# Ok lego kids how did you build your lego sets? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** toys-models\ **Created:** [October 8, 2021, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115 "2021-10-08T04:25:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/1 "2021-10-08T04:25:48Z")
inspired by the "favorite toy thread " numerous mentions of legos I thought id ask this : you got a full sized lego box for a holiday so you _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/1))_ I only made what was on the box maybe once if ever then my bad guys blew it up and after that id make my own stuff … ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/2 "2021-10-08T04:47:11Z")
Now, there were some kits that we would follow the instructions for. My brother and I had an imperial star destroyer kit, it was larger than our heads and opened up and had all the little Star Wars dudes in it. That was cool enough to build per the (very difficult) instructions. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/3 "2021-10-08T04:50:06Z")
Generally started out with building the set, then played with the set as-is for some period of time (I’m guessing several weeks although this far removed from my childhood I can’t remember with accuracy). After a while I’d try building the other items often depicted on the box or manual that came with it. There weren’t instructions for these so it wasn’t always easy to figure it out. Eventually everything would disintegrate into a large cardboard box of all the Lego blocks that I had, from which I’d construct any number of items. I effectively gave away all my Lego stuff when I was in middle school when I donated the box and its contents. I still have several manuals collecting dust somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/4 "2021-10-08T07:15:44Z")
I made the set on the box then it got combined with everything else and got made into whatever I imagined. These days, I just make what’s on the box. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/5 "2021-10-08T10:55:09Z")
Maybe make some random stuff – then make it according to directions and play with a bit – then tear it down and combine with other sets. If there is a “B” model I might make that later. Brian ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/6 "2021-10-08T12:06:33Z")
Build as instructed first, keep as-is for a few weeks, then use parts for new builds. But retain instructions for making the original again, probably when a related set was acquired e.g. rebuild the Rocket Launcher when I got the Star Fleet Voyager, or the Dark Tower when I got the Catapult. I didn’t keep my pieces separated by theme for new builds i.e. I was quite happy using Castle pieces and minifigs to turn the City theme Boats Freighter into a sort of Caravel… ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/7 "2021-10-08T12:21:34Z")
My first couple of sets I don’t think there was a “thing” to build. You just used your imagination. It came with a booklet with things you could try, but there was no main thing to build. (If I’m remembering correctly) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/8 "2021-10-08T13:45:52Z")
Same here; when I was playing with Lego (forty something years ago), they weren’t sold like they are now, meant to build one thing, but instead were generic kits with various pieces. That said, there was the little booklet and there were pictures on the box of other things you could build, and one of the things I did was to duplicate what was shown on the box. ---
**Author:** ![TheZenPaperboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@TheZenPaperboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheZenPaperboy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/9 "2021-10-08T13:47:55Z")
When i got my set in the early sixties there was no plans that I recall. Just a five hundred piece box that I used with my imagination to build. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/10 "2021-10-08T16:40:22Z")
Lego _still_ makes sets that aren’t one thing - the Classic/Creative lines include just assorted bricks. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/11 "2021-10-08T16:50:44Z")
Both: I had one set of plain Legos\*, and I had another set that was a garage and construction site. \*Screw those rules on the proper spelling/usage of Lego(R)-branded toy bricks. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/12 "2021-10-08T16:58:38Z")
As a kid there was a lot of free form building. I wasn’t given sets too often but I always meticulously built them exactly as designed because I liked separating and organizing all the pieces, then following the visual instructions; they were (and remain) sort of like little puzzles. They show you what parts to add, but it’s not always obvious where they are supposed to go. And their designs usually include interesting, advanced building techniques that I could learn from. I still buy and build sets for all of those reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/13 "2021-10-08T17:29:36Z")
As a kid (born '71) I had quite a lot of Lego, the 744 motorised set which had various build instructions , a whole lot of the 97xx space legoland sets, a few technics sets, several general sets of blocks, and my younger brothers police station fire station etc ( in my opinion at the time he was not putting them to good use so they were appropriated and he wasn’t that bothered) Probably like most I built the sets , then over time they were rebuilt into what ever was in my mind for the current mollusc Lego world scenario which would last for quite a few months each. There was obviously a lunar outpost with much drama and danger for its inhabitants, a familly run tramp steamer shipping company with quite a few boats and tankers and the occasional need for a Q ship as the bad guys had submarines , and a mining world as far as I remember. I don’t think I ever built something to sit on a display shelf. I drooled over the lego starwars x wing millennium falcon and death star when they came out never had them for myself and made up for that with my kids . ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/14 "2021-10-08T19:13:40Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I made the set on the box then it got combined with everything else and got made into whatever I imagined. This should have been one of the options in the poll and then I would have voted or it. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/15 "2021-10-08T19:18:39Z")
I assumed that’s what the Both option was for . ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/16 "2021-10-08T21:21:33Z")
I would always start by building the thing that the set was for, then leave it together for as long as it took to show everyone in the house, and then promptly took it back apart and put the pieces in with what I already had for free-form building. Well, OK, there was usually a delay in that last step, because I was usually at Gramma’s house when I got a new set, and the rest of my pieces were at home, but the set would come home from Gramma’s disassembled. I kept all of my pieces neatly sorted. I wouldn’t have had any objection to mixing pieces from different themes, but most of my sets were Legoland Space, because I mostly wanted to build spaceships and other science-fiction things, and the space sets tended to have pieces like wings and rocket engines that I’d want. And of course I never threw away the directions, even though I never used them again. That’s information! You don’t just go throwing away information! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/17 "2021-10-08T21:40:47Z")
I had some weird knockoff set that came in a white plastic bucket and don’t recall any instructions. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/18 "2021-10-08T21:46:54Z")
Mostly I built the model and deconstructed it soon after, going on to build my own things. However, I didn’t quite do that for this one (which I bought on my own after saving my allowance for months): [![](https://i1.wp.com/thelegocarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/8865iso.jpg?fit=960%2C537&ssl=1) ](https://i1.wp.com/thelegocarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/8865iso.jpg?fit=960%2C537&ssl=1) Instead, I made progressive modifications to it. I made it a convertible. I lowered the suspension. I gave it an in-line gear shift system. I added 4-wheel steering. I installed brakes. And a bunch of other stuff I don’t remember. By the end it just resembled the original model, but had so much extra stuff that it was a way different beast. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2021, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/19 "2021-10-09T13:13:36Z")
I’m pretty sure that was exactly the intention for that model. ---
**Author:** ![gre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d78d45/32.png) [@gre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gre)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115/20 "2021-10-09T18:59:20Z")
I had Brix Blox, that just had a few kinds of rectangles, so I’d make a house or make a tower, then get bored because I couldn’t figure out how to make anything that wasn’t pretty rectilinear. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lego-kids-how-did-you-build-your-lego-sets/952115.md?page=2)