His stellar career made the beautiful game look like child's play - and that's exactly what David Beckham has been indulging in since he retired.The former England football captain has spoken again about his love of Lego, revealing the children's toy 'calms him down'.He told the Sunday Times Magazine he loved making Lego creations with his children and even bought a £210 model of London's iconic Tower Bridge. Chill out: The former England captain, pictured at the GQ Man of the Year Awards, also revealed recently that he likes building Lego Brave: The £210 Tower Bridge kit is not for the faint-hearted, and recommended only for over-16s 'The last big thing I made was Tower Bridge,' he told the magazine. 'It had about 1,000 pieces. I think Lego sometimes helps to calm me down.'The Tower Bridge model costs £210 and is more than 3ft long, including more than 80 windows, a black taxi to drive across and a drawbridge which opens and closes. But the price was small fry compared to the value of one of the football legend's previous purchases - a Lego Taj Mahal.The 5,900-piece kit is no longer sold by Lego and has become a collector's item, commanding a second-hand price on Amazon of £1,300.
One model is on sale for more than £2,900.But despite its value, Beckham never finished building the marble mausoleum.Revealing his love of the toy bricks in 2010, he told a Q&A by search engine Yahoo: 'It's going to make me sound really weird but when I was in Milan I had such a big amount of time on my hands that I found online that there's a Taj Mahal Lego that you can buy. Collector's item: Beckham also owned a model of the Taj Mahal, now worth between £1,300 and £2,900 Career highlights: Beckham enjoys Lego so much that a film of his life was made using plastic bricks Riding high: The former star footballer is enjoying his retirement from the game by playing with his children 'So I bought it and started building it when I was in Milan.'I only built some of it because I got injured halfway through... not building the Lego!'I know it's not a career but I love doing it. My boys are the same - they're obsessed with building Lego.'The former England captain's love of Lego is well-documented - and his career highlights were even immortalised in plastic blocks last year by Japanese filmmakers Mori Pictures.In today's magazine interview, Beckham gave an account of his average day in his new family home in Kensington, west London.He only spends five minutes getting ready for the day
, he revealed, and likes going to his local pubs for a pint because 'the people there know me'. He also relaxes by cooking or drinking a glass of red wine.Few brands carry the resounding "best of" consensus with both kids and adults that LEGO garners, and the annual release of fresh and intriguing brick sets secures LEGO's prominent position in its niche. New sets appearing each year range in size and focus and include popular originals like LEGO Friends in addition to licensed sets like Star Wars, DC and Marvel Super Heroes, and Lord of the Rings, among others. Paring down all these choices is a difficult challenge for even avid collectors. What most "best of" lists have in common, though, is the sheer scope and size of the sets. These top five LEGO sets are some of the biggest, most complex, and impressive to ever hit the market. Table of Contents Hide 1. LEGO Star Wars, Death ... 2. LEGO Star Wars, Ultima... 3. LEGO Exclusives, Tower... 4. LEGO Sculptures, Taj M...
5. LEGO Sculptures, Grand... The 3,803-piece, Death Star (10188) blends aspects of the Death Stars featured in the classic Star Wars trilogy and contemporary Star Wars films, making it distinctly different from the LEGO 10143 Death Star Ultimate Collector's set from 2005. Ideal for builders 12 years of age and older, the 2008, 10188 set includes an impressive 24 minifigures and measures about 32 inches in diameter when it is complete. Hitting shelves in 2007, the Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon (10179) features 5,195 pieces and is one of the largest models ever, measuring 33 inches long and 22 inches wide when complete. Best for ages 16 and older, this set requires complex building methods and attention to detail. Unlike most LEGO sets in the Ultimate Collector's Series, which do not include any minifigures, the Millennium Falcon comes with Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia. A must for die-hard Star Wars fans and sometimes commending a hefty asking price, this is an impressive piece to add to one's shelf.
