Two weeks before: record everything
The cheapest insurance is a record of how each set looks and is wired now. Light kits are the hardest part to recreate. Cables are threaded between plates and through hidden gaps, and that routing is not shown in the LEGO instructions.
Light My Bricks says its kits come with 3D instructions, either Light After Build or Light As You Build, depending on the kit. [1][2] Find those instructions, or the kit's page, for each lit set and save them with your photos. Light My Bricks also describes its cables as ribbon-thin and flat enough to thread between plates and around corners. [1] That is good for hiding cables and bad for remembering where they went, so photograph the routes.
- Photograph each set from the front, back, both sides and above, with the lights on and then off.
- Photograph every place a cable enters or leaves the model, and the underside if you can lift it safely.
- Write a one-line inventory per set: set number, kit maker, power type (USB, battery box or power bank), and any case or frame.
- Save the kit instructions or the listing link for each lit set.
- Note which wall frames hang on which anchors, and photograph the wall fixings.
Packing day: unplug, detach and label
Kit leads are thin, so unplug at the connector body. If a connector resists, find the latch or the angle, and do not pull the wire.
Light My Bricks says its connectors are reversible, so they plug in either way up. [1] That makes reconnecting at the new place easier, but you still need to know which lead went to which port. Lightailing's 4-Port Expansion Board V2 ($10.99) gathers several lights and cables into one connection point. [4] Treat each board as a junction to map: photograph it, and label each lead plugged into it.
Mixed connector versions are a trap when kits are packed together. Lightailing says its V2 Strip Lights use the V2 connector system and are not compatible with V1 parts. [3] Keep each kit's cables and boards in their own bag, labelled with the set, so V1 and V2 parts do not get mixed.
| Part | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| USB lead to the wall | Unplug at both ends; coil loosely; tape a label at the model end | Leads are easiest to lose and to mix up |
| Battery box | Take out the batteries; bag the box with its set | Our suggestion: loose batteries and boxes are better packed apart |
| Power bank | Switch to standby; pack separately; keep its charging cable with it | Light My Bricks' power bank has an ON/Standby button and comes with a charging cable [5] |
| Expansion board | Photograph it, label each port's lead, then unplug | One board can connect several lights [4] |
| Lights fixed inside the model | Leave them in place if the set travels whole; tuck loose ends so they cannot snag | A snagged loose end can pull a light out of place |
| Wall frame hardware | Bag the hooks and screws with the frame; decide whether the wall plugs move with you | BRKOX supplies screws and wall plugs with some frames [6] |
Whole, in sections, or taken apart
There is no single rule. Decide per set using size, how it is built and whether it has a case. These are planning criteria, not vendor guidance.
- Fill gaps in boxes with soft packing so nothing shifts. Mark the box "this way up".
- Put each set's light kit bag in the same box as the set, or label both with the same number.
- Move the most fragile sets yourself if you can, rather than in a removal truck.
| Set situation | Usually travels | Packing note |
|---|---|---|
| Small set already in a fitted case | Whole, in its case | Pad around the case; keep it upright; do not stack weight on the lid |
| Set in a lift-off dust cover | Whole, but the cover travels separately | A loose cover can slide and knock the model; wrap each cover on its own |
| Wall frame or wall case | Whole, in its frame | Take it off the wall, remove any power bank, and pack it flat or on edge as you would a picture |
| Modular building or Winter Village building | In its floor sections | If it lifts apart by floor, bag each floor's loose parts and lights together |
| Large ship, aircraft or tall landmark | In the sections the instructions build separately | Long or tall models are fragile at joins; split before they split themselves |
| Set with many fixed lights you do not want to redo | Whole if any way is practical | Re-threading cables is the slowest part of a rebuild |
At the new place: rebuild and relight in this order
Furniture comes first. IKEA's KALLAX page says the unit must be anchored to the wall, with screws and plugs suited to your home, and to seek professional advice if unsure. [7] Set shelves and anchors before any set goes on them. For wall frames, the walls at the new place may be a different type. Check whether the plugs supplied with a frame suit them before reusing them. [6]
Then place the sets, then reconnect power, one set at a time. Reconnecting one set and testing it before moving to the next means a dead light can be traced to one set's cables, not ten.
- 1. Build and anchor shelves and cabinets; hang empty wall frames.
- 2. Unpack sets in reverse order of fragility: sturdiest first, so your hands are practised by the time you reach the delicate ones.
- 3. Rejoin split sets using your photos; check for missing parts before you reconnect any lights.
- 4. Reconnect one set's lights, using its labels and photos; switch on and test.
- 5. Fix any dark lights now. Check connectors first, gently, without forcing them.
- 6. Plan and tidy the power leads to the new sockets last.
- 7. Keep the photos and labels until everything has worked for a week.
Questions before you decide
Should I take the light kit out before moving a LEGO set?
Not always. Lights fixed inside a set can stay if it travels whole. Unplug the leads, battery boxes and power banks, and label them. Unplug at the connector body rather than pulling the wire, and keep each kit's parts bagged with its set.
How do I remember where the light cables went?
Photograph each set from all sides with the cables visible, and keep the kit's instructions. Light My Bricks supplies 3D Light After Build or Light As You Build instructions with its kits, and its flat cables are threaded between plates.
Can mixed light kit parts get confused in a move?
Yes. Lightailing says its V2 connector parts are not compatible with V1, so keep each kit's cables and expansion boards in their own labelled bag, with the set they belong to.
Can I reuse the wall plugs from my old place?
Only if they suit the new wall. BRKOX supplies screws and wall plugs with some frames, but IKEA notes that the right screws and plugs depend on your wall, and the walls at a new home may be different.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Light My Bricks light kit for Alpine Lodge 10325 (cables, connectors, instructions) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Light My Bricks light kit for Santa's Post Office 10339 (Light As You Build and Light After Build instructions) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Lightailing Strip Lights V2 (V2 connectors, not compatible with V1) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Lightailing 4-Port Expansion Board V2 Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Light My Bricks USB Power Bank (3350 mAh) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- BRKOX wall display frame for LEGO McLaren MCL39 F1 Car 42228 (screws and wall plugs included) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- IKEA US: KALLAX shelf unit (anchoring warning) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
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