Perfect! I just got back into Lego after a 20 year hiatus, and wondered if I can trim down a baseplate as a permanent fixture for a collectible set I just received. I got very good at Wargaming Miniature KitBashing in the meantime, so modding pieces is fair game to me. Otherwise, seeing this video is an assurance that this sort of modding can be done. Thanks for the video!
This is a great way for cutting.The exacto knife is a good tool because you get so thin cut that you can use both the plate you cut to your needed size and the cutoff.
I’m so glad you posted this video bc last night I decided to change up my winter village and I have a gap now that needed to be cut! PS- I get my off brand LEGO bases at the $1 store so I definitely won’t feel bad for cutting them up!
Great video Daryl, so many combinations of how you can cut up a 48x48 base plate, pretty cool. Not sure if i could bring myself to doing this to a Lego brand plate but I probably could to a off brand lol.
@@BevinsBricksWorld Excellent idea, and I don't mind if I damage a strip of Megablocks. It's inevitable there are always a handful in any bulk Lego I find at the thrift store or buy off of ebay.
I did this exact thing on a couple used LEGO baseplates that had white crease marks in them. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have. Any idea how best to remove glue from the back of baseplates? I bought a dozen or so 32 x 32 green baseplates for $2 each at a toy show. They had been glued to a wall and are in excellent shape on the stud side but have patches of dried glue on the non-stud side so they don't lay flat and/or at the same height as a regular baseplate.
What so many people don't realize is that the base plates are designed to be cut easily. Look at base plates by other companies, they're thick and sturdy, not easily cut, and you can build both top and bottom of them. But Lego thought hard and intentionally designed the plates this way a long time ago so people could cut them if they needed to.
I was just thinking about that the other day on how to cut up plates. And what's fun is that you don't need anything power tools. Awesome. Also, why limit yourself at a 16x16 or 16x32 or 16x48... this is awesome is you need a custom plate like a 10x16 or 10x12.
You can cut them to any size yes. But I limit myself to 16, 32 and 48 as then it is always increments of 5 inches as I typically keep my build tables at 30, 40 or even 80 inches. The reason I do that is to match the Lego sizing standard.
@@BevinsBricksWorld it's not quite what I do, so far with the looney tunes minifigures, I've put 3 (8x16 plates) but I cant have the same spacing. I'd need a 15x20 stud and with (3) 8x16 plates its 16x24 stud. I want to have all my figures on even plates so when I have to move them it easy and with the plate size of 1 serie on a custom plate or 12 minifigures I can put them anywhere on my shelves.
Did you know that a baseplate can also be used as a MASTER LOCKING PLATE for locking smaller building plates on the under side for a nice very clean look, when working with smaller spaces. You see when people use multiple plates to make say a multi story building floor you don't need to lock only from the top. Let me tell you the baseplate being cut to make a MASTER LOCKING PLATE is Very effective
Great tip. I have bought number of the off brand old Chinese architectural style buildings. Leftovers go in the storage bins with the Legos. My mocs probably are not 100 percent Lego. But then my mocs of some of the off brand sets have Lego pieces so really breaking the unwritten rules.
I’m usually against cutting or modifying LEGO pieces, but base plates are basically just functional pieces and doesn’t really impact the look of the build, so I’m fine with cutting base plates. I don’t think I’ll do it though
Whaha, for a minute I thought i was looking at Stephen A. Smith there 😂😂😂 (it should be funny if one gets the reference 🙄😉) I don’t like cutting in lego, but i must say, you did this one very nice and neatly 👌🏼
@@BevinsBricksWorld , Thanks. I use the Lego base plates glued to a back board as a MOC foundation. I also ordered some cheap stackable baseplates (they aren't really base plates, they just call them that) to make some custom parts for landscaping as I gave up on Bricklink. Waiting for bits and pieces from all over the world - forget that. Thanks again, James
I do the same thing when I need to. Yes they sell all the sizes $$$ (maybe not in the desired color) but its STILL LEGO. So I don’t see what the problem is. That’s the only modifying I do.
i did that but when i cut it, it takes so long so when i decided to snap it since the connecting plastic is thin AND WHEN I SNAP IT OFF THE WHOLE FRIGIN BASEPLATE SNAPS :(
Oh stop it you wankers it's not like he's cutting brick that's a No-No who gives a damn about cutting a base plate that no one's ever going to see... You can't be that much of an aficionado LOL great job Daryl!
Sacrilege! As a Lego purist, any modification to a Lego product is verboten. You may as well glue pieces that would not normally fit together, or cut plates and other pieces at odd stud lengths or glue at desired angles for all I'm concerned. The gateway is cutting baseplates, but the slippery slope has you descending into further depravity. I'm half joking, and I do understand the need to cut base plates when needed, but I'm also serious that it really doesn't fall in line with the spirit of Lego. So called "illegal" building techniques, brick bending, etc. do not fall in this category as these are techniques inherent to the nature of each piece. But cutting, modifying, gluimg, painting, or printing, is the true illegal uses of Lego as these methods use outside forces. That being said I do appreciate your approach and tutorial. This is a very informative video which will allow people to learn a good way to make base plates work for them rather than let Lego dictate how things should be. I am very torn on this topic as you may have guessed, LOL!
