Would you modify a piece to make a MOC work?

No, if I had to modify a piece it would be proof that I couldn't make a MOC work.

In the very dim and distant past before the internet and LEGO could only be bought via very slow postal service or in one of a very few stores (Sort of around 1980) I have resorted to painting bricks black to finish a MOC that I just did not have enough black bricks to make. It was only about four or five bricks. I did feel really bad about doing it, but as the MOC still has not been dismantled I guess it was justified due to its long livity. If I could get it out of the parents attic i am not even sure I would change those bits out now due to the length of time they have been there.

Nowadays I would not paint anything, It is so easy to go onto bricklink and buy the odd part and it will be with you in a day or two at the most.

As for Modding a part. The only time I have done this was with the PF railway switches when i just wanted to make a switch that could be the same ratio as the four way oone TLG used to make but has since stopped producing. Other than this I have just cut wires in PF extension cables as i have needed to rig them to the old 4.5v battery box and/or motor. It seemed prudent to cut wires on a reasonably cheap extension cable rather than actually on the IR unit itself. As for the 4.5V bit that connects it does not really need cutting as the connectors have little screws that you can undo to attach wires drectly into. I don't think of that as modifying a part as they are made to be used that way, other wise they would not have screws in them to enable it.

So generally I am against modifying bricks, but sometimes with electrical connectors it is impossible to do otherwise if you want it to work.

Purist here.

I haven't done it. I think a work around or a rethink should be your first port of call during the build process.

All construction systems are about working within a set of constraints. From 3D modelling, engineering to Lego.

The challenge of understanding and surpassing problems is part of the appeal for me.

If the mod is a short cut or easy answer then no. If it's something like cutting a hose or axel then that's ok. Though I still would only do it as a last resort.

This past weekend I spray painted a white piece gold because the gold piece wasn't available on bricklink from a USA based seller- didn't want deal/wait with international delivery.

Should I modify a Orange Fire Bird Chima helmet for orange hair?

Should I modify a Orange Fire Bird Chima helmet for orange hair?

If you do, I'd love to see it.

In the very dim and distant past before the internet and LEGO could only be bought via very slow postal service or in one of a very few stores (Sort of around 1980) I have resorted to painting bricks black to finish a MOC that I just did not have enough black bricks to make. It was only about four or five bricks. I did feel really bad about doing it, but as the MOC still has not been dismantled I guess it was justified due to its long livity. If I could get it out of the parents attic i am not even sure I would change those bits out now due to the length of time they have been there.

Nowadays I would not paint anything, It is so easy to go onto bricklink and buy the odd part and it will be with you in a day or two at the most.

As for Modding a part. The only time I have done this was with the PF railway switches when i just wanted to make a switch that could be the same ratio as the four way oone TLG used to make but has since stopped producing. Other than this I have just cut wires in PF extension cables as i have needed to rig them to the old 4.5v battery box and/or motor. It seemed prudent to cut wires on a reasonably cheap extension cable rather than actually on the IR unit itself. As for the 4.5V bit that connects it does not really need cutting as the connectors have little screws that you can undo to attach wires drectly into. I don't think of that as modifying a part as they are made to be used that way, other wise they would not have screws in them to enable it.

So generally I am against modifying bricks, but sometimes with electrical connectors it is impossible to do otherwise if you want it to work.

I am guilty of modifying electrical components too.

Another question:

If you build a MOC and this has "modified" parts in it, is this something which should be making a point of when presenting it?

Another question:

If you build a MOC and this has "modified" parts in it, is this something which should be making a point of when presenting it?

I think it would be helpful to someone trying to reverse-engineer your MOC or the newbies wondering how the heck did he do that.

I think it would be helpful to someone trying to reverse-engineer your MOC or the newbies wondering how the heck did he do that.

Thanks, I will make a point of noting that in my future MOCs.

I'm not really a fan of modified or painted pieces but in some cases I can understand it. The famous "boat mast rigging long 28 x 4" in light bluish gray is very expensive. I have three of them in reddish brown and will probably paint them for my 10719 UCS MF.

