Interview with Nathan Thom, founder of Rebrickable
Posted by Huw,
What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community? BrickLink certainly; Brickset, I like to think; and Rebrickable which, in the 13 years since it was established, has become an indispensable resource and source of building inspiration and instructions.
I was fortunate to meet with its founder Nathan Thom twice this year, first when I visited his home town of Brisbane in Australia, and again a few months later when he came to Brickset Towers in the south of England while on holiday with his family.
So, I took the opportunity to ask him a few questions to find out more about the site, why he set it up, and if he has any tips for those that want to make money from their MOCs.
Brickset: For the benefit of those that don't know, what is Rebrickable, and what can you do on the site?
Nathan: The primary purpose of Rebrickable is to find LEGO designs you can build. That's why I created it, and that's what I still use it for. It is the largest repository of custom LEGO designs (MOCs), all of which have building instructions and an inventory of parts required to build them.
As of writing, we have about 125,000 MOCs in the database. If you create an account and tell Rebrickable what LEGO sets/parts you own, it will be able to tell you which sets/MOCs you can build with your collection.
[You can synchronise your Brickset collection with Rebrickable, see this article to find out how -- Huw]
For MOC designers, you can share your creations on the site for free or even list them for sale as a Premium MOC. This has resulted in some of our top sellers turning it into a full-time job.
When did you first set it up, and what inspired you to do so?
Back in 2011 I emerged from my dark age, and bought myself a couple of large Technic sets. I immediately wanted to buy more, but couldn't justify the expense (i.e. the wife wouldn't let me). So, being a techie guy, I built a database/program to look at the inventories of all other Technic sets to find out what I could build with just the parts I had. It worked great and only took 20 mins to run :)
I had experience with databases and programming, but not with building websites and that's something I'd wanted to try for a while. So, with this new idea I decided to turn it into a website as no-one else had done it before. How hard could it be?
What features have you added to it since that have caused significant growth?
It's hard to say any specific features have caused spikes in growth. We've seen more of a consistent growth over the years due to continuous improvement and organic growth. There are about 100 code releases every month which includes bug fixes, enhancements, optimisations, etc.
The admin team are constantly adding new LEGO sets/parts as they are released, but also maintaining the back catalogue to ensure it is accurate and organised, with mappings to other LEGO sites such as Brickset and BrickLink so that imports/exports work properly.
To be able to support this growth, we have built automation and processes to handle things like user-submissions (MOCs, photos, catalogue data, etc.) and Support Requests (specific account issues). We have a growing team of admins who help to moderate and add all this new content to the database, and help users. So, if anything, it's these backend tools that have allowed the growth to happen.
Every day we receive submissions for, on average, 100 MOCs, 30 Change Requests, 150 photos.
What are the most challenging aspects of running such a large site where money changes hands?
Introducing money completely changes how a site runs. It moves away from something you can just work on whenever you feel like it, to a proper business where people depend on you. It also attracts different types of people to the site. There are those who continue to use it as a place to share their designs for free, and those who see it as a way to make some money - either as a hobby or a serious business.
A crazy amount of effort needs to be put into detecting all the ways people might cheat (e.g. duplicate accounts, fake traffic, voting rings, copying other people's designs etc.), and preventing hackers and pirates from abusing the system. It requires continuous monitoring and adapting to new tactics.
Any issue with money involved becomes urgent. Any mistake can cost money and can potentially ruin someone's career. People trust you with their money, so you need to ensure you never break that trust. Just because PayPal has the worst system ever created, doesn't mean you can just say "sorry, not my fault!". Everything becomes your responsibility.
Other than the technical side, people simply expect more from you. It doesn't matter if they spend $1 or $100, they need to be treated the same. Quality issues become important. If a Premium MOC designer is selling an unbuildable design, or they have the wrong inventory, buyers will understandably get upset regardless of the cost.
So, we have processes in place to deal with these too. Over time, the rules at Rebrickable have changed to ensure Premium MOCs maintain an appropriate level of quality while still allowing designers a chance at making sales without needing LEGO-like quality levels of design/instructions.
I believe the team at Rebrickable is doing a fantastic job at handling these challenges, which is another reason the site has seen such high growth and popularity.
