MOCs...detail as you go, or when you're done?

[punkkid364]

So I'm working on an MOC that, at this stage, I am thinking will be pretty detailed, both in terms of structure (the walls and things) and the furnishings. I was wondering whether people added details as they built, or got the broad strokes down and went back for detailing (which might require rebuilding or rearranging sections) or a combination of the two. I'm at a point where I'd like to get others' input on how they do it before I go any further.

[eurotrash]

Maybe I'm not the best person to offer an opinion (because my MOCs tend to be of the seedier part of town; Bars, Breweries, Flophouses, Soup Kitchens etc), but my general method is the same irrespective of whatever structure I'm building.

First I build the outline shape and get the proportions right and work out how it's going to relate to the adjacent structures, then I add the details and that always means rebuilding and adjusting, then I add the grungy bits - the fallen plaster, the overgrown ivy, the broken down drainpipes etc., then finally I add the tile floors, furniture, bathrooms, etc. Then I take pictures and deconstruct it back to just the outside shell.

It's a process that works for me, but your mileage may vary....

[New_guy]

The details are my inspiration for building my MOCs. I will base a whole MOC on a detail or two that I dream-up.

[Phoxtane]

I tend to base my MOCing on various parts that I think will look interesting in certain combinations, and build to include those details. Many times I base the beginning stages on a certain part, then I build out from there to accommodate what I want to go on next.

[Alfadas]

I am kinda new to making MOCs, but I made a few, and in those MOCs I put in the details while I am building, but when I get the feeling that one part doesn't have enough details, I carefully take that part apart and add some more details.

May I ask what the theme of the MOC is? (Castle, Friends, Star Wars, City.... etc).

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Interesting question. I've done a few minor MOCs, but I'm finishing up a large on in anticipation of this year's "Expand the Winter Village Contest" (assuming EB does one as it has the past few years). It's two years in the making, as I've been fiddling around with how my building will be shaped. Without giving much away, I will say that it originally had a traditional "sloped" roof which wasn't working well, and I eventually had to go back and change it to a flat one. It looks much better. The project is allllllllllllllllllllllmost done in terms of the large builds, but I'm still going back and adding little details to make it more Christmassy and interesting. We'll see how you all like it when I submit it in January....

[Peppermint_M]

It depends. I build some up from details and build details onto others. It is pretty much dependant on what I am creating and why.

[Andy D]

For me the details usually happen as I go, or if I see something the end I will go back and take some apart to add details.

Andy D

[Phoxtane]

...in those MOCs I put in the details while I am building, but when I get the feeling that one part doesn't have enough details, I carefully take that part apart and add some more details.

I do this as well. In addition, I don't like to leave studs exposed, so I use tiles to a reasonable degree. One other thing is that I don't like having curves and right angles butt against each other if at all possible, so I rebuild sections in order to achieve smooth lines.

[jimmynick]

Sometimes you have to build details into a plan you have, but often (I have found) the design of the detail determines the scale of the model and you have to build around that.

It sounds like you're working on a minifigure-scale building, so you can probably make the walls and superstructure first, and then follow up with the details.

[Kivi]

It sounds like you're working on a minifigure-scale building, so you can probably make the walls and superstructure first, and then follow up with the details.

That's the way that I mostly do it, especially when building houses or any larger buildings. I build it with mostly plain walls first and then take most of it apart and add details. Sometimes I don't have all the details in my mind beforehand and many times I get the ideas along the way as I build.

[Bricked]

Get the main body of the shape completed, and then refine it when you are done. If you do detail as you go, you will not know how it's going to look when it is completed.