To think lego are increasingly mugging consumers off with tiny pieces

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

DS (4) got his first lego classic box this Christmas. I got one of the biggest, most ex expensive boxes there was.

When I was a child, my first lego set (my mother still has it) had LOADS of proper building blocks - 1x4, 1x6, roof pieces etc.

Now they all seem bulked out with tiny tiny flat pieces - theres not enough to build a proper house, not even close.

Ones I have bought this year include set 41427 Emma's Fashion Shop (£25) and 31105 Townhouse Toy Store (£40 - but has been on special offer a few times). Both gorgeous little houses and added with a classic set you can adapt it to a different style although I have currently combined the two and just using the parts from those sets have created a 3 storey building with Fashion Shop on the ground and a two story apartment above complete with a viewing tower on the roof. I wish I could attach a picture to show you.
(Sorry - Lego is my obsession. I get a bit protective over it )

Just wait. Anything like my kids and in a couple of years you'll be knee deep in Lego of all shapes and sizes. We get a lot from eBay but always sets. Was surprised this year as MIL bought the big fire station set and I'm surprised how small it is, nearly the same size as a £20 hidden side set.

I always build with just three walls though so I can reach in the back and play with the figures and build them furniture

I do totally get what people are saying about Lego not offering enough standard bricks but that’s only an issue if you just want to build buildings. There’s a whole world of possibilities of things to build besides buildings and it really doesn’t inhibit free imaginative play if you have these sets. We do bulk out with kilo bundles from eBay, but my kids also seem to get a lot of joy building specific kits too - then stripping them for parts once they’ve had enough playing with them as they are.

As far as I’m concerned, I’m very happy my kids got into Lego! My boy has a very engineering type brain and it’s so good for his creativity and problem solving. For my girls, I love that it encourages them away from the endless rainbows and unicorns. For the amount of hours spent playing with it x the longevity of years they’ve been into it, Lego has a huge bang for buck.

When my DD started playing with Lego I thought the same thing about modern Lego sets, that they weren't as creative because the bits were so specific. I have completely changed my mind, the little intricate bits have sparked so many ideas for building that just wouldn't have been the same with larger pieces. Saying that, she does have a large quantity of basic bricks from the 70s and 80s, and a few base plates etc. Some sets get built and displayed, some get dismantled and used as parts.

I do think that the crossover sets seem worse value than Lego's own theme sets though. Harry Potter and Minecraft sets have been particularly disappointing to me in terms of value for money, when compared to Elves/Friends/Ninjago, but I suppose that's to be expected.