Think I'm drifting towards becoming an AFOL...

[joopsta]

Hey folks,

I'm 38 and a father of 3 (2 boys and a girl). The oldest boy and I have just started buying and building LEGO, and now suddenly I find myself wanting to build it on my own time too! :)

I'm no stranger to hobbies that some folks my find "youthful" - for example, I do a ton of painting of Warhammer and other miniatures (www.minijunkie.com).

Anyway, so far I find myself mainly wanting to buy and build Star Wars ships and vehicles. Currently I have my eye on Slave 1 and possibly the V19 Torrent (hope I got that name right). But I'm hesitant...it will probably look weird to my immediate family lol.

Questions:

- if you are a collector of LEGO, does that mean leaving them sealed in the box? Never really been a fan of that kind of collecting but I imagine the value of a set drops to nil if it's open and built?

- I find I don't really feel like doing MOCs - I just want to build the sets as they are meant to be built, and then display them or just basically stare at them lol. Do any of you do that or do most of you do MOCs?

Anyway, just perched on the fence at the moment!

Regards

Jarrett

I'm in the same boat as you, Jarret.

35, two boys of 5 and 3 and a strong attraction to build SW ships.

My sons are too young to help me build, but they are already real SW fans.

Don't feel strange about it. I collect Transformers for over 10 years now, I have hundreds.

That's basicly the same. You are never too old for toys. Toys are fun!

I don't play with the Transformers, they are all in their original box.

I have thought about keeping my SW Lego sealed, but what's the fun in that?

Now I open them, build them and after a few days I put them back in the box.

I don't have much place to stall them, so that's the best option for me.

They had that Death Star in stock at TRU today but...eep, not sure I can explain 500 to my wife right now :D

Haha, I'm still figuring out how I am going to explain the 400 euros on the Super Star Destroyer in September.

Oops, there she comes....

[Pingles]

I returned to Legos after about twenty five years of "dark ages" when I bought a set for my daughter. The set was way beyond her years (every time she touches it she comes away with pieces) but the build process was such a blast I can't seem to stop.

I'm mainly buying for the build but I try to pick sets that I can share with my daughter under supervision.

As others have said "Enjoy yourself"

Doesn't matter if the fun for you is the build, collecting boxes, putting a model on a shelf or swinging spaceships around in your hands making pew-pew sounds. Found myself making sound effects using a Lego crane the other day. Enjoy!

[streifen]

since we are on sub-topic of family and lego, for me:

i will involve my wife in the lego process at times. so far the Modular Houses have been ok. MOCs in similar theme is also ok. but for Bricklink orders, i will say they were traded instead of bought because BL orders can come up to a subtantial cost for parts and for non-lego enthusiasts, quite hard to fathom the thought of spending $$$ on non-box items.

but i got to admit when the family is involved it is much more fun in the buying, building and moc process (she is my part-time advisor).

[antsiranean]

It's great to hear how many dads there is out there, and just about everyone seems to have made their come back into Lego when their kids started playing with it. As I said before - so did I, three weeks ago.

When I was a kid I was always into MOC, I don't think a set built after instructions ever lasted longer than three days before being disasembled and rebuilt in a different fashion. I suspect I will continue in the same vein. Since Lego is rather expensive I'm looking for second hand and just found 22 pounds for ~85 euros, Great! MOC's, here I come!

But what I really would like to see in this thread is a married woman, complaining how her husband doesn't fully understand her Lego needs. Anyone out there?

[Pingles]

An hour later she'll have 127 private mails proposing marriage.

[Follows Closely]

It's great to hear how many dads there is out there, and just about everyone seems to have made their come back into Lego when their kids started playing with it. As I said before - so did I, three weeks ago.

When I was a kid I was always into MOC, I don't think a set built after instructions ever lasted longer than three days before being disasembled and rebuilt in a different fashion. I suspect I will continue in the same vein. Since Lego is rather expensive I'm looking for second hand and just found 22 pounds for ~85 euros, Great! MOC's, here I come!

But what I really would like to see in this thread is a married woman, complaining how her husband doesn't fully understand her Lego needs. Anyone out there?

On topic, I would seriously consider getting the modular buildings. They are a great build and look great when they are done.

Fire Brigade

Grand Emporium

Pet Shop

The Imperial Shuttle is a nice build as well, but the wife may appreciate the buildings more. And I can not stress enough, the kids love playing with the modular buildings.

Edited June 28, 2011 by Follows Closely

[Larrynautik]

I'm 28 and returned from the dark ages at 26, and I'm buying sets in order to build them and keep them displayed. Not MOCing for the time being, and rarely playing with the sets, what I really appreciate is buying and building all the sets I like. And I like a lot of them, so it costs a lot of course, but having a well-paid job, why should I refuse to do it ? The only thing I could say you is that if you like building Lego, there's no problem with this. It is a passion like any other. I simply consider myself as a set collector. Of course, it is not really a common passion for adults, but if you like it, just do it. There's nothing bad, nothing illegal or dangerous. When I'm looking at my work colleagues' passion, such like motorbikes, cars, rugby, guns or video games, I see no difference beetween me and them.

