Which set brought you out of your 'dark' age?

[DrJB]

Question is self explanatory ... Which set, made you realize Technic has undergone a radical transformation, and it was time for you to come back?

For me, it was a combination Williams F1 Racer and Mindstorms RCX 2.0. I was in Hanover, Germany for a summer assignment back in 2003, visited one of their stores ... and there stood this blue and white F1 racer ... Did not recall Lego could build such large sets from 1x16 bricks (or 1x15 liftarms). The new curved panels and flex axles looked almost 'organic'. Next to the Williams, was a bundle of Mindstorms RCX 2.0 + Vision Command. It was rather expensive back then, but when I got back home to the US that fall, I ordered the RCX from Shop@Home. Somehow the F1 Racer was no longer available.

Edited September 18, 2013 by DrJB

[Alfadas]

Well, I have been into Lego for my entire life, so no "darkage" yet. Maybe when I meet a nice girl that I go in my dark age, but I don't hope so.

EDIT: When I go in my darkages, maybe a really nice and cool looking set, like the tower of Orthanc. I really like that set.

Edited September 18, 2013 by jeroenaa

[TomLego]

I really didn't know anything about Lego until I was 58 years old. My wife bought me the Architecture set 'Fallingwater' and the obsession was on. I think my dark age will start when they lower me into the ground. :-)

Edited September 18, 2013 by TomLego

[Rikus]

I started building when I was 4, in 1974, beginning with very basic "house" sets.

At the age of 7 I started building Technic (853, then 8860, and so on), 'till I was 15-16... One of my last sets was the 8851, Pneumatic Excavator....

Finally I come out of my dark age on Christmas 2011, at the age of 41 (after about 25 years), buying the 8043 Motorized Excavator!

Edited September 18, 2013 by Rikus

[aol000xw]

8110 Unimog, a few months ago.

Always loved Unimogs, so I got one, instead of storing it as the last sets I bult it, and loved it. So I took my sealed 8043 and 8258 out of the closet and built them.

In the last couple months I got 9393, a couple 41999, 42000, another Unimog, several PF parts and just started using Bricklink.

[Philo]

For me, it was the MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System 1.5 that I initially bought for my daughter...

[DrJB]

For me, it was the MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System 1.5 that I initially bought for my daughter...

During my grad school years, I took a short course at MIT (early 90's) that included many yellow technic bricks, grey gears and a custom microprocessor. The idea back then was to build robots and have them compete for some specified tasks. Essentially this was the predecessor of the mindstorms brick and the FLLs taking place at many schools now. Little did I know, back then, that 10 years later, Lego would commercialize an updated brick, and bring me back to my school days ...

[Legoism]

Mindstorms 2.0, which I bought few years ago to set up a simple automatic photography robot. A few months later, having bought a 8053 crane for curiosity, to see what is like to work with studless Technic, Dark Ages were safely behind.

[nychase]

Does Jennifer Clarks Demag Crane count? Its not really a "set" but its what made me come back to Lego's after so many years.

Then again, its mechanical complexity also intimidated me enough to keep me away thinking "well I wont ever be that good so whats the point".

I absolutely love the model and I desperately wish instructions were made for it one day.

[gmshades]

I would have to say 8285 Tow Truck in 2006. But that was after my collection melted in a house fire. I still have 8285, and my collection has grown since then. Before the fire, I did a lot of model team type building. 7 years later, I'm still trying to improve my studless building skills.

[jantjeuh]

8043 for me!

[Eigenbroetler]

8275

[Chills]

oops, wrong thread

Edited September 18, 2013 by Chills

[Yendred]

Same as you DrJB, it was the 8461 Williams F1 Racer in 2003.

