Hello, I am not really new with lego, I am 40 years old but was introduced to lego (not intensively) when I was very young age. Just recently, I have been building more lego sets (mostly technics) and getting more interest in building my own creation. The problem is I dont know where to start to learn. I only follow the instruction without knowing why is a part is put this way or that way.

Is there any way i can start learning? I dont even know what a part is called. I went to bricklink and there are thousands of them, and I dont know which parts i should get first.

Just realised that lego is not just a simple toy, it has lots of things from the parts and the use of each of the parts to the idea how to put them together. I ve seen many wonderful MOC creations here and i am puzzled on how the designers can choose what parts they need let alone putting back together.

So I am hoping again some one can give me direction, in particular which parts do I have to get to begin with, i prefer not to dismantle my built l;ego sets as I love to look at them. I know this maybe wrong as lego is meant to be played not displayed. (watched the lego movie)

Thanks in advance

As a learning experience, what I do is to build sets. I take my time, I study each step and each sub assembly to try to figure out why the model is built as it is.

As you are trying, Bricklink is a good place to learn names of parts, also by reading posts here you can learn names of parts, and how they are used.

There are several good books that help to explain concepts as well. I like Sariel's book for Techinc,

http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-LEGO-Technic-Builders-Guide/dp/1593274343/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452618721&sr=8-1&keywords=Unofficial+technic+builder%27s+guide

He does an excellent job of describing what and why.

For standard LEGO System bricks I like..

http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-LEGO-Builders-Guide-Color/dp/1593274416/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452619009&sr=1-1&keywords=unofficial+lego+builders+guide

There are numerous good books, some good Internet sites, but the best way to learn LEGO is by a combination of reading and doing.

IHTH,

Andy D

Edited January 12, 20169 yr by Andy D

Nothing wrong having some sets to display and admire. It's your hobby, you do what bring you joy.

Are you wanting to learn to MOC in Technics or regular System bricks or a combination? If you don't want to take apart your current sets, you could buy some sets that you don't need to stay built. It could be sets of the type of MOCs you want to build. It's a quick way to get a collection of parts to play and experiment instead of figuring out what you need from BrickLink, Pick A Brick, etc. When I started, I bought sets on sales just to build up a supply of pieces.

You can learn from LEGO set building instructions. They are available online for download from LEGO.com. I used them for reference and techniques in some of my MOCs. You can learn from studying other people's MOCs. Depending on your learning style, best could probably be, grab what you have and start trying to make something. Trial and error.

Some times, I don't have to exact parts instead of a quick order from BrickLink, I try to make something similar with parts I have on hand. It forces one to be creative and find alternative solutions. If that doesn't work, then BL order or get help from your LUG members.

When my son started playing with Lego, I found the new designs a lot different from what I remembered. I purchased the latest Lego Ideas book to learn more about current design. Like dr_spock, I also download instructions from the Lego site. For example I wanted to build a wall like those found on the Lion Chi Temple so I downloaded the instructions for the set. For parts I just purchased a large collection from ebay.

Thank you for all kind replies, basically i love all lego type, the only reason we build mostly technic stuff is because my 12 years old has a keen interest in this technical stuff. Maybe he likes to be an engineer when he grows up, who knows :) I personally like modular building and landscaping, I ve seen many wonderful things built as MOCs in this sector.

Thanks for the book sugestion, will definitely get into that. Buying sets on sale for bricks inventory is not a bad idea indeed. I realise this is not an overnight learning project. I looked into ebay and found some bulk lego sets for sale for a fraction of its value when new, so that could be a starting point too.