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Sales of Lego have increased dramatically over the past few years, with more adults than ever before getting into building with blocks. Recommended’s own tech editor, Nathan Spendelow , spent a gruelling 18 hours putting together Lego’s Star Wars Death Star , callusing his hands and getting a sore back in the process.
One longtime fan who has made Lego his full-time career is Graham E. Hancock. The editor of monthly Lego magazine Blocks , he’s also the author of several books about Lego, including LEGO Heroes: LEGO Builders Changing Our World – One Brick at a Time , Lego Fun Family Challenges and LEGO Star Wars: The Force of Creativity .
As a lifelong Lego fan, there’s nobody better to answer your questions about bricks, including why they’re so expensive, exciting new launches and which sets he would recommend for children and those with dexterity issues.
We caught up with Hancock for our Readers Ask series, where industry specialists answer queries from our Telegraph Recommended Reader Panel . Read his answers below.
How can I determine whether the difficulty level of a Lego set is suitable for my child?
George, London
If you’re thinking of getting a Lego set for your child, go with the age marking on the box that matches their age.
Start with something small and approachable to see how they get on with it. Once you’ve seen them build that first set and get a sense of how natural they find it, you can determine whether you want to get them another set of the same age marking, something simpler or something more complicated.
Why do you think there has been a resurgence in Lego over the last five years?
David, London
It’s been happening over the last 20 years. Sales of Lego sets keep growing and growing. But five years ago, everyone was stuck at home as a result of the pandemic, so people were looking for things to do within the house.
By coincidence, the Lego Group had just introduced a whole new range focusing on adults. These two things coincided and, all of a sudden, people felt comfortable telling others that, as grown-ups, they were sitting at home and building Lego.
I want to encourage my grandson’s creativity rather than the ability to follow instructions – what do you recommend?
Siri, London
You might be surprised to know that there have been instructions in Lego boxes for 70 years. It’s something lots of generations have grown up with. There’s something satisfying about following the steps to build a set and getting a complete model at the end of it.
There’s also something fun about dumping that box of bricks onto the dining room table and getting creative. It doesn’t have to be an either/or thing. You might think that children aren’t being creative when following instructions, but they’re learning how the different pieces and elements interact with one another and different ways they can use them. When they do build things creatively themselves, they’ll use some of these tips and tricks in their own models.
If your child loves building Lego sets, it’s worth getting them a big box of loose bricks , with doors, windows and wheels. Maybe it can be a family activity, to dump them out and build imaginatively around a table. This can be fun, inspiring and joyful.
Can you recommend some more affordable adult Lego products?
Anthony, South West
There are lots of enormous Lego models for adults that come at a higher price than others. But for something more affordable, the Botanicals range is good, as well as Lego Ideas , which has a relatively affordable Snoopy set on the way.
Don’t be afraid to look at sets targeted at children. BrickHeadz make nice little display models that don’t take up too much space on a shelf, while Creator sets offer interesting, involved builds that are quite intricate. These are still engaging, even though the age mark is for children.
What is the future for Lego? Any new innovations on the horizon?
Caroline, North East
Lego is a company that changed incrementally. Over time, there are improvements in parts, techniques and model constructions.
The big innovation this year is a new smart brick , which is a technology-infused brick that can add extra functionality to models. For example, when children pop the smart brick into a Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter and fly it around, it will make authentic engine and blaster noises.
How has Lego remained so long as a popular pastime?
John, South East
Through the years, there’s always an appeal to sitting down with a physical project. It’s relaxing, but it also engages your brain. Building with Lego bricks does all of those things. You can get away from a screen for a while and have a tactile, satisfying experience of hearing these bricks and pieces connect together.
When you’ve finished your session, you’ve achieved something, from a little pile of bricks on the table. Whether it’s something you’ve created yourself or followed the instructions for. You can’t replicate that any other way. It’s a different kind of satisfaction than you might get from watching something on a screen or playing a video game.
Are the basic sets harder now than 40 years ago?
Paul, Yorkshire
Even though Lego sets have evolved, becoming more intricate and detailed, looking more like the thing they’re supposed to, they’ve actually become easier to build. This is because the Lego Group has improved the instructions over time.
When I was a child, the instructions would ask you to put together quite a lot of pieces in a single instructional step. You can guarantee that you would miss one of those pieces and only realise a few pages later. Today, the instructions are clear, only putting together a few bricks at a time.
What is your favourite Lego set?
Farah, South East
I remember how excited I was when I got my first-ever Lego Star Wars set as a kid. It was the TIE Fighter & Y-Wing , back in 1999.
I vividly remember sliding the Darth Vader helmet over Anakin Skywalker’s face on that minifigure for the first time; how satisfying and exciting it was that my two favourite things, Lego and Star Wars, had combined in this way. That is probably my all-time favourite Lego set.
What Lego set do you recommend I buy my Duplo-expert grandson (almost five)?
John, East Midlands
At this age, he might be ready to step up from Duplo to actual Lego system building. It might be worth trying some four-plus Lego sets, which balance the Duplo and Lego system styles. The pieces are a bit larger, and they’re relatively straightforward to build.
Which size bricks are suitable for the elderly with possible arthritic fingers, impaired sight and dementia?
Sue, South West
I’m not a medical professional, but The Toy Project is a charity in London that puts on sessions for older people to build with Lego bricks. I’ve seen how beneficial it can be for keeping the mind and fingers active. Within a year, some of the people visiting these sessions had gone from never building with Lego before to building huge models that you wouldn’t expect from someone in that age bracket.
Don’t put pressure on yourself to start with anything too challenging. Boxes of coloured bricks might be nice to start with, as they’re clearly identifiable. Start with something small, then work up from there. The Botanicals range is often colourful, but there can be some fiddly techniques involved.
Why is Lego so expensive?
Caroline, East of England
There’s a bit of a misconception that Lego sets are expensive. There are some extremely expensive products costing upwards of £600, but these have always been premium products. Back in the 80s and the 90s, pirate ships , castles and Viking fortresses were also expensive for the time.
The reason for this is that the Lego Group put a lot of time and effort into designing the models. They pay people to spend an awful lot of time coming up with these intricate creations and then figuring out how to deliver them as buildable models that people can do at home.
You don’t get frustrated when you’re building a Lego set because so much time and care has gone into thinking about how it goes together, and how this is presented within the instruction books. But there’s no getting away from the fact that the Lego Group is making bigger sets than ever before. You couldn’t get a Millennium Falcon in the ‘90s.
Don’t be intimidated by high-ticket items and look for other, cheaper items that are still satisfying to build and look nice on display. I would suggest the Botanicals , Creator , City , Friends and smaller Icons sets.
