Maybe you are like me. As a kid, I remember Lego as one of the toys that I played with most often. Why, because Lego gives a creative outlet and lets you create something new and cool or build a new set for the first time. And as you got older, the sets got more complex, or what you creatively put together got even crazier. And then yo go off to college or get a job. Lego is less of a thing you do or have time for. But the itch to build with Legos never really goes away. So now as an adult, how do you get back into it?

Getting Back Into Lego

For me, my journey is not a new thing. I bought some Lego just to play around with because I remembered the joy of building them. And I spent some time messing around with them, building houses like that I did as a kid.

But it wasn’t until I had a kid of my own, and until a Lego shop opened up near me that I started to think about it a lot again. The kid likes Duplos, he can do Lego, but they are trickier. And the shop, well, the shop is stuffed to the brim with awesome Lego sets and all the bulk that you could imagine. They even buy sets or bulk if I leave the hobby again, but I doubt that I will.

So, how do people get back into Lego? I think that there are two main ways. Lego now has a ton of awesome IP’s (Intellectual Properties) and they do amazing sets for those. Or some people start to build up their own ideas. Let’s talk a bit about both, because, well, I am looking to dip my toes into both worlds.

Awesome Sets

The first way people pick up Lego again is with all the new awesome sets. If you always wanted to own an amazing Millennium Falcon, well you can. As an adult, it is possible to pick up a set that you never would consider as a kid.

But also, as an adult, you understand why maybe your parents didn’t buy you that massive set as a kid. Lego is not cheap when getting into it any way. And a lot of the massive amazing sets cost a lot of money. My and my wife’s work give out bonuses. We used some of a bonus to pick up the Rivendell set. Why, because it’s not cheap, even if you are an adult with a job, it isn’t cheap. But when you build it, you have an awesome display set.

And I think that the sets now provide that different experience for an adult than they did for me as a kid. A lot of what I played with as a kid were regular bricks with generic sets. We own some castle pieces and some spaceship from when I was a kid, but for the most part, it is standard bricks to builds cars and houses. Sets now, it is maybe harder to find those, but the actual set is something to display.

Your Own Creations

The other way that people join is build their own set. Here people pick up pieces and figure out their own design, their own creation that they want to make. It is more than as a kid building a house and breaking it down. Though, that is still a really fun way to play. I like sitting down with my kid and building cars, houses, and spaceships. But some people delve into making their own thing.

I think of when I was at the grand opening preview event for the local Lego reseller. People were sifting through the bulk and looking for specific pieces and specific colors. They look for pieces that will help them build the one setting, the one element that will be something amazing. It is about creating a set, but it is a set of the builders own design. And there is trial and error as you build up what you are looking to do.

For me, what I want to experiment with and build is a Marvel 1602 set. This is from the comics where Neil Gaiman does an amazing job setting the Avengers into the past with a story that is a blast. And it is from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and What If…?. I love that aesthetic for something different to build with. I plan on building two elements eventually for it.

The first element is a castle. It’s 1602, you need an awesome castle with awesome heroes ruling and fighting in it. But the second element that I want to build, and this comes from What If…? is the Globe Theater. In What If…? Loki performs at the Globe Theater while Thor and others watch on. I want to create that scene that feel of something historical but unique.

You Choose How You Play with Lego

I want to end, though, with the idea that you choose how you want to play. And for me, I want to play all of the ways. I love Lego and playing around with them. It might be that I build a house or a car as I play with my kid. Or it might be that I build a set to add to the display that my wife and I are creating. Or it might be what I find pieces and go on a years long journey to build Marvel 1602. But each of them is it’s own way to experience the Lego hobby as an adult.

For me, some of what I don’t want to do is ever lose that whimsy of playing with Lego. It is an outlet to be creative and an experience that is shared by so many people across the world. We all know that I love board games. But Lego is different in how everyone loves it. There are sets and builders out there for so many people. And while not everyone experiences it the same way, it is so often a common and linking experience.

So how would you dive back into Lego? Is there a set that you want to build out there? Or do you think of an idea that you want to build? Or is it that you just want to start building again? Whatever it is, it is never to late to start playing around with Lego again.

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