Great video. Appreciate the math breakdown. A few points of consideration. If you have access to a pick a brick wall at Lego then the 4x4 plates are more economical. With the new boxes you can get nearly 200 if you stack. That’s about 10 cents a brick. Also the big plates are great for putting modulars on but may not be best for landscaping. For what it’s worth.

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

I do agree with getting the pieces on the PAB wall is most optimal. I should have mentioned it in the video

@Maxwellwhynot

6 ай бұрын

Got a box full of 4x4 plates off the PAB today. Was able to fit in 214 with room left over for about 70 2x4 plates and a few 1x4/1x2 plates. The cost (tax included) worked out to $.004 per stud, or $.064 per 4x4 plate, or $4.10 per MILS plate's worth. I'm going to try to find a better way to fill the box though because I did straight stacks and they're a nightmare to separate.

@mr.jj210

5 ай бұрын

​@@Maxwellwhynoti use 2 brickseperators for this, aslong the stack is big its not very bad, only te last few are anoying.

@theBoonarmies

5 ай бұрын

I think the dividing line may end up being, are you building a Mils base for a single set, or are you doing a whole bunch? If you're building a base without any parts on hand for a single set/plate, to start yourself off, or to add a single one to the set, I think Tim's calcs may end up being the best bet. If you're setting up a whole table, PAB, or BrickLink will be your best bet assuming Shipping is within reason (a rare occurrence)

@randomusernameCallin

4 ай бұрын

If youhave a pick a brick wall within a good driving distant.

ACTUALLY the most useful video for me in a long time, i plan to go MILS as well. Thanks dude!

I appreciate putting different MILS theories into practice for actual testing. Science!

Thank you, the perfect video at the perfect time. Great stuff. Subscribed 👍👍

Nice video showing the cost and reducing the use of 2x2’ in the middle

I think it depends a lot on where you buy your bricks. Everyone should do the math if they plan on using mils plates. Personally I still prefer the old road plates and I will be continuing to use those mainly because I can't justify the money and effort spent just to raise everything by one brick. But I understand why people do it, it's just not worth it for me.

I’ve been looking for a more price effective MILS solution forever! This is perfect!

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

Glad I could help!

you’re awesome tim, thank you for this

I have tons of random bricks from goodwill bulk boxes and really appreciate how many options for building mils plate are included. Thanks bud!

yo that spreadsheet is outstanding, thank you for sharing it

Great video! Very well researched and edited :)

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

Thanks a ton!

Great presentation. Very thorough and informative! Thank you!

Amazing video, clearly explained and very helpful. Thank u so much. Made my 1st ever mils using Ur final style and love it.

@BuilderTim

4 ай бұрын

I’m happy to hear that!

Also, the 16x16 is multi purpose. The Twin Lug Micropolis standard is built on a 16x16 module size.

thank you, very helpful

This is a very good video. I was doing the expensive way the whole time. BUT, that way is still better if you want to terrain and landscaping that has many different levels. The way you are showing is 100% better for buildings.

Hey, thank you a lot for the video. I have to do a couple of those for toy photography. Have a great evening.

Thanks, very useful, I liked the demonstration of strength as well! Did you try to use Technic Bricks 16x16 from art sets?

Thank you for this, now can start doing this with my stuff

Fantastic video, thank you so much. The "crash test" was very helpful! Can I ask you about the MOC that we see on the left of the Medieval Blacksmith?

This is a question I've had for awhile, but I never bothered to do the math, so props to you! Also, I haven't confirmed this, but it seems that for the most part, the price per stud gets cheaper as the piece gets bigger. Like getting two 1x4s would cost $0.32, but one 1x8 would cost $0.29. I assume this is true for plates and other element types as well. Cool video!

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

It’s kinda interesting, cause sometimes it works that easy and others not. I might update the spreadsheet with the info

@rebricks

6 ай бұрын

@@BuilderTim It might just come down to the mass. There's more plastic in two 2x2s than one 2x4 (at least I assume so because of the sides).

