How I Got Back Into LEGO In My 20's (And Why I’m Obsessed Now)
Callum LonsdaleHow I Ended Up Back in LEGO After Nearly 20 Years
Hi, I’m a man who hasn’t touched LEGO since he was, say, 7 years old. And if you told me at that age that I’d be buying LEGO MOCs in my mid-20s, I’d for sure be wondering where in life I went off track.
I was far more of a gamer than I was a physical toy enthusiast.
But LEGO games? Now that was my jam.
The original LEGO Star Wars games for the PS2, LEGO Batman, LEGO Island 2 for the PS1, the list is immense, and they were all nostalgic bangers.
Childhood LEGO Memories
The only LEGO involvement outside of games that I really had was a big red box, bigger than the Spice Girls at the time, that sat in the corner of my living room next to the giant grey CRT TV that looked like it was holding the weight of seven elephants.
Image credit - PuffFilms - Reddit
Occasionally, I’d sit there digging into the endless pool of late-90s LEGO, slamming each piece onto one big green baseplate to form a LEGO house that defied not just architectural standards, but gravity itself.
Rooms the size of football fields with no structural support. If a minifig jumped at the far end of the room, the whole thing would probably collapse.
But hey, creativity knows no bounds when you’re 6 years old.
From Gamer Kid to LEGO-Store Wanderer
So why did I choose video games over physical LEGO?
Well, both of my parents were gamers. GTA: San Andreas, Need for Speed: Underground for the PS2, Second Life roleplaying on PC, I was nurtured into the PlayStation scene from a young age.
Fast forward 19 years later and the question now stands:
How did I do a 180 and start dabbling in LEGO again?
I hadn’t planned on it at all. I told myself I wasn’t a LEGO fan, just a LEGO gamer. I shrugged off anything LEGO-related as a niche hobby for adults that refused to grow up.
But then I started working under a company that uses LEGO bricks.
Suddenly, this hidden community of dedicated fans opened up before me, and I realized I needed to do some actual research into a hobby I had buried decades ago.
Enter: The LEGO Nerd Friend
Thankfully, a very close friend of mine, not just a Star Wars fanatic but a full-blown LEGO nerd, started dragging me to LEGO stores after uni lectures.
At first, I thought it was a massive waste of money.
Like, who drops hundreds of pounds on something you build once and then just let it sit there?
(Currently staring at my retro gaming console collection that I’ve amassed over the years...)
My main problem in-store was that there wasn’t much of interest for me.
No Metal Gear Solid sets.
No Rayman 2.
And the car models? Not my style.
Discovering the World of LEGO MOCs
That’s when I got introduced to the world of LEGO MOCs, fan-made custom sets.
Clearly, I wasn’t the only one disappointed with LEGO’s lack of certain themes, because these designers filled the gap perfectly.
“WHAT DID YA BUY?! WHAT DID YA BUY?!”
I’m not going to pretend like I didn’t smirk while opening the box of custom sets.
And I have to shout out the designers because I love what these people create.
Pokémon – Flareon – Designed by DST212
Pokémon – Groudon – Designed by DST212
Grounded - The Black Widow – Designed by GroundedBuilder
Arcade Series – Master of the Drums – Designed by Ptchnk
LEGO Game Boy Color – Designed by Click_Lever
Mini Guitar With Amplifier – Designed by Gabizon
Shoutout to Click_Lever
You might’ve noticed there’s a bit of a video game theme here.
And by far my favourite MOC I’ve ever seen, the LEGO Game Boy.
Click_Lever is such a talented guy. That one MOC actually got me following designer journeys and their socials.
Annoyingly, the built version now sits in a box with my actual Game Boys until I move house and get proper display space.
MOCBoxing: My Gateway Back
I’ll talk a little about the ordering experience too because MOCBoxing was a major part of my reintroduction.
I tried using BrickLink… and I nearly cried.
That whole process of selecting bricks, jumping through tabs, and cross-checking inventories, I couldn’t do it.
If I had time to learn, sure, maybe. But I don’t.
So I’m massively thankful MOCBoxing just handles that nightmare for me.
What’s Next?
I’m definitely ordering more.
As a Hideo Kojima fanatic, I’ve got my eye on a Metal Gear Solid MOC or two.
And now that DST212 has finalised his full Eeveelution set? Yeah... I better start setting a few hundred pounds aside 😅
Collecting LEGO as an adult just… makes sense now.
And that old idea that it’s “for adults who refuse to grow up”?
Well… you’re damn right. I’m 14 forever in my mind!
Diving Deeper Into the Community
I’m already getting involved in Discords, lurking on Reddit, even browsing YouTube for LEGO content.
If you wanna send me a message, some recommendations, or just wanna talk LEGO, I’m always down for a chat.
My Instagram is linked here if you wanna talk!
Anyone Else Out There?
Have you had a similar experience to me?
Did LEGO make a comeback in your adult life too?
I don’t want to feel like I’m the only one, so drop a comment or a message.
Thanks for reading!
– Callum Lonsdale