Brick Christmas Sled MOC: 350-Piece Build Tutorial

The short version: roughly 350 bricks get you a 22 cm Christmas sled MOC for about 50 yuan, and with the reindeer included the whole thing wraps up in 2.5 hours. A warm light string adds 30 yuan to the budget and lifts the atmosphere by around 80%. Below is the complete parts list and a step-by-step build, along with the upgrade options — you can find more community builds on the Christmas hub at brickplan.cn.

Christmas is one of the most photogenic themes in brick building, and the sled is the most instantly recognizable piece in it: red runners, gold bells, a cargo bed piled with presents. Parked under the tree it doubles as seasonal decor. Compared with the 300 to 400 yuan finished ornaments in shops, a self-built sled looks sharper and you can modify it to taste. The build breaks into four stages: chassis, cargo bed, reindeer and lighting.

Step 1: Parts Prep — The 350-Piece Inventory

Set the size before anything else: keep the total length at 22 cm (about 20 studs). The runners are two 1x16 curved plates, and their curve reproduces the upturned nose of a sled. The recommended color scheme is red and white dominant with gold accents, and dark brown held back for the reindeer.

• Red plates and bricks: about 160 pieces (body and cargo bed)
• White elements: about 90 pieces (snow base and trim)
• Gold elements: about 40 pieces (bells and handrails)
• Dark brown and tan elements: about 40 pieces (reindeer)
• 1 minifigure (Santa) plus about 20 pieces of small gift builds

You can tick the whole list off in the brickplan.cn parts library and generate a purchase order, which keeps you from overbuying or coming up short.

Step 2: Chassis and Runners

Lay the two 1x16 curved plates parallel and join them crosswise with 2x6 plates, leaving a 3-stud gap between them — that is the runner assembly. On top of it, stack two layers of 2x4 bricks as the load-bearing beam, letting the front and rear ends overhang by 2 studs each so the upturned nose reads clearly.

Once the chassis is together, sink 1x1 bricks with holes into the four corners; these will hold the bell cords later. This stage carries the weight of the whole sled, so stagger every brick joint and interlock them — otherwise the middle sags as soon as the presents go in.

Step 3: Cargo Bed and Santa

Wall the cargo bed in red bricks as a 6x4 stud frame, low at the front and high at the back, with the driver's seat left open up front. Load in three small gifts: stack 1x1 and 2x2 colored tiles into gift boxes and top each one with a 1x1 cross element as the bow. Seat the Santa minifigure at the front with a 2-stud bar in hand as the reins.

Finish by hanging two gold bells on the front of the runners and adding a 1x2 white tile at the rear as a snowflake. That is about 320 pieces and 22 cm of sled — the main body is done.

Step 4: Reindeer and Lighting Upgrade

The reindeer takes just 40 pieces: dark brown bricks for the body, two 1x2 slope bricks for the antlers, and one red round tile for the nose, which lands the classic red-nosed look immediately. To push the sled further, spend 30 yuan on a warm-colored light string and tuck it into the gaps of the cargo bed. Lit up at night it lifts the atmosphere by roughly 80%, and the photos are front-page material for the community.

FAQ

Q: Roughly how much does this brick sled MOC cost to build?

A: About 50 yuan for the base version at 350 pieces, or about 80 yuan with the lighting upgrade — well under half the price of a finished ornament.

Q: Is the sled hard to build?

A: Not at all. Follow the four steps here and it takes 2.5 hours. The only tricky part is the curve of the runners, so practice that section once in the virtual builder on brickplan.cn.

Q: Will the sled collapse once the presents are loaded?

A: No. As long as the load-bearing beams are staggered and interlocked and the cargo bed corners are reinforced, it holds up to 20 small gift pieces without any trouble.

Q: Can the reindeer and the sled be built as separate models?

A: Yes. The reindeer is a standalone 40-piece build connected to the sled with a bar, so it also works on its own as a Christmas ornament.

Q: Can I submit the finished sled to brickplan.cn?

A: Yes — the Christmas hub accepts submissions year-round. Include your parts list and step photos, and there is a chance of being recommended on the homepage.