Which MOCs tend to be the most popular?
There are different answers to this depending on how you define "popular".
- There are the mega-structures, huge 10k+ part MOCs that no-one can really afford to build but have lots of wow-factor.
- There are the topical MOCs, chasing a current fad, e.g. TV-shows, games, TikTok sensations, etc. These might get some temporary popularity and make some sales to fans of whatever the topic happens to be.
- Then there are the well-designed MOCs with great presentation and a designer who actively responds to comments and feedback. Bonus points if it's an Alternate Build, since these are the most accessible MOCs for most users. In general, these do the best and sell the most.
It's often easy to spot this too. Look at the list of hottest MOCs and there are lots of big flashy MOCs. Look at the best-selling Premium MOCs and it's mostly Alternate Builds.
What advice do you have for those who want to start to make money from their models?
The best way to make money on Rebrickable is to give away your MOCs for free :)
Like many social media platforms, the key to getting your MOCs viewed by as many people as possible is to first build up a large following. This takes time and hard work - there is no secret trick to getting instant success. Sure, some people find it, but that usually involves a combination of extreme talent and luck.
Some tips:
- Study the existing hottest/top selling MOCs and learn from them. Follow their designers, and you'll see the effort they put into responding to comments, designing proper building instructions, testing ideas, etc.
- Just start submitting MOCs, and make your first ones free. A lot of users will never buy a Premium MOC, so share your creations with as many people as possible to build up a fan base. Once you have a following, you are far more likely to successfully sell any Premium MOCs you submit.
- Submit MOCs regularly, but not too often. Most MOCs get an initial burst of views then fade away. If you submit too many too fast, some people won't get to see anything from you.
- Once you start selling Premium MOCs, make sure they are high quality. Ideally, you have built it physically and ironed out any flaws in the design/instructions. If buyers find out afterwards that your MOC design was flawed, unbuildable, the parts list was wrong etc, they will never buy from you again and leave comments scaring away other potential buyers. You rarely get second chances!
Recently, one of our top designers BrickArtisan wrote a great article on how he found success and has been able to turn his hobby into a business.
What plans do you have for the site in the future?
My priorities tend to get pulled in lots of directions all the time, so it's hard to give any definitive answer to this question. At the moment, I'm working on the following at various levels of readiness:
- MOC discoverability - with ~100 new MOCs being added every day it can be hard for newcomers to get seen. I'm working on a way to improve this, while also making it easier for users to find content they are interested in.
- Designer tools - improving how MOC images are handled, better analytics, support for more payment methods, among other things.
We will continue to incrementally improve all aspects of the site. I'm constantly trying to find ways to make things easier to use and understand, and how better to support our users.
Rebrickable has grown so much over the years and has a lot of functionality which can be confusing for people new to LEGO or Rebrickable. So a lot of effort is put into keeping the balance between usability and features for power users.
Thanks Nathan!
143 likes
51 comments on this article
Why so serious?
Thanks for the info. Those are the three main websites I attend, and then I will look at Eurobricks often for MOC talk.
I have used the site for a number of years primarily as a way to keep track of my parts. I have in the past tried building something, looked for a specific part that I thought I had, then went to rebrickable to find out that not only did I not have the part but that it didn't exist in the color I wanted to use. Now if I don't find a part immediately I go to rebrickable and check before spending too much time searching my parts.
It is one of the most useful sites that I use regularly
“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore
Can you add more items from the Rebrickable database to the Brickset database? I synced my collection yesterday and lost some items that are only on Rebrickable. It's a bit frustrating adding them to my collection every time I sync them.
I use Rebrickable for the premium instructions and have built some excellent 1/8the scale vintage F1 cars; the site is very easy to use but as an analogue technophobe, I must admit that in no way do I use the site to it's full potential, buying instructions and then tipping out buckets of random parts all over our landing at home (there is no room in the designated Lego room for this...) before creating wanted lists on Bricklink for the bits I don't have / couldn't find... Part hunting remains one of my favourite activities though!
Thanks for the article. I've used Rebrickable for a little while now and it has a lot of great ideas and inspiration.