@@BevinsBricksWorld I find creative ways to hide gaps between base plates rather than cut them. I have a build on a table so narrow that I have a 3 stud gap between base plates with base plates going to the edges of the table. Just found ways to hide that gap. That being said, I know a lot of builders who draw the line at base plate modification. I can also see the benefit of custom made prints or even paint, but as a true purist, I am still mortified when I see these things done.
I was just wishing that someone would create a video about this!!!
Small brick city made one too
Awesome. This is exactly the tutorial I needed to create that new backsplash my wife has been asking for.
3:17 having a 16x48 plate in his hand: “and now we have a 16x32 plate” 🤣
Ha ha ha. Loving it
Perfect!
I just got back into Lego after a 20 year hiatus, and wondered if I can trim down a baseplate as a permanent fixture for a collectible set I just received.
I got very good at Wargaming Miniature KitBashing in the meantime, so modding pieces is fair game to me.
Otherwise, seeing this video is an assurance that this sort of modding can be done.
Thanks for the video!
I trim them all the time myself. But Im all for custom and even willing to use off brands. Now a purists head would explode :)
Thanks for the video, I did this this weekend for my WV set up
Some people cringe at the thought but to me that's why they are made so thin.
Thanks so much this was really helpful because I just started work on my city today. Thanks.
Omg it looks amazing, gotta try it 😸
Thank you Daryl!! This type of technic is always cool to know!!😁
Personally I would never do this but I would not mind getting 16 by 32s in grey with doing this.
I cut my plates all the time. I cut 32x32 into 32x16. I make modular mocs with them. Perfect for switching up your city.
This is a great way for cutting.The exacto knife is a good tool because you get so thin cut that you can use both the plate you cut to your needed size and the cutoff.
Nice man. I have no problem cutting base plates.
I'm happy you made this video. I could get into cuts few plates now that I know how.
I use this trick all the time! Its super useful!
Already looked to see if this was an illegal building technique, and glad to see it isn't. Might have to do that for my Classic Space display.
Very cool, just what I needed for my son's pirate ship he's building. Cheers mate 👍
2:47 why it's best to use off-brand lego
I’m so glad you posted this video bc last night I decided to change up my winter village and I have a gap now that needed to be cut! PS- I get my off brand LEGO bases at the $1 store so I definitely won’t feel bad for cutting them up!
Off brand brick cutting is fair game, IMO.
Exactly what I needed to create a base plate for a Lego RC car :)
That’s a great tip. I was using a hacksaw before. Wish lego would make a 16 by 32.
Another great build tip
Great video Daryl, so many combinations of how you can cut up a 48x48 base plate, pretty cool. Not sure if i could bring myself to doing this to a Lego brand plate but I probably could to a off brand lol.
So simple, amazing!!. Thanks for sharing
I really want a few 16 x 48 plates, but I can’t do it man, I CANT DO IT!
Thank you so much this was very helpful
this video helped so much
Useful tip to use the off brand plates. I have been using a metal straight edge but too often they can move out of place while cutting.
@@BevinsBricksWorld Excellent idea, and I don't mind if I damage a strip of Megablocks. It's inevitable there are always a handful in any bulk Lego I find at the thrift store or buy off of ebay.
I did this exact thing on a couple used LEGO baseplates that had white crease marks in them. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have.
Any idea how best to remove glue from the back of baseplates? I bought a dozen or so 32 x 32 green baseplates for $2 each at a toy show. They had been glued to a wall and are in excellent shape on the stud side but have patches of dried glue on the non-stud side so they don't lay flat and/or at the same height as a regular baseplate.
Lego's baseplates for the Modulex system were actually designed to be cut to size by the customer.
Seems fair game to me!
What so many people don't realize is that the base plates are designed to be cut easily. Look at base plates by other companies, they're thick and sturdy, not easily cut, and you can build both top and bottom of them. But Lego thought hard and intentionally designed the plates this way a long time ago so people could cut them if they needed to.
I was just thinking about that the other day on how to cut up plates. And what's fun is that you don't need anything power tools. Awesome. Also, why limit yourself at a 16x16 or 16x32 or 16x48... this is awesome is you need a custom plate like a 10x16 or 10x12.
You can cut them to any size yes. But I limit myself to 16, 32 and 48 as then it is always increments of 5 inches as I typically keep my build tables at 30, 40 or even 80 inches. The reason I do that is to match the Lego sizing standard.
@@BevinsBricksWorld ok I understand, for me it would have been a display for lego CMF
Ah yes for that I would just cut rows of 2 studs to stand them on.
@@BevinsBricksWorld it's not quite what I do, so far with the looney tunes minifigures, I've put 3 (8x16 plates) but I cant have the same spacing. I'd need a 15x20 stud and with (3) 8x16 plates its 16x24 stud. I want to have all my figures on even plates so when I have to move them it easy and with the plate size of 1 serie on a custom plate or 12 minifigures I can put them anywhere on my shelves.
I use a hobby knife and carefully cut through it.
