When I was a kid, I was obsessed with two things: video games and LEGO. Whilst other kids were off riding bikes, playing football or creating chaos, I could usually be found elbow deep in a supersized bucket of bricks.
I still play a lot of video games today, but LEGO? Not so much.
An unexpected gift
Somewhat out of the blue, my sister got me this LEGO Ideas Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera set for Christmas; which was very generous of her.
I was giddy with excitement to tear open that box and put it together but, having gone home to visit family at Christmas, had to resist the urge.
A few weeks ago, though, I had a quiet night sat in my living room. That was my chance to get lost in the experience and rediscover my childhood glee of building something from teeny-tiny pieces of plastic.
A sense of accomplishment
As I sat unpacking the bags of bricks, carefully setting them out and reading the instruction manual, my immediate thought was “how many pieces?!”.
This was not going to be a build for the light hearted one that I could rush. I was in this for the long-haul.
It took me more than three hours to put the thing together. I was a bit exhausted by the end of it, to be honest!
But when it was done? I was chuffed!
Look at this thing.
It is so cool!
And it actually works. Not to take photos – though that might be a fun ‘hack’ to build some electronics into it – but it does function. That big red button on the front forces a faux Polaroid picture to mechanically pop out from the front of the faux camera.
The whole thing is just delightful. It’s sat on my shelf in my study now, and every time I see it or pop the big red button, it brings a little smile to my face.