Also, I know Lego has done alternate builds for some of its sets in the past, some of which have not had instructions (just being shown on the box for example). Is there any plans for Rebrickable to create instructions for those cases?
@EnterTheSerpent said:
"Can you add more items from the Rebrickable database to the Brickset database? I synced my collection yesterday and lost some items that are only on Rebrickable. It's a bit frustrating adding them to my collection every time I sync them. "
Yes if you let me know which ones.
It's great to hear from Nathan, we rarely get a glimpse into all the work he and the admin team does apart from the occasional significant site update. Rebrickable has been a massive part of my life, having frequently used it for over a decade now, and I can't express enough how grateful I am for its continued development - and being free!
@Wasthereonce said:
"Thanks for the article. I've used Rebrickable for a little while now and it has a lot of great ideas and inspiration.
Also, I know Lego has done alternate builds for some of its sets in the past, some of which have not had instructions (just being shown on the box for example). Is there any plans for Rebrickable to create instructions for those cases?"
Those sets can (and are) added to the database but they rely upon user submissions. However, no instructions can be made. As official lego models no user can list them as a moc because you have to be the original designer, and Rebrickable can link to instructions not on LEGOs servers.
But the inventories are made and if someone made a studio file or found official instructions somewhere that are not on the LEGO servers they are encouraged to leave a link in the sets comments.
@Huw said:
" @EnterTheSerpent said:
"Can you add more items from the Rebrickable database to the Brickset database? I synced my collection yesterday and lost some items that are only on Rebrickable. It's a bit frustrating adding them to my collection every time I sync them. "
Yes if you let me know which ones."
I sent you an email yesterday about Ninjago Legacy Jay and Cole plush toys that aren't on here. The matching Kai and Lloyd ones are already in the system.
https://rebrickable.com/sets/335550-1/ninjago-jay-minifigure-plush/parts
https://rebrickable.com/sets/342140-1/ninjago-cole-minifigure-plush/parts
@myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore "
Oh wow, Peeron! That's a throwback. There was a time when Lugnet, Brickshelf, and From Bricks to Bothans would have been on such as a list as well.
I love Rebrickable, but I don't use it to build other people's MOCs. I simply use it to manage my own collection of 130k parts and see which new LEGO sets will improve my lots where certain parts in certain colors are lacking. When I build, I can easily look up how many parts I have of a certain color before spending the time of sifting through my organized containers. For these reasons alone, the site has been an indispensable tool that I personally can't imagine anyone with a large LEGO collection not using.
What I DON'T like about Rebrickable, however, is that its tools and focus are ONLY on MOCs and not managing one's collection. For example, I hate having 3 left wing plates but only 2 matching right wings, so that when I need 3 pairs, one's missing and I can't build whatever I'm looking on. I wish there was a tool that could tell me which parts are missing their mirrored counterparts. I tried requesting this in their forums and I got barked down by some user about how "this is a place for MOCs." They couldn't understand why on earth anyone would request such a feature. So I immediately cancelled my pro plan and went down to the free one. ¯\_(?)_/¯ I love the site, but (as a programmer myself) I find it not open to helping those who just need it to assist managing a large LEGO collection.
In my opinion, Rebrickable is already in the pocket for being THE tool for managing a LEGO collection of any size. I don't know why they ignore this important aspect of building with LEGO when you own more than a few sets.
Rebrickable's a great site, both for set mods and alternate builds (it's amazing how much people can get out of a single Creator set!), and general MOCs.
I think my favourite build I've found on there was an add-on for the medium-sized alternate model in 10497: A little space forklift, to match the original in 924, using only parts left over from the spaceship!
Very disappointed that Nathan didn't have Rebrickable merch on to match Huw's :)
@EnterTheSerpent said:
" @Huw said:
" @EnterTheSerpent said:
"Can you add more items from the Rebrickable database to the Brickset database? I synced my collection yesterday and lost some items that are only on Rebrickable. It's a bit frustrating adding them to my collection every time I sync them. "
Yes if you let me know which ones."
