The Dark Age Recedes: A Japan Odyssey

[Zenithfleet]

G'day,

I'm Zenithfleet. As you can see in the corner. Er. Yes. Well then.

I suppose you're all wondering how I came to be here?

No, really, you are aren't you?

I'm going to natter on aimlessly anyway, you realise, so you might as well come to terms with it *twisted*

I love reading other people's how-I-got-back-into-LEGO stories, anyway, so here's mine. Be warned: it's very, very long.

To cut to the chase: over the last couple of weeks, I seem to have exited my dark age.

I didn't even know that term a few weeks ago, and the first time I saw it thought it meant "the years someone spent obsessed with LEGO Castle" :P It's been fascinating, browsing LUGNET, Eurobricks, Brickshelf and all the other community sites, learning about the perils of BURPS and the importance of stickers and why everyone seems to despise Ice Planet. (I have all the sets *sniff*) But I should begin at the beginning:

I was born in 1983 (told you I'd begin at the beginning) and it was around 1987 that I really started to get into LEGO. I had a bit of Duplo and a few random tiny Classic Space sets like that one with the grey android, but the first big, significant, life-changing set I remember receiving was the 6932 Stardefender 200 (or the Tri-Sec, as it was known in Australia - that's another thing I've been bemusedly learning about lately, all the wacky US names in common use in the community groups. The Aussie names were rather staid and restrained in comparison, at least until around 1996 when the UFOs arrived and the catalogues started jabbering about Terra Tomahawk Tracers and suchlike.) Also got a package of four grey crater baseplates (I was five or six years old, and was disappointed to discover that all the cool ships shown on the front of the box weren't actually inside... but a brilliant long-term present nonetheless). 6932 had enough parts to build a decent little moonbase on those baseplates, and to this day that beautiful modular ship with its vast array of weapons (well no-one said they were weapons, but of course that's what I decided they were) and amusing lack of pilot controls in the side pods is, for me, THE classic LEGO spaceship (my personal equivalent of the Galaxy Explorer and its ilk).

I was just old enough to grab quite a few Classic Space, Futuron and Blacktron I sets, but was soon distracted by the arrival of Pirates. Throughout my childhood Space and Pirates were my favourite themes. Pocket-money power came into play around the era of Blacktron II and M-Tron, though I never seemed to have enough to buy anything substantial for Pirates, making do with the parts-limited but brilliantly playable 6270 pirate island and never having more than three Soldiers to brave the hordes of five-dollar mini-pack bosun pirate reinforcements. For Space, Ice Planet was the first to be seized and devoured by my brother and I with our Canadian-holiday spending money (which we saved up until the very end of our stay and then bought every single set in the subtheme as well as a couple of Spyrius sets. Ah, giant robots versus sleds, good times...)

I thought 1993 was a pretty awesome LEGO year at the time but now, looking back, I wonder if it wasn't when things started to go wrong... the Dragon Masters brought fantasy into Castle with a drop in set design sensibility, and Ice Planet was the first Space subtheme with parts and colours of little use for other subthemes (all that trans-orange and snow-visor-ness). I stayed interested in LEGO for a few more years, grabbing all the Spyrius sets and the Exploriens, plus adding the 6268 Renegade Runner (Seastar) to my Pirate collection and thus fulfilling a long-cherished childhood dream of actually having a ship for my pirates to cross the living room carpet on and do piratical things rather than hanging around on that island throwing spare cutlasses at the Islander crocodiles to stave off boredom... but I drifted out of touch with the LEGO scene after 1997 when those daft Insectoid things feasted like flies on the decaying corpse of Space, Star Wars slammed the lid on further original sets in that theme (something about LEGO SW just seemed disturbing to me at the time... it was the first of the licences after all) and all the while nasty things were happening to Castle in the form of the Fright Knights and Pirates sank to Davy Jones' locker (don't know who Davy is but he sure has a lot of cannons and bandana hats down there that I want back). I was a teenager, anyway, and "now I am a man it is time to put away childish things".

Last year I discovered C. S. Lewis' addition to that quote: "...including the fear of being childish and the desire to seem grown-up".

I nearly came out of my dark age in 2003. Despite the travesty I saw on the shelves at the supermarket toy section, some mildly nostalgic trawling of the internet turned up something awe-inspiring: the 6285 Black Seas Barracuda (forever branded into the memories of Australian 80s children as the Dark Shark- I think there's a Town smugglers' speedboat with that name in the US, but we had it first! *satis* ) was a Legend! And at half the price it was back in the classic days! This was the ship, you see, that my best friend owned, but that I never saw complete because he lost the instructions, and that I lusted after for years - I ruined several old catalogues with drool as I recall. After an agonising struggle ("what would I do with a LEGO pirate ship at my age?!") I turned away from the chance to relive my childhood. I thought it was the best decision at the time, and it was - I was going through uni without a proper job and had absolutely no money for stuff like that.

This year, though... I've been in Japan, teaching English, living frugally, and had money to burn for the first time in my life. I watched "Pirates of the Carribean" with some friends and got all nostalgic for Pirate LEGO (not to mention the "Kettle-Ship Pirates" book I had when I was a wittle wun, with a photo of the writer's handmade model of the storybook ship in the back of the book... hmm, maybe that was when all the creativity stuff started...). I did some research on the Net, was disappointed to find the BSB discontinued *again*, but brightened up when I stumbled upon the tail-end of the LEGO revival and "back to basics" company policy saga, and REALLY cheered up when I saw the Designer sets. In particular - 4886 Building Bonanza. I haven't wanted a LEGO set like I wanted that one in a long, long time. And it was Town! (in potential anyway). Madness! Sacrilege!

