The News Wheel Editors: Favorite Lego Sets Growing Up
In honor of National Lego Day next Monday, Jan. 28, we took a trip down memory lane for childhood nostalgia purposes. Many of us had favorite Lego sets growing up, while some of us were more inclined to watching others build them. See what each editor had to say about their favorite Legos.
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Morgan Pritchett
I just completed a Harry Potter Lego set over the holiday, which included the Ford Anglia that made an appearance in the second film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I’ve been building Lego sets since I was a little kid, but this was definitely my favorite of all-time because it also included Hogwarts castle and many intricate details about the Wizarding World that make the books and films magical.
Kurt Verlin
I haven’t built a Lego set in years; but as a kid, my favorite was the Lego Technic Silver Champion set (for probably obvious reasons once you see what it looks like).
It came out in 2000, so it was probably inspired by the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One car that won the constructor’s championship in 1998 and driver’s championship in ’98 and ’99. The team/car was and is still often referred to as the Silver Arrows. It had a fully functioning suspension system, V10 engine with pistons that moved up and down when you turned the wheels, and a little lever that when pushed would make the entire engine cover rise. I had that thing on display in my bedroom for years. It also came with a separate instruction manual to use all of the same parts to build a truck instead, which I thought was kinda cool.
LEGO Technic 8458 Silver Champion
Photo: EestlasteLEGOVideod
Kimiko Kidd
While I don’t own very many LEGO sets, I find them fascinating and I’d love to collect some more. The Volkswagen T1 Camper Van looks amazingly intricate and detailed. Of course, it nails the classic design details everyone can recognize, like the V-shaped color split, pop-up roof, and safari windshield. But the commitment to detail doesn’t stop there – it even has authentic features like a spherical speedometer, an angled dashboard, and a four-cylinder boxer engine. Little things like that make me think this set would be a blast to build.
Photo: LEGO.com
DeAnn Owens
Although Legos were not my thing as a kid, they are definitely a big part of my life now thanks to my sons. They request Lego sets for every birthday and Christmas, and their favorite vehicles are part of the Superhero world. A recent addition to their Lego superhero vehicle collection is S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Phil Coulson’s car, a red 1962 Chevy Corvette named Lola, which is a particular favorite of mine, too.
Photo: LEGO.com
Whitney Russell
Though Legos weren’t my #1 toy choice growing up, it’d be fun to drive this Bugatti Chiron made out of more than 2,300 Legos. While not the most energetic sports car (it cranks out only 5.3 horsepower), it’s still an impressive engineering feat.
This Lego Bugatti Chiron is an absolute unit pic.twitter.com/6vQSDo9WSL
— CNET (@CNET) January 17, 2019
Caleb Cook
As a child, I was a huge Lego nerd. I longed for large, elaborate sets, but they were always too expensive for me or my parents to buy. One year, though, an aunt and uncle got me the NASA space shuttle set of my dreams for Christmas — complete with a launch tower and pad, booster rockets, and a hinged cargo bay with a little satellite inside. It even included a vehicle for transporting astronauts to the launch pad. It’s been more than 25 years, but I still remember the thrill I got from opening, building, and showing off that shuttle.
1682 Space Shuttle Lego Set from 1990
Photo: René Kreeftenberg
Zachary Berry
While I was certainly something of a “LEGO Maniac” growing up, I didn’t own many sets with cars in them. I preferred the Bionicle line of buildable action figures and the LEGO Star Wars sets. Sadly, there aren’t too many automobiles in a galaxy far, far away. However, I do remember owning one of the classic LEGO Adventures sets that came packaged with a Jeep. I was much more interested in the mummy and skeletons that came included with the set. Nevertheless, I would constantly race the Jeep down the stairs, so my LEGO-based adventures weren’t entirely limited to outer space.
LEGO Star Wars Set 7101 Lightsaber Duel (1999)
Photo: just2good
More Lego Adventures: Learn more about the California resort and other fun attractions nearby
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.