Find more great MOC designers
In the past, we have seen a lot of excellent works, but we rarely pay attention to know who created them, relatively compared to other platforms, in addition to introducing the works, we also need to introduce the behind stories of the authors and their people, which is also a way to pay tribute to the masters.
Marius Herrmann from Bavaria, Germany, has loved the LEGO BioChemical Warrior series since he was a child, and has been fully supported by his parents, after 6 years of MOC experience, he is now very good at restoring the elements in movies and games with blocks, so that some game companies notice his work and commission him to customize the model.
Welcome to Marius Herrmann
Let's step into his LEGO world!
MOCer's growth journey
Q1
What is your proud LEGO MOC? Can you tell us about its design ideas?
My proudest MOC to date is Bahamut in Final Fantasy X.
As a child, I dreamed of building a Bahamut with Lego, but I was always too afraid to finish the project.
It wasn't until my friends in the LEGO community gave me positive feedback on my previous MOCs that I decided to give it a try.
I think the shape, structure and head are too complicated for me to replicate accurately with Lego.
If I remember correctly, it took more than half a year to build Bahamut and the final completion was a breakthrough moment for me. It gave me the feeling that anything could be built with Lego, which is the attitude I've maintained ever since.
Q2
What prompted you to start MOC yourself?
In 2007, when I was 10 years old, I attended the LEGO Inside Tour, an internal tour where I could visit lego's headquarters in Denmark.
I found that most of the people who came to play were adults. That's when I learned what AFOL and MOC are, and it turns out that there is such a global LEGO community that is building and displaying their own LEGO creations.
I'd say that at that moment, I started my journey as a MOC builder, but it wasn't until much later that I started sharing my MOC.
Game: Titanfall 2 Phantom
Q3
How did you learn when you started doing MOCs?
I don't think there's a single way to learn how to build a MOC. On the one hand, I only learned a lot when I was a kid by building LEGO suits.
In particular, my love of LEGO BioShock can be seen in my MOCs, where I always like to try out strange and unusual LEGO bricks.
On the other hand, you can learn a lot by studying MOCs that others post online. The LEGO community is talented, so there's no shortage of ideas and techniques that you can incorporate into your own creations.
Game: Ultimate Zone: Anubis Mars Jehuty
Q4
Are there any difficulties in the design process and how to solve them, can you share your experience with us?
I approach MOCs differently depending on the topic.
1. For characters and creatures, I usually focus only on the head first. I'll find a suitable LEGO part.
From there, I calculate the size of the entire model and then build an internal framework. In my experience, the main difficulty is getting the proportions right. I looked for a lot of reference materials, and I often measured each part and even printed a 1:1 reference image.
Still, some parts often need to be tweaked, so it's important to build a common framework to fit most models.
Second Generation Spider-Man: Miles Morales
2. For stereo models, the method is a little different. Here, I usually plan the entire MOC before I start building anything. I made the framework of the model, then broke it into smaller parts and started building each part.
Game: Horizon: Dawn of Zero Thunder Dragon Mechanical Behemoth
A miniature version of the Thunder Dragon Mechanical Behemoth
MOCer's design philosophy
Q5
Where did your MOC Lego get inspired? Can you talk about your process when designing a MOC?
Most of my MOCs are based on film, video, game characters, or game scenes.
I usually spend a lot of time in-game screenshots or searching for renderings and concept maps.
When I have enough references, I choose a detail, usually an eye or other iconic design element, and try to find the LEGO brick that best represents it. Once I have a prototype of that small part of the model, I build the rest accordingly.
Game: Titanfall 2
Q6
What do you value most in a series of MOC titles? Why?
For me, reductimacy is the most important. To do this, I often sacrifice mobility and stability.
Q7
What type of MOC do you want to do in the future?
This is a more tangled question. My future MOC will most likely also be based on video games.
Because I really want to build more dioramas, buildings and landscapes in the future. It's something I haven't done a lot in the past because it uses a lot of bricks. But by now, I've collected quite a few bricks to build.
Game Soul of Tsushima: Yaho Shrine
I also want to build more mogcs of my own design instead of recreating something.
Last year I really enjoyed designing my own series of robots, so I wanted to continue to create models based on unusual LEGO bricks.
Original design: Fashion robot
MOCer interactive session
Q8
Do you have any advice for other MOC players?
When building with LEGO bricks, the possibilities are endless. So many pieces, colors and techniques. You can be inspired by other MOCs, but you can also build it your way.
The most creative ideas and solutions that come to mind are often the most fascinating.
Game: God of War, Alfheim
Q9
Do you think about the cost of your work when you moc? Will you use expensive parts?
As I said earlier, reductiivity is very important to me. As a result, I sometimes go out of my way to buy very rare and expensive parts, as long as I think they fit best with MOCs.
I know that's not how most LEGO builders treat design because many people like to build with lego bricks they already have.
I only have a small number of bricks, and I have to order parts specifically for each model. Therefore, I don't mind looking for rare parts sometimes.
So time is the biggest problem at the moment, and some of my models take a long time to complete.
Game: Dark Blood 3 "Profiteer" Foglimou
10
Have you ever thought about improving your previous MOC?
I really enjoy redesigning or improving old designs, especially small models. Over the years, I've updated a lot of MOCs with new parts, such as Blade Runner 2049.
However, when building models, my goal was to be satisfied enough with the design so as not to have the urge to redo later. So, while there are more parts available today, I don't feel like I have to keep looking at my past work.
Movie Blade Runner 2049: Hovering Car
11
You can leave a question.
Is there anything you've always wanted to build but haven't yet, because the right parts/colors don't exist yet?
That's all there is to it
Thank you very much "Marius Herrmann" for the interview
I also look forward to more of your future works!
If you also like this designer and want to see more of his other work, then come and follow him!
The content is for learning and communication purposes only and is not commercially available
If you need to reprint, please contact the background
The author's images are licensed
*This article is from the official number MOC Brick Museum