As LEGO Technic creations go, this vehicle is as basic as they come. For me, it represents a point in a process I’ve been following with my two nephews (5 and 6): I’m trying to discover if they have the potential to be interested in LEGO.
We designed the car together. I asked the boys what they wanted to build: “A car” they both cried. Together we picked out pieces from my LEGO Technic collection, and constructed the car. “Anything missing?” I would keep asking, until the final pieces were installed (the seat). They played with the car for the next two days until they had to head home to their parents.
I left Yoshihito Isogawa’s excellent The LEGO Technic Idea Book: Simple Machines lying around, open at a picture of a simple crane. The younger nephew spotted this and kept asking if we could build it. Next morning, he was still asking, so I knew his interest was real. He and I picked out the pieces and built the crane.
This past week I’ve put together two construction kits so the boys can have their own cars. I used LEGO Digital Designer to create a digital model of the car, from which I got a bill of materials and a printed 20-page instruction manual. I then ordered the parts through BrickLink and put together the construction kits.
I want those boys to be who they’re meant to be. If LEGO fanaticism is in their futures, I’m here to feed the habit.