Sentimental for 80s legos

 I watched the new "Top Gun Maverick" this date. The movie took me back to being a kid in the 80s when lego was "primitive" by todays standards in terms of types and sizes of sets. SPOILER ALERT...there is a scene with the old f14  (or 15) jets go up against the newer jets.  I must be getting old as I rooted for the older jets even though the new jets that the enemies had are much more capable, expensive, and maneuverable.

And then a book I saw at the library came to mind  (which is available at my library and on the Lego website.).  It's called I'm fun too!

The premise of the book is that old sets from the late 70s early 80s being behind the times compared to the current sets of 2022.

In fairness it has been 42 years since the early 80s. So things do change over time.  The pics in the book depicted the kinds of sets I remember from childhood: two are shown in the book "I'm fun too".

Source:I'm fun too a classic LEGO picture book, 2018, Jonathan Fenske.  

Source:I'm fun too a classic LEGO picture book, 2018, Jonathan Fenske

Above: much cooler motorcycle

Above castle horse vs new horse

Source:I'm fun too a classic LEGO picture book, 2018, Jonathan Fenske

Tonight I watched you tube. There are so many channels, vlogs, fancy video productions with big colored letters and people showing $1800 to $2000 hauls from the Lego store.  Part of me doesn't like all the fancy videos, yet another part watches in disbelief and envy.  Then there are so many videos on investment in sets which always make me think "people actually buy these to sell secondhand, it's a kids toy"

So for now I like blogging about legos but unfortunately the flashy videos and more expensive sets surpass me. I just miss the 80s where lego selling didn't exist on computers and costs were not as astronomical due to licensing.  There was just space, town, castle themes and general sets, not todays massive/ licensed sets. Now I cannot keep up with the multiple different lines of products and being part of lego community is hard without keeping up with videos and seeing the diversity of new sets out there online.  Reading a blog about legos can't compete with videos!

So my blogging isn't as neat as the videos, but I'll keep plugging away.  I feel like I'm an actual newspaper in a 24 hour instant news digital world.  I'm becoming obsolete with keeping up on trends and news about lego collecting and sharing on the internet.

After writing and thinking about Lego advances, this article came up on my news feed

Now the new red motorcycle and fancy brown horse in the above mentioned book above are being relinquished to the past and left thinking "I'm fun too"

Lego art and ads showing what I think is the spirit of building with Lego

The spirit of lego 

I don't know how I stumbled across this picture, but I think it is genius!! 

Source:August 2015 Scandinavian Traveller.  Written by Daniel Dasey and photo by Jann Lipka, page 60.

The picture above makes me think of aspects of what I consider to be the spirit/essence of building or playing with Lego whether as a child or being an adult. I have broken down my thoughts as to what using lego represents to me and what to never let go of. These 7 aspects include: giving, creating, rebuilding, celebrating different tastes in sets and themes, coming together from diverse backgrounds to make things, imagining and developing ideas.  I've tried to use lego ads and pics to illustrate my point!

 

1) Creativity

 The spirit of creativity is used by both kids and adults no matter how complex a build.  In the never let go picture above, creativity is seen by using all pastel colors indicate a consistent and complementary color scheme that a relatively older builder would think of.  The technique of stacking of bricks conjours images of creativity of a child or me in youth playing with lego when pieces of of lego were very simple/limited as children and color schemes didn't matter.  Creativity is present at both ages.

Now, years later, the creativity of lego building is still the same. Fancier techniques and pieces are available as demonstrated in the Lego Movie logo.  The font below is much more complex than the first picture in this blog saying "never let go."

Even with such contrasting fonts used in the never let go picture and the lego movie 2 picture, the creativity used to make each is the same process

As a side note, I don't think we'll ever see the ultimate collectors letter and numbers set, but there may be a market for the creativity it would allow.  One has to only look at Etsy to see child names and initials for sale due to the creative look!

2) Giving

The second piece of lego art conveying the spirit of lego is present in the picture below.  This craft was made by a nice person who knew I like building with Lego.  I was really touched that they took the time to make this...

Lego gives a way for people to create original projects and give/share those creations to others.  It could be a parent making a plane or car while playing with their kids, or an adult buying a set for a person they know.  I've had people bring me lego mugs and "candy blocks" that look like lego and it is so appreciated!

Related to the giving spirit, I often browse the lego aisle and commonly hear people buying for kids and laughing "oh, look they have a garbage truck" or "look there's even a little cat"..  Again, legos bring out a giving spirit as the people mentioned above will often say "well, I think that they'll like the boat, let's get that".  (Then they'll look at the price and say "good grief"-except for grandparents!).  Parents say "put that back!"

3) Rebuilding

I love the above picture, the symbol of arm for using your body for building.  The "t" in the 2nd line shows putting pieces together, in usual or new ways.  The final "o" shows the gladness and happiness in doing the rebuilding.  

4) Celebrating different likes and dislikes in sets and themes

5) Diverse groups of people and pieces coming together in the spirit of creativity 

6) Imagination

One only has to type afol moc in the search box to see this demonstrated

7) Creating ideas

 A self built prosthetic arm, placing lego in holes of real buildings, making train models. There's never a shortage of lego ideas!

There is a final ad that summarizes what I think all the 7 elements of the spirit of lego building present in both youth and adulthood...

  

In summary, I feel that there are multiple elements that form the spirit of building with lego.  These elements include giving, creating, rebuilding, celebrating different tastes in sets and themes, coming together from diverse backgrounds to make things, imagining and developing ideas. I  think the ads and art pics above convey visually what I'm describing as the essence of building with lego.  From youth to adulthood, there is always progression in the 7 elements that I consider to be the essence/spirit of building with Lego.  Never let that go!