I sent you an email yesterday about Ninjago Legacy Jay and Cole plush toys that aren't on here. The matching Kai and Lloyd ones are already in the system.
https://rebrickable.com/sets/335550-1/ninjago-jay-minifigure-plush/parts
https://rebrickable.com/sets/342140-1/ninjago-cole-minifigure-plush/parts"
They are out of scope for our database. See https://brickset.com/article/56572/what-items-go-into-our-set-database
"Non-brick based products that are not sold at shop.LEGO.com
Because they are of limited interest, there are so many, and there is no way to maintain comprehensive lists, we do not include items manufactured under license that have a LEGO logo on them unless they appear in LEGO's affiliate product feed."
@myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore "
Indeed. Given it hasn't been updated in 20 years perhaps it's not surprising.
I'd be interested to know what other sites people consider to be cornerstones. Certainly Eurobricks as mentioned above, although it's not a site that I visit. I would include New Elementary in the list given its unique and quality content. Any others?
@JDawg5 said:
" @myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore "
Oh wow, Peeron! That's a throwback. There was a time when Lugnet, Brickshelf, and From Bricks to Bothans would have been on such as a list as well. "
All of them once Brickset contemporaries but all now dead, Brickshelf sadly due to founder Kevin Loch's recent passing.
@modelesqueBuilds said:
"For example, I hate having 3 left wing plates but only 2 matching right wings"
Now you know how I feel about our Congress.
@Miwa said:
"Very disappointed that Nathan didn't have Rebrickable merch on to match Huw's :)"
I believe Nathan’s shirt was the same as Huw’s just put together differently. ;o)
@Huw said:
" @myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore"
Indeed. Given it hasn't been updated in 20 years perhaps it's not surprising.
I'd be interested to know what other sites people consider to be cornerstones. Certainly Eurobricks as mentioned above, although it's not a site that I visit. I would include New Elementary in the list given its unique and quality content. Any others?"
And brickshelf. I tried to change my password there recently due to it being in some leak, and the functionality was down. But I guess in any case it had been replaced by Instagram
@myth said:
" @Huw said:
" @myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore"
Indeed. Given it hasn't been updated in 20 years perhaps it's not surprising.
I'd be interested to know what other sites people consider to be cornerstones. Certainly Eurobricks as mentioned above, although it's not a site that I visit. I would include New Elementary in the list given its unique and quality content. Any others?"
And brickshelf. I tried to change my password there recently due to it being in some leak, and the functionality was down. But I guess in any case it had been replaced by Instagram
"
25 years ago it would have been Peeron, Brickshelf, Lugnet but now all have fallen by the wayside, not maintained for 20 years or more. Unfortunately the social networks, Reddit, Instagram etc. are taking the place of many of the specialist sites. Eurobricks seems to be surviving although perhaps not as busy as it was in its heyday.
@Huw said:
" @myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore "
Indeed. Given it hasn't been updated in 20 years perhaps it's not surprising.
I'd be interested to know what other sites people consider to be cornerstones. Certainly Eurobricks as mentioned above, although it's not a site that I visit. I would include New Elementary in the list given its unique and quality content. Any others?"
The ones I am using on a regular basis: Brickset, Brick Fanatics*, Bricklink, New Elementary, Rebrickable. I also visit the Brick Vault from time to time but this is more a shop than a proper Lego website.
* somehow Brick Fanatics gets more pictures when a new set is announced. I realize Brickset will never do that but Brick Fanatics do not shy away from rumours and 'potential' news (it's good sometimes to have a bit of a heads up since we don't have calendars any more). I also like the list of sets going out of production for the next few years. Reviews are not as good as Brickset though (IMO).
Peeron is good for very old instructions which are hard to get by sometimes - the links for old instructions on Brickset does not always work properly.
@modelesqueBuilds said:
"I love Rebrickable, but I don't use it to build other people's MOCs. I simply use it to manage my own collection of 130k parts and see which new LEGO sets will improve my lots where certain parts in certain colors are lacking. When I build, I can easily look up how many parts I have of a certain color before spending the time of sifting through my organized containers. For these reasons alone, the site has been an indispensable tool that I personally can't imagine anyone with a large LEGO collection not using.