For those how want to save even more Money. Alternative bricks, or in that Case plates can save even more Money. But that IS offen a Philosophic question 😉

Excellent video ❤️

I saw your comment on your video on how to make Lego Mills and you said you were going to make a cost-effective way so it brought me here thank you

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

I’m glad to hear that

Mils plate is a great way to get rid of any megablox that might have ended up in your collection lol

@BuilderTim

2 ай бұрын

Haha yeah it’s a perfect place to hide the trashy brick

Great video gave me the idea to look through my Lego collection to see if I had something to use or something similar . I did it is the base plates for the Lego art sets which is element 65803 Brick Special 16 x 16 x 1 1/3 with Pinholes

Honestly I don't know why everyone doesn't just use the after market fake Lego pieces and save a fortune. Yeah they are not "real" Lego but it's just to build a mils base. Then build your Lego set on top. Makes way more sense.

@rowanabrahams7489

6 ай бұрын

Agreed.

@wesandell

5 ай бұрын

yeah, the bottom of my mils plates are filled with all kinds of things. Real lego, megabloks, chinese flego, 2x2, 1x2, and even stacked 2x2 plates. Who cares about the lego logo on the stud when it's all hidden underneath and works just the same?

@frankifko5000

3 ай бұрын

Video was so informative!!! Especially with multiple alternatives and spreadsheet breakout. Thank you!!!!

Great to know, thank you

Could you please make another video about road MILS as well? Seems making road MILS cost tonnes more. So traditional way and some other recommendations from you would be great

I've always wondered! Happy to have the answer before I get heavy into MILS! Too bad the big ones aren't best sellers in Light and Dark Bluish Gray. 😕

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

I agree

For a baseplate that's light yet sturdy, you could try arches. Or specifically "brick with bow" as they call the small ones. Also roof and inverted roof pieces. I'm not going to have a lot of baseplates so I'm going to have the edges of mine be more decorated, and maybe be fancy with the inside and use arches or whatever else will be both sturdy and lightweight. Making inverse pyramids with plates could also work.

If you would put the four corner pieces in the inner ring one stud closer the outer corner wouldn't it become much stronger?

Hi, nice video. You are right, 16x16 plates are the best option. Congrats from MILS creator

solid argument. I personally prefer to use larger 4x2 bricks on the joins for larger plates when I want rigidity, but I suspect that's not an uncommon insight 😅

A very informative video. Thanks. Have you done this for 48x32, which would be for modulars like Assembly Square and the Natural History Museum?

@BuilderTim

4 ай бұрын

I have done it for those buildings. I just make sure the pin connectors line up with the 32 by 32 ones

Thanks for this video. Would MILS allow me to hide light wiring/expansion board , using a remote to control the lighting? Love the lighting but not a mess of wires, etc, showing and want a way to solve my issue. Thank you for your advice!

I suspect that the way you build some would depend on their ultimate usage. If you are doing lighting on interiors or a custom flooring on the same you would need to use the more traditional MILS plate designs. In any case, I greatly appreciate your analysis of the options. 😊

Great video! I’m new to mils plates and I wanted to do the 16x16 plates, but everyone else seems to use small plates and I was worried I was doing to wrong

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@wesandell

5 ай бұрын

The reason you use the smaller 4x4 plates is so you can more easily do landscapes. You can add a creek/river or go up higher with some hills. If you are doing modulars, then of course the big 16x16 plates are the most economical. Or, if you have a bricks and minifgs near you, they sell full 32x32 plates for real cheap (though they aren't official lego).

@TheBayru

5 ай бұрын

If you want to add lighting or power functions it's easier to make a small hole to run cables under the 4x4. I prefer the 8x8 though because they're often in the PAB wall, you can get the grill one which can be useful sometimes (weight and effects), (+ they also work for Hogwarts style modulars). Then if I need holes I replace an 8x8 with four 4x4s.

