smazmats

I dont buy a whole lot of sets, but when I do, I generally will build and keep them on display. My criteria for deconstruction is simple: I will keep it until I need parts from it, or I need the space to display fore something else. Also if its a more expensive set, I will be more likely to keep it together and try and substitute parts out if I need it .

So with today (Feb 20th) marking the 62nd anniversary of the launch of first American in orbit, I would like to share my own mini Lego interpretation! This is built in 1:220 scale using a modified version of my Mercury Atlas MOC and launch pad and a lot of leftover 1x2 double cheese slopes from a previous MOC. It is a replication of a famous photo from the launch (AKA KSC-62PC-0011)! Also more images of the non launching rocket/Pad + scaled Redstone if anyone is interested!

Up until last month, I thought the same. If you still have it, look at the receipt. When I got mine, I did notice they were different than the ones I got from “true” Lego stores in the past. It had more info about the company operating the store

On a similar note, If the stores are operated by a third party, they aren’t plugged into the official VIP system. I recently had a similar experience when I visited the new Lego store in Sydney and they also couldn’t find my info because they used a different system. It was kind of annoying that even though it was officially licensed by TLG (and even promoted by them), they couldn’t seem to bring the loyalty program over as well

There are a couple I can remember from the early Lego IDEAS/CUUSOO sets: The Hayabusa Project Manager - J. Kawaguchi, from the Hayabusa set Pete and Yve from the Exo suit set. Even though its a fictionalized version of them, I think it’s worth counting. They are based on the original project designer (and very well known AFOL) Peter Reid and his girlfriend Yvonne.

Thanks Peppermint_M!

Aside from the accessibility/affordability issues it introduces, I'm not entirely opposed to this. There are a lot of proposed IDEAS sets nowadays that are massive in size because everything is done digitally now and result in $$$$$ sets if they are selected ( though I do admit it was less of an issue last year since we are seeing more sub $100 sets). I'm sure the Lego designers that are tasked with designing the final product might appreciate it more, since you have to account for physics and Part availability with IRL builds.

I primarily build scale rockets and spacecraft, and over the past couple years a decent sized community has grown around this shared MOC niche with a dozen or so regular builders. Pretty much everyone builds to the same couple of scales so it is often the case that the same thing can be created multiple times by different people. I totally get what you are going through and I too have been through this exact experience before. For me personally, If there is a similar design, I generally try to look at similar models with a set of criteria that one would use to evaluate work for fair use. The biggest thing I try to look for is how much of the original model is used. Generally, I expect about 60% of the MOC to be original. If you were to remove all the similar features/builds from the new design and it can't stand on its own (more in a figurative sense then structural) and the build is unrecognizable, there is definitely a case to be had. I also find it helpful to "downsize" the comparison where rather then the entire model all at once, compare a bunch of the smaller details, one at a time, to see how much was copied. I have found that often MOCs can look pretty similar from afar, but when compared up close there can be a lot of variation. If its on Rebirckable, I also try and see what the MOC internals look like if possible, as there should be more variation due to the reduced requirement for accurately capturing details, and similarities should be less of a just a coincidence. Offering instructions (both free and paid) also complicates things, but I may use that as a determining factor of how much I need to respond. If there are no instructions and they are just showing off a MOC that clearly infringes on my own, I may just ask them to credit me as a inspiration or ignore it, however if they are trying to sell it, I will report it to rebrickable to get it removed, as it is essentially functions the same as my existing MOC and is competing with it. Nathan is pretty good with responding to take-down requests if there is enough evidence of infringement. I did look at the comparison you provided between the time machines and unfortunately, I do not think there is a case here. There are definitely similarities on some details of both MOCs, but I can also see a lot of variation in the hoods and rear bodywork that is original and unique to each model .

Hey Mods, May I ask for my username on eurobricks be changed to "smazmats". I recently changed my Lego screen name across all platforms and would like it to be consistent here as well Thanks!

