MOCing Advice & Ideas thread

[ZORK64]

22 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Would a mini-doll head be too small?

I hadn't checked yet, so I decided to take a picture:

And yeah, it's unfortunately a little bit too small. I mean, it could work, but at a first glance, I guess the head would be a bit too small.

 

Techfig head would be in terms of scale the next best thing, but as far as I know the neck joint isn't compatible with anything but the Techfig torso, so I'd be required to incoroporate one of those into this build, which I don't really want to, as it would probably prevent the MOC from having a joint in the torso (not to mention that I still haven't figured out how to remove the arms of a Techfig).

Edited October 29, 2017 by ZORK64

[Mitch Henry]

Why not just build on a larger scale?

[ZORK64]

Because I want it to be in-scale with Raynor. He therefore dictates the scale of the Marine I'd be building.

But considering the lack of head options, I'll just go with a permanently closed visor.

[Kalhiki]

Cookie to anyone who can build the smallest limb possible, System parts allowed.

I revamped the Toa Mata recently (hope to get pics up soon, just need to order the parts I'm missing), and now I plan to revamp the Matoran and Turaga with added articulation, etc. Problem: the build for the Toa ended up kinda small. They're just shorter than the official sets. Which means if I'm going to revamp the Matoran and Turaga, I need to figure out how I'm going to possibly make limbs that small in an elegant manner. Mixel balljoints are going to be unavoidable, I think.

Which made me realize, we really need Technic-compatible Mixel sockets. We got the ball, but all the sockets are attached to bricks.

 

[ZORK64]

2 hours ago, Kalhiki said:

Which made me realize, we really need Technic-compatible Mixel sockets. We got the ball, but all the sockets are attached to bricks.

Yeah, I've been thinking the same for quite some time now. I hope that in the case that TLG makes a new original Constraction Theme, they'll tackle that.

[Mitch Henry]

This might sound sarcastic, but the smallest limb possible would be a balljoint with a micro balljoint.

 

 

 

This moc uses the smallest limbs I've ever made and has more range than balljoint and micro balljoint.

[Kalhiki]

16 hours ago, Mitch Henry said:

This might sound sarcastic, but the smallest limb possible would be a balljoint with a micro balljoint.

This moc uses the smallest limbs I've ever made and has more range than balljoint and micro balljoint.

Actually, that's a similar setup to what I used for my Toa revamps. But I really do dig your design. 

I'll need to keep playing around...

[Aanchir]

Would this work? 5 modules long (4 modules from center of hip joint to center of ankle joint)

If you want to make it a module shorter you could replace the entire lower limb with this piece: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3614b#T=P However, it's a retired piece which comes in very few colors and even fewer current colors.

That said, at this scale, it may not even be worth having a working knee/elbow joint. Your call.

Edited November 4, 2017 by Aanchir

[Kalhiki]

On ‎11‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 12:42 PM, Aanchir said:

Would this work? 5 modules long (4 modules from center of hip joint to center of ankle joint)

*snip*

If you want to make it a module shorter you could replace the entire lower limb with this piece: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3614b#T=P However, it's a retired piece which comes in very few colors and even fewer current colors.

That said, at this scale, it may not even be worth having a working knee/elbow joint. Your call.

Ooh. That's very good. May consider using that, thanks!

Yeah, I was contemplating just ditching the elbow/knee joint entirely. But I figure if there's a way to do it, I should.

 

 

[Mechbuilds]

What do you guys do when you're stuck and can't think of anything how to proceed with your moc? 
I've been building the same moc for days. Constantly just building something, realizing that it doesn't work, taking it apart. Repeat. 

[Leewan]

Put it aside, wait a few days days. Work on something else in the meantime if you want to. When you get fresh ideas, get back to your MOC.

[Mac Daddy]

Hey gang! I'm currently looking to MOC a crossbow for a constraction figure- but I'm having a hard time getting the creative juices flowing. I've been looking around for good examples of brick-built crossbows, but all the ones I've found are just...crappy. Any suggestions/cool MOCs you can point me to? Thanks!

[Takanuinuva]

Would you be willing to use the Constration Blaster piece that the Star Wars sets use?

[Mitch Henry]

11 hours ago, Mac Daddy said:

Hey gang! I'm currently looking to MOC a crossbow for a constraction figure- but I'm having a hard time getting the creative juices flowing. I've been looking around for good examples of brick-built crossbows, but all the ones I've found are just...crappy. Any suggestions/cool MOCs you can point me to? Thanks!

http://lego.brickinstructions.com/en/lego_instructions/set/75530/Chewbacca

Chewbacca's Bowcaster looks pretty good, and if its not the right size im sure you could make a similar alternative

 

[Mac Daddy]

On 4/10/2018 at 7:46 PM, Takanuinuva said:

Would you be willing to use the Constration Blaster piece that the Star Wars sets use?

