In my previous article (Part 1 & Part 2), I wrote about “mods and mocs” – specifically, how a LEGO enthusiast (if so interested) can progress from set building, to customising sets with personal modifications, to creating their own unique builds, whole cloth. This article continues on in that space, presenting the brief for my inaugural AFOL MOC. I’m not referring to the small, simple, ad-hoc creations that develop during LEGO play with my young daughter, but rather, the first conceptually complete idea that I’m tackling for the first time as an adult fan of LEGO.

The MOC project is called: “Minidoll Militia” … And the idea for this project isn’t actually my own! Instead, it’s come at the request of my husband, who’s reached out for a “wargamer-fied [LEGO] Friends” MOC. (You read that correctly). When I first came back to LEGO as an adult a few years ago, and embraced the new(ish) minidoll universe (with which our daughter identified), I did not anticipate being commissioned by my husband to make him a customised Friends build – minidolls and all! But here we are, and I am totally down for it!

You see, whilst my husband makes a brilliant effort at LEGO play with our daughter, she employs a (very pretty) minidoll legion of Elves, Princesses, Friends (and their cute animal companions) – understandably, he’d like to use models that are perhaps somewhat more relatable to him in their roleplaying also. Hence, as a wargamer in years past, he made the request for some militia-style minidolls with an appropriately scaled technical (aka. an improvised fighting vehicle, like a civilian pickup truck with some mounted weapon/s). Plus, fusing fantasy princesses and modern paramilitary is an amusing concept for its absurdity.

Our imaginative daughter is completely on board for this idea … And so am I! Mashing together dissimilar genres makes for extraordinary storylines (that would likely not otherwise emerge). It can introduce alternative and unexpected ideas, concepts, and themes, which might otherwise remain unexplored in a more orthodox world of play. And, from the child’s perspective, it can be exciting to encounter something new and different, whilst still incorporating elements of the familiar and comfortable as anchor points for secure exploration into terra incognita. Stories like that build more than interesting brick models – they build neural networks in the actively working brain.

Now, I am neither (a) the military history aficionado that my husband is, nor (b) particularly experienced in making vehicle builds. Hence, there is research required to design a convincing (enough) technical model, per the brief. In my case, this will include examining visuals of real-world technicals, as well as existing MOCs of similar vehicles (albeit, almost certainly at other scales – has anyone created a minidoll technical before?). I need to figure out how to recreate the vehicle at minidoll-scale, perhaps modifying ones I already have access to (e.g. LEGO Friends set #41707: Tree-Planting Vehicle*). Additionally, I’d like to experiment with the digital-building program, Studio, to help me create the model and organise a BrickLink order for the required parts.

This project can be divided into two parts: (1) the custom minidolls, and (2) the vehicle (the main MOC model). Admittedly, if this was a minifigure MOC, coming up with the soldiers and their truck would be relatively less challenging (owing to a greater diversity of “masculine” characters and vehicle templates than is found in the minidoll inventory). But, in this family, it’s a minidoll world – so, a doll MOC it must be! In an upcoming blog post I’ll share the progress made on the project, including the cast of militia characters and a prototype of the technical model (if not indeed the final product itself).

In the meantime, I’d love to hear in the comments what your first AFOL MOC was. What did you build and what was the inspiration behind it? What challenges did you have to overcome? What was the creative process like for you and what was your assessment of how the project turned out? As always, you’re welcome to join in the conversation. Until next time, Play Well!

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