Lego Star Wars AddictedLeia VS Jabba MOC created by Iain Heather https://flic.kr/s/aHskPvyNquLego Star Wars AddictedAdmiral Ackbar by Eero Okkonen cit. Eero: Our favorite space admiral, famous from his memetic lines like "Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude!" and "Concentrate all fire on that Super Star Destroyer". Every time I walk into a LEGO store, a helpful employee asks, “Are you looking for a gift today?” I’m always happy to reply, “Yes, a gift for myself.” My answer usually gets a smile and a knowing look. I’m not the only adult that loves LEGO toys. My adoration for the colorful plastic bricks and shapes started when I was young. When I was little, I had a red bucket full of LEGO bricks and big green plate (base) to build on. I’d like to say that I was a prodigy who built skyscrapers or designed mini amusement parks, but no. I’d take my stash out to the back porch and build a small mishmash of structures that I would call a farm. It was about the imagination for me.
The bigger worlds that the little bricks represented. Time passed and my stash of bricks disappeared in a yard sale or to my younger cousins’ toy boxes. I forgot about LEGO for a while. Over the holidays though, I ended up with a Star Wars LEGO kit in a White Bantha gift exchange between geek girls. It only took snapping together a few clone troopers to reignite my love of LEGO. I went out the same night and bought more. In the few months since then, the pile of bricks has grown. I’ve bought more kits and some plates and loose bricks. I prefer to follow instructions to make something like a LEGO version of Hagrid’s Hut from Harry Potter or just to build simple things with the bricks. It’s something I do when I need to think through a problem. I also don’t think I’d have the patience to glue bricks together so big pieces are out of the question. I won’t be making anything like the giant creations you see at conventions. Still, rediscovering Lego has quickly progressed into a full-blown addiction.
Now, space has become a problem. I live in a tiny place, and I’ve already covered most available surfaces with all sorts of nerdy items like action figures, signed comics, cute plushies, and fossils. I haven’t even opened the LEGO Darth Vader TIE Fighter kit I have because I don’t know where to put it. Yes, I know that’s wrong. I’ve got the smaller sets covered though. Sets like this Clone Trooper Battle Pack can fit right on your desk (especially at your office for stress relief), on a bookshelf, or in my case under the television stand. Three small sets fit perfectly, and it’s far enough back that the cats can’t steal and kill my troopers. I’m planning to clear off a shelf on my bookcase for bigger LEGO models. Let’s face it, we could all probably stand to get rid of a few books. One method I’ve found to help save space is to display loose LEGO bricks as part of my furniture. I’m starting to buy plates to cover my living room coffee table. I plan to put mats with non-skid bottoms under the bases and a big bucket of LEGO pieces beside the table.
It will be fun to play around while watching movies, and I think friends will like playing when they come over (if any friend shows disdain towards my LEGO table, they won’t be a friend for long). When I’m not playing, I’ll cover the surface with the tablecloth. I’ve also noticed that when you’re not building, it’s important to keep your LEGO bricks out of reach of the family pet and small children. Both have a tendency to chew on them and cover them in slobber. Of course, there is the safety hazard factor too. Gladware or similar containers from the department store are ideal for storage of loose bricks. You can buy smaller ones and sort by color and size if you wish. Even if you only build from kits, you’ll end up with a few extra pieces from each set. I like to use things like that as a reason to buy a new lunch box or tin (like the R2-D2 one in the photos) for dedicated storage. I suppose that an abundance of these containers will end up being an issue, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Again, if you mostly build kits, you’ll end up with a pile of instruction manuals. Don’t hoard them after you’ve completed a set. You might drop the toys at some point and have to start over, but you can find instructions online. The LEGO site has downloadable pdf instructions for 3,300 sets available online for sets dating back to 2002.I’ve learned that LEGO bricks are like dice – you can never have too many!Once you admit to yourself that you are an adult fan of LEGO, you will have taken the first step in an obsession that is impossible to avoid. Early fans may cringe at and envy older fans who spend thousands of dollars on LEGO. What these new fans don’t realize is something similar will happen to them as well – and soon enough. ➡ THE EARLY SIGNS OF LEGO ADDICTION Holding off the inevitable usually starts with boundaries. For example, you realize you’re spending way too much on LEGO. Therefore, you tell yourself – in no uncertain terms – that you will only stick to certain LEGO themes.
Many people can go years keeping firm to this mentality. Most people have better luck sticking to a month-to-month budget than certain LEGO themes though. However, eventually these artificial walls we build come crumbling down. It can be the silliest thing as a small set that you really want. It’s not in the LEGO theme you have planned to stick with or goes slightly over budget, but it’s exactly what you’ve always wanted. Mind you, this stage does not necessarily apply to everyone. These stages are more common in those who don’t want to admit they’re obsessed and probably need an intervention. 😀 ➡ MAKING ROOM FOR LEGO The next phase to look for is the “Making Room” stage. This is where you go from a single shelf of LEGO displays to clearing out multiple shelves for LEGO. You may even invest in additional shelving for this purpose. LEGO is notorious for finding its way everywhere. It is relatively small, which means it doesn’t need a lot of room… at first. Do
n’t be surprised when you realize that LEGO is not only a hobby, but a decor theme for your home. ➡ THE ODD LEGO PURCHASE Finally, you cannot hide any longer when you realize you’ve just made an odd LEGO purchase that will blow your cover. To demonstrate, I’ll tell you about a LEGO purchase I made to get a deal. Several weeks before the LEGO Collectible Minifigure Series 5 was scheduled for release, Toys’R’Us (TRU) had a “Buy-One-Get-One-50%-Off Pre-Order Deal!” This was fabulous since the Collectible Minifigures usually only go on sale after they’ve been marked above retail price. So, wanting to avoid paying shipping and handling, I went into one of my nearby TRU stores to place the order. (They give free ship-to-home service if you order this way.) Unfortunately, the clerk informed me that you can only get the deal once per transaction. Well, I really wanted a full case worth (60 minifigures). That’s when I asked, “Do you mind doing 30 transactions?” 🙄
So, thirty transactions later, I walked out of the store having saved $45 off the retail price and $150 in shipping charges (if I had done the same thing at home). Then I figured I probably should contact my credit card company and let them know to expect this. Well, the items were shipped and I got an email from my credit card company saying that some of the payments were held for fear of fraudulent activity. Evidently, one of the fail safes that the credit card companies have is only letting a certain amount of transactions take place during a single day. So my call ahead of time didn’t really help. This led to an hour long conversation with my credit card company and TRU management making sure everything got straightened out. With a smile, I was assured all the items I’d ordered were on their way. Of course, I had no idea whether they’d send one big package or 30 separate ones. As you might guess, thirty packages later I was sorting through pack after pack. Fortunately, I had enough people interested in the Collectible Minifigures that I was not stuck with any duplicates I didn’t want. I a
lso spent time purchasing extras at regular price in case I needed to return any without losing any at the discounted price. To my surprise, TRU decided to go from a no limit per purchase policy to a five per person for the Collectible Minifigures. That meant I couldn’t finish helping out all the members of my LUG that I had promised, but I did get a good start for them. The thing to keep in mind is that this is the eventuality when everyone in the home likes LEGO. There are cases where only one person simply tolerates it. In these cases, the collection will be contained along with your obsession by that other person. However, if everyone in the household loves LEGO, you should prepare yourself for the above steps. No matter how you try to control it, if you are a true fan, the LEGO will spread. 😈If you feel like your LEGO addiction start to get out of hand, you might want to check out this humorous book: LEGO Book for the Brick-Addicted. The k the link or the image below to check it out!