Quick tip: you can buy 4x6 roof bricks for 1 cent each

Only downside I can think of to using the much larger plates, is it limits your ability to build inset ponds/etc, as you'd need to replace with some smaller plates anyway, however just keeping a couple dozen in storage for whenever you want to do that type of terrain/decorations, other than that v useful info, thank you!

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

That is a good point. I hope the spreadsheet I made helps with picking other pice effective pieces.

@NCXDesigns

6 ай бұрын

you're right, and we use small plates to prevent curling.

@bryansebeck

6 ай бұрын

Yes, but that’s situational. If you know that’s something you want to do, you can alter the setup for those specific modules. As long as your pin connectors line up in the corners, you’re good to go.

I did the calculations, and where I live it's cheaper to use 4x4. Plus I managed to buy a chunk of 2x4 cheaply, and I like the flexibility of 4x4 for landscaping. My point being that everyone should do their own maths.

Quality original content

Cheapest way I found is by getting all the parts off the pab wall and filling the gaps in the cup(or box) with other parts

Great vid - it would be helpful if you added ALL parts needed to the spreadsheet - baseplate, the 1x1 studs and the technic sticks + connector pins... just saying :)

You forgot to link the connect bricks in the corners. Nice video, thanks!

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

Thank you, I've updated it now.

I’m just getting into city building. Mils plate is the way to go. I was a builder as a kid, technic pins not required

Imagine spending hundrets upon hundrets of €/$ to recognize that you have to buy more just to ensure a basic “function”.

63805 is what I use 2 70 a piece and it's 16 by 16 with technic holes in the corners just pop 4 down and done

Have you considered theb16x16x1&1/3 (so 4 plates high) art pieces? don't know how much these cost in the US but on Europe lego sells them for 3.5€ aproximately (so about 14€ per baseplate, solid AF and you only have to use 4 pieces lol)

@toddblackmon

6 ай бұрын

I was thinking the same thing. Those seem to be really close, pricewise. The spreadsheet here is missing the 8 1x2 technic parts (32000) for $0.09 each, but after adding these, the homemade assemblies are $13.89. The black art plates (65803) are $3.38 each plus the 8 technic plugs needed ($0.06 each), for a total of $14. (So, less than a 1% price difference). OTOH, you would probably need to add some more to help the art plates with side to side force.

"Why do I ever need to learn math, it's so useless in the real world" So you know you can save money by buying 4 16x16 LEGO plates for $2.60 each instead of 62 4x4s for $0.20 each!

What if I just filled in a bunch of bricks? I got a bunch of used bricks in bad conditions laying around.

Color is a factor. Building white mold plates for a winter village. Can’t touch 16x16 in white in any decent quantity for less than 7 bucks a plate on brinklink but can get 4x4 for 9 cents a piece.

do you not like the 1 high 16x16 technic plates? then you do not have the price of base plates at all? and just need pins as required.

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

That’s a good idea, I should should check how price effective that is

I only use the 16x16 plates from the pictures/mosaic sets. The cost per piece are 3.38€, means 4x 3.38€ = 13.52€.

@BuilderTim

5 ай бұрын

That’s a good idea

I've been doing my mils like this day one I must be a genius 😆

What about using 1x1s

I know its controversial, but for everything MILS plate, what we did was buy alternative brand lego parts, since they aren't visible. They work just as well, and literally, the entire cost of a MILS plate with all its pieces costs anywhere between $2-5, depending on the size.

How much are the 32x32 base plates

@Mateo-et3wl

5 ай бұрын

$5-8

Great video thanks from a beginner working with mill plates. 😁

how much would 1 32x32 cost?

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

I find them on Amazon for around $5

Why wouldnt you just buy 32x32 for top and bottom??

@BuilderTim

5 ай бұрын

The bottom is a different kind of brick. The type the top uses doesn’t exist in 32x32

"Pin connector that has 1 hole"? I'm pretty sure they're just called 1x2 technic bricks...

