Here is a list of frequently asked questions about Brick Replicas, instructions, ordering parts, and other common questions.
What is Brick Replicas?
Brick Replicas is my personal brand of LEGO®-based designs and building instructions that is both my hobby and side-business.
Do you work for the LEGO company?
No; I am neither an employee nor a business partner of The LEGO Group of companies which owns the LEGO trademark and does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse me, my designs, my building instructions, or my website.
Do you work on commissioned LEGO designs?
I occasionally do! If you are interested in a custom-designed LEGO project, please check out my section on commissions.
Do you offer LEGO coaching and/or consulting? Can you teach my kid?
Yep; people have actually paid me for private LEGO tutoring. Contact me for details/availability.
How long does it take you to design/build one of your models from scratch?
It depends greatly on the size and complexity of the project, as well as the number of revisions I do. I’m a rather meticulous and detail-oriented builder, meaning that most of my LEGO replicas take at least 20–30hrs of building. You can read more about my design process here.
Why don’t you have building instructions available for some of your designs/models?
After I physically design and build each LEGO model, producing the instructions is an entire process of its own. It takes yet another 30–40hrs on average for me to digitally recreate my model on a computer, add step markers, render and export, lay out the steps in a document, add markup, double-check the piece counts, and do everything else it takes in order to provide you with the highest-quality building experience possible. So, if I’m confident that people will truly be interested in buying instructions for a given model, then I’ll go through this time-intensive process; please let me know if you would like to purchase the instructions to a specific design.
What do I get when I buy a set of building instructions?
Every set of carefully-crafted building instructions that I produce comes with a PDF that contains all the visual building steps, pictures of all the parts you’ll need, a text file with parts list XML code, and a PDF that explains how you can use the XML code to easily generate a shopping list on BrickLink.com.
Where do I order the parts from?
After you have the instructions, you’ll need to order/find the necessary pieces. First, see what, if any, parts you already have in your LEGO collection that you can use. I recommend ordering the remaining LEGO parts you need from BrickLink. Some LEGO pieces can also be bought from your local LEGO Brand Retail store, Bricks and Minifigs, Pick a Brick, Bricks & Pieces, eBay, and BrickOwl.
How much will it cost to order the parts I need?
The cost to buy pieces for each of the models I provide instructions for will vary by design, parts, and time you purchase them. Often, parts can cost about $0.10 each on average when ordered from BrickLink. However, I highly recommend that you first check to see if you already own any of the pieces required before you order them. The cost of parts can differ widely, depending on their color, type, and availability.
How do I order the parts from Bricklink?
Click here to view/download a PDF that explains the whole process. Or watch the video below:
Why don’t you sell the pieces with the instructions (i.e. full kits) for your models?
While it’s easy and affordable for you to buy your own parts for the individual model you’d like to build, it would take me a lot of extra time, physical space, and funds to accumulate and manage a large inventory of parts that are dedicated to all of the unofficial ‘sets’ I’d be selling (on top of the personal collection I keep on-hand for designing new models). I would also need to factor in the changing costs of LEGO elements and add my own labor onto the buying / sorting / packaging / marketing cost of batching multiple kits together, passing all of that cost onto the buyers in order to make the ends meet, and I’m not quite ready for this larger-scale distribution process (though I may explore it in the future). Brick Replicas is still a one-man operation at this point, so it’s more feasible for me to simply provide you with the fine-quality instructions you need to acquire all the parts (that you don’t already have) and help save you a lot of money on the front end.
Do you offer returns and/or refunds?
See my return policy here.