I haven't done it. I think a work around or a rethink should be your first port of call during the build process.

All construction systems are about working within a set of constraints. From 3D modelling, engineering to Lego.

The challenge of understanding and surpassing problems is part of the appeal for me.

Lego designers don't have to though. There are plenty of new parts made every year - no doubt part of this is due to there not being the right part available.

With the exception of cut flex tubes, I don't use modified parts in my MOCs. It's part of the challenge to accomplish what you want with the existing parts, I think. :)

However, I'm not so strict when train tracks are concerned. Cutting a switch to make a proper curve, for instance. And of course I've extended the wires of the PF motors I use for remote-controlled switches with regular wire - buying dozens of official PF extension cables wouldn't really make sense...

To answer the question in the title: in a legal sense it is acceptable (assuming it's your own Lego and not mine), but in a religious sense it is complete heresy.

Lego designers don't have to though. There are plenty of new parts made every year - no doubt part of this is due to there not being the right part available.

LEGO designers operate under a much different set of constraints, including playability, stability, and the cost and count of elements used. What 'the right part' means to average AFOLs who can't get their bricks to do what they want seems a lot different from what 'the right part' means to a LEGO designer trying to hit a number of much different goals. Furthermore, most new LEGO elements appear in a number of sets, not just in one part of one set - it seems to me the introduction of new elements has far more to do with optimizing the LEGO System's parts palette than it does with solving a specific problem in one creation (which is how I interpreted the thread starter).

Those with knowledge of the new parts procedure and the role LEGO model designers have in this, feel free to correct me.

Edited September 27, 201410 yr by GregoryBrick

Agree with GregoryBrick, as I mentioned earlier - designers can't just arbitrarily make new parts; new molds are very expensive, and they have to make a great case for the need of a new part, in addition to it's future usefulness.

If its made by Lego and passed through their obviously stringent QA process then I consider it a "legal" part.

If you start modifying things where does it end? Cutting, melting, biting, using woven materials, metal, animal bones, choke...glue :O

I hear the large display models are glued.

Obvious Heresy.

LEGO designers operate under a much different set of constraints, including playability, stability, and the cost and count of elements used. What 'the right part' means to average AFOLs who can't get their bricks to do what they want seems a lot different from what 'the right part' means to a LEGO designer trying to hit a number of much different goals. Furthermore, most new LEGO elements appear in a number of sets, not just in one part of one set - it seems to me the introduction of new elements has far more to do with optimizing the LEGO System's parts palette than it does with solving a specific problem in one creation (which is how I interpreted the thread starter).

Those with knowledge of the new parts procedure and the role LEGO model designers have in this, feel free to correct me.

And another thing is that Lego designers can't use all the retired parts that moc builders can. There are many more retired parts than the one or two new parts a designer can use in a new set, so this is an advantage for moc builders.

And the only way they would bring back an old part is if it can be used in 2 or more sets, or it is a last resort.

I remember back when I was a kid and not liking how the old 1x2x3 doors looked, part #32bc01 (http://rebrickable.com/parts/32bc01) and I broke out the dividing bar to make them look like windows instead. Much nicer in my eye. I didn't have any qualms about doing that then. Now though, I would never think of modifying parts.

Yeah sure, it's not the end of the world if you saw a piece here or cut some cloth there... is it?

I have no issues cutting technic axles and half bushings to make quarter bushings. I do this to make stronger gear connections, but my MOCs can be made with common parts.

I think it's ok. I've cut a 32x32 baseplate in half. Lately I've been thinking about cutting some of the road baseplates too. I'd like to use official roadplates with my modular buildings, but the sidewalks end up being too wide. If Lego made a road plate with a wider traffic lanes and just three rows of studs on the edge it would be ideal, but since those don't exist I may end up using the sword of exact zero again.

It would be cheaper to cut the 32x32 yourself. Instead of paying Lego to cut it in 1/2 or 1/4's.