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

you are right

Wait $2.5 for this tiny piece? Wow I'm glad I purchased Minecraft 10 years ago instead of purchasing more legos

I didn’t even know there were 16x16 plates 😂

@NCXDesigns

6 ай бұрын

not recommended for MILS, if you use them, it will stress the MILS plate and cause it to curl, just like the 16x16 technic mosaic art bricks do. You need to use a bunch of small plates like 4x4 plates because of the stress factor and the more you use the flatter it remains.

@Mateo-et3wl

5 ай бұрын

​@@NCXDesignscurl??

The Most Price Effective Way use: non original brick :D

How about not buying that overpriced LEGO stuff? By now alternatives are cheaper and better.

@dsihacker01

5 ай бұрын

Only thing I'll buy knock offs of is technic. I hate finding mega blocks and such in my giant bins

There is a more inexpensive way..use other vendors ;)

The cheapest solution is using 1pcs 32x32...... and sometimes you can get it with 50% discount....

To late

Go to your local dollar tree and look for plates

@wesandell

5 ай бұрын

i've tried those and they aren't that great. The clutch was ridiculous and would barely connect with bricks (i.e. too much clutch). I was afraid i was going to break them they were that bad. Now, that being said, I have other off brand plates from China that were great and were on par with official Lego.

@AcesPlace22

5 ай бұрын

@@wesandell same. I agree. But for quick and cheap. Them dollar tree brands get a 4/10 😄

Ok, the elephant in the room: if you want to be cost-effective, you have to use alternative brick brands. Easy as this, the cost is divided by 3 to 5.

Where's the sound?

I'm not your opinion. My first MILS were the classic 64 4x4-plates with 2x2-bricks underneath. Then I found 16x16-plates and realized how much money I could save. But soon I got disappointed because with the 4 16x16 plates you're not nearly getting as solid MILS as with the 64 4x4-plates - even when using the same amount of 2x2-bricks underneath. So you can build other, cheaper plates than MILS plates. But I wouldn't call them MILS-plates, as they are not as good as the original. Call them "MILS-compatible" if you will.

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

That is fair

@Ist_Geheim

6 ай бұрын

@@BuilderTim So's your answer!

bricklink new pieces will still be cheaper

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

This is fair. I do like the free shipping on LEGO.com

Alot of misinformation here first, it's not MILLS it's MILS second, you don't have to remove a modular from it's included baseplate for it to work with a MILS plate, it sits on top just fine and at the same height too. Most LUGs and AFOLs do it this way too so they have a higher curb than the roads third, using 16x16 plates is not recommended because they warp the MILS plate (curling). 4x4 plates are the best option because it not only reinforces the structure, but you can literally peel off the 32x32 baseplate and it will stay together. so it's an easy transfer to another baseplate or if you need to change out some parts with other colors, it's easier this method. fourth, having the gaps on the sides where it connects to the technic brick is a bad idea, you lose structural integrity this way and then you have to use 16x16 baseplates which cause a MILS to curl and it limits your capability to make streams, lava, etc. Your side bricks will come apart when you try to connect your technic bricks with the pins to another MILS because your forcing that part to take all the stress rather than evenly distributing the stress of those parts across the entire edge. You definitely don't have the IQ to be talking about this as advice if you're not considering what you are giving up vs how much you are paying. MILS wasn't meant to be cost effective, it was meant to be display effective, durable, easy storage and transport. If you want a cost effective way just use the 32x32 baseplate without the MILS. What you're recommending isn't a MILS plate with that kind of loss in structural integrity.

@BuilderTim

6 ай бұрын

That was very insightful! Thank you for all that information, I love learning more about this topic that I am new to. Also thanks for pointing out the flaw in my title, that was a mistake on my part.

@Mateo-et3wl

5 ай бұрын

​@@BuilderTimlol good answer to someone who just called you stupid

Ill be honest Id rather use roblox instead of lego because unlike lego roblox studio parts are free and its so much easier than spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on actual lego bricks

yes but the MOST price effective mils plates are chinese offbrand lego plates. you dont see them anyways so just use real lego at the top!