LEGO has a lot of themes. There are original IPs and a diverse range of licensed products. In all of that there is one theme that often doesn’t get the love it deserves – LEGO Classic.
As part of an order from LEGO I decided to add in 11008 Bricks and Houses. With a young son who is getting more and more interested in “dad’s LEGO” I thought I’d revisit the classic building experience that starts so many lifelong love affairs with the brick.
11008 Bricks and Houses is one of the smaller Classic boxes available, coming in at 270 parts. The parts that you do get are a nice mix focused on building small buildings. Of course you aren’t limited to that but you get things like wooden arched doors that lend themselves to buildings.
The instructions include a selection of 6 different buildings that can be made all at once. I like that there is no overlap with these builds as it gives you a chance to build up a cool little village of different structures.
Does this set live up to the Classic name? Did it capture that spark of creativity and imagination? Yep!
My son built the first and simplest of the models completely by himself. He found the pieces he needed in the pile and followed the instructions to put everything in the right spot. It was a real proud dad moment and when he ran off to show his mum what he’d made you could tell that he was excited. He’d made something out of little bits. He’d built a HOUSE all by himself!
Once that first model was out of the way it became time to moc. Not creating anything in particular, just clicking the bricks together at random. There was a real sense of accomplishment when he decided he was done. I think that is the real charm of Classic – while there are 4+ sets for younger builders they are a particular thing and don’t promote creativity in the same way.
If you are looking for a fun family activity you can’t go wrong with LEGO Classic. Do some creative building challenges, or maybe have a speed build-off for one of the models provided in the instructions. The possibilities are limitless, which really is classic LEGO isn’t it?
11008 has an RRP of $29.99 but can be found at Kmart for just $19. It’s a good mix of pieces for that price.
This set was provided to me by LEGO at my request. Opinions are my own.
Another set I’ve tried to order recently with little success (this time from amazon). I know it’s very much a “first world problem” but I am looking forward to the day when you will be able again to get Lego delivered a couple of days after ordering it. Agree that this is a great mix of pieces. We use these Classic sets for family challenges whenever everyone gets together.