 

What lego collectors dream of!

 What lego collectors dream about:

Las Vegas...godiva and lego together!!!

Lego store in Hong Kong...fantastic presentation of drawers in a used lego store

Tables of pick a brick used legos...could be infected by a mega block or Tyco virus

How can I get clearance prices from the vending machines!!!

Love the caption below the pic, "stylish spaces designed for living"  would be hard to keep the floor clean from errant pieces...

Sweet dreams!!

Dumb mistake #1 setting up my lego room

 I cannot get to my basement to get to my legos due to an injury ( I miss my legos so much).  When I built my room,  I thought at the time it would be neat to have legos stored from floor to ceiling, just like at the legoland workshop or a library where you need a ladder to get to the top/full collection.  Well I never thought about getting up to all the legos if physically I was unable. Now I've got to get someone to eventually get the top drawers down

Not so intelligent stacking cabinets so high!  No chance of reaching the top!  When I fill the 64 drawer cabinet on the particleboard bookshelf, it will be too heavy and unsafe...

Could also be a safety risk, esp. With steel cabinets!

Live and learn!

Giving my wheel opinion

 Lego has made some improvements to their wheel choices over the years.  Recently I referenced sets 383 and 115 and the hubcaps are so much fancier and more realistic in the 383 set (I don't know much about earlier wheels)

Koop

Above wheels vs set 115 wheels below

Although the wheels above were not developed, they were better than the huge wheels in this set...

The wheel below was never practical except for a train creation i saw on the internet...it does look perfect for a locomotive wheel..not much else in my opinion!

Another initial piece when I was little...

My skills of building my own creation came from placing 4 of these together on a 2x8 plate...I tried to fashion the car after my favorite book at the time...Go Dog Go!

Then lego made another leap forward in wheel history, TREAD

Then the next revolution in wheels...flat plates!

Then these came with more treads

Then the tread tires got bigger as below; I didn't know at the time that these bigger tread tire existed til ebay in 2004!

Then I thought the wheels below came and I never liked them, I thought they looked dumb (and still think so!)

Finally, this wheel came back for the mobile rocket transport...it had been in one of the older universal sets!

From that point on, 1984ish I lost track of all the different types of wheels!!!

All this writing has tired me out.

The sets that got away

 So many times there were sets that I had or wanted but realized financially I couldn't or shouldn't buy!  The top sets I can think of are below; believe me I am thrilled with what I have, but these sets were just so neat.  Pure greed on my part!!!

1) town hall

The town hall was just too

Expensive but it was sure neat!  Beautiful architecture 

2) The black creator car

I wanted this car but it was $70.  I went to a garage sale but took a wrong turn.  After getting my bearings, I parked and went up the long driveway and a kid was walking away with this for $5.  I truly daydreamed i knocked the box away from him(just kidding!!), ran and got into my car but I thought better of it. That kid had better have enjoyed it!  If I hadn't missed that one darn curve!

3) the lego apocalypseburg from the lego set...I love the outstretched green arm with the ladder...honestly even if I could have afforded it, the complexity would have been over my head

4) multiples of the star wars midi scale set on sale for $12

Every year at the end of the holidays, walmart tortures me by putting left over legos on clearance in the garden center for sale.  The smell of miracle grow fertilizer nearly overwhelms me due to no ventilation and the temperature is about 30 degrees, but I power on to find those legos between thousands of Christmas bulbs..  I didn't have the gull to buy these on 12-30-2008 (date?) at Walmart because I had just come off a great Christmas with legos, couldn't justify more at that time.  In retrospect there weren't many complex and diverse pieces.  I was so determined to get a deal the next year all I could find was 10x$1 for the set below so I have 10 pigs i have no idea what to do with

4) space cruiser

I didn't know that sets 918, 924  existed until I was older,  I knew there was the galaxy explorer but not the 2 smaller versions.  I would have been too young to buy!

5) lego chasses, both versions --too young!!!  Still would take 8860 in a minute!!

6) multiples of original lego millenium falcon. $75 clearance Walmart...no one wanted them.  I took 3/5 left

7) lego motor

As a kid in the 70s, I was going to build the ultimate car or train, but had to have the motor first!!  Loved seeing this in the catalog back then, not even remote control operation but that wire control was so technologically advanced as a kid

8) lego technic tipper and Volvo truck

Again even if I could purchase these. They would be too complex for me to build.  Loved the color schemes of these sets, especially the gray curved on the tipper truck!

9) at st

Only wanted for the gray pieces. But they were mostly plates...but I could have had 3 for 1/2 price.. I think $40

10) the detective office 

Who wouldn't love this set with a story line and hidden features.  And the cool little cookies.  The creation of a flush toilet, a pool table, a 2x1 letter tile and the first lego scissors...I blew it on this one, I could have bought this for $100 but the window decals were put on crooked...I was stupid!

11) the blue car...$12 * 8 sets available...I wanted them for the clear windshield but the other pieces weren't quite worth the cost.  Fortunately lego did make transparent yellow windshields for the lego movie 2.

12) lego Ferrari

I just didn't realize how neat this set was at the time until it was retired 

Don't know what i was thinking, although it never went on sale

All of these sets were awesome but so pricey...plus even if I had these i would still want more...I need to be thankful for the great sets I have been able to have!!! Pure greed on my part as I have been so blessed with what I have.