What I DON'T like about Rebrickable, however, is that its tools and focus are ONLY on MOCs and not managing one's collection. For example, I hate having 3 left wing plates but only 2 matching right wings, so that when I need 3 pairs, one's missing and I can't build whatever I'm looking on. I wish there was a tool that could tell me which parts are missing their mirrored counterparts. I tried requesting this in their forums and I got barked down by some user about how "this is a place for MOCs." They couldn't understand why on earth anyone would request such a feature. So I immediately cancelled my pro plan and went down to the free one. ¯\_(?)_/¯ I love the site, but (as a programmer myself) I find it not open to helping those who just need it to assist managing a large LEGO collection.
In my opinion, Rebrickable is already in the pocket for being THE tool for managing a LEGO collection of any size. I don't know why they ignore this important aspect of building with LEGO when you own more than a few sets."
I remember your post and will reiterate my only point on that thread, the parts don't always exist to make a neat pair. Sometimes LEGO only make one version of a wedge plate if that's all that's needed in a set. What would you have the database do when you are expecting a list of other halves of your pair that don't exist in real life?
Please note that Rebrickable implements many features that are suggested by users. You need to be prepared to answer questions and criticisms to show the value of your idea to other users to gather the support to get the Admins notice. You shouldn't take it personally.
@HOBBES said:
" @Huw said:
" @myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore "
Indeed. Given it hasn't been updated in 20 years perhaps it's not surprising.
I'd be interested to know what other sites people consider to be cornerstones. Certainly Eurobricks as mentioned above, although it's not a site that I visit. I would include New Elementary in the list given its unique and quality content. Any others?"
The ones I am using on a regular basis: Brickset, Brick Fanatics*, Bricklink, New Elementary, Rebrickable. I also visit the Brick Vault from time to time but this is more a shop than a proper Lego website.
* somehow Brick Fanatics gets more pictures when a new set is announced. I realize Brickset will never do that but Brick Fanatics do not shy away from rumours and 'potential' news (it's good sometimes to have a bit of a heads up since we don't have calendars any more). I also like the list of sets going out of production for the next few years. Reviews are not as good as Brickset though (IMO).
Peeron is good for very old instructions which are hard to get by sometimes - the links for old instructions on Brickset does not always work properly."
We get the same images as BF but don't use them all in our articles, particularly the lifestyle ones. However we do add them to the database where they are easily found for ever more.
The list of sets going out of production immenently is available here, https://brickset.com/sets/query-9753 . We don't publish dates beyond the end of the year because it's possible they'll change. So, like everything at BF, take them with a pinch of salt :-)
Huh, I never knew the founder of Rebrickable was a fellow Aussie! :)
Brickset towers?
I hope they aren’t fawlty!
Brickset Towers,, Now I have an image of a giant sky scraper with a massive 2x4 lego brick on top
I use "Brickshelf" for filing everything I have in Lego and "Birckfactory" for instructions of older sets.
@Huw said:
" @myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore "
Indeed. Given it hasn't been updated in 20 years perhaps it's not surprising.
I'd be interested to know what other sites people consider to be cornerstones. Certainly Eurobricks as mentioned above, although it's not a site that I visit. I would include New Elementary in the list given its unique and quality content. Any others?"
Thinking back about indispensable sites, for reviews of new build-a-minifigure parts it’s Jay’s Brick Blog. Really the only type of reviews missing on Bricklink
https://jaysbrickblog.com/category/build-a-minifigure/
@myth said:
"Thinking back about indispensable sites, for reviews of new build-a-minifigure parts it’s Jay’s Brick Blog. Really the only type of reviews missing on Bricklink
https://jaysbrickblog.com/category/build-a-minifigure/ "
There are a lot of LEGO blogs out there, some of which like JBB and The Rambling Brick, are indeed essential reading. Perhaps we should compile an index?
Just recently I bought my first MOC instructions from Rebrickable. The castle (what else) instructions I bought is very cool, andt quite a challenging build.
31120 must be the set with the most alternate builds.
@Huw said:
" @myth said:
"Thinking back about indispensable sites, for reviews of new build-a-minifigure parts it’s Jay’s Brick Blog. Really the only type of reviews missing on Bricklink
https://jaysbrickblog.com/category/build-a-minifigure/ "
There are a lot of LEGO blogs out there, some of which like JBB and The Rambling Brick, are indeed essential reading. Perhaps we should compile an index?
