What was your first LEGO set?

[Bruce N H]

Hi all,

I was just waxing nostalgic in a comment on a [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/horlack/506138 ... 6925146523]neo-Classic Space MOC[/url] on Flickr and thought I'd raise the question here. We've probably discussed this before, but if so it's been a while, and the search engine won't search for "first set" as the words are too common.

Anyway, I'll start. I'm old, so my LEGO memory goes back to the mid-70's. I remember that a family down the street had a big box of LEGO that I would play with when I visited. My own first set was probably actually 1977's [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/190436111@N04/ ... ed-public/]Universal Building Set 111[/url], as I know I had one of those big round yellow heads in my LEGO box as a kid, with one blue cap and one black "girl-hair" - the next size Universal set has two of the big-figs. Or I may have had 1976's set 20, which is the exact same thing with different numbering. I'm assuming this is one of those things that happened back then where the set would have one number in Europe and then a year later would come out in the US with a different number.
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/190436111@N04/ ... ed-public/][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50613315 ... e57e_n.jpg[/img][/url]

But my first two sets that were specific designs were these two. BTW, I'm not sure on the years of when I got these things, as sets used to stay on the shelves for longer than they do now.

1976's [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/rob-young/2833241526/]435 Tipper Truck[/url] - I think I still have that odd blue piece and the printed 1x4 red brick. There was an identical set two years earlier, set 612. Again, I'm assuming the earlier one was the European release.
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/rob-young/2833241526/][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/3168/283324152 ... 9e9a_m.jpg[/img][/url]

My first set that had minifigs was [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/moctagon/5412221632/]462 Mobile Rocket Launcher[/url] (Brickset says 1978, Bricklink says 1979) - also known as set 897 in Europe.
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/moctagon/5412221632/][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/5258/541222163 ... b351_n.jpg[/img][/url]
This really set me on the path to being an AFOL. I played with that set for hours and hours. The alternate designs on the back of the box taught me to come up with my own designs (my favorite was the one in the lower left corner of the back-of-the-box variants. My biggest complaint about the set was the way the bracket is right in the middle of the rocket, so to "launch" it you have to break the rocket into two pieces, then put them back together to fly off. My first set modification was adding a 2x8 plate so I could shift that bracket back several studs, and then hook the black 2x2 cone to that so I could properly launch the rocket.

Over the next couple of years I got several of the early Classic-Space sets. I never did get Galaxy Explorer, though. Maybe one day I'll treat myself and get it on eBay. Perhaps surprisingly, I never had castle sets as a kid - I guess I got settled in to space mode, and was fading out of LEGO building by the time I first read the Lord of the Rings. Later, in grad school in 1998 Shell gas stations had these little [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/bohman/339645583/]promo sets[/url] for like two dollars with a tank of gas. I figured "why not?" and bought one, and then kept going back until I had most of them, including the three that were Fright Knights, so I guess those were my first castle sets. Around the same time I discovered that there were LEGO sites online, and soon after I found I could get LEGO on eBay, then on Brickbay, which then became Bricklink, and realized I had an adult salary and could buy things. The rest is history.
[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/bohman/339645583/][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/162/339645583_ce37e716c1_m.jpg[/img][/url]

[Frank_Lloyd_Knight]

The first Lego set I had was one of the universal building sets with the big yellow headed people with the wavy arms. I think it might have been #114 just going by some of the distinctive pieces I recall having:
[url]https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/114-1.jpg[/url]

I also remember getting a police motorcycle set with the same sort of figures. #256:
[url]https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/256-1.jpg[/url]

One set I'm particularly nostalgic about is one of those with the early minifigures that had no arms or legs. It was a little ambulance and helicopter set:
[url]https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/770-1.jpg[/url]

And then of course when I was about 10 years old, I saved up my allowance and did extra chores for what seemed like the longest time in order to buy the yellow castle when it first came out:
[url]https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/375-2.jpg[/url]

I always forget to mention this one, but my grandmother gave me an expert builder set, which I think would be called Technic these days. It was a dump truck with a front loader. I suppose she thought I was getting to be an older kid and thought I would like a more mature lego set. But for some reason this never caught my imagination, and I never really had the patience to try and figure out anything creative on my own with all the little gear pieces it contained. I can't even remember putting together the main model, although I suppose I must have.
[url]https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/8848-1.jpg[/url]

On the space side of things, I had this set which was one of my favorites:
[url]https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/6950-1.jpg[/url]

[Azaghal]

We've probably discussed this before, but if so it's been a while, and the search engine won't search for "first set" as the words are too common.

