Custom Lego MOC Instructions Discussion

veyniac

Hello everyone! Have you ever bought or sold building instructions for custom MOCS? I have recently started selling instructions on Rebrickable, so this topic is of great interest to me. What was your experience like? Buyers, what are the qualities you most like to see in instructions? What makes you want to purchase an MOC? Sellers, how do you design and present your MOCs to attract the most attention? Feel free to plug your creations here (within reason, of course)!

legomental

Yes I've bought quite a few. Mouseketeer emails me regularly with good offers. I am actually on the hunt for good MOC instructions for a modular size hospital but havent found anything I like yet 

veyniac

legomental said:

Yes I've bought quite a few. Mouseketeer emails me regularly with good offers. I am actually on the hunt for good MOC instructions for a modular size hospital but havent found anything I like yet 

Hospitals do seem to be in short supply, both official sets and MOCs. I wonder why that is?

560Heliport

Maybe because they're sort of subliminally depressing? People go there because they're sick or hurt? 

legomental

Every lego town needs a hospital though 
And a morgue and cemetary I suppose too for completeness sake

veyniac

Here is one of my models that I am currently selling instructions for on Rebrickable. Hopefully it will get the discussion going...

CCC

For MOC instructions to be interesting enough to buy then, for me, the following must apply:

1. The seller should have already given away some similar instructions, enough so that the builder can determine if the designer is any good and if the build is likely to be interesting. Or have some history of designing good MOCs.

2. The MOC has to be complicated and/or big enough to require instructions. If I can work it out from one image, I am unlikely to purchase.

3. Parts lists should be made available, so I can tell what the cost will be, or at the very least, the seller should highlight any rare / expensive / out of production parts.

That is all aside from the subject of the MOC obviously has to be of interest to me, and also it has to be a reasonable price. I know MOCs can take a long time to perfect, but if the cost of the parts and the instructions is significantly higher than a similar LEGO set, I know which I am getting.

To add to point 1, I think a way of getting your name out there is to either give the first few MOC instructions away free, or to do it via donation. Some people try to get noticed by selling quite simple instructions for a few dollars or even less. Why bother? It is still a barrier to people building the MOCs. Give them away, and say if you enjoyed them and want to support further similar MOCs, then donate, or use patreon or similar sites. Then once you have a group of fans, you can start charging regularly or do fan-only giveaways on patreon or similar.

Brickfan50

@CCC Exactly what I'm thinking too. I purchased quite a few instructions for MOC's, on Rebrickable or elsewhere. Some were really terrible: illegal building techniques, unclear instructions, or containing parts that do not exist in the chose color.

I never buy when there's no photo of the MOC. I want the MOC designer to have gone through the process of acquiring the parts needed and the process of building in bricks - not just Stud.io.

Recently I bought the miniscale Hogwarts Castle from @MOMAtteo79. It turned out to be a perfect MOC! Here's mine built:

There was however one part I could not buy new because it was € 5.73 in my country: a trans dark blue tile 1x1... two of which are needed.

CCC

Brickfan50 said:

I never buy when there's no photo of the MOC. I want the MOC designer to have gone through the process of acquiring the parts needed and the process of building in bricks - not just Stud.io.

Yes, I agree, that is a good one and one I missed off. If the designer has not built it in real life, then why expect others to pay for it? It is a good check for reliability and sturdiness, especially as digital design tools can let you get away with things that are not feasible in real life.

veyniac

CCC said:

Brickfan50 said:

I never buy when there's no photo of the MOC. I want the MOC designer to have gone through the process of acquiring the parts needed and the process of building in bricks - not just Stud.io.

Yes, I agree, that is a good one and one I missed off. If the designer has not built it in real life, then why expect others to pay for it? It is a good check for reliability and sturdiness, especially as digital design tools can let you get away with things that are not feasible in real life.

I personally think it is unreasonable to expect the designer to build every creation of theirs. Unless the MOC became extremely popular, the money made from instructions would probably not repay the designer for the cost of the parts. It would make it almost impossible for the designer to turn any sort of profit.