You could resume everything in your life with a few words : Will you do what you really like to do, or only what people want you to do ?

[Lobot]

I totally agree with the other posts.

I’m in my mid 30’s and am thoroughly enjoying my regression into Lego. I was addicted as a child (encouraged by my older brothers!) but eventually moved onto other things. Then, a couple of years ago, my lovely wife bought me the UCS 10178 AT-AT for a present and it re-ignited my childhood obsession!

I’ve concentrated on Star Wars and built every set that I’ve purchased; if I don’t like them I’ve sold them on via Ebay. There’s a healthy market for opened sets and, provided you take care of them, the amount you loose is normally very minor. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks, it’s a great hobby to have. Anyway, if Lego was designed purely for kids, why would they create 16+ sets?

[streifen]

I totally agree with the other posts.

I’m in my mid 30’s and am thoroughly enjoying my regression into Lego. I was addicted as a child (encouraged by my older brothers!) but eventually moved onto other things. Then, a couple of years ago, my lovely wife bought me the UCS 10178 AT-AT for a present and it re-ignited my childhood obsession!

revenge of the kid-turned-adult!

just like when i was still a kid, lego was expensive compared to other stuff so i had minimal lego stuff. after starting work, i was like a madman unleashed.

[antsiranean]

I totally agree with the other posts.

I’m in my mid 30’s and am thoroughly enjoying my regression into Lego. I was addicted as a child (encouraged by my older brothers!) but eventually moved onto other things. Then, a couple of years ago, my lovely wife bought me the UCS 10178 AT-AT for a present and it re-ignited my childhood obsession!

Your wife bought you a UCS 10178 AT-AT?! You really do have a lovely wife. I wish mine would do the same, but it's not likely to happen. But she's still lovely...

[wokajablocka]

It's great to hear how many dads there is out there, and just about everyone seems to have made their come back into Lego when their kids started playing with it. As I said before - so did I, three weeks ago.

True same for me as well. I alway been a big fan of Star Wars and Lego but never brought them together. My oldest brother collected SW Lego form 99 - 03, I liked the sets but never bought any. One day I bought a Tie intersepter on sale to build with my now then 5 year old son. He just smashed it but over the next few years I started to collect more and more Lego for him, than myself. When sitting down and putting kits together it gave me old memories of playing Lego with my older brothers. Now my son is into everthing Lego as well as I. Just got to figure out a way to afford all that Lego.

I like reading about peoples re-discovery for love of Lego, keep them comming.

[Ackbar]

OK, here's my story:

I've always been a huge fan of Star Wars growing up with the first films. And sure, I build some LEGO as a kid in the beginning of the 80's but it was not my main thing. But then LEGO was totally absent in my life until about 2004 when my oldest daughter got a huge amount of LEGO from my young cousin who didn't want to play with it any more. Inspired and with a kids playful mind, me and my daughter enthusiastically dug into the bags of LEGO and the first thing I found was... ...Darth Vader! And then Boba Fett! C3PO! Those minifigs where amazing and so cute, very movie-accurate yet still typical LEGO - what a wonderful combination! Then I found something that must be a wing to a Tie-fighter... The bags where full of Star Wars LEGO! And then I, and to my delight my daughter as well, were hooked! So I started to collect the minifigs and sets, mostly USC's, since then. Sometimes I build them myself and sometimes with my kids (my kids is more in to Harry Potter now - but that's fine with me!). And now I realize the value of the gift my cousin gave to me.

[hueybricks]

This is a very interesting thread to read. I'm in my mid-thirties as well and I have recently found myself resisting the urge to go and purchase a large SW lego set for myself. Usually my main hobby is fly fishing but its winter here atm and the gear has been put away for the season. Last year over winter i got myself a drawing tablet for the pc and tried my hand at some basic animating but it was soon apparent that my drawing skills were woefully inadequate. This year i have started stop motion animating and have been using lego because it is cheap compared to other options and there seems to be a good following for brickfilms on the internet.

During the process of getting some of the ninjago sets i have found that I really want to start building some of the bigger SW sets. I feel quite embarrassed.

So far my wife has been very good about it, she thinks its a hoot and i have even persuaded her to do some voice acting, but blowing that sort of money might be hard to get past her.

[gotoAndLego]

I do understand budget constraints, and this is not a "be a man so do what you want" stance, but here's the thing...

Assuming $250, for example, is an acceptable amount for a birthday present; if you want a big Lego set your partner should buy you what you want. The present is for you, not anyone else. So their opinion on spending that much for Lego should have no bearing on the fact that its your present.

