Christmas gift guide: 'I'm seven - this is what I thought of a Lego Creator astronaut set'
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It’s ‘a new toy every day’, proclaimed the 1980s tagline for Lego - with a suitably earwormy jingle alongside - but while the basic principles haven’t changed since the first days of the perennially popular gift, the sophistication certainly has.
While Denmark’s best-known export until Ozempic is still about following instructions and building creations, since the beginnings of Lego Technic in the late 1980s, the range of developments continue to impress. Now you can be your own version of Super Mario, complete with sound effects, or create a Harry Potter-themed wonderland - and that’s before we even look at the adult Lego sets which can contain thousands of pieces and see huge scale models of the Millennium Falcon or performance cars.
My son Eddie, seven, loves Lego. He likes everything from mini-figures up to bigger sets, and when given the chance to test a Creator 3 in 1 set, leapt at the opportunity.
Eddie is happiest when he is settling down to a decent-sized box of bricks. I’m amazed by the fact that many sets nowadays have instructions that can only be seen on the Lego app, but this Creator astronaut set came with a trusty paper booklet - meaning that flat batteries didn’t derail any building efforts.
Eddie said: “I love Lego and I really enjoyed this one. My favourite part was the helmet because it snapped into place really well. Even though it said ages 9+ I thought it was OK. I had to undo a couple of bits but it wasn’t too hard. And I really like the stand that the astronaut sits on.”
And from a parent’s point of view, we’re always delighted when a child gets stuck into something wholesome that doesn’t involve a screen. Well, to be honest, we’re delighted about anything that will keep kids quiet for a few hours. And this certainly hit the mark.