Play well

Okay, so if the computer I wrote about in my last post was the predominant plaything of my teenage years, then the equivalent rose-tinted nostalgia-inducing memory from the 70s was undoubtedly Lego. I was a Lego fiend, completing models in double quick time and then designing my own. I remember designing a pocket TV in Lego some years before Casio and Sinclair started making their commercial offerings - I think they pinched my design!

Not sure if I want to admit this in public, but I was a member of the Lego Builders' Club. I recall the membership badge being made of brass and reassuringly heavy. And my family took a trip to Denmark, predominantly so that we could go to Legoland - this was back in the day before there was one near Windsor. And being the 70s, shopping malls were few and far between, so any trip to the Westwood Co-op Hypermarket near Ramsgate was already exciting for a small boy from out in the sticks, but the prospect of coming home with a precious new box of Lego made it all the more so. I was particularly keen on the "space" range of models (my favourite being the 928, pictured). They were very obviously inspired by Star Wars, although the actual Star Wars franchise they have now didn't exist back then.

You might wonder what's triggered this sudden Lego-fest of a post - I read an article in The Guardian a couple of weeks ago that covered Lego-related blogs, some of which I'm happy to reproduce for you here...

• Brothers Brick - a good generalist Lego portal
• Spite Your Face - movie parodies in Lego form
• Vignette Bricks - lots of compact Lego dioramas
• The Brick Testament - the bible, in Lego form. No, really...
• From Bricks to Bothans - one of the best of many Lego/Star Wars sites
• Reasonably Clever - home to the 50 bricks or less contest
• Brickshelf - features Lego versions of movie posters

And there are loads more. For example, a quick search of YouTube reveals lots of short movies where Lego has been used in stop-motion special effects. Some people have a lot of time on their hands, I guess... said he, writing a pointless blog of mindless drivel that no-one reads...

Footnote: In case you're wondering, the Danish for "play well" is leg godt, hence....