Does anyone 'Puzzle Build'

[BrickBucket]

A lot of the simpler sets that I buy I tend to do what I call a 'Puzzle build'. Essentially build without instructions and just what's on the box and see how close I can get, like putting together a puzzle, just to challenge myself and get more fun out of the build process.

Some example of sets I've built without instructions:

Alien Conquest tripod invader

Space police Raid VPR

Creator Rescue Robot

Creator Log Cabin

Kingdoms Prison Tower Rescue

Does anyone else do this intentionally for the challenge?

Edited January 5, 2012 by meatbucket

[Rook]

I actually do it regularly with sets under 200 pieces. I’ve suggested that in a Builders Guild instructional guide, as one the ways for builders to improve their building skills. It forces the builder to think of pieces, their unique shapes, and possible uses.

  Quote

Try the following:

Buy & Build a small (10-100 pieces) set just by looking at the box's cover picture. Don't open the instruction booklet! When you're done open the booklet and compare. Next time try it with a medium (100-300 pieces) set. (I've never tried a large (300+ pieces) set.) This works best with a set that you've never built. However, you can also try this by ripping apart a set that you have built before but this time put it together just from memory or if it's too large try it with just the box picture.

http://www.thecabg.net/t207p30-lego-art-design-principles-101#3358

Edited January 5, 2012 by Rook

[prateek]

I do this a lot, but I do periodically check the instructions to see if I did something wrong, which is rarely the case. It adds so much to the experience of building

[Brickthing]

I do this all the time and barely get any challenge from it. Granted I mostly build BIONICLE and Hero Factory sets, where one instruction sheet fits many different sets.

[Henchmen4Hire]

I've been reverse engineering people's MOCs lately, didn't think about doing it with official sets haha

[Oky]

I only do this with really small impulse-type sets, advent calendars, or battle packs. Usually I get it right. Sometimes I do something similar when I try to predict the next few steps of a larger build, but that doesn't always work out.

[brickmack]

I do a lot for sets under 200-300 parts. I usually get it right, or close to.

  On 1/6/2012 at 12:13 AM, DrNightmare said:

I've been reverse engineering people's MOCs lately, didn't think about doing it with official sets haha

I do that sometimes also, but often have to find instructions (if they posted any) for the tricky parts, since MOCs are generally far more complex than official sets.

[Endigo Vandane]

I have never done it with regular sets. Except maybe impulse sets.

But there used to be a time when boxes had alternative builds on their back. I would attempt to recreate those if I really liked the model.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I've built a few of these before. Like others, they were small sets around 100 pieces or so. I used to puzzle build more as a child

[Aanchir]

  On 1/5/2012 at 4:29 PM, meatbucket said:

A lot of the simpler sets that I buy I tend to do what I call a 'Puzzle build'. Essentially build without instructions and just what's on the box and see how close I can get, like putting together a puzzle, just to challenge myself and get more fun out of the build process.

Some example of sets I've built without instructions:

Alien Conquest tripod invader

Space police Raid VPR

Creator Rescue Robot

Creator Log Cabin

Kingdoms Prison Tower Rescue

Does anyone else do this intentionally for the challenge?

I have done this occasionally. It's often very easy to do with the smallest ($8) Hero Factory sets, even though I occasionally avoid doing it with those just because the box images sometimes fail to match the instructions. BIONICLE canister sets were also easy to do this with, because typically the sets in any one series of six were near-identical, so once you had built one you could easily repeat the process several times without needing instructions.

In general, though, I like to use the building instructions most of the time. Part of this is just that I feel the instructions are a key part of the LEGO building experience. Additionally, if you're building a set with someone else's help (as is often the case with me and my siblings), the instructions offer a way to divide up the set. My brothers and I have worked out an elaborate system for deciding who gets what steps and substeps when building a set!

Bag-building, of course, is impossible to do any other way than as a "Puzzle Build", unless you use online instructions or something.

[Sarah]

  On 1/6/2012 at 1:46 PM, Endigo Vandane said:

I have never done it with regular sets. Except maybe impulse sets.

But there used to be a time when boxes had alternative builds on their back. I would attempt to recreate those if I really liked the model.

They don't do that anymore? Yikes. Sometimes I used to buy a set FOR the alternative model and hope I could figure it out!

[Vincent Kessels]

I have never done this, but I like bag-building. I also build copies of sub-assemblies blind.

I'll have to try this next time I buy a small set.