Build a MOC: 1 year on
Posted by Huw,
It's been a year since we introduced Build a MOC, a website where you can buy kits of other people's MOCs and make your MOCs available to others, too.
It was set up by two Spanish AFOLs, Gerardo and Alvaro, and following a successful year of trading, has now expanded to a staff of five.
Gerardo tell me that "Last Christmas, we had huge delays in shipping due to unreliable companies and COVID, so we had to switch to UPS. We also found that too many errors were slipping through for us to be comfortable, so we hired someone to double-check and sort every kit before we send them out."
To celebrate a significant milestone of completing 1,000 orders recently the company is running a promotion: every new order placed before the end of November will be entered into a draw for one €100 voucher and three €50 vouchers.
Geraldo has sent me some of their recent additions, of which this flying bee kinetic structure by JK Brickworks is one.
The sets arrive in a sturdy cardboard box with all pieces sorted by type and packed in zip-lock bags. I didn't take pictures of them for this kit but did for another model which I'll be reviewing next week. They don't come with printed instructions, instead you are sent a link to download a PDF copy.
As you would expect of a Jason Alleman model, the instructions are clear, it's well-designed and works flawlessly.
Pressing down on the rear petal causes the bee to rise which in turn makes the wings look like they are flapping.
The second model I've been sent is also by JK Brickworks: one that started the gravity-defying LEGO Tensigrity craze last year. I hadn't got round to building one before now so having all the parts arrive as a kit made it much easier to do so.
All pieces were present and correct in both kits, so the additional staff members are doing a good job! The bee is particularly cute, and a model that apiarists and bee-lovers in particular will appreciate.
Build a MOC provides a valuable and useful service and I wish them every success. If you have a model you'd like to sell as a kit, find out how to do so.
Both models featured in this article cost €29 and can be purchased here.
Thanks to Build a MOC for sending the kits for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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5 comments on this article
Cheers, glad to hear you had a good experience with them!
I purchased the Tensegrity set, by JK Brickworks, a few months ago, through Build a MOC, and was impressed with the packaging, shipping, and experience. I got the black version, as I like it in that color better, and so that it can sit next to my miniature 2001 black monolith on my shelf.
It's funny, I found out about it in a roundabout way, through the Bricklink Designer Program. When I saw, in Round 1, the Pursuit of Flight and Particle Accelerator, also by JK Brickworks, I wanted to see what else this guy came up with, which led me to the Tensegrity set. Its relative compactness and coolness factor made it an instant buy for me.
I love every set made by @JK_Brickworks, his designs are always so clean and simple but at the same time very ingenious and clever.
I'm one of the sellers on the platform. The experience has been smooth so far and Gerardo and his team have been nothing short of professional. It's surprising to me that people want to buy my work and that gives me a lot of confidence.
Also, buy my dinosaurs. Throw some bread at your boi!
https://buildamoc.com/pages/seller-profile/legotaku
I hear the Lake Como architecture skyline is a peach ;)