Bring your Lego collection to life with creative models

If you are a Lego fan like me, you may eventually get tired of building models according to instructions and want to build something more creative or original.

If you do not have an idea of your own, you can find inspiration in the Lego community, which is very active in this area.

You can use Rebrickable or Brickit.

Rebrickable

Rebrickable is an interesting web service for Lego fans, full of ideas for new models.

After registering, you add the Lego models you own to your profile. Rebrickable knows the details of all the models and can create an exact list of your Lego pieces. You can also see an estimated value for your collection.

Rebrickable then uses the list of your Lego pieces to find new models that you can build from the Lego you already own. You can specify which models you want to keep intact, manually add some Lego pieces and so on.

There is a huge number of models from other users, and you can add your own as well. You can even make some money from it. Models can be free or paid; instructions for a better model typically cost five dollars.

Brickit

Brickit takes a slightly different approach. You simply spread your Lego on the floor, take a photo and build a new model from it.

Everything happens in the Brickit mobile app. You photograph the scattered Lego, and the app detects exactly which Lego pieces you have in the pile.

The app then offers a list of models you can build from those pieces, organised into categories.

All model instructions are free, but the app requires a subscription for advanced features, such as detecting less common Lego pieces.

A very useful feature during the build is that the app can show you exactly where a particular Lego piece is in your pile.

You can photograph the result and share it within the app.

As with Rebrickable, you can also add instructions for one of your own models.