LEGO Exclusives are sets that gear to older children and adults, typically featuring at least 1,000 pieces per set, which require more complex building techniques. A replica of London's real life Tower Bridge, this LEGO Exclusives set contains 4,287 pieces and features movable components that allow the raising and lowering of the bridge's middle section upon completion. While the Tower Bridge (10214) set has no LEGO minifigures, it features four authentic brick set vehicles, including a taxi, a truck, a car, and a double-decker bus. Releasing in 2010 and best for ages 16 and older, the Tower Bridge is a highly complex set for experienced builders. A 2000 line, the Sculptures brick sets focus on building models, and include real life architectural, artistic, and technological wonders, such as the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. The pinnacle set in the series is the 5,922-piece Taj Mahal (10189), which stands over 16 inches tall and measures more than 20 inches in width.
Despite its 2008 release and eventual retirement, the LEGO Taj Mahal remains a popular advanced builder set for ages 14 and older. One of only a handful of sets that include LEGO Power Functions, the Grand Carousel (10196) moves and plays music thanks to its TECHNIC components. Complex in its base construction and detailed elements, this 2009 LEGO Sculptures set, great for builders at ages 16 and older, includes a total of 2,363 pieces. A canvas, tent-like carousel topper, the carousel operator, and eight other minifigures round out the set's ultra-realistic design. Orthodontics Lego contest helps patients build skill Copyright 2016 CityScene Media Group. Built with Metro Publisher™LEGO, that’s the life! The first thing see is the Millennium Falcon. Han Solo’s characteristic smuggler ship from the early Star Wars trilogy and one of LEGO’s biggest commercial sets ever. Another is Hans Brettschneider’s broad smile. "That is the jewel in the crown", he says, grinning from ear to ear.
Han Solo’s characteristic smuggler ship from the early Star Wars trilogy and one of LEGO’s biggest commercial sets ever. Another is Hans Brettschneider’s broad smile. – That is the jewel in the crown, he says, grinning from ear to ear. And he has good reason to be pleased. Not only is he owner of Skellefteå’s most dedicated LEGO shop, he is also the father of Sweden’s largest permanent LEGO collection. Just inside the door, a couple of hundred LEGO Star Wars figures are on display. – I’m missing a C3PO in 14 carat gold and a bronze Boba Fett. Otherwise, in one way or another, every Star Wars figure released by LEGO is represented in the collection. I think I see a few doubles. Hans takes down two Luke Skywalker figures from Return of the Jedi, both in black, with green swords. – Check out the pupils. I can see difference. A very slight difference. – Details are important to a collector, he says. And those pupils set the standard.
I now realize that LEGO building isn’t just a casual pastime. This is serious business. GREETINGS FROM BOBA FETT Everywhere, there are completed LEGO models. Some standing on their own; others arranged in complete landscapes. I recognize the planets Hoth and Tatooine from the early Star Wars films, and 13 Helms Deep from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. His interest in Star Wars and a family trip to Legoland, in Denmark, that brought out the LEGO builder in Hans. That was more than ten years ago. – That was just before LEGO became trendy. Hans explains that the Millennium Falcon, which stands near the entrance, now costs between twenty-five and thirty thousand kronor. Little more than ten years ago the price was a reasonable six – LEGO is a good investment, he says, laughing. My glance falls upon a signed picture of the coolest bounty hunter in the history of film. “To Hans”, it says. Underneath, it is signed by none other than Boba Fett.
The sentimental value of such an object is obvious. MORE THAN STAR WARS The LEGO scene is strong in Skellefteå. I’m guessing Hans’s shop has a lot to do with it. Many visitors from afar also come to view the LEGO collection. – If you’re a serious LEGO builder and plan to travel north, you might want to make this a compulsory stopover, says Hans. And there’s no doubt about that. The oldest pieces in the collection are from the 1950s. Star Wars dominates, but there is plenty else besides. You’ll see everything from gigantic models of the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal to obscure, limited-edition Japanese sets that were released on only a few markets. And the collection continues to grow. OUT OF THE ORDINARY I wonder what makes LEGO so special. – You know, when you build, you’re in the moment. All thoughts about everything else vanish. But there’s a difference between building and building, explains Hans, as he wanders through the shop.