Thursday 9 April 2009

Icons #4 Lego

Lego has rocked my world twice.

The first time probably lasted for most of my childhood.  I have vague recollections of sets from when I was very young.  A huge Lego version of the Apollo moon landing with figures much larger than the ones you see today.  I also recall having a green base plate, but I have no idea where that came from.  Scarily I must have received these gifts thirty years ago.  At least.

I wasn't down with the cool kids though.  I didn't do Space Lego.  I did the town.

It started on a holiday to Cornwall.  We stopped off on the way down (to break up the journey!!!) in Torquay and went shopping.  I came back with this Lego rally car and driver.  My first mini-fig set.  If I remember rightly there may have been a traffic cop on a motor bike.... Am I sounding sad yet?

But anyway that set me off.  I didn't want Space Lego, it didn't match.

So slowly but surely I built up a town, that grew and grew.  There was only ever one house though.  Every so often this town with its railway, that basically just circled the town, a lot, got packed up and put away.  Bits would break in the cardboard boxes, but to be honest, that was all part of the joy of it.  Putting it all back together.

Basically from the age of about six to twelve if you didn't give me Lego for Christmas or my birthday, you sucked.

I loved the building and after that the maintenance.  I can remember the looks on my Mum's face that said a) I broke the Bus Station with the Hoover or b) the cat's vomited on a road plate.

Of course for years, new Lego sets dried up.  I'd get the occasional small set as a gift, but the town was in a box in the loft and not likely to ever see the light of day again.  And then George Lucas went mental and made another Star Wars movie.  And Lego started making Star Wars Lego.

It was my 26th birthday and someone at work (hello Lara) popped next door to Hamleys and bought me a small set.  Speeder bikes.  In Lego.  I shit you not.

And I started collecting.  For a while I had the lot.  When I say a while, I mean about 4 years worth of not having missed one set.  It cost a fortune and was a nightmare to look after.  Basically after the move to Southampton the spare room became the Star Wars Lego room.

As a wedding present (divorce followed swiftly, can't think why) work bought 'me' a tie fighter and Y-Wing set.  Clearly this was madness.

But it had to stop.  There was just too much of it.  Fortunately my six year old nephew has taken up the batten.  He has a Star Destroyer.  I am so jealous.  He's also the reason mines all in the loft, in bits.  At some stage it's all gonna be his.

Now days Lego is just ridiculously iconic.  People make movies with mini figs like this one: 


There are better ones out there, but this is kind of appropriate with the anniversary coming up and will please Ricky Bobby who begged, literally, for tonight's post to be about the Titanic.

I also have a friend who makes art from Lego. Check out the website at:


So, I love Lego.  Still do.  Birthdays and Xmas I still shake a box... Just to be sure.

Tonight's post is dedicated to @CatatonicCat.

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