h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

True Lego fans see this for what it is - a total travesty. Gone are the days when kids with imagination would find a way to construct an X-wing with nothing more than a few hundred 4 by 2 blocks, some 2 by 2, a few hydraulic tubes, two wheels and an axle (not necessarily for their original purpose). Now you construct the wings of... er... ready made wings, and the body with... er... a ready made body. Not to mention you have to mortgage your house just to buy the sets...!

I built a podracer with the X-wing kit.

I'd have to agree. The homemade model was always more satisfying, and no flimsy bits to break in mid-space collisons.

Mind you I would say that with my line in DIY lego lightsabres...

Check out the article about Lego in the Sept 2001 issue of Fast Company, discussing how Lego has had bad years recently, and the alleged innovations that they've hoped to boost performance. One of the old-school traditionalist Lego executives was quoted as saying, "Over my dead body will you be launching Star Wars (legos) in Europe."

There may be some loss of creativity... on the other hand, LEGO has always been about playing taxidermist and interbreeding the different sets to get cool combinations. This article hints at salvaging spare parts from the Star Wars sets to do other things.

Absolutely, though I still fondly remember the days of building horses out of blocks rather than getting them straight out of the box. Nothing beats filling in the gaps with your imagination.

Those first sets of space Lego were truly inspirational.

And those same Space sets currently exchange hands for 20 to 50 times their original, off-the-shelf price when offered mint in the box.

Although building things from bricks only was fun, the addition of horses and bits of cars can be a good thing. My son has ADHD, and would never play long enough to build his own toys. At least with a few bits ready made it is easier and quicker for him, and holds his attention longer.
I remember my brothers getting techinal lego for christmas. What did I get? A lego kitchen.

On a bit of a tangent, I recently came across an example of the creative possibilities of lego. LEGO PORN! Not as bad as it sounds and certainly not one for the kiddies, however, well worth a peruse. Check it out on the net (just go to google and search.)