Classic-Castle.com

I usually break down all my MOCs after I take pictures of them and post the pictures online. Mainly because I don't want to loose the pics after having already destroyed the MOC. Because of my (somewhat) limited supply of castle/landscape pieces, I need to use them for my next build.
Although I do this, it is always half heartedly, as I wish I could display and show my MOCs to others. Its so nice to see a MOC in person than just a picture of it. Usually the only people who see my MOCs in person beside myself is my family.

On the other hand my pirate ship: http://www.flickr.com/photos/93632612@N ... 011482624/ will be two years old this coming July! Because of the colour scheme and limited use of blue and yellow in the castle theme it will probably stay together forever.

I think building for the LCC makes me have to destroy and rebuild my MOCs so as to continue the storyline, and get multiple entries for contests like the GC6.

Sir Valiant~

Since I have a pretty small collection of lego, and I need the parts, mine usually come apart sometime between taking a photo and building my next thing or my mom telling me to clean up the lego.(I have a total of 6 plastic bins for sorting, so I need to dump out everything from the "brick/plates category out on the floor on a blanket because they don't fit it one)

I usually start the demolition process immediately after taking pictures, but if it's a MOC I really like, I might wait a couple of days, unless I need the pieces.

Due to a limited amount of pieces I take mine apart as soon as I've taken decent photos, though I have kept some microscale spaceships intact.

Usually I disassemble the whole mocs last day of the exhibit. And I noticed, as people (Afols and Tfols from lug and visitors) help me to do that, they enjoy tearing apart my castles more then looking at them

So, I am usually late with building for exhibits, and then I tear it down, sometimes I don't even have time to take quality pictures

And about minifigs, I disassemble all of them after every exhibit, and make new ones.

I just couldn't "imprison" my bricks in one moc, when I will surely need them for next one

As a side note (and probably an off-topic one, but I'll take the risk), I keep my official sets assembled for totally different amounts of time. For example, the LEGO Star Wars X-Wing I bought in 2012 was broken for the first time over the weekend, almost two years later, but a Friends (!) set I got recently was broken straight away. I build every set I get, but how long they stay up for depends on how much I like them as a set and how much I need the pieces. Like I said, virtually all of my MOCs are destroyed as soon as the photos are taken and/or uploaded.

I keep MOCs built anywhere from 2 hours to 6 months. It really depends on 1. how big the build is, and 2. what pieces I used. Bigger builds, even the ones that use pieces I need, tend to stay longer since I hate sorting and avoid it as much as possible. Smaller builds on the other hand are more likely to be taken apart within an hour or so of photographing.
CCG

I usually keep MOC's built for as long as I possibly can. If I really like something I have, I'd rather keep it built and then try to modify it over the years rather than start from scratch. I have about 24 sprint cars I built from about 15 years ago still together and I don't foresee me taking them apart until I find a better way to make them look. I have spaceships that have past the 10 year mark, with modifications here and there. Sometimes it's a build from an idea or concept I've had since I was a kid that has just evolved. The castles and tower I showed a few years back are still together and I'm looking at ways to modify them with better parts (less panel walls, more decoration, possible landscaping), but I imagine the original structure and shape will remain. I've come to terms with having a bigger collection than my skill allows. I've found more joy in making smaller MOCs than making something bigger just because I have the pieces. It makes the tear down process better if less pieces were used.

It depends on the MOC. My megafigures (http://www.flickr.com/photos/37777874@N ... 225577225/) I'll probably leave together, since I don't really need those kind of parts frequently and they were a production to put together.

Probably my longest lived MOC is this one which I've still got together:

http://www.brothers-brick.com/2009/04/2 ... -by-steve/

Its been nearly 4 years now and I just took it out to a Lego display last weekend.

I've also got some that are nearly finished that have been around for 2-3 years, that, someday, I intend to finish and take to a display.

Steve

Most of my smaller creations get taken apart fairly quickly. For my larger ones, I will leave them together for a month or so and once I get the urge/idea for something new to build, I'll start tearing it apart. Most of my sets will stay together for a few months depending on the set. I think I kept Helm's Deep together for almost a year and that's the longest I've kept anything together.

On a similar note, I've found with older sets/bricks, if you leave them together for a long time, sometimes the bricks tend to "fuse" together and can be really hard to get apart. I actually had the center part of an old gray round 2x2 brick break a few weeks ago when I tried to pull a technic pin out of it. Ended up needing to use a pair of pliers to get the pin out and eventually destroyed both parts. Have had similar issues with stacked plates not coming apart easily, even with brick-separators. Newer bricks tend to have a slight "oily" feel and I wonder if that keeps them from sticking together. The older ones either never had it or it has long since worn off and I wonder if that causes them to stick, or if the older ABS just gets brittle over time?

nanuck95 wrote:Most of my smaller creations get taken apart fairly quickly.

Ha, it's the opposite with me. Most of my smaller ones stay up the longest. I usually don't take them apart until I need pieces, and some stay "in limbo" as Karf Oohlu once put it, for months. In fact, I just took apart my SHIP from SHIPtember last week... but it was already in 5 or 6 pieces. : P
Sometimes though, I will procrastinate and large builds will stay up in pieces for days or weeks.

It really depends on the size and the importance of the build. Most importantly, it depends on the time. As I stay really busy, I have little time to sort, so some of my MOC's tend to stay together for far too long. I am, however, trying to start taking them apart within the week. I don't really need the pieces, but if I don't take them apart, my work space gets too messy.

As far as sets, I build every set I open (with the exception of army builders), and then I will display all of them for some time. Sets like the Goblin King got about 10 minutes of display time before going to the sort bin. The hobbit hole, I will never take apart. It just varies from set to set.

I don't really build enough these days that using up my bricks is a big deal. For me the main problem is that I don't have any display space. So the things I keep together are relatively small (a few vigs, a stagecoach, some micro stuff) that I can put on my bookshelves.

On sets, I almost never keep official designs together. I build them once, then quickly absorb them into my larger collection. I did keep the Siskind Blacksmith Shop together for several years, and also the UCS TIE Fighter, until I moved across country and had to pack up all of my LEGO.

Bruce

Mine last as long as I don't need the pieces, and if I like it. As for LEGO sets: My Bag End set for example is still assembled (though I bought another one), while the Indiana Crystal Skull set a few years ago didn't even get finished. For my MOCs, it depends again. I have a few con and show veterans that are my go-to MOCs for local events and they stay together until I rob the pieces. Good topic!

I usually keep them up for like 1 day, sometimes more. It really all dependshow much work I've put into it, and whether or not it is "worth" saving.