Finally, my key focus in designing the aesthetics of the car itself was to capture the Tesla’s refined form. Another typical goal I have is to make the MOC sturdy enough to hold at all angles without falling apart this makes it easier to transport my creations to different events for a wider variety of display formats and also means I don’t have to continually adjust the individual pieces on each MOC to make sure it looks right. A design priority on all of my builds is to use only official, unaltered LEGO elements so as to avoid “cheating” and help the MOC better fit into the LEGO world. However, because it is a small scale, it is difficult to capture key features and produce a purist car MOC that closely resembles the real-life subject. Minifigure scale (approximately 1:40 or 1:48, I chose 1:40 in this project) is a fun challenge its small size means that a car requires a relatively low number of pieces to construct. Typically, the more intentional a builder is about setting design goals, the more likely that these goals will be met and the project will result in a successful MOC.įor example: It was very important to me that my LEGO Tesla Model S be able to fit into the “world” of minifigures and LEGO City. These design priority sub-goals include, but are not limited to, the visual focus/theme of the MOC, the scale of the MOC, the color-scheme, the specific type of LEGO elements used (System, Technic, etc.), the kinds of building techniques used, the durability of the MOC, the audience (and intended display format) of the MOC, and much more. These are the builder’s design priorities, the things about the project that, if achieved in the final model, are a measurable indicator of the project’s success. At this point in the process, the goal has been set to turn the idea into a physical LEGO model and smaller, sub-goals are set (either subconsciously or intentionally) to give the MOC specific characteristics and features. In general: This is the decision phase of the project, the biggest decision being to make this a project (i.e. Reading an article in Popular Mechanics a couple of months later, I found out that the newest iteration of the luxury sedan, the P85D, is capable of dusting even gas-powered, nitreous-injected sports cars with its stunning 691 horsepower who would have thought that an EV (electric vehicle) could show such performance? (‘Sure, the car’s a little overpriced, but that doesn’t reduce the coolness factor where I’m concerned!) It wasn’t long before my growing fascination with the Tesla Model S turned into the idea to build the car in LEGO form… Some might argue that each project doesn’t really start until the next step, when the decision is made to actually pursue the idea, but I would say that every idea is a project in its own right it’s just that most of them are never pursued and made a physical reality.įor example: The first time I came in contact with the Tesla Model S on full display at the shopping mall, I was impressed by its aerodynamically efficient design, right down to the door handles that retract into the body for better airflow. ![]() ![]() In general: This first step in the building project is often the most unintentional one this is the “spark,” the initial inspiration, the basic concept of a LEGO creation that solely exists (for the moment) in your imagination. ![]() ![]() As I outline each of the five steps, I first give a general description and then use my recent Tesla car project as an example of how I worked through the process. By sharing my 5-step design process with you, I hope that I will inspire you to consider your own personal building methods and come up with techniques that help you become more efficient too. In this article, I would like to share with you a little bit about the general design process I take when I build my realistic “brick replicas.” I’ve had many people ask me over the years how I go about replicating a subject with plastic bricks while I don’t try to stick to a hard-and-fast set of procedures, I’ve noticed that all of my projects as an adult fan of LEGO ( AFOL) have shared similar characteristics in the way they’ve been brought to completion, especially as I have become a more efficient builder.
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