What is MOC?

I was nine when my grandparents gifted me a set of LEGO – and I was hooked right away. That was my introduction to the wonderful world of LEGO, but as I grew older I realised that I wanted to build my own world and it was evident that I couldn’t do so with the official sets designed by LEGO. Enter LEGO MOCs. So, what is MOC? Read on and you’ll find out!

What is LEGO MOC: A description

LEGO MOC means My Own Creation. The interesting part of these sets is that they are not officially made by LEGO, these are made by the fans themselves.

Fans from all around the world use random LEGO bricks to construct their own creations that are completely unique. The fans know that possibilities are endless with countless LEGO MOC ideas and some amazing examples of fan-made MOC sets come out on a daily basis.

It is amazing to have a hobby that is a little different from the generic hobbies that you see all around you. Being a hobbyist often means that you will get lost in your own little beautiful world. But there is one thing every hobbyist faces. The problem of scarcity or not having exactly what you want.

What do you do then? You build your own thing. The LEGO community is accustomed to this problem and that is why they are so well-versed with the My Own Creation (MOC) sets.

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What is MOC’s place in the LEGO world?

Standard LEGO sets are released by LEGO from time to time. They come in a pre-packaged box with a manual of instructions to build a specific set step by step. When I was young I was always bewildered by the lack of diversity that came with buying a specific LEGO set.

You would just make one LEGO set and you’d be done with it. All that money going into a LEGO set and what else can you do with it? Not much. With LEGO MOC ideas are aplenty. So, for a fan, there is tremendous significance of LEGO MOC, even more than the traditional sets.

It is true that with LEGO MOC, fans can indulge in LEGO in a way LEGO never really had in mind initially. It is the original bricks that are much more powerful than the set itself, as they give more control over to a fan on what they can make or for that matter of fact, remake!

There are amazing MOC creator companies all over the world. Seasoned fans like Chubbybots have proved time and again with their work that not a single stray LEGO piece should be wasted. You must save it, as it could be needed for your next LEGO MOC set.

What is the difference between LEGO MOCs and fan-made sets?

There is a stark difference between LEGO MOC sets that are on sale and the ones that fans build on their own using individual bricks from LEGO.

The LEGO MOC is designed to fuel the creativity of a builder. They put the builder first, the set after; not the other way around which is the case with the traditional LEGO sets. LEGO sets have manual included in them that need to be followed or you won’t get your set built properly. With LEGO MOC ideas, the sky is the limit.

However, that said, there are some good aspects of getting LEGO MOC fan-based sets. Basically, you are getting the best of both the worlds. For example, if you really want to indulge in building a LEGO set on your own but do not have the time or the creativity needed to do that, all you have to do is to get a fan-made LEGO MOC set from one of the websites all over the internet. With an original LEGO MOC set, you will have to go through the many LEGO brick/part markets online which will be time-consuming. 

If you think you can afford a lot of fan-made LEGO MOC sets, then nothing better than that. Owning a MOC requires real passion and creativity. Most fans while searching for unique MOC bricks do get tired and give up. The uniqueness of a LEGO MOC set is usually what makes it a problem as well for many fans.

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What is MOC made of?

LEGO MOCs are the sets that are built by massive fans of the LEGO bricks. They order these bricks from brick/part stores all over the internet and begin creating. LEGO MOC is essentially made of these individual LEGO bricks made by designers from scratch. There are two ways of making a LEGO MOC. You either go to some website which sells fan-made MOC sets, or you attempt at making one yourself, which is not an easy job as I discussed in the previous section.

With the perpetual increase in  LEGO’s adult fans, there is a vibrant culture of building MOCs from scratch and this could be anything, from a building to a robot to a specific machine, the sky is the limit with LEGO MOC ideas.

How do you build your own MOC?  

You are perhaps reading this blog because you want to build your MOC. Well, you have come to the right place. If you are not a designer the best thing you can do is to order an existing MOC set from one of the many websites that have these.

On these sites, you will come across many MOC sets like buildings, cars, houses or even movies. You could even download manuals of existing MOC sets and then order the bricks that are needed from various websites. It will require work, but still lesser than the work required to build a set from scratch.

The bricks or parts that form these MOCs are usually not very nicely packed like the company made LEGO sets. But that is usually not a problem with enthusiasts as it has everything else but the aesthetics. 

What is MOC’s impact on your life routine?

This hobby adds so many layers to your creative life. You begin by having absolutely no knowledge about where to get what and how to build a LEGO MOC, but then you learn from each and everyone that you encounter, ending up knowing a lot more. It is mostly about finding your passion, and when you have done that, about honing your skill and perfecting it by practising.

There are many fans who had humble beginnings but then with continued effort and hard work, they reached amazing places in life. For example, Justin Chua of the Lioncity MOCs fame, who started off with small commissioned jobs related to LEGO MOCs, but now has developed his passion into a successful small business.

Summary

LEGO MOC sets portray how powerful LEGO can be in terms of design. With LEGO bricks you can either make your own sets, if you have the passion for it, or you could get MOC sets, made by designers all over the world. You just need to pick and choose. The main thing is that there are endless possibilities with all the LEGO MOC ideas. However, you must remember that you will be addicted to LEGO MOCs, once you begin. So what is MOC really, you ask? Well, just know that when you decide to go the LEGO MOC route, you go all in!