Edited July 2, 2011 by gotoAndLego

[M'Kyuun]

This is a great thread. I'm days away from 40, married with no kids (my wife buys for me and builds a little, too), been collecting since I was 4 years old, and never intend to stop. I MOC from time to time, but mostly I enjoy building the sets. It's such a great hobby, but it can become addictive, and expensive. Moderation's the key.

Anyway, Jarrett, I'm glad you got your Slave I, and I hope you have a great experience building it. I love the Star Wars sets, but I buy whatever else interests me, which is alot. :) I don't play with my sets...too much...but I find the process of building to be incredibly engaging and enjoyable, and I genuinely love the LEGO aesthetic. I think you'll find it to be a great hobby for you as well as for your kids...and it's something you can share at all ages. Hopefully, you're wife will recognize that it's a really good passtime and, like my Kelly, become an enabler, or better yet, an AFOL herself. My wife didn't have any LEGO until she met me. She has a nice collection of Harry Potter and other assorted themes now. She has nowhere near the passion I have for the hobby, but it's still something we share.

LEGO is the combination of two Danish words "lehg godt", which means play well. So, good luck, and play well!

[sok117]

Well I'm a TFOL, and ever since I got my first lego sets back maybe when I was 3, I've been hooked! Since I've joined the online lego community, with all these beautifully designed creations, it gets to the point where I don't even see lego as a toy anymore, it's more like a combination of building models and art, building limited only by your own imagination.

[MiniJunkie]

Love the replies guys, thanks!

So far my son and I are about 1/3 done the Slave 1 (taking our time) and yesterday I picked up a V19 Torrent at a local shop that still had one. Love the look of it.

[wokajablocka]

Love the replies guys, thanks!

So far my son and I are about 1/3 done the Slave 1 (taking our time) and yesterday I picked up a V19 Torrent at a local shop that still had one. Love the look of it.

You should like the V19, interesting build and love the wing folding funtion. Another one of TLG great fun and functional designs.

[train_nut]

Another afol here! Luckily got back in the scene in 2007 and have spent a mini fortune on Lego since then. I'm early thirties, professional and recently married. When I buy 'keeper' sets, I normally buy two of each. IMO I think this is the another prime period of the Lego era, surpassing the golden era of the late eighties/early nineties.

[def]

which building sets do you mean, def?

Sorry to delay on the reply. I recently bought 10211, currently $150 American. The pricing is much better than with the Star Wars sets, and as I wrote before, look a lot more mature.

You mentioned the $500 Death Star... I didn't buy it. If I were in a high income bracket, I would consider it, but for someone just getting the bills paid, it's not a reasonable investment. I've bought a few of the expensive non-licensed sets, but I think I've made up my mind to stay away from the expensive licensed sets, the value just isn't there for me.

But, I'll warn you, when I started this stuff again, my first set was the Y-Wing... My first dozen were all Star Wars, and now only one in ten is Star Wars. If this hobby takes hold of you, it can take over. And the missus is none too pleased.

[StoutFiles]

def, you do realize that multiple small sets adds up to one big set? If you're just getting bills paid I'd have to agree with the missus. Lego's should never take over when it comes to disposable income, you're making it sound like they do.

[Bram]

I agree with StoutFiles.

This 'hobby' can get out of control fast if you have a lot of bills to pay or don't have a very high paid job.

I'm renovating my house big time so the Lego buying was on hold for about a year.

Now with the end in sight, I ordered the Clone Turbo Tank as a reward for all my hard work :p.

[The_Chosen_1]

I have to agree with you, Stout. Gotta be careful when something gets too out of control, no matter what it is.

The great thing about big sets is that they make an impressive centerpiece to a collection. I decided to get 10188 and did what was necessary (saving, selling a few other things from my SW collection) in order to get it. I still haven't built it yet, but was it worth it? Definitely....a set like that is worth the sacrifice of not getting smaller sets if necessary. Keep in mind this is just my opinion.

As for my story:

I'm 22, newly married (2 months!) and working toward a business management degree. I LOVED Lego as a kid, and was an avid Lego SW collector from the time they were announced to about age 16. I had amassed quite a big collection with a lot of impressive sets for a kid that age (Cloud City, UCS Yoda, 4483 AT-AT, etc.). I shared my collecting interests with Star Wars action figures, however, and eventually sold ALL my Lego in one big lot. I was happy at the time since it helped to fund my other collecting interests, but always kept an eye on what was new in Lego SW.

Flash forward to about two years ago, when I was in the Times Square Toys R Us during a visit to New York. Maybe it was just the excitement of being there in the impressive Lego section, not having bought a set in years...something. But I picked up a few Indiana Jones sets. Slowly my interest in Lego peaked again, and I was back in. I now focus mostly on Star Wars, with a good helping of Indiana Jones and Disney sets sprinkled in. I've been selling off other pieces in my collection to fund my resurrected Lego hobby. We'll just say I've spent way too much over the past 6 months...

All I can say is: It's good to be back!!!

Edited July 9, 2011 by The_Chosen_1