I’ve cut a bunch of my 32x32 plates into 16x32 so that I can get the layout I want on my IKEA Linmon tables.
Did you know that a baseplate can also be used as a MASTER LOCKING PLATE for locking smaller building plates on the under side for a nice very clean look, when working with smaller spaces.
You see when people use multiple plates to make say a multi story building floor you don't need to lock only from the top.
Let me tell you the baseplate being cut to make a MASTER LOCKING PLATE is Very effective
These base plates are a little thin and I have a little thicker base plates so what to do ??
So from where we can get those thin base plates ???
On which online store or a store
Great tip. I have bought number of the off brand old Chinese architectural style buildings. Leftovers go in the storage bins with the Legos. My mocs probably are not 100 percent Lego. But then my mocs of some of the off brand sets have Lego pieces so really breaking the unwritten rules.
I’m usually against cutting or modifying LEGO pieces, but base plates are basically just functional pieces and doesn’t really impact the look of the build, so I’m fine with cutting base plates. I don’t think I’ll do it though
Yes
I am so glad you allow us to do that sir.
Whaha, for a minute I thought i was looking at Stephen A. Smith there 😂😂😂 (it should be funny if one gets the reference 🙄😉)
I don’t like cutting in lego, but i must say, you did this one very nice and neatly 👌🏼
Does scoring at an angle leave a straight or angled edge?
Is there a special store for those oversized authentic base plates.
They sell them most places. I usually get mine at walmart
I watched your live stream yesterday
I gather the same method can be used to cut stackable base plates even though they are thicker?
James
I personally would never cut a plate with anti studs but yes you could
@@BevinsBricksWorld , Thanks. I use the Lego base plates glued to a back board as a MOC foundation. I also ordered some cheap stackable baseplates (they aren't really base plates, they just call them that) to make some custom parts for landscaping as I gave up on Bricklink. Waiting for bits and pieces from all over the world - forget that.
Thanks again, James
Oh the horror of it all 🤣🤣🤣
Can you cut the Lego brand base plates?
Yes, thats what I am cutting in the video :)
I do the same thing when I need to. Yes they sell all the sizes $$$ (maybe not in the desired color) but its STILL LEGO. So I don’t see what the problem is. That’s the only modifying I do.
I have been doing this for years and I use scissors to cut off the little corners.
That is how i do it.
i did that but when i cut it, it takes so long so when i decided to snap it since the connecting plastic is thin AND WHEN I SNAP IT OFF THE WHOLE FRIGIN BASEPLATE SNAPS :(
Need a sharper blade then 2 passes and it cuts straight thru for me
Not trying to be a wise ass but why not just use the 16 by whatever plates underneath instead of cutting the big ones?
Oh stop it you wankers it's not like he's cutting brick that's a No-No who gives a damn about cutting a base plate that no one's ever going to see... You can't be that much of an aficionado LOL great job Daryl!
Why would anyone get upset… base plates aren’t rare… plus it fun cutting them up
You would be surprised. Just read some of the comments :)
@@BevinsBricksWorld Now if you we’re cutting up other people’s baseplates… LOL…
I don't know why, but this makes me very sad...but this might come in handy
I cut them to
Sacrilege! As a Lego purist, any modification to a Lego product is verboten. You may as well glue pieces that would not normally fit together, or cut plates and other pieces at odd stud lengths or glue at desired angles for all I'm concerned. The gateway is cutting baseplates, but the slippery slope has you descending into further depravity.
I'm half joking, and I do understand the need to cut base plates when needed, but I'm also serious that it really doesn't fall in line with the spirit of Lego. So called "illegal" building techniques, brick bending, etc. do not fall in this category as these are techniques inherent to the nature of each piece. But cutting, modifying, gluimg, painting, or printing, is the true illegal uses of Lego as these methods use outside forces.
That being said I do appreciate your approach and tutorial. This is a very informative video which will allow people to learn a good way to make base plates work for them rather than let Lego dictate how things should be.
I am very torn on this topic as you may have guessed, LOL!
@@BevinsBricksWorld I already made peace with those who cut base plates, I was just pushing your buttons.
@@BevinsBricksWorld I find creative ways to hide gaps between base plates rather than cut them. I have a build on a table so narrow that I have a 3 stud gap between base plates with base plates going to the edges of the table. Just found ways to hide that gap. That being said, I know a lot of builders who draw the line at base plate modification. I can also see the benefit of custom made prints or even paint, but as a true purist, I am still mortified when I see these things done.
is a very old trick👍
Sorry are you the same Darrel Bevins that Chris mentions on his videos that's c's crazy crossroads or also called. Triple C
Not sure who that is so my guess is no :)
honestly, I would feel better about cutting off brand lego.
My god in Heaven.....
Yeap! a neg for you. Lego sell plates of any size. Any modification of Lego is a disgrace.
Plates yes but not baseplates
CUT a baseplate???? :O :'(
I feel sick......
oh no...
Off brand??
Blasphemy and sacrilege in one 5 minute video!
😅🤣😂
Use 16 by 32's or 16 by 16's :'(
BRICKLINK YOU BLASPHEMER!!!!!!