"
That's a great idea! Maybe a directory of "Essential AFOL websites?" under the Library section of the menu? Could include bricklink, rebrickable, eurobricks; instruction sites; blogs;interesting/unique youtube channels like Tubeside from "What's up with that..." articles. And at the bottom history section mentioning peeron and brickshelf? :-)
Section like this could be a great help for newcomers to the hobby, and perhaps the rest of us could find there something new.
@Huw said:
" @HOBBES said:
" @Huw said:
" @myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore "
Indeed. Given it hasn't been updated in 20 years perhaps it's not surprising.
I'd be interested to know what other sites people consider to be cornerstones. Certainly Eurobricks as mentioned above, although it's not a site that I visit. I would include New Elementary in the list given its unique and quality content. Any others?"
The ones I am using on a regular basis: Brickset, Brick Fanatics*, Bricklink, New Elementary, Rebrickable. I also visit the Brick Vault from time to time but this is more a shop than a proper Lego website.
* somehow Brick Fanatics gets more pictures when a new set is announced. I realize Brickset will never do that but Brick Fanatics do not shy away from rumours and 'potential' news (it's good sometimes to have a bit of a heads up since we don't have calendars any more). I also like the list of sets going out of production for the next few years. Reviews are not as good as Brickset though (IMO).
Peeron is good for very old instructions which are hard to get by sometimes - the links for old instructions on Brickset does not always work properly."
We get the same images as BF but don't use them all in our articles, particularly the lifestyle ones. However we do add them to the database where they are easily found for ever more.
The list of sets going out of production immenently is available here, https://brickset.com/sets/query-9753 . We don't publish dates beyond the end of the year because it's possible they'll change. So, like everything at BF, take them with a pinch of salt :-)"
The 'proverbial pinch of salt' does indeed appear incredibly frequently on BF and while most of what they publish come to be true, I suppose they don't really have the choice than to put some sort of disclaimer to avoid future ire/problems.
Thom... sounds made up. So, does 'Australia.' Almost as imaginary as New Zealand.
Hope soon to discover for myself whether these legendary places truly exist. Up till now, I've rightly assumed that anyone who claims to be from those places is simply trying to cover for their extraordinary behavior (usually heavy drinking or attempted suicide through crazy sport).
"There are about 100 code releases every month"
Terrifying.
@Huw said:
"The list of sets going out of production immenently is available here, https://brickset.com/sets/query-9753 . We don't publish dates beyond the end of the year because it's possible they'll change. So, like everything at BF, take them with a pinch of salt :-)"
Query-9753 has an almost sinister Order 66 vibe about it!
It looks like rebrickable is down at the moment. Was this the result of the attention from this brickset post?
@chicks said:
"It looks like rebrickable is down at the moment. Was this the result of the attention from this brickset post?"
It's down for me too... very Strange!
And, as soon as I post this, it's back!
EDIT 2: Down again, thirty seconds after being up!
@Murdoch17 said:
" @chicks said:
"It looks like rebrickable is down at the moment. Was this the result of the attention from this brickset post?"
It's down for me too... very Strange!
And, as soon as I post this, it's back!
EDIT 2: Down again, thirty seconds after being up!"
Execute Query-9753.
@myth said:
" @Huw said:
" @myth said:
"Thinking back about indispensable sites, for reviews of new build-a-minifigure parts it’s Jay’s Brick Blog. Really the only type of reviews missing on Bricklink
https://jaysbrickblog.com/category/build-a-minifigure/ "
There are a lot of LEGO blogs out there, some of which like JBB and The Rambling Brick, are indeed essential reading. Perhaps we should compile an index?
"
That's a great idea! Maybe a directory of "Essential AFOL websites?" under the Library section of the menu? Could include bricklink, rebrickable, eurobricks; instruction sites; blogs;interesting/unique youtube channels like Tubeside from "What's up with that..." articles. And at the bottom history section mentioning peeron and brickshelf? :-)
Section like this could be a great help for newcomers to the hobby, and perhaps the rest of us could find there something new. "
I’d like to nominate Philohome.com, it is indispensable for the technic builder, especially its motor technical information which I’ve required many a time.
