Hi everyone, it's been awhile! It's crazy to think that NGR is entering it's 10th year of being on it's own away from Capcom-Unity, and things have been crazy for me for... Quite some time to be honest. Originally when we got started out at nettosgameroom.com, I had all the free time in the world to do whatever. Fresh out of college, no full time job, and countless hours to keep up with gaming news, and to then in return share that news with the world! It was a lot of fun, but sadly it wasn't long before real life set in.
It's really been off and on over these years. NGR is a hobby, and not a job, so of course real life takes priority over things that happen here. I've dedicated a lot of time to this blog, but especially lately I haven't really had the time to do a whole lot... But I'm hoping this year I can make up for that lost time! Obviously I have even more responsibilities now days, but I'd like to keep NGR going as just a fun place where I can ramble about whatever when I feel like it. I'd like to get back more into gaming news (but there are plenty of sources out there now days, so really, I'm not so "needed" for that. I just like talking about gaming news, so yeah), but also keep a focus on other "fun" things as well. I don't want this site to turn into something I "need" to post on. I want it to go back to being something I had fun with, and hope others have fun reading. It's why I spent so much time writing reviews, and trying to make this blog both fun and informative. So to kick things off this year, I just waned to take the time to talk about an amazing gift I got for Christmas. THE SONIC LEGOS!
(Man I need to stop saying fun so much. That was overkill... Meh, whatever. Moving on!)
There's no denying that I love Sonic. I grew up watching the Sonic cartoons, I played the games every chance I got (before I owned them), I'd always pick the creepy looking Sonic Ice Cream bar from the Ice Cream Man, and my first serious website was a Sonic forum called The Chao Hideout. Sonic has/always will have a special place in my heart, and that will never change. So knowing just how big of a Sonic fan I am, my wife got me two perfect gifts! The Sonic controller holder, and the Sonic Legos!
I actually had no idea the Sonic Legos existed. They are a part of the Lego Ideas series, where people can submit their ideas to Lego themselves to have them be turned into actual Lego sets. These sets are insane creations that are typically well beyond what you would normally get out of Lego. Their age ratings are for adults, and usually contain THOUSANDS of Lego blocks to be put together. They are no joke, and the end results are just as impressive as the pictures make them look.
Each set comes in a fancy looking black box that makes them stand out from standard Lego sets, and they actually come with a pretty nice instruction manual! Now this may not seem like much, but now days Lego sets come with digital manuals (something I first encountered with the Mario Lego sets) so seeing a physical manual like the good old days was nice. On top of that, the manual includes series information, and background information on how the set came to be! It's pretty cool to read about the fan, and how she made the set a reality, and the book is filled with some nice video game style art. Heck, the end of the book is basically the Game Over screen which is awesome.
It just has a lot of charm, and I love it! Of course actually building the set is where the fun really comes from, and it's also those step by step instructions that continue to add to said charm. Not only is the set put together in pieces with a "stage progress bar," but at the end of each section you "complete the stage" and award Sonic with one of the Chaos Emeralds as well. It's just a really cool little detail, and makes you feel even more accomplished as you move along with the build. As for the build itself...
Despite being rated 18+, it actually isn't too difficult to put together! Anyone who has built Lego in general should be used to following the instructions, and all you really need to do is make sure the pieces are facing the right way/the right ones are used. It recreates the classic Green Hill style, so there are different shades of orange and brown that are used across the build. Using the wrong ones will result in losing that iconic look, but it's not the end of the world if you do mess up. Other than that, everything is a straight shot, with a little extra work for sticker placement. There aren't many stickers included in the Sonic set, but I personally still recommend using an exacto knife to make things easier -- a trick I picked up from building so many Gunpla model kits. Makes it easier to lift the sticker, and lay it in it's spot. But again, there's not many included in this one. (Only issue I actually had was the fact that the static on the Lego block pulled the sticker closer to it, and I did place one slightly slanted originally... But whatever!)
Anyway... Needless to say, I really enjoyed putting this kit together. I especially loved the fact that the spring can actually work/launch Sonic into the air if you press down on a switch, and even Eggman has pose-able arms and legs! There's a lot of little details I didn't realize this kit would have, and it made me love it even more. On top of that, there's actually a lot of things about Lego that I realized for the first time BECAUSE of this build, and it still amazes me that people can even come up with these things on their own. Sure, I've watched the Lego Masters show before, and I've seen massive creations built out of Lego at museums and what not -- but it's not until you're doing these more "advance" things that it really clicks. Not saying that the Sonic kit is the most advance thing in the world, but it's a heck of a lot more than what I'm typically used to -- that's for sure! A lot of tiny pieces fitting together to create something amazing. That's the best way I can possibly describe it. Makes me want to try out the other Ideas kits as well!
So yeah, what are you waiting for? If you are a Sonic fan and enjoy building things... I strongly recommend getting this one! You wont regret it!
