Best of both worlds

It all started in 1999. And the rest, they say, is history.

As I reach a significant milestone of 140 LEGO Star Wars set this year, I cannot help but to look back at the journey of this relentless pursuit for the 2 passions that accompanied me during my teens - LEGO and Star Wars. Yes, 140. But more of the collection in my subsequent blogs.

The story of this collection is probably similar to many who grew up during the 1970s and 1980s. Coming from low income family, getting the family fed was definitely more of a priority to my dad than to let me own a LEGO set. Of course in those years, there were plenty of alternatives, made from cheap plastics that easily chip off with a little more rigorous play and the colours faded faster than when my mum use bleach on a colour shirt. My power of imagination was probably shaped during those years of playing with the cheaper and lower quality bricks, using those chipped and damaged bricks to build the castle walls and the better conditioned ones as the battering rams of the "good knights" of my imagination.

Let's face it, LEGO was and IS expensive. As I grew up and and start to learn about the quality control and philosophy behind the company, I started to appreciate why I am coughing out so much for a few hundreds (and some, thousands) pieces of plastics. My occasional surprises from my dad was often hard earned with good behaviours coupled with excellent results. Those rare sets, mostly of the first generation Knight series, amount to probably 5. But to a young boy who was always unwilling to leave the LEGO isle in the toy store, these 5 sets had been the beacon of my limited toy collection. Not much of these 5 sets now remain, but whatever are left can still be used as loose bricks when my son needed some reinforcement in his LEGO castle sets. After all these years (20 decades and counting), they still fit nice and tight with the newer bricks. If that is not quality, I don't know what is.

Never at any moment in my life do I blame my dad for the deprivation of more LEGO sets. But I remembered telling myself this when I was 10, "When I grow up and earn a salary, I WILL buy my own LEGO collection." Those words were not forgotten, just archived for the day when I can materialise this dream. The day came when someone innovative in LEGO came up with this enterprising venture to collaborate with George Lucas' company to produce the most successful range of LEGO product to date - LEGO Star Wars ... *cue Star Wars theme music*

Honestly, I did not watch any of the Star Wars movies until I was very much older. The last time my parents watched a movie was probably when I was just a strand of protein (or less) so it would never cross their mind to bring me to the theatre to watch a movie that they didn't appreciate or understand. It was only when I started to see the Star Wars merchandise appearing on the shelves that it dawn upon me that Star Wars was BIG. My neighbour used to bring her Star Wars figurines to my place during play time, however I must have given away my look of envy to the extent that she eventually gave me the Han Solo figurine, without the accompanying laser blaster, which she has misplaced.

This lone Han Solo (pun intended) figurine became the hero in all my imaginary world. And as a hero, he certainly needs a flashy ride, made by none other than the limited LEGO bricks in my possession. That, should be the very first version of LEGO Star Wars!

Fast forward to 1999, my Hans Solo was no where in sight and all that were left of his ride was a pile of grey bricks that were once the proud defence of a LEGO castle. Enter the first LEGO Star Wars set, and the rest, as they say, is history.