On November 21, 2025, BrickLink announced that it would close its Marketplace to 35 countries. One of them was TĂźrkiye, where I live. Beyond the frustration of not being able to purchase separate parts and minifigures, I felt something deeper – the fear of being locked out completely. I had learned so much through BrickLink while researching different subjects, and suddenly it felt like that access could disappear.
An idea appeared: Why donât I build my own database?
It wouldnât be easy. But is anything worth doing ever easy?
So I started building.
As with any MOC, once the first pieces were placed, ideas began to flow. Getting the core data was the simplest part â Rebrickable made that possible. But data alone wasnât enough. I wanted relationships between elements, reliable images, consistent naming, and cross-referenced IDs from other sources.
Each of the âbig threeâ LEGO databases had something I loved.
Rebrickable offered openly available data.
BrickLink had beautiful images and a clear naming system.
Brickset was just… beautiful.
I wanted all that, but under one roof – mine.
Between late nights, technical rabbit holes, and a lot of trial and error, the database began to take shape. Everything was imported, connected, verified, refined, and reviewed again. And then refined some more. Buka Atlas went live not as a finished project, but as a living one.
Some of you may already know me as the founder of Buka Bricks, a bilingual blog that has been around for several years. Its focus is LEGO animals – the Brick Bestiary. I have researched and categorized them extensively, photographing the ones I own and carefully selecting the best images of those I donât. It has been updated regularly as new animals are released, and it continues to grow over time.
Because of that, animals hold a special place within Buka Atlas.
This project is ongoing. Buka Atlas is continuously being expanded and refined as new releases, data, and most importantly, I become available. My hope is that Buka Atlas becomes something useful to the community, in TĂźrkiye and beyond.
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In memory of Daniel Jezek, who started everything.