This is the Internet, [url=http://classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 2&start=30]nothing is gone forever[/url]. As my response to that 15-year-old thread ( ) is a little sparse, I'll unpack it some.

My first set, as I mentioned, was the [url=https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... ge?S=545-1]545 Build-N-Store chest[/url]. I still have the chest and all of the pieces, although one of the baseplates has snapped in half. The original instructions are long gone, but sometime in the late 90s or early 00s I was able to get TLC to send me a replacement for free.
[img]https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/ON/0/545-1.png[/img]

My second set, the first of a particular model, was probably a Town set. I had a lot of Racing sets in those early days - the most likely candidate was the [url=https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... e?S=6644-1]6644 Road Rebel,[/url] although the [url=https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... e?S=6510-1]6510 Mud Runner[/url] is also a candidate.
[img]https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/ON/0/6644-1.png[/img]

There are also multiple candidates for my first Castle set. I think I agree with myself from 2005 that the best is [url=https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... e?S=6034-1]6034 Black Monarch's Ghost[/url], but the [url=https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... e?S=6018-1]6018 Battle Dragon[/url] is a possible competitor. I also had the [url=https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... e?S=6042-1]6042 Dungeon Hunters[/url] back then, but I'm reasonably sure that one came a bit later.
[img]https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/IN/0/6034-1.png[/img]

[Crazylegoman]

The first set that I bought was Red BASIC set #333.

[img]https://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/ON/0/333-1.png[/img]

I had a few pieces from McDonald's Happy Meal LEGO sets before that. They really maxed out my interest in LEGO, which led me to buy set 333 at a Pamida in Hoopston, Illinois when I was in first grade.

It's hard to imagine a set that's more "pure" than those Red BASIC sets.

David

[Elephant Knight]

We've probably discussed this before, but if so it's been a while, and the search engine won't search for "first set" as the words are too common.

This is the Internet, [url=http://classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 2&start=30]nothing is gone forever[/url]. As my response to that 15-year-old thread ( ) is a little sparse, I'll unpack it some.

That thread is so old, it predates my joining!

My first set was [url=https://brickset.com/sets/1464-1/Pirate-Lookout]Pirate Lookout[/url], and it was recently discovered that I got this little guy in Sept 1995, which meant I was 3 years, 1 month old My older brother, Formendacil, was able to figure this out by deducing other facts about his memory and his own Lego acquisitions at that time. Interesting to note that Pirate Lookout was released in 1992, same year I was born.

My second set was also a Pirate set, [url=https://brickset.com/sets/6252-1/Sea-Mates]Sea Mates[/url]. There is photographic evidenve I got this on my 4th birthday, in August of 1996. Guess that means I had my first Lego set or 11 months before I got my second.

Third and fourth sets for me were gotten Christmas 1996, and they were (mostly) castle, [url=https://brickset.com/sets/1804-1/Crossbow-Boat]Crossbow Boat[/url] and [url=https://brickset.com/sets/1843-2/(Unnamed)]Space Castle Value PAck[/url]. I have heard that I opened this present early to "Prove that it was a Lego set".

I could keep going, but after those sets, I am unable to pinpoint what my next set is.

And 1000 posts! I made it!

EKnight

[Ironikman]

For my first participation, I wanted to leave a comment on this thread.

My face was rocked by legos and board games, especially wooden games [url=https://www.fast-sling-puck.com/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/9MWzWqFn/image-transparent.png[/img][/url]. I spent hours in front of my first lego below. I didn't keep a picture but I found one in my search engine.

It is exactly her. I can't believe that people want to part with them to resell them on amazon.

[Ironikman]

In the end, I couldn't post the picture.

[ffilz]

I think this was my first set received as a set:

https://brickshelf.com/gallery/ffilz/Me/lego ... x-mass.jpg

I think that's 115: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... ge?S=115-2

We already had Lego, my father's German colleague came to the US for a year with his family. On departing, they gave us the Lego they had brought so they had more room for US goods to bring home.

Frank

[Frank_Lloyd_Knight]

For my first participation, I wanted to leave a comment on this thread.

My face was rocked by legos and board games, especially wooden games [url=https://www.fast-sling-puck.com/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/9MWzWqFn/image-transparent.png[/img][/url]. I spent hours in front of my first lego below. I didn't keep a picture but I found one in my search engine.