Hey everyone, I would like to share two of my latest space MOCs, the NASA Mars exploration rovers Perseverance and Curiosity. Both are built in 1:45 or minifig scale. I'm super exited for the Technic set, but I thought it would be fun to have a smaller version that can comfortably live on my desk as well. Here is Perseverance and Ingenuity, the first interplanetary helicopter that traveled to Mars with the rover in 2021. And here is Curiosity, using its ChemCam, a Laser/spectrometer instrument that analyzes the composition of rocks. If anyone wants to build one themselves, I did publish free instructions for both MOCs on my Rebrickable profile! Perseverance and Ingenuity Curiosity

Very nice conversion of the original model! Love all the little details and extra bits hanging off of it.

Oh yeah totally...All the poor, poor, companies that shamelessly steal and profit off the MOCs from the AFOL community absolutely need our encouragement, support, and protection....

On a similar note, Brick separators are also really great at opening Pistachios…

With the re-release of the rather controversial and hard-to-get Ulysses space probe VIP award, I want to share an updated version of my own custom Ulysses space probe and IUS (Inertial upper stage) that fixes all the problems with the official set. It's now properly scaled to match the Discovery's 1:70 scale and has way more detail (ie: no more yellow!) that matches the real-life probe. I also added a proper display stand that mimics the style from 10283 so it looks cohesive when displayed alongside the shuttle. Additionally, like the Hubble space telescope, It can fit in the shuttle's cargo bay, but now there is much more room to spare! Here's a side by side comparison between it an the original VIP promo. I have no idea why they decided to make the set so fat! If anyone wants to make one for themselves and skip the scalpers, I did make instructions which are available on my rebrickable page for free! The whole thing is around 250 pcs, and I estimate the parts cost should be around $20-30 USD (plus shipping) on BL.

Generally, I found the easiest way was just ordering parts from bricklink as needed as I build my MOCs. I find its also more cost effective to order parts for multiple MOCs at the same time to cut down on shipping costs. Additionally, I have a general list in mind of commonly used parts (things like black and white1x1,1x2, etc..plates) that I always seem to use, so I always make a point to shop around the stores to see if they have anything of interest at a decent price that I can get in bulk. If I need a large quantity of bricks I go to Bricks & Pieces. It might be because I can never find any good deals in my area, but I've never found directly buying sets for parts that effective, though there are a couple of exceptions like "Lots of Dots" ( which is handy for building up a large collection of tiles/round in a variety of colors on the cheap).

I have been pondering this as well! Even though I've only been activity participating in online Lego Communities for the past couple years, I've been lurking for almost a decade and the AFOL world defiantly feels more commercialized and centered around consuming rather then creating. Full disclaimer, I do sell MOCs on rebrickable so I'm somewhat guilty of feeding the system (though I always make smaller builds under 500 pcs free and use it more as a way to offset the cost of future MOCs rather then making a profit). I think the reason the set builders seem to overshadow MOC-ers everywhere nowadays is because the barrier of entry is lower so more people can do it. It can take a considerable amount of skill and knowledge to build a MOC from scratch, though the only real difficulty to building a sets is paying for them. I also think part of the reason the AFOL community feels more commercial now is the rise of accessible tools like Stud.io and Rebrickable, which make it easier then ever to make and sell MOC instructions to a point where its expected by people that you have instructions available for your model. I've also noticed more and more people making MOCs just to sell them for profit or to post on Lego IDEAS, which in itself isn't really a bad thing, though it can get quite problematic if they continuously spammed everywhere which can sour online Lego communities like those on Reddit and especially Facebook.

Great review! This is quite a mind blowing set and I say is definitly worthy of the title of worlds largest 3D Lego kit. I don't know if you have the colosseum, but it would be neat to see a size comparison of the two. I did not expect that many details to be packed in and as a giant Titantc nerd its great to a see what appers to be a quite accurate interior! However, I think its size is its biggest downside. I would have loved to pick this up, but its just too big to display anywhere in my house. I think It would have been a day one purchase for me if it was half as big at a 200-300 dollar price point. Maybe I might just MOC up one on my own... Also, another interesting thing about this set, using the set dimensions listed online and using http://studs.sariel.pl/ , it looks to be about 1:200 scale. This actually makes it almost to scale with the 21321 IDEAS International Space station set, which is at 1:220!

