Do you "follow the instructions", build your own, or both?

[hagridshut]

As a Lego enthusiast, do you "follow the instructions" and build sets for collecting/display, build MOCs, or both?

Question inspired by these scenes from The Lego Movie:

Follow the Instructions for a happy life

Escape from Bricksburg

I am conflicted.  As I child, I always followed the instructions, but then disassembled the sets after a few days to build MOCs or add components to existing MOCs.  Decades later, I've re-built many of my old sets using the original instructions.  I occasionally buy new sets because I like the designs, although I inevitably end up tinkering or tweaking the designs if I think improvements can be made.  

Some of my old sets are missing a lot of pieces.  I integrate them with other partially complete sets or even brand new sets to form creations that are half-MOC (builds that have subsections which are recognizable from an original set or sets, but may have sections from other sets or custom builds).

Edited August 15, 2019 by hagridshut
spelling correction

[deraven]

Of my set purchases currently-

15% goes straight into parts

15% stay in the boxes for an undefined period of time (a few for collecting, but most just because I never get through my build queue)

20% get built as-is and kept for display purposes for some longish period of time (Modular Buildings, some of the Ideas sets, other general sets I just really like)

50% (the rest of them) get built via the instructions once for the entertainment value and potentially seeing updated building techniques, etc., and then are fairly quickly disassembled and used for other things or put into the parts collection (sometimes they're "disassembled" by my kids having massive battles with them and whatnot - they know what it's OK to do that with and what are Dad's toys to be left alone).   

That being said, I don't think there's anything right or wrong about what you do with your own Lego.  Building and MODing is definitely part of being an AFOL/enthusiast, but nothing wrong with just enjoying a nice set design as-is, either!  

[TeriXeri]

I always build the main builds first to check for missing parts, because it's more interesting then counting parts inventories.

Unless it's something along the lines of a Classic/Building Bigger Thinking/ Christmas Build-up set, then I do count the parts.

 

Edited August 15, 2019 by TeriXeri

[Littleworlds]

I usually buy a set to build it. Sometimes, when there is a clearance sale or something like that, I get multiples for the pieces. I also happily modify and improve a set where I see it necessary. That can happen straight away (usually small modifications), or bigger ones, like expanding a modular building. I got the Hogwarts Great Hall, for example, and turned it into a rock/metal club with only very limited modifications needed. 

[The Brick Boss]

I follow the instructions. However, if I don't like something, I usually mod it. 

[Retro]

When I buy a set, I build it. Except very occasionally when I've bought something small just for the parts.

I keep a few sets, like Ninjago City, intact, because they are too nice to mess with and also because due to the complexity of it, I'd never get it back together if I took it apart. 

My Millennium Falcon is half the original and half my own tinkering. 

Then about 75% of my sets are taken apart and sorted into loose bricks because;

a) I want bricks for MOCs.

b) If you fill your house with built sets it looks like Willy Wonka lives there.

c) Built sets gather dust terribly and there's only so many glass display cases you can have.

 

[hagridshut]

Interestingly varied responses!

23 hours ago, Littleworlds said:

 I got the Hogwarts Great Hall, for example, and turned it into a rock/metal club with only very limited modifications needed. 

Haha, I can imagine Harry, Ron, Hermione, and all the Hogwarts kids rocking out, while Snape and Filch look on in horror. 

[Roadmonkeytj]

All the above lol.  I have a rule if I dont already own the set then I have to build it following instructions if I like it I usually modify it.   If not I part it out to the bins.  I do my fair share of MOC building for displaying.

[Littleworlds]

1 hour ago, hagridshut said:

Haha, I can imagine Harry, Ron, Hermione, and all the Hogwarts kids rocking out, while Snape and Filch look on in horror. 

Hagrid is the bouncer! I might take a photo of it. My photostudio/lounge table is quite cluttered with bits and pieces atm though.^^

[Peppermint_M]

I build every set I buy, to learn the parts and any techniques in there. Some sets I like to keep  until a part in there is vital, then I will pull the part and start talking the set apart.

If I buy extra copies of a set, those go right for parts.

 

[jimmynick]

When I buy a set it is to be built, so I follow the instructions. If I want to build, then I buy parts, mostly from PaB but sometimes from Bricklink.

[Cylo]

I used to buy sets and build with the manual but most of the times I end up modding it because I wasn't satisfied with a lot of the designs, therefore a lot of my collection ended up incomplete as I pulled off bits of bricks from one set and put them on another. But after discovering all the MOCs people made I kinda got rid of most of my collection as the designs from TLG just cannot be compared with the quality and detail of MOCs these days. Now I buy and build MOCs but sometimes I buy a particular set for the minifigs as that is another thing I like to collect, but then often selling it to scrap up enough money to buy more MOCs :)

[The Brick Boss]

@Reaper I end up Modding some of my sets too. Like the Lego City 60204 Hospital. 

