A Nerdy Brick-Building Holiday With Lego and Mega Construx

14 January 2020 #

I spent a number of wonderful hours over the holiday season building Lego and Mega Construx sets with my family. (Mega Construx are similar to, and compatible with, Lego bricks.)

First, there was the Masters of the Universe Castle Grayskull set, and if you’re reading this blog you already know of my love of the MotU property.

The front of Castle Grayskull Mega Construx set with two towers, huge skull wall, and the jawbridge.

But this isn’t just a recreation of the outside of the castle. Mega Construx has gone all out and largely recreated the entire play set that came with the action figures, drawing on elements mainly from the 1980s toy, but also from the 2002 and 2013 versions as well. Inserting the Power Sword into the whole to the right of the Jawbridge causes it to open on its own!

Inside the front wall of Castle Grayskull, with throne room, trapdoor, dungeon, and training space.

Just like the 1980s toy, the throne moves to activate a trapdoor on the left side of the front interior of the castle, dropping unwary foes into the dungeon below. That dungeon, similar to the later incarnations of the castle, has a working dungeon door and opens and closes. The door even includes a turning lock with an insanely tiny removable and turnable key.

The side/back wall of Castle Grayskull, complete with tiled and curved roofs, windows, etc.

Much like the 1980s and 2013 versions of the play set, the Mega Construx kit includes the side wall of the castle which attaches by a hinge, allowing the two sections to be closed up.

Inside the side/back wall of Castle Grayskull with computer console and working elevator.

Inside the side wall is a 3d recreation of the computer console that, in the 80s, was only a cardboard cutout, as well as a working elevator, modeled mostly after the 2013 version.

But this 3508 piece monstrosity was not the end of the brick building fun.

Wind Raider vehicle with moving wings and working grappling hook.

Also from Mega Construx, the the Masters of the Universe Wind Raider vehicle comes with moving wings and a working grappling hook which can be pulled back to the ship via a clever crank mechanism.

But, lest you think our nerdy fun ended with MotU, there was another set, which I received as a Christmas present that was also awesome!

One of my favorite TV sitcoms of all time is F•R•I•E•N•D•S, but being blind, I never had a great sense of the layout or detail of the iconic Central Perk coffeeshop. That, however, is no longer the case, now that I’ve built this fantastically fun set from Lego.

Closeup of the middle section of Central Perk, including several characters sitting on or around the iconic couch.

“Could this be any cooler?”

The counter side of Central Perk, including Gunther.

The man whose hair shines brighter than the sun.

Central Perk stage with Phoebe sitting on a couch and playing her guitar.

“Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you?”

I’ve been a huge Lego fan for most of my life, but haven’t done a lot with them in recent years. This has really rekindled my enthusiasm for the hobby, and I’m totally blown away by the quality of Mega Construx. I will be building more this year, I fear.