I just purchased my first instructions off of rebrickable and found them to be well made. I purchased directions for an upscaled classic spaceman and walkie talkie. Another rebrickable user uploaded free instructions for an upscaled space detector/metal detector for the spaceman as well.
So far, so good regarding my rebrickable experience!
As for tracking a brick collection, I use brickset to do so. I've tracked and added to my parts collection after each Bricklink order, PaB haul, LUGBULK order, online BnP orders, etc.
This information is priceless and has helped me avoid purchasing items off of PaB walls that I've already got in my collection.
Essential LEGO reading:
Brickset, Brick Nerd, and New Elementary
@HOBBES said:
" Peeron is good for very old instructions which are hard to get by sometimes - the links for old instructions on Brickset does not always work properly."
I still find myself there (as recently as a couple weeks ago) for that reason. I wish the scans were higher resolution, but they're fine, and certainly better than nothing.
Sorry if that's some obvious question answered somewhere, but is it possible to filter premium MOC's away? I currently can't spend additional money on them and would prefer focusing on what I could build for free without encountering instructions behind paywalls.
(I'm NOT saying "Premium MOC's bad"! It surely is a nice way to support creators.)
@Brickchap said:
"Huh, I never knew the founder of Rebrickable was a fellow Aussie! :)"
Same here!
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie ….. Oy, Oy, Oy!!!
:))
“ What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community? BrickLink certainly; Brickset, I like to think; and Rebrickable”
Brickset MOST DEFINITELY!
It is my go-to every single day for LEGO news and reviews!
I keep track of my large collection on both Brickset and Rebrickable.
And I’d like to second “Jay’s Brick Blog” - another fellow Aussie - as a FANTASTIC LEGO reviews and news website, with quality photography and passionate writing!
From the comments on his blog, he has a lot of overseas fans.
@Huw said:
" @JDawg5 said:
" @myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore "
Oh wow, Peeron! That's a throwback. There was a time when Lugnet, Brickshelf, and From Bricks to Bothans would have been on such as a list as well. "
All of them once Brickset contemporaries but all now dead, Brickshelf sadly due to founder Kevin Loch's recent passing."
Very sad to hear of Kevin's passing. I know he maintained a very low profile in the Lego community, but his altruism in providing free photo hosting at a time when online storage was not widely available will always be appreciated.
Great article! I am definitely using Rebrickable more and more now.
can you eat lego
@modelesqueBuilds said:
"I love Rebrickable, but I don't use it to build other people's MOCs. I simply use it to manage my own collection of 130k parts and see which new LEGO sets will improve my lots where certain parts in certain colors are lacking."
Agreed. When I look to buy sets these days, I choose from the sets I like by looking in Rebrickable to see if I can already (almost) build it. If so I order just the few remaining parts. If not and the set has lots of parts I don't already own, I buy it.
@Huw said:
" @myth said:
"“What are the cornerstones of the online LEGO community?”
There was a time when peeron would have been included in such a list. And nowadays brickset doesn’t even link anymore to instructions on peeron anymore "
Indeed. Given it hasn't been updated in 20 years perhaps it's not surprising.
I'd be interested to know what other sites people consider to be cornerstones. Certainly Eurobricks as mentioned above, although it's not a site that I visit. I would include New Elementary in the list given its unique and quality content. Any others?"
I'd say Brick Architect is rather invaluable. General news / info is ok, but the info on sorting and storage are excellent, and it's the labels that stand out. Also, Tom's newer Parts Guide is quite useful as well. I tend to use his labels / contact sheet and now Parts Guide as the basis of all my sorting.
I've been using and submitting MOCs instructions (free and premium) for a couple of years now. It's my small way of of supplementing my hobby budget. I charge very little, in comparison to the time quality instructions actually take to produce (I'm not going to be quitting my day job anytime soon!)
I've always been fascinated by who is buying (and potentially building) these instructions for enormous multi-thousand piece MOCs that sell for $20+, and that's before you've even started sourcing any of the parts!