Don't Build A LEGO Set Once for Dust
Far too many people of every age in this world collect LEGO sets of any size and variation. It is undeniably one of the world's most popular and powerful brands in the brick toy hobby. Novices and veterans all build the same LEGO set they initially purchase and leave it on their shelf or somewhere in a spot to display. The set's saga ends there, and it's off to the next one to build. This was my mentality when I was collecting my first LEGO sets over a month ago. Then I learned that a set of bricks for, say, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS can also form something that resembles a Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo. A Ferrari F40 can form into a Pagani Zonda, and beyond other creations. An impending venue was bound to change my view on LEGO sets forever.
For someone coming from diecast, LEGO hit my intuition with one craving need: collecting. Starting with the Speed Champions Lamborghini Set. Finished those two cars a couple days later, now I want another set. Enter Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Done building that, so come in the fray, Ferrari F40! This cycle went on over the course of March and April until I couldn't find anymore 'slam-dunk' deals on Facebook Marketplace and dealt with staring at my current collection that temporarily sat next to my 1:64 cars waiting to have their own space. I eventually found their own spot to be displayed separately from my little car collection thanks to my humble neighbors tossing a small table nearby my area, but the issue persisted. I didn't have an imagination of what to do with the cars I built only one time and left to catch the particles of my bedroom. Yes, they have play value in that they can roll when pushed and fit two 'mini-figs' inside an interior. LEGO are made to appeal to a general audience after all. It wasn't until the day the sun rose after taking a hiatus from a rainy San Antonio spring week, then my brain clicked.
"Why don't I take a set apart and turn it into something?"
A little bit of web surfing later, and I learned about the meaning of MOCs. I was truly in the brick hole now. Other people creating and sharing their work on Rebrickable? Featuring sets I own and can make anything out of? With detailed instructions to build a MOC showing a fan's techniques that LEGO could not match in official Speed Champions sets? Wheel swapping included?! This hobby had just become more than about collecting. Researching MOCs online have influenced my spending habits and led me to believe that one set can also be multiple creations, be it cars or random incarnations. The great part about this is that the people responsible for their creations can get paid for their work on certain builds like a friendly donation to a non-LEGO employee.
My newfound LEGO arc kept me busy. So busy that it had somewhat shoved 1:64 collecting to the back burner. I still get an urge to collect a 1:64 car I like online or at my local Walmart toy isle, but then my attention comes back to brick-shaped cars. The brick hobby is versatile and allows me to create any car aside from the official intended set I want to be displayed on my free table. LEGO themselves promote MOCs and even own the outlets that host them. Despite what the official car sets looks like, there is no offense given to LEGO when correcting the look of a model through someone else's time, research, and extra parts. A decent outlook for a toy company encouraging originality.
In closing, anyone can buy a LEGO set today and build it not once, but an infinite amount of times as they please. With the resources that platforms like Rebrickable provide, there's always something out there for someone who can simply follow an electronic instruction manual and build an outside-the-box contraption completely foreign from the original product. That's the beauty of building bricks. Like pixels on a LCD screen, bricks can shape together what you want them to present. My two cents before you put down your current official build for dust. Happy building, reader!