When I was a kid in the early 80s, we couldn’t afford all the toys and games that my brother and I wanted, but there was always room to squeeze in a LEGO set or

When I was a kid in the early 80s, we couldn’t afford all the toys and games that my brother and I wanted, but there was always room to squeeze in a LEGO set or two for birthday or Christmas. The rationale was, and I took it to heart, that I could build any _other_ toy that I might want. And I did. Knight Rider, GI Joe, M.A.S.K., even Transformers. Later, spy gear, project enclosures, rubber band guns, prosthetics, whatever. I still have every LEGO I’ve ever received, going back to 1979 or so. As it happens, my parents moved across country the summer after my freshman year of college (which was fairly local to where I grew up) and they offloaded the trunks and totes to me, originally intending to save them until I was “grown up”, and I’ve hauled them around since, adding to the collection. Never even considered selling them off. I’m not crazy about all the cross-branding these days and still have a soft spot for a bit of creativity in building real-life parts out of more standard pieces. Last week I picked up an early 70s set (#730) at a vintage store for $20. It’s amazing how basic the pieces are.