As an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO), it is easy to abuse the fact I have a disposable income to spend on LEGO. Coming from a less than ideal obsession with buying Transformers in my early twenties, I've tuned down my toy purchases. For my own mental health.

If you're a LEGO fan with a problem, it's worth watching the Brick Queen, here. The addiction is real.

You're probably thinking, 'If this guy is reviewing LEGO, shouldn't he have like a mountain of it at home?

This is why I want to introduce you to LEGO. Boxed.

People interested in a new hobby shouldn't feel compelled to buy every 'wave' or every set in even just one wave for that matter. You should be able to be content window shopping and still be able to get a kick out of it.

The goal of LEGO. Boxed is to take a look at LEGO sets for what they are when you see them on the shelf. They are a promise.

LEGO are selling you the same thing that Toyota sell you when they are showing you an advertisement of a group of young twenty-somethings ferrying their friends from city parties to a tranquil park opposite the beach. They are promising you something that is already in your hands and is entirely out of their control. It is the promise that having this thing will give you something more than you already have, whether it's excitement, fun or social status.

Please don't get me wrong, I am a consumer. But I have more LEGO sets around than I probably should have and it made me wonder how much they add to my life. Deep down, we're all aware that consumerism does not improve your happiness. Once you're able to generate enough money to pay for basic needs such as good food, clean water and a roof over your head, most other things are superfluous. It complicates things when you see your friends and others on social media travelling and seeing the world, but for the most part, the problem is in your own head and if you did all the biometrics, those 'jet-setters' likely aren't as happy as you. They're like the addict chasing the next hit. When you've been to the African Savannah, seen the Northern Lights and experienced the wonder of the Taj Mahal, where next? And at what cost?

You can argue as much as you like, but it's a fact. Greed in the Western World is rampant and it's pretty disgusting what people will do in an attempt to attain some form of higher stratification of happiness. There isn't anything wrong with skipping the huge overseas adventure to spend more time in a local national park and there is nothing wrong with appreciating LEGO on the shelves in shops. In fact, I do it all the time!

Welcome to LEGO. Boxed. Where I decide if you really need that set, without even buying it.

Incredible artwork, ALERT! I even went cheap on my nasty logo for this series. Time to get over that.

The reason why I wanted to start writing about boxed and mostly unbought LEGO sets, is that the review should always be as unbiased as possible. If I don’t like a set, why would I buy it and then possibly tell you not to?

I follow plenty of LEGO reviewers. As far as I have seen, my idea has gone completely overlooked. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate their work. I do. I just don't believe everything they say.

I follow plenty of LEGO reviewers on YouTube including a new addition, brickitect, AKA Greg, who also features his two-year-old son, Clark on his review channel. Others I’ve been following for years include some old hats such as the reviewing powerhouse, JANGBRICKS and Mr. Throwback Thursday, himself, Just2good. In terms of video reviewers, I was so sad to see the disappearance of one of my earliest introductions to YouTube LEGO videos - Brick Formula, who’s last video was over three years ago. I loved his dry humour and sort of unintentional ASMR-like voice.

I commented on one of JANGBRICKS' videos a while back. I asked about his thoughts on whether he believed he was passively pushing consumerism.

He didn't like the implication that the fact he bought all of these sets was somehow swaying his credibility. He claims he wants to give honest reviews of all the sets he bought so as to prevent people making mistakes on purchases. I applaud his intention, but what people see is that a middle-aged man has a massive LEGO collection and is a successful Youtuber with nearly one MILLION subscribers. Therefore, they too, should be buying all of this stuff.

He argued until he was blue in the face and staunchly defended his position. Of course. He had to. This was his bread and [vegan] butter. It actually reminds me of my naivete in working in the coal mining industry to see if I could do anything from the inside. It was doomed from the beginning.

Does his videos have a role? Yes. I think his honest reviews have less of an effect than he would like to think. His channel serves to promote the purchase and consumption of LEGO. I think in his mind, if a customer has $100 to spend (on anything) he considers it LEGO money. He may advise one buying one set over another set, but would never advise not buying any sets. I know this is getting a bit fringe and I appreciate that you've stayed around this long through some of my own mental grappling, but my point remains.

We can enjoy things without even buying them. It sounds nuts, I know.

I've been to Paris and I've seen the Eiffel Tower. I didn't climb it.

So what? I don't feel like I missed out on anything. I've been to Singapore and paid admission to access the roof of the Marina Bay Sands. You want to know the best angle for photos? From the ground looking up at the Marina Bay Sands itself. That's irony for you. The best photos cost nothing to take.

The Clarkman from 'brickitect'. Their channel is a worth a visit.

It is also worthwhile mentioning that I’ve followed Jay’s Brick Blog for longer than I’ll admit.

Jay Ong is a passionate Aussie LEGO enthusiast that prides himself on regular content production that consists of thorough and comprehensive reviews of sets, LEGO related news and updates on LEGO sales in Australia. If you take the time to visit his blog, you’ll be happy to find basically everything you need to know about the set he has reviewed – from piece count to price. Jay’s photography has improved over the years and he has taken a great deal of effort to keep the production value high over time, despite his growing family commitments! Spoiler.. he spawned a tiny human!

I’ve been doing my best to encourage Jay to start a Steemit account. Alas, he’s dragging his feet! Come on, Jay, time to join #teamaustralia.

Jay’s only LEGO Harry Potter review – LEGO set 4865, The Forbidden Forest.

With the upcoming re-release of LEGO Harry Potter 75954, Hogwarts Great Hall, it has certainly reinvigorated my interest in LEGO this year! Image Source.

Get ready for some upcoming articles reviewing the sets available in my local area. Spoiler #2, I'm likely not going to be buying any!

I'll be talking about box art, minfigure assortment and calmly coaching you down from the ledge. You probably don't need to buy $500 worth of LEGO this month. Your marriage may not be able to sustain that battering.

That's it. You've reached the end. Now you must UPVOTE. No. Really.. upvote.

I bid you farewell,

Nick.

All content is original.

Disclosure: This article was not a paid promotion and was not self-upvoted. Nor were there any affiliate links. I did receive that Hobbit set (see cover image) as a gift, though.

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I do my best to engage with all thoughtful comments. This space absolutely invigorates me, so shoot me a comment.. even a critical one. I love fans and I love argumentative a-holes. I don’t discriminate.

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I’m still looking for an artist to cover my work on my fantasy saga, Adventures in Elowyn Glade. Please make some noise if you’re interested.

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