual European castle at the level of complexity of, say, the Taj Mahal or Medieval Market Village. That would be more than incredible.

[fred67]

One reason building Castle sets "within a theme" is ridiculous is because budgetary considerations take a HUGE toll on the quality of many Castle sets. Making a castle substantial (i.e. more than just boring walls and a few action features) requires ignoring budget as well as any limitations on complexity encountered with regular LEGO sets.

Yup... that's why, while I have castle sets, the MOC I'm working on is microscale... it's the only way I can afford to make it "substantial," (good choice of words), and the only way I have room for it.

I do plan on combining a number of castle sets, but I don't have space... I have no idea when I'll be able to move, but I will never have the space I want in my current house. We've been planning on moving for some time, but conditions make it very difficult.

[Peppermint_M]

Everything. Anything and everywhere. Some days I am not even doing anything in particular and I am hit with an idea. One model can be an homage to some media I enjoy, the next just some idea I had when looking at my bricks. If I actively seek inspiration I find I become stressed if I lack or lose it, so I leave things come and go as they please. It means that I sometimes do not manage to fully realise an idea before I move on, but I don't mind.

[Mrlegoninja]

I build random stuff in LDD, and if I like my work, I try to build it in real bricks.

[Brickdoctor]

I'm a Star Wars fan, so naturally I pick something from the Original Trilogy and then try to blow TLG's version out of the water.

[Darth Jar Jar]

I'm a Star Wars fan, so naturally I pick something from the Original Trilogy and then try to blow TLG's version out of the water.

What about the AT-RT and A SNOTY slice off Kashyyyk? So are you secretly a PT fan

[shiftaltcmd]

Movies mostly. I prefer animated movies because they are more of a caricature than real life and Lego works better as caricature than trying to look real.

Scale is a problem. The minifigs are too wide compared to the height, more like a hobbit or a dwarf than a normal human being.

The dream-project would be like the Brick testament but with Middle-earth instead. But it has to wait until I get filthy rich.

And comics, but they are not easy to translate into Lego. Lego minifigs are usually to happy, to cheerful.

The clean simple lines of Herge seems to be impossible to turn into Lego.

Asterix, Lucky Luke, Disney, Spirou is also to difficult. The characters are so specific, it's even difficult to turn them into movies. Much easier with superheroes that can hide behind a mask or costume.

Blueberry is to dark and dirty, like Clint Eastwood.

Valerian might be possible. In my opinion that would be more interesting than Star Wars.

I'm not that found of cars. But half of my mocs are cars. Because of the rest of the family and the challenge. You cannot do the fun things all the time, sometimes you have to do the necessary things as well.

I'm not so good with 3D, so Lego comes as very good practice. The next step will be to do more things which involves different kinds of mechanics.

I used to live close to the place there Christopher Polhem lived, father of swedish mechanics, about 100 years before the swedish industrial revolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Polhem

I have to learn the new toys at my work, why not use them for custom Lego-things, 3D-printer, laser-cut, UV-printer with white and gloss. At the moment I'm experimenting with printing on cloth and then cut it with the laser.

[Brickdoctor]

What about the AT-RT and A SNOTY slice off Kashyyyk? So are you secretly a PT fan

I built the Kashyyyk vig for a contest, where there wasn't much choice. The AT-RT was a project I started when CW first came out, and I was excited hoping to see the PT 'corrected', and then it turned out even worse. But the AT-RT became my pet. I've been ridiculed on MOCpages for the sheer number of times I've redone it.

[Darth Jar Jar]

I built the Kashyyyk vig for a contest, where there wasn't much choice. The AT-RT was a project I started when CW first came out, and I was excited hoping to see the PT 'corrected', and then it turned out even worse. But the AT-RT became my pet. I've been ridiculed on MOCpages for the sheer number of times I've redone it.