But the set which made me fall in love with Lego again is the second one I bought after coming out of the dark age: the 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer. Definitely the best set ever

[D3K]

I bought 9392 Quad Bike around this time last year. Initially I just wanted to model it using Creo Elements / PRO Engineer (a 3D CAD and analysis software), to try some techniques.. However, when I finally built the model, I was hungry for more.. So a couple of weeks later, I bought the 8053 Mobile Crane, and was just blown away by the possibilities offered by all these new pieces (The last set I bought before my dark ages, was the 8412 NightHawk/Sky Wasp helicopter, and that was actually several years after I got out of Lego!).

When I first started snooping around these forums, I never pictured myself making even the simplest of MOCs, but one year on, and several thousand NOK spent on sets and pieces, I'm starting to get a hang of it, and am MOCing like crazy! :thumbup:

I find it relaxing (except when tipping over one of my small parts containers) and inspiring, and simply just a great hobby!

[DrJB]

Does Jennifer Clarks Demag Crane count? Its not really a "set" but its what made me come back to Lego's after so many years.

Then again, its mechanical complexity also intimidated me enough to keep me away thinking "well I wont ever be that good so whats the point".

I absolutely love the model and I desperately wish instructions were made for it one day.

Jennifer pushed the limits as to what can be accomplished with Lego ... albeit sometimes using custom parts. In my book, that crane DOES qualify!

[jantjeuh]

But the set which made me fall in love with Lego again is the second one I bought after coming out of the dark age: the 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer. Definitely the best set ever

Give 10179 a try ;-)

[zux]

8297, kind of interesting set for me. Love it!

[Jim]

For me, it was the MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System 1.5 that I initially bought for my daughter...

I hit the store for this set, not knowing it wasn't (widely) available at toy stores. So I settled for the 8421 Crane Truck. I was pretty impressed with the parts and the part count.

[TasV]

Definitely the NXT mindstorms kits that I bought for my Son last Christmas. Up till then I had lived Lego vicariously through my two Sons with the Lego I had as a kid and loads of Technic kits that we bought them every year. Half the fun was choosing the kits for Christmas and birthdays. My favourite kit that I bought my eldest boy was 9393 tractor kit. I've been using Lego all my working life, too, in my science classes to teach kids about simple machines. Nothing better than the competition to make a Merry-Go-Round that spins the slowest to get across the idea of using gears with the old technics education kits (basically just trays full of technic Lego and motors).

[Hrafn]

8043 for me!

Me too, though I don't like the term "dark ages" - I spent my teens and 20s and early 30s doing many things, and the lack of Lego hardly made them "dark". When I get access to a proper workshop or another hands-on engineering job, I'll probably put the Technic away again - but for now it's a way for me to get to tinker when my day-to-day life doesn't offer much opportunity to do so.

That said, 8043 was technically brilliant and complex, but the M-motors were really inadequate for giving the model much play value. Building it was a good learning experience, but I took it apart again quite quickly for parts.

[SuperCAD]

I've always been a huge LEGO fan, but stopped buying sets for myself and started getting them for my son when he was old enough. When the Architecture line came out is when that changed and I started treating myself to sets of my own. Started off with some smaller ones like the Sears Tower, Space Needle, etc. I went to go get Fallingwater, and because I had to wait in line for so long the manager gave it to me for $50. The next three hours were pure joy for my son and I since we both worked on that one in a coffee shop.

Now I'm only behind by 5 sets and I think I'll get caught up this year when I buy myself some Solstice presents.

[Bricktrain]

First time for me was the RCX, then after selling my whole collection again saw the 8285 towtruck and started again.

[Lighti]

I had only a few and smaller sets when I was a child. My parents didn't spend so much money on toys to get me a "flagship" set in the 90ies.

But when I went to the toy stores with my girlfriend 2 years ago to get toys for my girlfriends (meanwhile wife ;) ) nieces, I always went to the lego technic stuff and was excited how "cool" it became.

Once they had the 8070 car on display, and I explained all the functions to her, and guess which set "santa claus" got for me at xmas? ;)

meanwhile I got myself a 8043, 8275 and currently building the 8110. Next project will be the incredible landrover 110.

[Trawler Man]

For me, it was the 8070, as well.