So I actually think the movie studio has a decent chance of becoming a set as well along with the mini golf. The project presented might be too ambitious (maybe with some creative redesign you can make the sets double sided to save bricks or something), but it is an unique enough idea that could work and not conflict too much with existing sets. I'm also kind of hoping for the lifeguard Shack or floating island to be approved because I would love to see some more affordable and reasonably sized sets (like sub $60-ish USD) in the IDEAS line. It feels like a majority of the stuff gets to 10k nowadays is just these "super detailed maybe modular-esqe themed buildings" Given how the Home Alone is right around the corner, I doubt there is much of a chance for these SDMMTBs in the next couple years to get approved...

The thing is that the interior doesn't even look like a Game Stop... Thankfully this has 0 chance of becoming a real set given how selective the IDEAS reviews have become. I'm pretty sure it got through the IDEAS mods because they weren't aware of the r/Wallstreatbets connections, but as someone who has loosely followed the whole WSB saga, its not exactly what I would call a Lego friendly brand. Its quite funny that they had to lock the comments of the submission because they couldn't keep a civilized tone with all their dumb emoji spam.

If that's the case you might want to update the intro in the Sci-Fi forum launchpad as it does state: Though It is from 10 years ago before the new renaissance of "Modern Space" sets like the Sat V, LEM and Shuttle...

So in anticipation that I wouldn't have enough VIP points in time for the launch (not that it would've mattered anyways), I decided to try and reverse engineer the VIP Ulysses probe reward set. After doing more research, I realized that the one Lego made was really off in both scale and proportion (the main fuselage of the booster is too wide and short) so I decided to just make a better 1:70 scale version on my own: Preferably, I would have loved to make the yellow bits gold, though not all the parts are available and I made this with the intention of releasing instructions so I figured it would be best to just stick with yellow to keep the overall parts cost down. Speaking of which, the instructions are available on rebrickable for free if anybody wants to build one for themselves!

Not mine, but someone on reddit shared an external tank built out of basic bricks when the shuttle was first reveled!

At more then twice the size of the previous MT-21 rover, the MT-125 is a more robust and capable rover that can be used in a variety of applications. It features a full pressurized cabin/airlock and can comfortably seat 3 astronauts. This particular rover is fitted with a lab so it can analyze samples and scout out future crystal deposits. It is unarmed, though it does have a cache of personal weapons for the crew just in-case they are ambushed in the field. I also have an album with more pics on my Flickr if anybody is interested! Build notes: So this is kind of a loose re-imagining of the Mars Mission set 7648: MT-21 Mobile Mining Unit in what I'm calling "Neo Mars Mission style", which is essentially a bit more realistic and has a greater focus on mining crystals then blasting aliens. I hope to remake more Mars Mission sets like this in the future. Also to note, a majority of the rover's suspension system has been adapted from the Official 21104 Curiosity rover set.

Unfortunately the reason that the design of these clone brands have reached "Moc-level" because a majority of them are just MOCs stolen from AOFLs. I think its still pretty rare that designers will willingly work with these companies as most of the time they get no credit or profit from these clone brick manufactures. I can only think of one manufacture that puts the effort into making their own designs (Sembo). Even if the brick quality manages to match real Lego, I don't think I could ever bring myself to support these companies because of how scummy they can be to the Lego community.

You forgot the final step: Spam it EVERYWHERE. If a website/page is frequented by AFOLs or people that might have a tiniest fraction of interest in the subject of your project you need to share it and ask for support at least every month! I don't mind seeing an Ideas project every now and then and if its really well done I'll take the time to support it, however the over saturation of project promotion everywhere online just low-key annoys me now.