See you are a PT fan after all

[XimenaPaulina]

It will depend on your main interest, as I, also being a SW fan, obviously find my inspiration on SW stuff. Occasionally, I would do other non-SW creations that are based on things that I see on the internet, movies, or t.v.

Edited October 16, 2010 by KielDaMan

[CommanderFox]

Most of my inspiration would probably be like KDMs, Internet, CW series, and the classic SW movies.

CF

[Aanchir]

Movies mostly. I prefer animated movies because they are more of a caricature than real life and Lego works better as caricature than trying to look real.

Scale is a problem. The minifigs are too wide compared to the height, more like a hobbit or a dwarf than a normal human being.

The dream-project would be like the Brick testament but with Middle-earth instead. But it has to wait until I get filthy rich.

Scale is indeed an issue I run into a lot. And given how OCD I can be about it, it's yet another reason I don't often finish MOCs worth presenting here.

If minifig width is comparable to human width, then a minifig is too short (roughly three feet). If it's comparable to human height (roughly six feet), the minifig is too wide. The solution I use is to settle with a height halfway between these extremes. I treat minifigs as 4.5 feet tall and 3 feet wide with arms at sides-- particularly when building vehicles. When working with the interior of a building, I may be forced to treat a minifig as shorter and slimmer (since making furniture they can interact with properly is essential).

And comics, but they are not easy to translate into Lego. Lego minifigs are usually to happy, to cheerful.

The clean simple lines of Herge seems to be impossible to turn into Lego.

Asterix, Lucky Luke, Disney, Spirou is also to difficult. The characters are so specific, it's even difficult to turn them into movies. Much easier with superheroes that can hide behind a mask or costume.

Blueberry is to dark and dirty, like Clint Eastwood.

Valerian might be possible. In my opinion that would be more interesting than Star Wars.

Well said. Wondering how the upcoming Tintin movie will pull it off.

I'm not that found of cars. But half of my mocs are cars. Because of the rest of the family and the challenge. You cannot do the fun things all the time, sometimes you have to do the necessary things as well.

Same here. Although, as I said, I mostly deal with the cars I encounter in real life, not with sports cars or other popular vehicles. I've tried time and time again to build a minifig-scale Volkswagen beetle, though, and no matter how infuriating it can be I'm intent on someday making one that works well.

[CP5670]

Official sets are the biggest source of ideas for me. Many of my MOCs start out because there is something I don't like about an official set, and I think I can do a better job with the same concept. I do occasionally see things in real life or in PC games that inspire me (usually ground vehicles of some sort). There was a big combine harvester in a wheat field across the street a few days ago, and watching that in action gave me a few ideas.

As a primarily Space and Technic builder, minifig scale issues haven't been too much of a concern. Space models don't need to resemble things in reality, and as long as the minifigs can sit/stand inside properly, it's usually good enough for me.

[escortmad79]

My own mind

Other peoples MOCs

Looking around at buildings

Aliencat's Escape from Planet Monday

Jamie Berard

[Commander Laquiet]

I tend to just build stuff from themes that I am interested in at the time. For example if I hear Lego are bringing out a new modular building, I'll be in the mood to build one of them (however strange and different it ends up from the real ones )

Occasionally I browse the MOC indexes and take some inspiration from there, it's like looking through a massive magazine of sets and trying to emulate some of them. And then there are the MOC's I return to often for inspiration in particular things, like landscaping (cough: DerfelCardarn :cough) or little details that finish things off (cough: SlyOwl :cough).

I think if you're looking for the best inspiration you just have to start building, though. If you're in the mood, a good MOC will just come.

[Stank]

There are lot of sources for me: real life, imagination, Youtube, Google, pretty much everything.

When i drive (or walk) around the town i look at the buildings and cars. If i spot a nice car i try to remember how it looks. When i come home... For a building i also look at it and remember how it looks.When i come home i try to remember what details it had and try to incorporate them in my building. I don't build buildings, i lack pieces (about 800 or more loose pieces).