What set/sets brought you out of your dark ages?

[Freekysch]

8053, Mobile Crane put an end to my dark ages. I know, not a brilliant set, but i personally love it.

[kotaco]

Wasn't any set actually, it was seeing the amazing fire dept MOCs on various websites such as Flickr, MOCPages and Brothers Brick. I decided I wanted to have something like those and so I got back into LEGO, and like a snowball downhill, I just kept going and growing.

[BigRedGoat]

For me it was 4886-1 Building Bonanza.

I always loved all the more pedestrian sets, houses, buildings, the regular cars and such. Once I got that, I started getting into the creator houses, and now the modulars.

[spzero]

for me it was 7279 Police Minifigure Collection

Ii bought it for my daughter who was about 18months at the time, tho she never puts anything except food in her mouth we first let her play supervised but then she wanted a toy story set and now 1 year later she (I) have more than I imagined possible its great, everything form nxt 4 trains friends star wars and soon lotr!

[JupiterTwo]

Series 5 mini figures for me. Picked up three while out grocery shopping, and the light started creeping in then :)

I only really had space lego as a child, so my older tastes have led me to modulars and trains.

Helping my nephew build some sets over the holidays has reminded me of so many possibilities - it's a lot of fun to learn to create again.

[just2good]

The original Ferris Wheel got me out of my receiving LEGO dark age (I still played with LEGOs). Later, in the summer of 2008, I brought the Jetpack Pursuit, which made me get involved in the LEGO community, and made me start buying LEGOs (I never really brought LEGOs with my own money pre-2008).

For my most recent dark age (late August 2010-November 2011), the Dino Ambush Attack set, which I got in mid-November 2011, got me back into the LEGO community, and made me become interested in LEGOs again.

[purpleparadox]

It wasn't a set that first brought me out of my dark ages. It was a video.

I saw the Padawan Menace and found it amusing, so I bought it and watched it. I enjoyed it, but I still wasn't quite out. Then, I saw Plo Koon's Jedi Starfighter and had to buy it, mostly for the minifig. Then, I was FREE from my dark ages! I bought a few other sets, and then I found EB and was completely hooked. It's funny that it was SW sets that brought me out, as it's not even my favourite theme!

[caperberry]

Fallingwater. The way the house section all slotted together blew my mind. I was especially happy that it was so 'old skool'... there weren't many pieces in it that weren't available when my Dark Age began (ignoring colour of course)

[Studio Draven]

The 9395 Technic tow truck. I bought it on a whim a few weeks ago, after not buying any Lego since the early 90s. Since then I've bought the 8069 backhoe & the 8048 buggy, and I'm saving up for the 8070 supercar.

[unbornchikken]

For me it started with getting a set for my son, and it was a progression of sets, so to speak:

First it was Mobile Police Unit (7288) for "him", then it was Fire Station (7208) for "us", and finally Fallingwater (21005) for "me". The last one knocked my socks off and the rest they say is history.

[matrixrenegade]

For me I gave all my Lego's to my brother when I was 16 and he was 8. I went along until I was a Junior in College when I found the Spider-man Final Bridge battle for $5 at Walmart. I bought it and built it to give to my brother and then I also picked up a few Spider-man sets for cheap from eBay (this was when Spiderman and old castle sets were basically free on eBay).

Then what made me deicde to start collecting again was I paid $35 shipped on eBay for the old castle draw bridge which was fine an islanders set, then the two that really did it for me was another small pirate set whose name escapes me at the time and the Dragon Fortress which I always wanted as a kid. It had a Majesto (when I was a boy my parents got me the small Majesto set with the tree work shop it was the only Lego set I had for a year because we could not afford toys). My love for Majesto brought me out. T

hen just a few short years later I thought that I was going to stop because eBay prices skyrocketed and I did not really like the sets coming out. Then as I was getting ready to sell my sets on eBay I found out about this site and discovered that Batman sets were coming out as well as some new Castle sets that were really cool (Crown Knights) Form that point on I have been going strong. In about a year my daughter will have been born and be old enough for me to make another new purchase Duplo.

My only regret in all of this is I did not have a lot of money being a broke college student and then recent grad to buy all the sets I wanted and so I missed out on a lot of great sets, ie Batcave, and the castles.

As a Side note right after I decided to keep getting Lego I did find Vladd's Fortress from the Kingdoms 2 line for $20 at Walmart which was I think a sign that keeping the Lego's was the right thing to do.

