Here is a list of frequently asked questions about Brick Replicas, instructions, ordering parts, and other common questions.
What is Brick Replicas?
‘Brick Replicas by Cole Edmonson’ is my personal brand of realistic, LEGO®-based designs and custom building instructions. As more and more people get to know my work, the demand has quickly grown. My brick building has moved from just a fun hobby to my semi-pro side hustle. I’m so thankful for your support and the ability to keep doing what I love. Read more about how I got started here.
Why don’t you sell full kits or include the pieces with the instructions for your models?
First off, buying digital instructions and parts lists is often better than a packaged set when it comes to getting your hands on custom LEGO designs. Your buyer experience is far more cost-effective, gives you more choices and control as a builder (especially if you already have some of the pieces you need), and the model you want to build is never sold out! Find out how it works.
Also: 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 upfront. 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).
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. Find out more here.
Where do I order the parts from?
After you have the instructions, you’ll need to acquire 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. Official LEGO pieces can also be bought from your local LEGO Brand Retail store, Bricks and Minifigs, Pick a Brick, Bricks & Pieces, eBay, and BrickOwl. If you don’t care about the pieces being authentic LEGO-branded, then you can build my designs even more affordably by sourcing non-official parts from Webrick using an almost identical XML code upload process to BrickLink.
How do I order the parts from Bricklink?
How to Upload XML Code to BrickLink
- Open the .rtf file containing XML code.
- Copy the entire text starting with “<INVENTORY>”.
- Go to https://bricklink.com.
- Create an account on Bricklink if you don’t have one yet.
- On the top right, scroll over “Want” and then select “Wanted List”
- “Create New List” and name it however you’d like.
- On the top right, scroll over “Want” and then select “Upload”.
- Select “Upload Bricklink XML format”.
- Paste the entire text you copied in Step 2.
- Select the Wanted List you created in Step 6 in the dropdown by Add to:
- Click “Proceed to verify Items”; at this point you should see the list of parts you need to purchase.
- Pro tip: If you have multiple models you’re shopping for (e.g. gun and display stand and display plaque), it’s highly recommended you upload all their parts to the same Wanted List so that you can more easily combine them into the smallest possible number of shopping carts / stores / orders placed at the same time for less expensive shipping.
If you encounter any parts errors (for example, parts 3062b, 3068b, 3069b and/or 3070b) when trying to upload your parts list code to BrickLink, open the text file with XML code in a text editor app, search for those codes (Command+F or Ctrl+F) and delete the ‘b’ or other add-on letter in each code. If you encounter any further issues, please contact me.
You can also click here to view/download a PDF that explains the whole process. Or watch this video.
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 $0.10–0.20 USD 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, condition, and availability.
Do you work for the LEGO company?
No; I am not an employee, contractor, business partner, or affiliate 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.
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.
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.
Do you offer returns and/or refunds?
See my return policy here.