Edited November 13, 2019 by pooda

[baddon]

I am an instructions guy from early childhood and still to this day.

When i buy something i go looking online for the manual (just downloaded and printed out one for my new to me Yamaha Waveblaster 2 from 1995 ish)

I am an Engineer and in work I have to build exactly to plans. 

All 3 of the kids love to go from ideas rather than follow instructions though.

[samurai-turtle]

I mostly use the building instructions, the one benefit of doing it that way is you know the set is complete. But at the same time I would try to combine a set or two to make a new thing (probably not as much as I should though). 

[Vindicare]

I’m most definitely an instructions follower. I’ve MOD’ed a few things, but they were minor things. If I ever build my own things, it’s small decorative items around my town. 

The biggest reason is that I’m a set collector, & don’t sort by part. So that hinders my want to MOC a bit. If I do, I buy the parts. But I will pull parts from sets to test things out. 

Edited November 13, 2019 by Vindicare

[ShaydDeGrai]

When I buy a set, I'll do the official build at least once, even if my "true" reason for buying it was for the parts.  Most often, I build the official model and leave it assembled until it has an unfortunate run-in with my child, one or more of my cats, or some random incident where gravity overcomes friction, though there have been the occasional MOC sessions where I can't find a particular piece, then spot it on some dusty non-MOC just waiting to be scavenged.  When an official model gets "abruptly disassembled" (i.e. "smashed") I rarely ever put it back together, the collection just absorbs its parts for MOC-ing.

If, in the course of building a kit, I find it has a lot of interesting pieces, I might pick up extra copies, but those copies usually go straight to the parts bins (unless it's a Creator 3 in 1 kit and the B or C model look interesting)

I rarely MOD an official set (I think the last one I did was the tiny Big Ben (21013) Architecture set about seven years ago).  I much prefer to either follow the instructions or MOC from scratch rather than tweak an official design.  I know some people are really into that (and produce some great results) but MOD-ing just isn't really my thing.

[dr_spock]

On 8/15/2019 at 4:44 PM, hagridshut said:

As a Lego enthusiast, do you "follow the instructions" and build sets for collecting/display, build MOCs, or both?

 

All of the above.  Sometimes depending on  mood, what I had for dinner, alignment of the moon and the stars, output of the Magic 8 Ball, etc.

[hagridshut]

I had some spare time over the past 2 months, so I built some prototype spaceship MOCs: small stuff with piece counts that would have been equivalent to sets in the $3.99 - $7.99 range back in the 1990's.  

It takes a lot of work to design something of equivalent quality to an official Lego set with a modest amount of pieces.  Getting the size, aesthetics, durability, and playability just right requires a lot of tweaking and experimenting.  This gives me much appreciation for all the design work and iterative testing that Lego workers conduct on new sets.

I am fortunate now to have enough loose pieces to experiment.  I remember as a child thinking that my builds were never as cool as the official set designs, although my design abilities became significantly better as I got older.  This made me somewhat reluctant to disassemble models, but I did it anyways because I needed the pieces to build my next idea.

[LegoDW]

Usually I will build a set per the instructions first.  I will then make some very slight mods to the set adjust more to my tastes.  Basically improve on what TLG put out....a lot of times this is just adding pieces and making sets larger. About 1/2 the sets I really like at this stage and they will remain this way for ever....after all TLG does offer some fantastic sets.  For the other 1/2, I will break them down and use to create mocs.  

So as an example, the Winter Village train station.  Love the looks of this set....just a little small.  I added onto the back of the building a table and chairs for the cafe.  Love this set even more.  It will stay this way forever.  The last Star Wars Xwing....built the set didn't like it.  Rebuild a ton of stuff on it.  Could hardly put it down for a week.  Finally happy with it.  Really had a lot of fun fixing this set.  A Chima tank thing.  Build this set, looked at it and broke it down.  Parts are now in other mocs, do not plan on ever building this set to original design again.  

 

 

[koalayummies]

Don't be hesitant to disassemble stuff, you can always rebuild it.

The linked videos demonstrate that the movie illustrated that any way is fine, Emmet was completely happy following instructions even if the master builders gave him a hard time and ridiculed him as lacking creativity or personality, but the rest of the movie was very encouraging of building your own things. When Lucy tells everyone to revolt and build stuff, Emmet's construction mech, convincing his dad that the stuff Finn makes has just as much value as the way the dad thinks things should be. The sequel carried on this idea as well with Finn realizing the same with his sister's creations.

Personally:

Some sets get opened and immediately sorted for parts, never even built. Sets that I didn't really care for the build on the box but rather the pieces contained within.

Some get built and and modified. Building from the instructions just to see any new or interesting techniques or alteration potential.

In the end almost nothing stays assembled forever; even MOCs will get revisited, modified and eventually disassembled. Too many good parts to use for something else.

'If you never take anything apart it might as well be Kragle'd' -Dangervest