Awesome Stuff From Japan

LEGO Project: Magic Shop

The LEGO Project series is a look through the Second Snack collection of LEGO sets from Thomas’ childhood as well as some modern sets. For years these LEGO bricks and pieces have been laying dormant in plastic bins but with the pooled resources of the Internet, reassembling sets is now a reality.

I think I got the LEGO Magic Shop near the tail end of my childhood days of playing with LEGO on a daily basis. The Magic Shop comes from the Castle theme from back in the day but added a touch of fantasy to the collection. Until then, LEGO's Castle sets were rooted completely in medieval stories. Knights, bandits, jousts, and massive castles. With this set, and the rest from the Dragon Masters sub-theme, LEGO brought a big dose of magical elements into the castle theme.

With this small set, you got a wizard with a cool hat and a long white beard. Having not read The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings as a kid, I didn't realize how much this guy looked like Gandalf. However, even Gandalf didn't carry around a glow in the dark wand. This wizard, and the rest of the sets in the Dragon Masters collection didn't really resonate with me. One could argue its because I was getting older and starting to stray away from actually playing with LEGO sets. But looking back, I think the issue with this set was more about not liking the direction the company took with this sub-theme. The rest of the castle theme felt more realistic. When playing with friends we felt like we were reenacting episodes from history. The Dragon Masters and this wizard from the Magic Shop weren't rooted in anything real to us. I think I bought only one other set from the Dragon Masters which I may cover at a later date.

Despite my mixed feelings about this set, it is definitely a nice one. Rare pieces, small size and affordability all made it interesting and accessible.

Did you have the Magic Shop? Do you think LEGO should stick to more "realistic" themes for its sets or are you OK with them setting foot into fantasy?

Meme Monday: Hello...

Meme Monday brings you a weekly Internet Meme that we have found. Internet Memes are described as something that catches on like wildfire with Internet communities with no outside source of promotion. They exist purely for enjoyment and laughs.