It is exactly her. I can't believe that people want to part with them to resell them on amazon.

Welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy chatting here and maybe sharing some of your builds.

[Frank_Lloyd_Knight]

I think this was my first set received as a set:

https://brickshelf.com/gallery/ffilz/Me/lego ... x-mass.jpg

I think that's 115: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... ge?S=115-2

We already had Lego, my father's German colleague came to the US for a year with his family. On departing, they gave us the Lego they had brought so they had more room for US goods to bring home.

Frank

How nostalgic. Thanks for sharing.

[ffilz]

I think this was my first set received as a set:

https://brickshelf.com/gallery/ffilz/Me/lego ... x-mass.jpg

I think that's 115: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... ge?S=115-2

We already had Lego, my father's German colleague came to the US for a year with his family. On departing, they gave us the Lego they had brought so they had more room for US goods to bring home.

Frank

How nostalgic. Thanks for sharing.

While I had a very long dark ages, and that train never really inspired me, I at least was NOT one of the people who exclaimed: "Lego makes trains?" Had I got some of the later 70s trains and more of the 70s sets, maybe I would have retained enough interest to make it to the minfig era (I was in high school by that time) and kept going. Getting going with role playing games AND minifigs at the same time could have been very synergistic. And I wouldn't have had to hold out patience to find a decent deal on the yellow castle... (at least that WAS a good deal, a decent buy it now price that ended up coming with personal delivery to my home and connecting with another AFOL).

[Coatsy]

While I am not certain that this was the first set given to me, The Knight's Castle (6073) was my first Castle set. The set was a birthday present from my mom, and it made me a Black Falcons fan for life.

https://brickset.com/sets/6073-1/Knight-s-Castle

[Formendacil]

I keep meaning to reply to this thread but I am an old Ent grown very treeish on these fora--it takes a great deal to rouse me from my stupour.

I was three days shy of having the first LEGO set in our family--my brother got a LEGO set on Christmas Eve from our aunt at our grandparents' and I got my first set when we got home from my parents. It was Christmas 1992 and I was five nearing six. The set they gave me was a used, not-QUITE complete Fabuland set: "https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=3654-1&name=Country%20Cottage&category=%5BFabuland%5D#T=S&O={%22iconly%22:0}. I'm not sure where they got it, though a garage sale seems the most probable. As far as I know, it's pure happenstance that both they and my aunt thought that me and my brother ought to have some LEGO, but the timing was excellent, and as a result (eventually) Classic-Castle ended up with four of us.

My second set--the first one I got new--came for my birthday a month and a half later, so I'm thinking that LEGO was a hit from the get-go. This was a slightly newer set--released eight years later and not a used copy: [url=https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... conly%22:0}]525[/url], a Basic Building set. This was not much more complex than Country Cottage, though it did have my first true minifig and more than enough parts for true building.

I wouldn't go on to list more sets (I can probably get up to about twenty of them in the correct order without having to check), but the next was my first Castle set: [url=http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalog ... conly%22:0}]6081 King's Mountain Fortress[/url]. It was for a few years my largest set, my most populous set, and favourite set (though I had WANTED 6086 Dungeon Master's Castle, this is what my parents came home with). Even though my love would later be given to the Royal Knights, there's a reason my first [url=http://grandfatherstale.thecomicseries.com]webcomic[/url] features a classic Lion soldier as its protagonist.

[minoboys]

My first Lego set was probably one of these two either 497 or 375. Well they weren't really might, but my Dad's, I'm not that old.

[Tycho McKorley]

Bruce, I apologize if I'm necro-posting by pulling up a thread that's a few months old, but I'm hoping to be excused given how quiet the board is these days.

Anyway, I believe my first Lego set was some sort of car, but it has been so long that my memories of it are vague. The first set I really remember is 6034: Black Monarch's Ghost.

[img]https://img.lugnet.com/set/200/new/upload/60 ... 219145.jpg[/img]
[url=https://guide.lugnet.com/set/6034]Link[/url]

I remember assembling and disassembling this set as four-year-old until I had it memorized. As a child, the hidden ghost was spooky and the knight was exciting; I recall making up so many adventures with this. The complexity of Lego sets has increased quite a bit since the late 80s and early 90s and generally that's been good, but I will say these (retro?!) sorts of sets struck almost the perfect balance between play-ability, build-ability, and cost for working families. I worry that although the newer sets are aesthetically superior, they do not do that as well.

(Yes, I am linking to Lugnet for old time's sake)