I bought it. And I built it. And I rebuilt it. And I made a lighthouse out of it, and imagined it shining out at the entrance to a Soldiers' cove while my Pirates glided through the dark waters unseen below. And I made a castle out of it. And I remembered that a family friend in Japan had a pile of old Castle LEGO in his attic. And I asked him if I could buy it from him and give some to my li'l cousin, who lacks fine motor skills and plays too many video games. And he said I could take it free. And thus I found myself, for two days, sitting in my room sorting LEGO elements from die-cast train carriages, glass elephant ornaments, broken giant robot toys and the Dreaded Gooey Sweet That Some Kid Left Opened In The Box Seven Years Ago that had coated mostly everything in unexpected patches of brown sticky glop. *sick* I found some melted LEGO pieces in there, too. Ever seen a melted LEGO piece? I tell you, it ain't pretty. (The friend's father, when I mentioned this to him, immediately said the damage must have been due to heat in the box during storage, and definitely not caused by an actual flame, for example from the cigarette lighter I also found in the box. Hmm.)

Then it was time for washing, sorting by colour (not the best for building, but the easiest for packaging up to send to Ostraya) and best of all, discovering that this bloke had once owned the BSB. And still had the hull. And the masts. And the rigging. And was missing two sails. Damn. (Anyone got advice for finding replacements for those red and white cloth sails?) I've yet to do an inventory from Peeron, since the printer's run out of ink, but I think most of the other elements are still there. Lots of Castle lego in the box, too - I'm fairly sure he had the 6086 Black Knights' Castle, and a bunch of minifigs from classic to Fright Knights. I spent an entertaining evening sorting them and grouping them, even the lone Black Falcon with extra-shield-carrying attendant who I've decked out with all manner of finery and decided is a monarch in exile with his loyal retainer, roaming the land after the demise of the BF realm and swearing incomprehensibly at anyone wearing dragon heraldry who passes by. For the first time in my life the lure of the Castle is strong...

Rather surreally, some of the LEGO in this collection was apparently passed to my friend from his older cousin - there's a Police Boat hull in there from 1978 (the very first floating boat!) and a mid-80s push-along red locomotive with an ALMOST complete circle of track (aaargh). LEGO lives forever! And if you leave white bricks in the sun too long they go yellow and if you wait thirty years you can build your very own Classic Yellow Castle!!!... er, time to take my meds, excuse me...

So here I am, awed by the Designer sets, longing to buy that Ferrari Truck set but trying to hold off until I get home to Oz (Town sets again, what is is with me and these Town sets all of a sudden? I never *liked* Town as a kid!), scouring the house for more old LEGO bitz... and looking forward to getting a Viking set or two (I didn't like the Bionicle dragons at first, but after playing around with the three green almost-immobile dragons I found in the box of bitz, I'm much more amenable to monsters that can actually pose and move... my Dragon Masters will need some *real* beasties to boss around.) And some of this newfound LEGO will go to my li'l cousin (he especially likes the Star Wars stuff), and some of it will go to me, muhaha.

I'm out of my dark age.

Pleased to meet you.

Any of you still reading this, of course.

:-D

~Zenithfleet

[SuvieD]

Welcome to the happiest place in the LEGOverse. The dark ages can be a very sad time for many people . . . because they didn't buy any LEGO during that time :'( .

You will find a friend in Phes if you like pirates. There are a number of castle fans floating around here and any number of others yammering on about what they like.

I trust that you will enjoy your stay here. I look forward to seeing your MOC skills in action.

Oh and post a little less next time. That is like a book preface not an intro. :o

[Khorne]

So, where are you from: Japan or Australia? Otherwise, happy stay here :-D !

[The Middleman]

Welcome aboard, Zenith! You'll love it here.

Re the missing sails - there's this incredible website Bricklink where thousands and thousands of people sell individual LEGO pieces. You'll find EVERYTHING you need there. Hope that helps!

[Ras 74]

Welcome aboard!

Nica and looong good background story.

The badest thing is I

[DoubleT]

Welcome :)

[xwingyoda]

That is what I call an introduction ;) !!!!!!!

Welcome aboard our very friendly community Zenithfleet :) I'm sure you will enjoy your time with us hehe.

Those dark ages are really annoying because I missed a couple of fantastic sets !!!! oh well...

Now like you, I am BACK into the joyful world of Lego, yeahhhhhhhh !!!!!!

[Akkhraziel]

Hiyas, and welecome back tot he world of little plastic bricks. For what its worth: a) Hey, I like Ice Planet, too. b) I didn't think it was too long at all, just the right length to convey your story :-D I hope you enjoy the miscellaneous conversations to be had around here.

Akkh

[Zenithfleet]

Thanks everyone for the welcome :D I've been lurking on LEGO forums for a while and been impressed by how... friendly everyone is. If this is what building with small plastic bricks does for people then the UN should have big buckets of LEGO at every diplomat's desk *satis*

One reason that post is so long is because I'm a writer and once I start writing something it's hard to stop :o

Thanks for those Bricklink links too, I'd heard about a place called Brickbay a while ago and couldn't find it and didn't realise it had changed its name. I'm going to do an inventory on the BSB tonight, from memory I think the ship's wheel is missing too but most of the other bits are there (like those yellow flower thingies on the stern). No instructions on Peeron (is that because it was released as a Legend, thus it's currently under their three-years-old-or-less ban?) but I'm sure I can flog them off someone, or photocopies anyway.

Yo ho, yo ho... "shiver me timbers, Captain Rat!"...

[Mister Phes]

You will find a friend in Phes if you like pirates. There are a number of castle fans floating around here and any number of others yammering on about what they like.

Aye, my signature contains links very pleasing to pirate LEGO enthusiasts....