If you track your LEGO collection on Brickset, you are likely already aware that Brickset.com is integrated with another extremely useful LEGO fan website, Rebrickable.com. Rebrickable allows you to check what other official LEGO sets, alternate models, and fan-submitted creations you could build from your current collection. We talked about how to set up an account and integrate your collection between the two websites here: Brickset & Rebrickable Alternate Builds
Even though we talked about Rebrickable before, I think it’s a good idea to remind the community from time to time about how useful this website is. I also regularly hear from people looking for alternate instructions who never heard of Rebrickable, and they are always delighted to discover all the amazing features of the site.
Please note that Rebrickable is not just for Brickset users. You can set up your LEGO collection on Rebrickable directly, or just use Rebrickable without tracking your collection at all. Adding the sets and parts you own to Rebrickable does have great benefits though. It allows you to see easily what other sets and custom models you could build from your collection. There are many ways to tweak this feature, so for example if you want to exclude some of the sets because you don’t want to take them apart for custom building, you can do that. You can also specify how exact you want to be with colors or whether you are willing to use similar alternate parts.
When you visit Rebrickable.com, you will find several options at the navigation bar. I will show you some of the sections I found to be the most useful and use frequently.
➡ BUILD FEATURE AT REBRICKABLE: The first option on the navigation bar is titled BUILD. If you added your own LEGO sets and loose parts to Rebrickable already, you can easily check what other official LEGO sets and custom models you can build from your collection. If you don’t have your collection added, you can still choose 1-3 LEGO sets numbers and see what you could build with them.
➡ ALTERNATE BUILDS AT REBRICKABLE: This is another section of the site that anyone can easily use. It is found under the MOCs section of the navigation bar. Alternate builds are custom LEGO creations designed by the LEGO fan community that can be made from only the parts found in a single LEGO set. You can search by set number, theme, and release year. If you own just a few small LEGO sets, this is an excellent way to stretch their playability, create cool custom models, and learn lots of new techniques. I highly recommend this section for kids and those who want to doodle with a single set at a time. You may also consider checking this section when you are ready to buy a set. Seeing how many alternate models are available could be an important purchasing decision.
➡ LEGO REMAKE AT REBRICKABLE: LEGO Remake used to be part of the official LEGO website between 2016 and 2019. It was a joint project between the LEGO Group and Rebrickable in an effort to help promote alternate builds. Seven experienced LEGO fan designers took part in the Remake project, based on their previous experience and expertise with alternate builds and LEGO Digital Designer models. It was basically the same idea as the alternate builds of the Rebrickable website mentioned above, but only with LEGO sets that were available at the Online LEGO Shop during that time period. As the Remake section of the LEGO website has been removed, the creators and their projects are now hosted directly at Rebrickable website. They are found under the MOCs section of the navigation bar.
➡ FIND MOCS AT REBRICKABLE: As you probably know already, MOC stand for My Own Creation. These are all custom models built by LEGO fans. You can browse through them under the MOCs section of the navigation bar. Results can be sorted by Hottest MOCs, Premium MOCs and Discounted MOCs (instructions for these models can be purchased through the website), Newest MOCs, and Random selection. Another way to search for MOCs is by designer, which you can find under the Top Designers section.
There are some incredible models you can find here, both with free instructions and instructions that cost a few dollars. There are small models using just a handful of parts to massive project requiring thousands of pieces. If you have uploaded your personal LEGO collection to the Rebrickable website, you can immediately see what percentage of the parts you already have in your collection for any selected project. If you don’t have your personal collection uploaded, you can still use this section of the site, as you will get a full parts lists and building instructions for the project you select. You can manually look for the parts in your collection and if any parts are missing, you can purchase them on Bricklink.com or BrickOwl.com. (Rebrickable is fully integrated with Bricklink and BrickOwl, so you can transfer the parts list with just a couple of clicks.)
To give you an idea of the type projects that can be found at Rebrickable, I will list some of my favorites. I’m currently working on the Brick Square Post Office by Bricked1980 (this is a premium project, so I had to buy the instructions). It is a custom model that is meant to fit with the LEGO Modular Buildings. Speaking of the Modulars, you can find alternate builds for all of them at Rebrickable, as well as custom projects to expand your Modular street. Another Modular project I’m considering is the Sanctum Santorum Modular by Labronco Brick Designs, which is a modified version of the #76108 LEGO Super Heroes Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown set.
Jason Allemann (JKBrickworks) and other designers listed several alternate models for the #21315 LEGO Ideas Pop-Up Book and the now retired #21305 LEGO Ideas Maze (both for originally submitted to LEGO Ideas by Jason himself).
LEGO fan jb70 posted instructions for the #42055 LEGO Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator to make it work more smoothly (the original set is known for having jerky movements). A few changes to the LEGO Technic and LEGO Power Functions elements make all the difference, which is super helpful to those who own this monster sized set.
Another project I really like is the Old Mill by the Sea by nobsta, which is an alternate build to the #21310 LEGO Ideas Old Fishing Store. It’s an interesting take on a beautiful set.
Many impressive models can be found under the LEGO Technic and LEGO Star Wars categories. I particularly like the Jeep Wrangler by Horcikdesigns and the 1995 Jeep Wrangler by Victaven. If you are a car fan, you will find plenty of examples throughout Rebrickable from tiny cars, to minifig-scale cars, to large, fully detailed display models.
I hope you find this overview helpful. These are the features of Rebrickable that I use the most, but there are other features as well, including a blog to announce news and site updates, a forum where the community can interact, and contests to test your building skills. So check them all out and let me know what you think. If you have any questions about the site and its features, or you found other features that you really like and I didn’t mention here, feel free to share those as well.
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
I like that alternate fishing store a lot. Might build that one. Good reminder about rebrickable. Do you know if you need to do regular transfers if you update your Brickset account?
I think you can refresh it at times. If you only buy a few sets a year it shouldn’t take that long to update a couple of times a year.
You can sync the sites whenever you like. It takes a little bit when you have a large collection, but it’s worth updated it. Please note that if you manually update Rebrickable, but then later sync with Brickset, your Brickset inventory will override the Rebrickable inventory.
Thanks for this reminder. I haven’t looked at rebrickable for a while. But it’s a great site that more people should know about.
I think my kids will enjoy those smaller car builds. I will have to show them.
I love this website! There are so many great mocs. I sometimes even buy a set based on how many alternate models I can find at Rebrickable. It stretches what I can do with just one set.
That’s actually not a bad idea! 😀
No I remember the No Starch Press books “Lego Build-It Book” Vol. 1 and 2, by Nathanaël Kuipers and Mattia Zamboni. (I think Mattia is a male name, Italian names ending with -a derived from Greek -as names tend to be male.) The authors have picked the set 5867 LEGO CREATOR Super Speedster, and made 10 alternative models in each book. They reasoned that the selection of bricks was exceptionally good, and even if you’d lack the set and it’s no longer sold, most of the bricks would be easily found cheaply through BrickLink, BrickOwl or Lego’s Bits and Pieces…
https://nostarch.com/builditvol1
(I found the concept interesting, but I am not affiliated with the company or the authors. Not meant as an explicit plug.)