DadsAFOL2

If you haven't discovered Brickative yet, I highly recommend them.   I've built the Hotel Cuba and Cafe Havana - Both were entertaining and interesting build with sophisticated build techniques.  And to @CCC's point, they are sturdy and no issues with stability.  There is another designer I've purchased from in the past and you could clearly tell it had only been done digitally as there were some weird unfinished spaces inside and a couple of brick collisions.  So it is important for a quality build experience.

https://brickative.shoplo.com/

CathyVT

I've bought a few sets of instructions for MOCs. I prefer alt builds, because then I know I have all the pieces. I do prefer seeing at least some free instructions/MOCs from that builder, to get a feel for quality. 

Also, I like to see a discount for buying more than one MOC from the same seller. "Keep on Bricking" will make several alt builds for one small set (like a car or truck) and then want maybe 4 euros for each one. I'd like a package deal.

But definitely - some free MOCs (can be small), then a low cost for your first paid instructions, then once you have followers, you can charge more.

veyniac

Question for everyone: Do you like seeing a sample instruction page in the photos, or does it not make a difference?

Brickfan50

veyniac said:

Question for everyone: Do you like seeing a sample instruction page in the photos, or does it not make a difference?

This could help of course. But like myself and others have commented: it's really important that the parts for a MOC are easily available. And of course a parts list which you can use to create a wish list on BL/BO is necessary.

Also... it doesn't really help that your pictures are rotating. I'ld rather see a static picture (jpg) so that I can enlarge it to see all details for myself.

Good luck, I like your miniscale model of the Pirates of Barracuda Bay very much on first sight!

veyniac

Brickfan50 said:

Also... it doesn't really help that your pictures are rotating. I'ld rather see a static picture (jpg) so that I can enlarge it to see all details for myself.

Thanks! This is exactly why I created this thread. I thought a GIF would be better for showing off the MOC from all angles, but maybe I am wrong. Anyone else have an opinion?

CCC

veyniac said:

I personally think it is unreasonable to expect the designer to build every creation of theirs. Unless the MOC became extremely popular, the money made from instructions would probably not repay the designer for the cost of the parts. It would make it almost impossible for the designer to turn any sort of profit.

If they were just out to make money from it, then I probably wouldn't buy the instructions. There are some modular MOC sellers that obviously cut and paste sections of their MOCs from one design to another. 

I'd prefer to buy from someone that actually used the product and knows what they are doing, rather than someone handle turning to maximise output. Personally I don't care if the colours are correct, so long as the structural integrity is tested.

I don't really think there is real money to be made from MOCs unless you are a very well known name, but there is pocket money / hobby money if your designs are good enough.

stlux

Some key things for me to be willing to shell out money for MOC instructions, echoing some points already made by others:

• PDF instructions. I'm not paying for an LXF file only.
• The creator has actually build the model. Digital-only models often end up with very flimsy constructions, or even some bricks not being attached to any other bricks at all. I'm not paying to have a frustrating building experience.
• When the creator has actually build their MOC, there's also less risk it's full of extremely rare pieces. Or parts that do not exists in the selected colour.
• I cannot emphasize this enough: the creator has paid attention to the parts used - no parts that were only in a single set from 20 years ago.
• In addition to PDF instructions, a parts list that is easy to upload to BL, and a Studio IO file of the model so it's easy to make modifications myself and see how I can substitute parts to lower the price and/or integrate with the rest of my collection. E.g. for modulars you might want to redo the street part so it fits with your other modulars.
• Something original. Why pay for MOC instructions when there's similar models available for free from other creators, or it's something TLG offer themselves?
• Reasonable price. Some creations are worth USD 25. Most are not.

veyniac

stlux said:

Some key things for me to be willing to shell out money for MOC instructions, echoing some points already made by others:

• In addition to PDF instructions, a parts list that is easy to upload to BL, and a Studio IO file of the model so it's easy to make modifications myself and see how I can substitute parts to lower the price and/or integrate with the rest of my collection. E.g. for modulars you might want to redo the street part so it fits with your other modulars.

