Everything you need to know about Lego

Mikel Gómez (37 years old), Antonio José Fernández (61) and Carlos Valencia (51) They are AFOL, an acronym for Adult Fan of Lego, a legion of fans of little Danish bricks that already comb gray hair. For them, assembling the pieces is not just a game, but an architectural challenge whose result can be admired as a piece collector’s item. I heardEven as a work of art as does the American sculptor Nathan Sawaya with his sought-after figures of almost human size.

Lego’s landing in Spain was later than in other European countries. Many AFOLs were fond of Exin Castles and other construction games as children, they left them in their youth and have returned as parents. Now the possibilities are much greater. “They give their children a ‘set’, they start building with them and they end up re-engaging & rdquor ;, he sums up Carlos Valencia, owner of Galegory, Barcelona shop specializing in Lego.

Half a century

“As a child I never played Lego. I was always in the street with the ball – he says for his part Mikel Gómez, head of Discoverbricks, store and playroom in Pamplona-. The hobby came to me as an adult when my partner, who is an educator, gave me a ‘set’ to build a van. I was hooked & rdquor ;. Now, for seven years, both They organize workshops with the mini bricks to activate manual dexterity in children and spatial capacity, among other benefits.

“It is not a cheap toy, that is clear, but over the years the bricks remain the same. At most they can lose some color. I have been accumulating pieces little by little and now some must be half a century & rdquor ;, he adds Antonio José Fernández, resident of Fuenlabrada (Madrid) and administrative in an academy. “I have always liked them, since I was small and they gave me the first box. I fell in love & rdquor;, recalls.

Think big

From the hands of Fernández and his colleagues from the Alebricks association now come out large assemblies, technically known as dioramas, they star in exhibitions. “We have one of a railway depot with an annexed city exhibited in Zaragoza. It measures five square meters & rdquor;, He says. For his part, in Gómez’s curriculum he highlights, for example, a 5,000-piece reproduction of the Plaza del Castillo in Pamplona. “And now my idea is to build the Olite & rdquor; palace to scale.

Apart from the traditional Lego ‘sets’ common in large stores, the authentic AFOLs tend to buy loose parts and in bulk in specialized stores. And with the available material they make original works or MOC (‘My Own Creation’, My own creation). Fernández, for example, has specialized in urban and railway environments, with buildings, stations and tracks, but dioramas are also very common inspired by movie and comic franchises, as well as reproductions of all kinds of monuments. “I like the medieval theme and the like, like ‘The Lord of the Rings’ & rdquor ;, comments Mikel Gómez. “The pull that Star Wars has and everything associated with it is brutal. I think it’s the one we sell the most & rdquor ;, adds Carlos Valencia.

The effect of the ‘talent show’

It takes time and dedication. The official Lego ‘sets’ of larger size and price (up to 800 euros), such as the Roman Colosseum or the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, they have about 8,000 pieces and require about 20 or 30 hours to build, with a neat instruction manual. MOCs, on the other hand, have no limit. “There are some who can have 100,000 pieces, but you don’t have to have so many to do extraordinary things & rdquor ;, says Fernández, although he admits to having a room at home dedicated to Lego,” with the pieces stored in drawers, screw boxes and tapers. of all kinds & rdquor ;.

“I do not have a large private collection nor do I think it is necessary. The most important thing is to activate your imagination and do your own things, without instructions & rdquor ;, Gómez points out. In the same vein, Valencia, the owner of Galegory, recommends to start the so-called 3 x 1 sets, with instructions to make three different figures, “And then go creating seeing what comes out & rdquor ;.

“In general, construction games have survived the digital age well,” says Fernández. The existence of ‘Lego Masters’, a recent television contest dedicated to Lego, is no accident. “The big turning point here was the 2014 premiere of ‘The Lego Movie.’ That did increase the number of fans & rdquor ;, continues the member of the Alebricks association.

Masculinized sector

The three fans are grateful for the existence of the Antena 3 program, but regret the criminal schedules, the search for non-existent rivalries between the participants and the lack of pedagogy. “I missed the fact that he didn’t explain how to build with bricks in circles or diagonally & rdquor ;, He puts Valencia as an example.

“Lego has not only survived, it has done very well. Even the pandemic, which has forced them to stay at home longer, has been good for him – Gómez sentence -. For many parents, Lego is a fun and instructive way for children to spend less time watching television or on their mobile. I do not know a toy like Lego that works so much creativity. Break through the & rdquor; game barrier. In addition to improving manual skills and spatial capacity, Valencia, who organizes workshops in his Galegory store, insists: “As many schools already do, with Lego you can learn physics, mechanics and even programming & rdquor ;.

Gómez, who along with his partner organizes courses for children for educational purposes, laments an indisputable reality: it is a highly masculinized sector. “Women build better than men. They do it well and are very creative, but there comes a time when they lose interest and are on other things & rdquor ;, he says. Then it is difficult for them to re-engage.

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