Column: You don’t have to keep old LEGO pristine to have fun
As tough as it may be to hear, it’s perfectly fine to break down your old LEGO sets and make something new – and it can be a lot of fun too.
It’s understandable that LEGO enthusiasts young and especially old will want to keep retired sets complete – the older they are, the more valuable they become both sentimentally and (occasionally) financially. And while much of the world of LEGO has changed, the older models are undoubtedly designed to be played with in some form, and that generally means keeping them as they come on the box.
Of course, it’s equally possible to break them down to their original components, and though doing so may be emotionally challenging, rest assured that it’s worth it in the end – and you can always rebuild the original set with instructions archived online, even if your original paper manual is long gone. But you may find that you don’t actually want to, because there’s something special about keeping your own builds on the shelf too.
In the spirit of the LEGO Group’s new #MadeToBePlayed campaign, which focuses on the reusability and longevity of elements over time, I’ve turned back the clock to demonstrate a couple of my childhood builds that have remained intact for over 10 years – and are just as playable now as they were at the time.
For example, LEGO City 7238 Fire Helicopter from 2005 had been sitting on my shelf for years until I became bored with the original design. This was only because I kept adding helicopters to my collection, but it offered the perfect excuse to get creative and build beyond the intended instructions.
In a matter of minutes, 7238 Fire Helicopter became a firefighting jet with vertical takeoff capabilities, all powered by high-pressure water blasted from its cannons. Just don’t question where that water comes from – it’s probably not important.
I’m not a LEGO designer and so this custom creation devised by my younger self isn’t as stable as an official model, which is to say that it can and does separate in the middle. Upon revisiting the build in 2024, I’ve determined that this is an intended feature for a quick escape pod should anything go wrong with the firefighting jet. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Young Jack also combined 2001’s 4608 Bank Breakout and the exclusive skates from 2008’s 8631 Jetpack Pursuit to make a snow-traversing futuristic hot rod. Jack Stone’s array of oversized elements led to some astounding transparent pieces, which I integrated to maintain the sleek design of the original set’s vehicle, but now with additional wheels and a pair of sleek skates.
The skates can fold up when they’re not needed (when the vehicle is traversing more stable terrain, for example), which was as entirely intentional as the escape pod for my firefighting jet.
These two custom creations are over a decade old each and their sets are much older. I’ve always got the rest of the original builds’ elements should I choose to put them back together as intended, but I’ve found a certain pride in what I managed to make as a youngster. And while nobody can force you to break up your sets, I do believe it’s important to stay creative in this hobby.
It’s a lot of fun and you don’t necessarily need to hash out an epic 5,000-piece build. Older City sets are perfect to rebuild as they tend to have a mix of generic and interesting elements that may find some alternate uses in a custom model. Whatever you choose, you don’t have to keep old LEGO pristine once it’s built.
Got any cherished childhood builds that are still assembled to this day? Let us know in the comments!
Thank you for supporting the work that Brick Fanatics does by buying your LEGO sets using our affiliate links!
Author Profile
- LEGO has been a part of my life ever since I was young. It all started when my brother passed down 7657 AT-ST to me. It’s guided me through my early years, through school and eventually through my degree in journalism. I still have all my collection proudly on display, including my many NINJAGO sets, my favourite of all the LEGO Group’s themes. Outside of Brick Fanatics I am an avid gamer and enjoy a good game of Dungeons & Dragons.
