Lego Building as a Hobby

Lego Building as a Hobby

Collecting and building Lego sets is a fun and challenging hobby, which requires time and dedication. It demands patience and commitment, and a bit of monetary investment, too. However, it is still a worthwhile hobby, especially after you finish a scaled model you have been working on for weeks or even months.

If you wish to start a hobby building scaled models using Lego pieces, you need to find out as much as you can about this fun and engaging toy set.

Popular Lego Sets

While classic Lego bricks are standard pieces when starting a Lego collection, there are also many character and story sets that hobbyists love to collect. Below are some of the most popular ones over the years:

1. Lego Creator – The Lego Creator allows hobbyists to create different designs while keeping one central theme per set. For instance, a vehicle-themed set includes designs for cars and trucks, while a set on prehistoric animals have blueprints for dinosaurs and other ancient mammals.
2. Lego City – Lego City is one of the most common sets sold by the company. It contains the usual elements found in a real city, including a school, a hospital and even a railroad track complete with a moving train.
3. Superhero Series – Who doesn’t love superheroes? Lego knows this, and released the Batman and Superman sets, among other superhero sets. The sets are patterned after famous scenes so builders can recreate favorite scenes from the movies, complete with the hero, the villain, and of course, the faithful sidekick.
4. Exo-Force – This famous set includes human and robot Lego figures, and even battle armor to go along with the characters. Scene sets like the Sentai Fortress can be assembled and set as the stage for mini-battles between the human and robot Legos.
5. Bionicle – This science fiction-themed set is about robots that live in another planet. Bionicle has become so popular that Lego actually produced comics, books, online games and even a full-length movie after it.

Types of Lego Sets

Here are the most common sets you can create using your lego pieces:

1. Real-life objects – Ever seen a Lego cup? How about a Lego calendar? Build handy items you can use in daily activities using colorful Lego bricks and other pieces.
2. Lego Technic – These are for more advance builders, who are committed to building more complex models, like miniature trucks, helicopters and other mechanical models.
3. Micro-building – You can build models that are smaller than the usually scaled ones. They require less bricks and pieces, but demand particular attention because they are smaller. You can also use the micro sets as blueprints for a bigger project. Talk about hitting two birds in one stone.
4. Miniland-scale Models – These are bigger than micro-buildings and require more pieces and more time to finish.
5. Lego Dioramas – Dioramas take Lego building on an entirely new level. Dioramas usually require team effort with each member constructing a specific section. The whole team then brings their individual sets together.
6. Lego Spaceships – Space enthusiasts will love building model spaceships using Lego bricks. They can choose from real NASA spaceship models or fictional ones, like those from Star Wars or Star Trek.
7. Lego Mosaics – Just as jigsaw puzzles can replicate paintings and other pictures, you can also do this using Lego bricks. Reproduce classic works of arts using different brick colors and sizes, and display them proudly in your house or office.
8. Lego houses – Lego pieces are perfect for dollhouses and miniature houses. Unleash your inner interior designer and have fun decorating rooms and building small appliances and equipment for your mini-house.

Reasons for Starting a Lego Collection

Just like any other hobby, there are different reasons for starting a Lego collection. Here are some of them:

1. Childhood memories – A lot of Lego collectors started as kids, receiving their first Lego set from their parents or well-meaning relatives. As they grew up, they continued their love for Lego and invested on later sets using their own money.
2. Artistic possibilities – Lego building requires creativity and lots of time and commitment. This all pays off once the scaled model or set is done, and you can see the result of all your hard work.
3. Therapy – Like most hobbies, building Lego sets can be therapeutic. Creating something, one small brick at a time, allows the builder to concentrate on the task at hand and momentarily forget his surroundings and other worries.

Storing and Organizing your Collection

Here are the best ways to keep your collection stored and organized:

1. Lego Box – The best storage place for your pieces is the original box, since it already has slots to fit the pieces and the instruction manuals that come with the set.
2. Plastic Tubs – Medium- and large-sized translucent tubs available in department stores are excellent ways to sort out your Lego pieces per color and size. You can buy as many as you need, and simply label them accordingly. Don’t forget to get an extra tub for all those extra pieces that don’t really fit with a specific set.
3. Plastic Bags –If you have less space for storage, you can invest on zip lock bags and store your bricks per color. Keep the bags in a big box or another container that you can easily store somewhere.

Things to Remember

1. Choose a fun project – Whether it’s a house, mosaic, or a complete mini-village, make sure you pick a set that you will enjoy building. After all, you will be spending a lot of time and energy on it.
2. Plan your project – It is always good to have a reference or blueprint before you begin with any project. Make sure you know what you want your end model to look like before you start.
3. Be patient – Building scaled models, especially big ones, takes time. Don’t be impatient, and build one section at a time.
4. Store your pieces properly. Do not leave your pieces unattended and scattered all over the place so that you don’t lose any of them. Remember, each piece is essential in finishing up your set.