Yeah, as long as it doesn't get too big. The blaster piece is on the big end of the spectrum for what I'm trying to build.

On 4/10/2018 at 10:05 PM, Mitch Henry said:

http://lego.brickinstructions.com/en/lego_instructions/set/75530/Chewbacca

Chewbacca's Bowcaster looks pretty good, and if its not the right size im sure you could make a similar alternative

 

It does look good, but like I said above it's a little big for my purposes. Thanks for the suggestion though!

[Leewan]

Do you want it to be functional (i.e. actually shoot things) or is it optional ? If that can help, I've made, a few years ago, two crossbows that could shoot flick-fire missiles. You can see them here and here.

[Mac Daddy]

On 4/13/2018 at 5:53 PM, Leewan said:

Do you want it to be functional (i.e. actually shoot things) or is it optional ? If that can help, I've made, a few years ago, two crossbows that could shoot flick-fire missiles. You can see them here and here.

Those are some good-looking crossbows with a lot of character, thank for sharing! But otherwise, no, I would actually prefer to build a non-functional crossbow. Form over function.

[JoeyB]

Hiya! So... I've been fiddling around some more with MOCing- both with physical bricks and in LDD- but I've been having trouble building figures with system pieces for the look I'm going for. This is especially directed at @Aanchir , what with his sweet android. Any suggestions to make poseable figures using mostly system pieces? Especially with lower limbs and bodies, those are giving me a headache. I'm excited by what I've got so far, the cartoon characters I'm making seem semi-feasible now, but they really need all the details right. Thank you and I appreciate it!

[Aanchir]

Depends in part on what sort of scale you're going for. But here are some general tips:

• SNOT brackets are good for locking parts together from the sides to make them sturdier than you could get from stacking alone.
• these together with a ball joint with through hole make fantastic knees (though for PAIGE a single ball joint and friction cup is barely enough so for larger figures, as in Bionicle, I'd really recommend using multiple ball joints or a more rugged joint like the ones used for AT-ATs).
• Once you have an idea what scale you want to build at, it can be helpful to create a very basic skeleton so you know how far apart you want the joints to be.
• Vehicle parts (like from the Cars and Speed Champions sets) are a good source for System parts with smoother or more enclosed surfaces. Windscreens too, though there aren't all that many that come in non-transparent colors.
• Don't be afraid to sacrifice a few points of articulation if it helps you achieve the proportions you want. Seriously. Bionicle makes it easy to make a figure with 13 or more points of articulation even with fairly slender proportions. With System you can be a lot more limited. But if you think about what sorts of poses are MOST important for you to achieve, nobody will care if a spider person you build doesn't have each leg segment bend individually as long as it looks cool in all the poses you CAN pull off.
• The CCBS high-friction ball cups are still your friends for bigger MOCs!
• Ninjago and Elves dragons and creatures can be great reference for how to get a lifelike look with System. Ninjago dragons tend to be edgier, Elves dragons and creatures tend to be curvier.

[JoeyB]

16 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Depends in part on what sort of scale you're going for. But here are some general tips:

• SNOT brackets are good for locking parts together from the sides to make them sturdier than you could get from stacking alone.
• these together with a ball joint with through hole make fantastic knees (though for PAIGE a single ball joint and friction cup is barely enough so for larger figures, as in Bionicle, I'd really recommend using multiple ball joints or a more rugged joint like the ones used for AT-ATs).
• Once you have an idea what scale you want to build at, it can be helpful to create a very basic skeleton so you know how far apart you want the joints to be.
• Vehicle parts (like from the Cars and Speed Champions sets) are a good source for System parts with smoother or more enclosed surfaces. Windscreens too, though there aren't all that many that come in non-transparent colors.
• Don't be afraid to sacrifice a few points of articulation if it helps you achieve the proportions you want. Seriously. Bionicle makes it easy to make a figure with 13 or more points of articulation even with fairly slender proportions. With System you can be a lot more limited. But if you think about what sorts of poses are MOST important for you to achieve, nobody will care if a spider person you build doesn't have each leg segment bend individually as long as it looks cool in all the poses you CAN pull off.
• The CCBS high-friction ball cups are still your friends for bigger MOCs!
• Ninjago and Elves dragons and creatures can be great reference for how to get a lifelike look with System. Ninjago dragons tend to be edgier, Elves dragons and creatures tend to be curvier.

Thanks Aanchir! I don't have to worry about sturdiness or colors too much since I'm working in LDD at the moment, but I appreciate your tips!