Alex Bonelli – Moc Designer

My passion for LEGO® began long before I ever shared my creations with the world.

As a child, LEGO bricks were always part of my life. My parents would surprise me with a new set every now and then throughout the year, and those gifts became some of my happiest childhood memories. One moment, in particular, has stayed with me ever since: opening The Chamber of Secrets under the Christmas tree. At the time, it was one of the most beautiful and atmospheric Harry Potter sets ever released, and I still remember the excitement of building it for the very first time. From that day on, my love for LEGO never faded.

At the same time, I had always been fascinated by the universe created by Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Bringing these two passions together felt completely natural. For many years, apart from a handful of official sets, the LEGO world offered very little inspired by The Lord of the Rings. So one day I asked myself, “Why can’t I build it myself?”

Starting in 2015, I began collecting every piece I could find, digging through my own collection and hunting down official LEGO sets to gather the bricks I needed. Little by little, I started creating my own version of Middle-earth.

Everything truly changed in 2019, when I finally found the courage to share my creations with the world.

For quite some time, I had been working on a prototype inspired by Helm’s Deep, driven by a passion for recreating the incredible locations imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien. That first project sparked something much bigger, and from that moment on, every new build inspired the next. What started as a single MOC quickly became a journey filled with excitement, creativity, and the desire to bring Middle-earth to life, one scene at a time.

During the 2020 pandemic, I completed and published my first major project: Rivendell. Built with more than 21,000 LEGO® bricks, the model stretched over two meters in length and marked a turning point in my journey as a MOC designer.

From one project to the next, and from one exhibition to another, between 2021 and 2024 I recreated many of the most iconic scenes from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. My work was showcased at major LEGO Italian exhibitions, including events in Verona and Arezzo, where I had the opportunity to share my passion with thousands of visitors and fellow enthusiasts.

In 2025, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Stefano Mapelli on the construction of “The Wizard’s black tower”. Together, we created a model standing over two meters tall, built from more than 36,000 LEGO® bricks—one of the most ambitious projects I have ever been involved in.

And this is only the beginning.

Many more creations are already taking shape… so stay tuned for what’s next!