Great points. However, many designers are wary of handing out IO files, as having the digital model makes it that much easier for someone to create their own instructions and sell them without the designer's consent.

stlux

veyniac said:

stlux said:

Some key things for me to be willing to shell out money for MOC instructions, echoing some points already made by others:

• In addition to PDF instructions, a parts list that is easy to upload to BL, and a Studio IO file of the model so it's easy to make modifications myself and see how I can substitute parts to lower the price and/or integrate with the rest of my collection. E.g. for modulars you might want to redo the street part so it fits with your other modulars.

Great points. However, many designers are wary of handing out IO files, as having the digital model makes it that much easier for someone to create their own instructions and sell them without the designer's consent.

I understand that from a seller's perspective. However from a buyer's perspective "no IO file = usually no buy" for me.

There's several MOC's where I would not have bought the instructions without the IO file. I saw issues with the build (e.g. too many rare parts, making it stupid expensive), and without the IO file it would have taken too much of my time figuring out how to best substitute those. In addition it's then easy to upload a corrected parts list to BL.

You asked what buyers are looking for. Well, I'm looking for an IO file in case I cannot have 100% confidence the seller has not used expensive parts (for no good reason)/has poorly connected bricks in the build.

Pretty much the only time I'm OK with not having an IO file is in case of an alt build of an official set. No need to worry about part issues there.

veyniac

I understand that from a seller's perspective. However from a buyer's perspective "no IO file = usually no buy" for me.

There's several MOC's where I would not have bought the instructions without the IO file. I saw issues with the build (e.g. too many rare parts, making it stupid expensive), and without the IO file it would have taken too much of my time figuring out how to best substitute those. In addition it's then easy to upload a corrected parts list to BL.

You asked what buyers are looking for. Well, I'm looking for an IO file in case I cannot have 100% confidence the seller has not used expensive parts (for no good reason)/has poorly connected bricks in the build.

On the site that I sell my instructions, Rebrickable, that isn't a problem. Sellers have to add the inventory into the site so the site can perform bricklink searches, build calculations, etc. The inventory is public, so anyone can look at it. The inventory shows a prospective total cost to build the MOC and an average cost for each individual piece.

stlux

No need to tell me how Rebrickable works - that's where I have bought plenty of MOC instructions so far.
All those features don't prevent creators putting MOC's on Rebrickable with rare or even non-existing parts. And it's exactly because I see those inventories that I want the IO files to easily be able to fix issues.

If I see when checking the inventory that it's full of expensive parts, there's 2 possibilities:
A) There's an IO file, so I will be able to adjust the build easily to bring down the cost. Because just looking at the pictures doesn't always show where those parts go and/or whether they are important.
B) There's no IO file, and I ask myself "Is this build interesting enough that I want to go through a frustrating experience, or do I just buy instructions for one of the 1000's of other very interesting MOC's?" Almost guaranteed I just move onto something else.

I love Rebrickable - after Brickset it's the Lego site I visit most often. However there's way too many MOC's on there by people who didn't pay attention to part selection or have only build their creation digitally. This likely results in a poor building experience for me as a buyer, so those MOC's are only worth me paying for if I have the tools to fix it. Otherwise I just don't bother. 

Just my 2 cents as a buyer.

veyniac

stlux said:

I love Rebrickable - after Brickset it's the Lego site I visit most often. However there's way too many MOC's on there by people who didn't pay attention to part selection or have only build their creation digitally. This likely results in a poor building experience for me as a buyer, so those MOC's are only worth me paying for if I have the tools to fix it. Otherwise I just don't bother. 

Just my 2 cents as a buyer.

I know all about the rare parts thing. Funny story, for a while I only used Rebrickable to help me compile a list of valuable parts, just in case I ever saw a $20 part in $15 woth of bulk lego. I have an entire Stud.io file with over 100 different parts, all worth ridiculous amounts of money.

DadsAFOL2

You guys need to check out Brickstock.   Much easier than Studio to manage inventory files, check for expensive parts, upload to a wishlist etc.

veyniac

How about some more designers' opinions? @BenBuildsLego , @MOMAtteo79 ? Anything to add to the discussion?

