Thanks for the kind words. I'm happy to give back a little bit to thank all the people who have helped me out on my LEGO journey over the last few years.
This is exactly the tutorial my family needs so we can include some cool landscape in the JP collaboration next year. Thanks for another great video Dave!
Great video, Dave! I enjoyed learning about MILS by watching a video with your humor and MOC examples instead of just reading some articles; a great resource and fresh perspective on the building format.
Thanks so much! I enjoyed doing a video that was a bit different than usual for me. I still have lots of MOCs on my list that I'll be doing videos on for sure, but I also have a few other tutorials in mind.
Mr. Dave, it is a true pleasure to see another video from you. I've used MILS plates for about 2 years and truly love them. Thank you again for your videos and for letting this 50 yo know im not alone.
Thanks! I have lots of fun making these videos, and it's always nice to hear that other people enjoy them as well. I have a MOC I'm going to rebuild using MILS, and I *may* have just placed a large Bricklink order. 😉And you are definitely not alone - there's plenty of us "vintage" builders. 😆
@Dave's Brick House that's great! Awe, yes, the "vintage builders" never thought of it that way, I like it! Can't wait for the next video and BrickLink order. Have fun, and keep us posted. Thank you.
I think this was the best, easiest to understand explanation I've seen. Just starting use MILS and was still confused, but not anymore. Love the idea of the axle, those pins are a pain.
I've seen MILS being used by many City builders on RU-vid and I think it's heavily misunderstood. Like you've said, it's main use is for collaboration at conventions. But outside of that I think building on regular baseplates is a lot easier. If you want to keep the modularity you are restricted to the size of the baseplate. Which most of them are 32x32 or 16x32. But this becomes an issue when you're building something larger than that because then you have to build over the modules and the modularity is lost.
I personally find it quite nice for non-collab builds as well. At least for the larger ones I tend to do (like 64x64 studs or larger), I find that a MILS base makes it much more stable and easier / safer to move - even just around the house. If you have a larger build, and the center / inside is hollow, when you pick it up to move it, the baseplate can flex upwards and cause issues. But you are also correct about the issue of having to build on baseplate boundaries. That's something I haven't quite figured out yet, although I've talked to several builders at conventions who built large non-collab MOCs all on MILS, and they said it definitely makes it easier to transport.
Uhhh what's MILS?? hahaha well done Dave. I do mine a tad different but yeah, definitely found that it's the way to go at this point, and it's been super helpful as I've done the Medieval Realm thus far!
I like the unique corner markers and your connection method. I’ve seen some MILS builds that don’t put parts completely along the sides. Do you feel doing so is better in some way? Thanks
Actually, most of the MILS builds I use don't put parts all the way along the sides. You definitely need parts at the intersection of two plates, and also mid-plate for larger plates like 8x16 or 16x16. I just recently realized that I never mentioned that in the video.
Yep - that's true. I'm currently building a MOC that's 3x3 baseplates. What I did to address this was to build and connect the three baseplates for the back. Then I built the three baseplates for the middle and connected them to the back. Then I did the same thing for the front. I don't know how this works in a larger collab as I haven't yet participated in one, but I *think* I heard that they just set the plates down on the tables and don't connect them.
A great use for old/dirty/faded brick as filler, and most of the components aren't too awfully expensive given the benefits provided to overall stability, modularity, and ease of layout assembly. I can't think of a more cost effective way to achieve everything that MILS does at its reasonable price point.
I love this, reminds me a lot of modular model train club layouts, where everyone has they’re own module and there’s certain specs that have to be met so they all join together
