I am wondering what the title says, how long before deconstruction happens on mocs? I usually keep sets together the most, spread between display and use. Usually 4-5 months, then I make a c model, then it stays like that. You probably keep your mocs together longer (I have only 3000 moc parts) and display them on a shelf like they are. Or you are like me, and disassemble a few days later.

Share your thoughts.

I keep my sets together for about a week. My MOCs for about a month or two, unless I really like something. I've had my T-55 on my shelf now for about two years now.

The joy for me is building something new. I can't do that when parts are tied up in a MOC or set.

Some of the moc's from designer Han and 2legoornot2lego are so awesome that I never have taken them apart. Six or seven years for some. I just buy new parts as I need them. I keep BL busy sometimes. 

Shelves. by Marek Markiewicz, on Flickr

As you can see here, some of my MOCs are still in one piece. The oldest one is Liebherr L580, which is almost eight years old (but it's a empty shell - no PF parts inside). Same thing with TGS tow truck from end of the 2014 - without every useful pneumatic/PF part, but in 70% intact.

That Sandvik loader looks like my old one 517L, but it is completely new model, rebuilt from sracth into Model Team version.

Not long. With intact sets, the alternate model ideas come to me within hours of building them, so a few days later, the alternates models come together. A good amount of my MOCs get instructions, so those get broken after a few weeks at most.

In terms of MOC part, I have around 3000. 

Edited June 29, 20177 yr by BrickbyBrickTechnic

Mine varies between a few hours to 30+ years. 

 

When I build, my rule is to not stop until I am satisfied to keep the MOC permanantly as a display. I mostly build scenes from the Marvel movies to pay my respects to them and show my love for the comics. I only have like 5 vignette style builds because of this and one of them is really a MOD of the Sanctum Sanctorum. 

Sets are a different story. I usually keep them around for a few days or a week. If I really like a component from a build, like Coulson's Lola or Wonder Woman's Ares or Homecoming's Vulture, I keep them around as displays permanantly and intergrate them into scenes/MOCs or modify them. Everything else gets scrapped for parts.

Normally my sets get put on a shelf, and then get the "I just need one part" syndrome... only sometimes do they stay there long enough to collect dust .

With my MOCs, I tend to keep them together much longer - unless I make instructions for them, which in that case I take them apart quite quickly.  

They stay together until I move house.

 

Then they get gradually rebuilt over the course of a few years until I move again before I have everything how I want it.

 

Mine used to only stay for about a week, but that time has gradually increased into months. I think is is because my skills have gotten better recently, and subsequently I like looking at (and playing with!) the models for longer. Even the model with all my (small) collection of pneumatic parts has survived several months, because it works so well, looks good and I don't want to dismantle it!
Any PF-powered model won't survive more than a month however, unless I can easily remove my one battery box from it without destroying the model (not always the case).

Since I mostly buy sets to display them (most recently the Saturn V) they survive quite a long time however nearly all sets I had as a child are disassembled and used for the parts. My MOCs also live long, but after every exhibiton I find something to improve. So details are always changing but I try to keep to look of my MOCs. On the other hand I like to build landscapes to place my MOCs and to add some kind of atmosphere in a group layout, especially for the smaller ones, they are changing with every exhibition due to different available space (well, they would if I would take them out of the box since the last one).

It depends on a set. There are some sets I got for display (mostly the smaller Creator sets like 31045 31045 Ocean Explorer or 42040 Fire Plane which are just perfect the way they are) and some to be turned into C-Models (42000 Grand Prix Racer was the case). Some, like 42050 Dragster I bought twice - one for display, one to be parted out.

Most sets are immediately turned into the main model after I open the bag or box, exception being the aforementioned 42000 (I have no interest in F1 and most of other open-wheel racing cars) - I built the B-model to practice some building methods for bigger models and then I torn it apart to build my C-Model, the Bootleg Belle. I keep the successful MOCs intact for as long as I don't have the LDD model done (in case I'd want to recreate them). Unsuccessful MOCs are quickly rebuilt.

All my MOC's are never disassembled/taken apart.

Just now, -zenn said:

All my MOC's are never disassembled/taken apart.

So what do you do for parts, buy them all from bricklink?

7 hours ago, mocbuild101 said:

So what do you do for parts, buy them all from bricklink?

Yep, BL and toystores.

MOCs don't have a fixed lifetime for me. Some, I do feel, will be around for a long time, since i find they are simply fine as they are. Maybe they get an overhaul from time to time. When new pieces are are available or i I get new ideas how to do build certain things. 

So far, I've kept all sets and MOCs together, except for Bennys Spaceship, which I disassembled a few months back after having it on displayfor over two years.

I'm not counting a few smaller sets that I only bought for parts but still assembled for fun first.

 

However, I might have to change that tactic: My space for displaying my modulars is limited, and at the moment, I have room for only one additional 16-wide building. So I'll either have to find additional spaces to put some of them, or start taking them apart. With Brick Bank and Assembly Square still not built, and another full size MOC in its first design stages, this is a problem that'll need solving soon...

I usually do not keep my MOCs, to be able to re-use the parts (and also maybe because they are not so exceptional), so I dismantle them a few days/weeks after I made photos.

One exception is the Renault 17 I made for a contest here, because I like it a lot even if it did not get many votes, and it does not "block" too many rare/needed parts.

The other exception is the replica of my apartment, in display in a transparent coffee table, but that one will soon be dismantled because I'm moving to another apartment (so a new MOC of that will have to be made).

I have however many sets bought for display (modular buildings and a few other big ones) and a few city vehicles that I keep (sometimes modified).

Edited July 2, 20177 yr by antp

Sets: Not very long (2-3 months tops), but I keep the parts together.

MOCs: All of my modulars are still assembled on top of my shelf. I'm running out of space however..

Wow, so many different ways of how much you enjoy your models! Mostly i see a even line between keep and dismantle.

Keep em coming, I like hearing these different ways.

Edited July 3, 20177 yr by Aventador2004
Typo

usually i keep my sets and mocs for only a few weeks(exception of a police bus, decommissioned for use after 1 year . only lego star wars sets make it for a long time.