The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide

I was contacted recently by a writer for an east coast American newspaper. Among his questions was one that really got me thinking. He asked, “What is your favorite Lego memory (specific
creation as a kid)?” So I let my mind drift back nearly 30 years and came up with this fond memory:

This was my first robot. My only robot really, as I can’t recall ever making another one. As you can see by his chest plate his name is “A". Pretty clever, huh? And he moved perfectly well, so long as you pushed him. I think there were about a dozen 2x2 wheelsets beneath that square base.

My mom is probably better able to date the picture (hi mom! ) based on the wallpaper in the background, but my guess is this was around 1978 or 1979.

Now…. roll the clock ahead about a quarter of a century. Same builder… same hobby… bigger models. Here’s what I mean:

What I find perhaps most interesting about this little memory exercise is that the 9-foot tall CN Tower that I built in 2003 likely contains at least one or more 1x6 white bricks that would have at one time been used to create “A". I ran short just near the end of the tower build and had to raid my childhood collection (normally stored separately) for a few of those pieces. Come to think of it…. I’m not sure I ever put them back. LOL

Allan B.