MILS Plating my Lego City in 2024 and beyond

I mildly over-engineered some MILS plates for my Lego city.
0:00 - Intro
0:23 - Classic MILS Plating
1:00 - Parts list and top down view
4:10 - My design
6:46 - 16x32 design
8:54 - Non-Lego Alternative
10:47 - Outro
NOT-Lego 32x32 plates: amzn.to/49NVuMQ

[@Alverant]

LEGO is making the case to go to 3rd party makers for either 32x32 baseplates or regular plates. That's what I plan to do when I run out of baseplates and they become too expensive to buy, just start slowly converting to large regular plates on the bottom and top. Then sell the baseplates for $$.

[@HenriksBuildingLounge]

Been MILS'ing the rest of my city, I now have a stack of baseplates! If I don't end up selling them they're gonna go towards some wall-art projects!

[@travertinepico751]

Yeah I gave up on Lego baseplates, I use 32x32 plates now. 4 aftermarket brand plates for the cost of 1-2 lego brand baseplates it’s a no brainer at that price point, and it’s way stronger

[@cateringbyjamesmeadows3319]

Overkill never fails!! Looks great

[@MarkBuildsLego]

Nice job - I will be adopting your design as I do like how you have things. Thanks for the video

[@gjacobson76]

32x32 base plates are $1.25 at the Dollar Tree store. I use them and all the Megabloks I find in bulk lots to build my mils plates. It really makes it more affordable.

[@ashleeguzman8225]

Are the ones from dollar tree able to be built underneath? 🤔

[@gjacobson76]

@ashleeguzman8225 They are just like Lego baseplates. No anti-studs on the bottom.

[@HenriksBuildingLounge]

I've struggled a long time responding to this comment - I once bought a bulk lot of Lego and ended up with a small bunch of Megablocks among them, those things just feel uncanny to handle IMO. That being said - if it works for you and doesn't bother you then by all means go for it 🍻

[@scrope]

@@HenriksBuildingLounge I agree that Mega Bloks are crap. However, there are now a lot of 3rd party bricks/plates that are almost exactly the same quality as LEGO -- they just don't have the LEGO on the studs. Don't judge 3rd party bricks by Mega Bloks.

[@HenriksBuildingLounge]

@@scrope I don't doubt that - hence my use of third party 32x32 plates. The bulk lot I had did not contain other third party bricks.

[@rayelgatubelo]

Is this phasing out really happening? I know these were rumors in 2021 that got shot down by LEGO, but yours is the only video I've found talking about it for 2024.

[@HenriksBuildingLounge]

Seems like it's still the plan - a lot of newer sets are built on regular plates where they would almost certainly have normally come with baseplates, including larger buildings like the Home Alone house, the Lion Knights' Castle, Rivendell, etc.

[@aljazslemc9569]

Modulars have to keep to baseplates, if they're to stay compatible with older. Versions. I don't really see them phasing those out. And it seems like they should start by replacing their baseplate offerings with 32×32 plates, so people can seemingly adaptIf it stays roughly at the same price point, people can convertt, or continue buying used.

[@Dave83138]

@@HenriksBuildingLounge IMO sets that open up can't rely on a standard baseplate unless they put in a bunch of tiles to support it or they want more of a rounded / stylized / jagged edge. Just because a lot of larger newer sets aren't built on baseplates to me doesn't automatically mean they are getting rid of them. It may just be a design style now or the larger sets need the greater stability that stacked regular plates provide. I recently bought and built the Mos Eisley Cantina, there is zero chance that thing would stay together on baseplates given how it opens up along with it's size, plus the rounded / angled plates give it a much more interesting look. I would argue that for kids with a large container of random parts the baseplate is still essential.

[@ashleeguzman8225]

That 32 X 32 plate is sick! What a simple idea but so sad we don't have it with Lego! Having the ability to build underneath that plate is awesome! You can do multi-level on amm way larger scale or have basements, the list goes on and on. PLEASE LEGO, BUILD A 32 X 32 with underneath attachments for studs! 🙏🏻 😎 ✌🏻

[@gordoneaton564]

Why do you use 3x2 bricks on the edge and not just 2x2?

[@HenriksBuildingLounge]

3x2 is what the original design goes with - You're correct that 2x2 would be perfectly fine. I'm guessing whoever came up with using 3x2 bricks wanted a more flush corner aesthetic. Alternately (and more likely) it could be since the technic brick already has holes, the 3x2 brick would prevent accidentally pushing connecting pins into the gap between a 2x2 brick and the 1x4 technic.

[@grantcrawford823]

Do you really need all those 2x2 bricks if you're using a 16x16 or 32x32 plate. I'm about to start mils and i got a whole bunch of strictly bricks 32x32 plates, but I'm thinking of spacing the bricks out a lot more between them.

[@HenriksBuildingLounge]

If you plan on using bigger plates you don't need as many 2x2 bricks. Just make sure there's a brick under each corner and if the plate is really huge maybe some strategically placed bricks underneath for more stability.