One Brick to Rule Them All

It goes without saying that I am a huge Lego fan, but I said it anyway.


As a kid, I built a Lego town that spanned two, count 'em, two unused dining room tables in my basement.  It had a downtown area with skyscrapers and parking garages.  A train (one of the earliest Lego train models) circled its borders.  It even had a space shuttle launching site.  Thank God I was never trusted with any urban planning because the proximity of the launch pad to the rest of the town would have left it in a heap of melted plastic.


For as into my Lego town as I was, the Lego Star Wars sets would have easily risen above the city sets on my Lego hierarchy.  Alas, I was in what many Lego enthusiasts refer to as the Dark Ages when Lego began making Star Wars sets.  When Episode I was released, I was preparing to finish college and the money I had was still going toward beer and books, not plastic bricks.  I'm sure my parents are glad I had not been purchasing Lego Star Wars sets as well as they would have had an entirely new problem on their hands of Lego starships hanging from their ceiling instead of sitting on a table (note to self: figure out a way to hang the boys' Lego Star Wars ships form the ceiling; convince wife it takes up less space, pun intended).


With this obsession over two awesome things combined to make one even awesomer thing (Lego + Star Wars = Lego Star Wars, or where you not paying attention?) in mind, imagine my excitement when I read the news on The Brothers Brick blog that Lego had acquired the rights to produce Hobbit and Lord of the Rings sets.


I know!


I have been barely able to contain my absolute joy over this.  Each time I converse with someone, it begins with my attempt to analyze whether or not they will be interested in the news.  If there is even the slightest chance that they will be, it slips from my mouth in a slightly higher than intended volume at even the most forced segue opportunity.


"It was awesome, he hit the shot just before the buzzer.  You should have seen it."


"Right before the buzzer?  Wow.  Interesting they would use a buzzer, not a bell.  A buzzer buzzes, but a bell rings.  Speaking of rings, have you heard that Lego is going to start making Lord of the Rings sets?"


But for as willing as I have been to embarrass myself at holiday parties by hijacking conversations, the greatest amount of excitement came when I allowed my brain to come down from its euphoric high of lego and all awesome franchises living in harmony (what's next, Lego Firefly?  Lego Zelda?  Lego Marvel Universe?...I hear that last one really is forthcoming).  Some of my favorite video games over the past decade have been the Lego Star Wars games.  They have allowed for total immersion into the Star Wars films' events better than any other game in my humble opinion.


Now there is certain to be a Lego Lord of the Rings video game.


I know!


At this point, I've had to temper my enthusiasm before it gets the best of me.  I have resigned myself to wait until the game is released.  I will try and put it out of my mind until then.  Once it is out, however, I will play it with my older brother to its completion and the kids can get a crack at it after.