[Combee]

For me it was Medieval Market Village. I love that set so much that I recently got a second one

[autobrick]

I think the set that brought me out of the dark ages was 7590 Woody and Buzz to the Rescue. Although some criticized the Toy Story minifigs for not being 'Lego-like', that was the very thing piqued my attention; I could not believe how far minifigs had advanced since I last played with them! The fact that it was a combination of two things I enjoyed in childhood (Lego and Toy Story) only helped.

During my dark ages, I received 7620 Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase as birthday gift (it was more of a 'joke' gift). Looking back, I don't why that set didn't pull me out of my dark ages like 7590 did; I am a big fan of Indiana Jones. Maybe I just wasn't ready.

[LegoMavrick]

Lego Trains has brought me out of the Dark Ages thats for sure but what really put LEGO back in our lives was the new Police Station 7498. My wife and I both had our own hobby which sadly we did not share, however, thanks to LEGO we now have a joint hobby with our children and that is LEGO City and Trains. The Maersk Train 10219 when I saw it in the Lego Shop for the first time was my "Exit" from the Dark Ages moment.

Edited March 8, 2012 by LegoMavrick

[Mr Copperhead]

For me it was the Lego City Camper 7639. I love RVs and couldn't believe Lego made one, so I picked this up. I loved it and realized I needed places for my RVers to shop and park their RV, so I bought Grand Emporium and some Creator houses. Now I'm hooked and spending far too much money

[Ogre]

Royal Knights.

[sharky]

I would like to say it was something cool like a UCS set or a modular building, but I saw a Star Wars Separatist Shuttle at a good price at a local discount chain and decided to buy it.

Now that I think about it, it was only 1 year ago in February. Seems a lot longer than that. According to Brickset I have 296 and 580 minifigures. I can't believe I accumulated that many in one year.

[Gioppa]

I don't remeber when start my dark age,i remember the last(wonderful)set i see in the shop was the 3699,but i don't buy....and come the dark age...

some years ago i want to check on the internet what have made lego during the last years...and...

I feel that strange sensation...is difficult to me to write,but is that happend when you enter in a shop and see all the new lego line...but for me was 10\15 years of new line....gosh terrible..wonderful...

The first set i buy on the E-bay(because i don't know briclink) was the 10144 Sandcrawler...i can't belive Lego have made that when i see!!!

and now i still buing all the set i never buy when i was young.

and if somebody want to sell a 10179..send me a PM...i still search for that!

[slovakiasteph]

I was going through my LEGO yesterday and picked up 7639 Camper-- and remembered it was the first set I bought that got me out of my Dark Ages. I'd already gone through the few sets I'd owned as a child and built those to display, but I went to Target especially to get a new LEGO set. I chose that one because it seemed like it would be fun to build and I liked the theme... and it was fairly inexpensive just in case I really didn't like LEGO like I thought (no worries there!). Not too long after, I bought the Creator Log Cabin.

I wouldn't say the set got me out of my Dark Ages, as I know was true with others, but instead I knew I wanted LEGO-- I wasn't even sure which set I would get.

[eurotrash]

For me it was

LEGO Alien Conquest Set #7051 Tripod Invader

I was wandering down the aisles of the local Wallyworld and something about it screamed "BUY ME! BUY ME NOW!"

Up until that point I had thought of Lego for probably 10 years. The purchase of that single set jolted me out the Dark Ages.

[Zeahl]

For me that would have been Galaxy Squad set #70700: Space Swarmer.

Up untill that point I sometimes bought a small set, just for old times, but when I saw this little beauty I knew I had to have the whole Galaxy Squad series. My wallet still hasn't forgiven me for going back into Lego that day...

[AmperZand]

6020 Wizard Shop http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6020-1

I was already collecting fantasy themed toys (and still do). I saw this set as well as a Castle accessory set and thought they'd make a great addition to my collection. Gradually, the number of minifigs I was getting grew and grew. And eventually collecting LEGO minifigs and buildings turned into a hobby of mine in its own right.

[slovakiasteph]

6020 Wizard Shop http://www.brickset....ail/?Set=6020-1

I was already collecting fantasy themed toys (and still do). I saw this set as well as a Castle accessory set and thought they'd make a great addition to my collection. Gradually, the number of minifigs I was getting grew and grew. And eventually collecting LEGO minifigs and buildings turned into a hobby of mine in its own right.

I like that little magic shop-- I was looking into getting Majisto's workshop...

[pawsOZ]

I just came out of my dark ages just before Christmas last year, in a big way i got my hands on #10188 Death Star. And haven't looked back since. So many sets so little money

[BlueberryWaffles]

The Agents boat in 09.