Gremer

I concur with a lot of the posts above. PDF instructions, as few rare pieces as possible, the MOC actually have been built, etc. I'm actually currently working on a MOC I bought the instructions for, Ellis/thire5 Venator. As a fan of the ship, it was worth $25. But a lot of MOCs aren't worth the asking price, or any money at all, honestly.

Bumblepants

Just a tangent but I get a real kick out of instructions or 'tutorials' for mocs with just a handful of parts. Ok well I see the picture, all the parts, and how they are connected already. 

veyniac

Bumblepants said:

Just a tangent but I get a real kick out of instructions or 'tutorials' for mocs with just a handful of parts. Ok well I see the picture, all the parts, and how they are connected already. 

There may be people not as smart as you and me who need the extra help :)

veyniac

Question for everyone, what do you think shows off an MOC better: a bunch of still images highlighting various parts of the model, or a rotating GIF of the model?

CCC

It depends on the model. If there are lots of intricate details, then close-ups of the interesting parts. If it is more of a looker from a distance, then images of the whole thing from a few angles are fine. 

veyniac

Preview of my latest creation. Any thoughts on presentation or pricing?

SquirrelMama79

New to MOC’s and starting from scratch.  Your thread is very interesting and I’m picking up some awesome information.  If I have a specific MOC in mind that the designer has posted photos of, where could I go to find the instructions?  Also on the hunt for specific pieces and custom bricks/stickers needed for the build?  Any redirects as this thread may not be the right place to ask?

SquirrelMama79

I’m looking to build this:  ps://www.brothers-brick.com/2017/04/07/incredible-custom-modular-amazingly-detailed-lego-store-sprawling-across-3-floors/amp/

And I think the front curved displays are created from X4 of the following:

veyniac

SquirrelMama79 said:

New to MOC’s and starting from scratch.  Your thread is very interesting and I’m picking up some awesome information.  If I have a specific MOC in mind that the designer has posted photos of, where could I go to find the instructions?  Also on the hunt for specific pieces and custom bricks/stickers needed for the build?  Any redirects as this thread may not be the right place to ask?

I may be wrong on this, but I do not think the MOC you want to build has instructions. The designer probably just built it for fun. You could try to reverse-engineer it yourself, but it would be quite a lot of work and you would have to design the stickers yourself. If you want to try to build it or message the designer about instructions, I found all the photos here on Flickr.

SquirrelMama79

Already working on reverse engineering the build as I thought the same thing.  And finding all the pieces from scratch and figuring out how to print all the stickers is the challenge I’m looking for?  Any suggestions on sites that may do printing like this already?

Istokg

@SquirrelMama79

That window you want is under the Bricklink heading CYLINDER.... in trans-clear...

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=30562#T=C

Opps... I see you already may have found it... I can't cancel this comment though... ;-)

Istokg

For all you Modular builders... here's a free MOC for you... you don't need instructions... easy enough to figure out.  Only rare part are the 2x6x5 2145 ornamented arch ($6 each new, but only $1.50 each used).  But you will need 32 2x2 convex corner blue slopes.

A Victorian Gazebo....

veyniac

Just posted my Moai on Rebrickable today. It is my first custom MOC to also include the .io file along with the instructions. Instructions are only $2.50. Tell me what you think!

veyniac

What does everyone think of minecraft MOCs? Just trying to gauge interest.

560Heliport

I'll "like" pretty much everything anyone posts a picture of- to encourage everyone to give me more LEGO to look at! 

veyniac

Does anyone buy custom instructions for Winter Village sets? I am thinking of making the instructions for my 2019 winter chalet MOC and selling them during the late fall. Here are a few pictures:

eMJeeNL

veyniac said:

Does anyone buy custom instructions for Winter Village sets? I am thinking of making the instructions for my 2019 winter chalet MOC and selling them during the late fall. Here are a few pictures:

Please do! I've bought some of @inklingbricks, and would like some more! Paging @Switchfoot55 , btw.

Switchfoot55

Yeah, you saw my comments in the other thread about this build. I'd certainly be interested in seeing the instructions. Considering it appears I'd have the majority of the parts already too, it would be even more appealing!