Choosing your first build

A good first build is one you finish. It should be small enough to complete in one sitting, interesting enough to keep you going, and made from parts you have or can get. This guide explains how Brick Recipe labels its builds and suggests a path through them, from a quick first model to the largest builds on the site.

What the difficulty levels mean

Every build has one of four difficulty levels, shown as a label and one to four bars. The level comes from the number of parts:

Beginner (one bar): fewer than 120 parts.
Intermediate (two bars): 120 to 220 parts.
Advanced (three bars): 221 to 400 parts.
Expert (four bars): more than 400 parts.

Because the level follows the part count, it tells you how much there is to build, how many pieces you need to find, and how long you will be at the table. It is not a judgement of how clever the techniques are; a beginner build can still have a neat trick or two. In practice, more parts also means more chances for a small mistake to carry forward, so higher levels reward checking your work at each step.

Build size

Most builds on the site are standard size: up to about 300 parts and 30 steps, on a base you can keep on a shelf or desk. A few are large builds that go well beyond that, up to several hundred parts and around 60 steps. The Five-Story Pagoda and the Japanese Castle are large builds. They take noticeably longer and need more table space, both for the model and for sorted parts.

The part count and step count at the top of each recipe page are the quickest way to judge size. Steps vary in size, so divide one by the other to see roughly how many pieces each step adds.

How long will it take?

Build time depends on how organized your parts are far more than on how fast your hands are. As a rough guide for someone working from sorted parts:

a beginner build is usually a single relaxed sitting, often under an hour;
an intermediate build is an evening;
an advanced build may be an evening or two;
an expert build is best treated as a project over several sessions.

Treat these as estimates. Hunting for pieces in an unsorted pile can easily double the time, which is why our guide to sorting and finding parts is worth reading before a bigger build. Because the steps are numbered, it is easy to stop at the end of any step, note the number, and jump back to it later with the slider.

What each category offers

The gallery groups builds into four categories, each with its own kind of challenge:

Buildings are houses, shops and other places with walls and roofs. They teach walls, windows and roofs: the Garden Shed is a small one, while the Bakery and Udon Shop add upper floors, overhangs and detailed fronts.
Landmarks are recognizable structures such as gates, towers and castles. They tend to be tall and symmetrical, which makes checking your work easy: both sides should match. The Torii Gate is the gentlest start.
Nature & Outdoor scenes, such as the Campsite, Vegetable Garden and Treehouse, are about trees, plants and ground. They use lots of small detail parts and round pieces, and are forgiving if a flower ends up one stud to the left.
Street & Props are small everyday scenes like the Bus Stop and Lemonade Stand. They are compact and quick, and good for trying out a new technique.

You can also filter the gallery by theme, for example Japanese, Medieval or Winter, if a particular style is what draws you in.

A suggested path

There is no wrong order, but if you want a progression that builds skills step by step, this one works well.

Start: beginner

Pick one of these for a first build. Each is around 100 to 120 parts and has a clear, friendly shape:

Snowman: stacking round parts into a figure, plus a small tree and sled.
Garden Shed: your first walls, window and gable roof.
Stone Well: a low stone wall built in courses, with a pitched roof on two posts.
Torii Gate: tall columns and a lintel, with lanterns and trees around it.

Then try the Beach Hut or Park Corner to practice the same ideas in a different setting.

Next: intermediate

These roughly double the part count and add height:

Greenhouse: a glass frame and a lot of small plant details.
Watchtower: a tall tower with a wider top built out over the walls.
Lighthouse: a round striped tower plus a cottage with a roof.
Log Cabin or Treehouse for a longer, more detailed scene.

Then: advanced

Advanced builds combine everything: overhangs, multiple floors, detailed fronts.

Windmill: a tapering body, a deck around it and large lattice sails.
Castle Gatehouse: two towers, an arched gate and battlements.
Bakery and Udon Shop: detailed street buildings with deep roofs.
Five-Story Pagoda: a large build that repeats a story-and-roof pattern five times.

Finally: expert

The Japanese Castle is the biggest build on the site, at more than 700 parts across 58 steps. Plan it over several sessions, gather and sort the parts first, and check each roof tier from several angles before moving on.

Before you start any build

Read the About this build notes on the recipe page if there are any; they often point out the steps that need care.
Check the full parts list against your collection.
Clear a flat, well-lit space and set up your screen where you can see it.
Learn the viewer controls with our guide on how to read the instructions.

If a build goes well, the beginner building techniques guide explains the ideas behind what you just did, so the next one goes even better.