I haven't indicated my age, but I'll come out of the basement - and since I still have LEGO-aged kids at home, I always have an excuse to go to TRU to browse for them me. We are into Technic, CIty, trains, and unfortunately Friends, but I only focus on Technic, as I see it as fun and a teaching opportunity, as many children are no longer mechanically inclined, and I will like to have both my son and daughters to be able to build and fix simple devices and understand how more complex devices work.

I haven't indicated my age, but I'll come out of the basement - and since I still have LEGO-aged kids at home, I always have an excuse to go to TRU to browse for them me. We are into Technic, CIty, trains, and unfortunately Friends, but I only focus on Technic, as I see it as fun and a teaching opportunity, as many children are no longer mechanically inclined, and I will like to have both my son and daughters to be able to build and fix simple devices and understand how more complex devices work.

That's really good to hear and you are to be complimented on your parenting skills. At my age, I'm afraid that America is going to be a nation of fast food workers. Alas, I see there is hope! That, plus the three Georgia tech professors and grads that live in my neighborhood, well, things may work out after all.

Old Timers...... it.....at least I'm still four and a half years away from that title !

But are the younger members of EB going to be called 'young whipper snappers' ?

Off the Wall, thanks

complimented on your parenting skills

My wife and I are both engineers, so while she has little appreciation for grown-up toys, she does appreciate having these mechanical devices around, and since we frown on i-thingies, eventually the kids get around to investigating all the contraptions I bring home. Hopefully some of it wears off on to them.

... I even help parents with purchases for their children ...

I bet you qualify for a part time gig at a lego store ... U get first dibs at latest/newest sets, and most likely with a hefty discount too ... And, most importantly, you can convince parents and grandpas to get second sets for themselves too ...

Now u got me thinking :)

Old Timers...... it.....at least I'm still four and a half years away from that title !

But are the younger members of EB going to be called 'young whipper snappers' ?

Only if they are young and good at snapping whips ;) ;)

Andy D

Edited December 19, 201311 yr by Andy D

Andy,

I do the same thing when in Lego aisles/stores/Parks. Seems that TLG should put us on the payroll we help sell so much of their products!

It is fun sharing LEGO knowledge with those in the dark, which seem to be most of the folks we see shopping for LEGO.

Wished I had a child working in a LEGO store, but both are employed elsewhere. Drats!

One way to gently push kids into LEGO is to unplug the TV and computers, etc., and pull out the LEGO. This worked around our kids when they were under twelve. It does frighten me that all of these toddlers are now addicted to iPad and iPhone games. Will they have any social skills or enjoy making anything real? Sounds like parents now need to limit hours with these gadgets, which can be educational in small doses but addictive if allowed more than an hour or two a day.

Maybe our future role as grandparents is to show the way by doing this. Grandparents are a huge target market for many products and services these days. So maybe TLG needs to begin actively marketing to them just like other groups. How about Lifetime Parks passes for $500. for those over 60? That way we can afford to take grandkids to Parks. The Lifetime Passes are incredibly expensive for Seniors if you look at actuarial tables and see how few years many of us will live. Why should we pay the same amount as a 25 year old for a Lifetime Pass? Especially those of us who live ten hours or more from a Park.

Maybe TLG could offer a Grandparents' Club…with special packages for Juniors and Juniorettes at Parks and in stores. Many travel companies are going after this market quite successfully.

Anyway enjoy shopping and building for others this holiday season as many of us Oldies spend a lot of time doing things for others. Cheerio!

"Lifetime Passes are incredibly expensive for Seniors if you look at actuarial tables and see how few years many of us will live."

Wow, that's a delightful thought with which to begin the day!

:-)

Hahaha! Guess that having paid full price to visit three Parks this year is getting to me!

Did not mean to ruin your day! Cheers!

if you look at actuarial tables....

Blimey!, My first thought was that must be the first time the words "Actuarial Tables" and "Lego" have been uttered in the same context. But no, it's been used before

http://www.homeownersinsurance.org/who-wouldn%E2%80%99t-want-to-own-a-lego-house/

I am not sure if I like to be called an old timer even if at 56 I do feel like it at times. I never owned or had access to lego till i was in my 50'ies but have been making up for lost time since. I dont collect themes but build MOC with Technic and Mindstorms these dont last long once completed I soon have them dismantled for use in the next project.

Trash,

Hahaha! Love you recent post! We are covering all kinds of new ground here, aren't we!

The book about that house is available in the US. Too bad the sale to Windsor LL fell through.

So the question is...da da da da....

How many of us Oldies aged 60 and over would buy a lifetime pass to all the Legoland Parks if it were priced at 500 USD?

Reasonable question, eh?

Myxo, ditto here about not owning LEGO before age forty. And it was 15 years later that the sets purchased were for me rather than the kids. This is common in the US because LEGO distribution was so limited until the Eighties it seems...when WalMart got into them big time.

PR.......Well, if you search ebay you will see this has already appeared as a 'pre-order buy it now'. Price in the low $200 range.

Go,figure, eh?

Oops.....meant to post this in the PR thread.....guess that's my old timer verification.

Edited December 20, 201311 yr by Off the wall

I am not sure if I like to be called an old timer even if at 56 I do feel like it at times. I never owned or had access to lego till i was in my 50'ies but have been making up for lost time since. I dont collect themes but build MOC with Technic and Mindstorms these dont last long once completed I soon have them dismantled for use in the next project.

Reminds me of a speech by the company's president few years back. We had an big employee meeting, and it so happened it was his birthday as well ... So, when came time for the Q&A, one young gal asked him: Mr XYZ, what does it feel to be 50? ... He paused for a moment, then replied: I visited my son in College last week, and he was telling me all about the university life .... so I tell you this: When you're 50, you still want to do the same crazy things you did when you were 20 ... except that your body does not want to come along for the ride ...

This thread has gone all over the place in the last two days, wow!

LegoLand passes... My wife and I have had the Merlin (or equivalent pass to Legoland) for the last 3 years. Good for Legoland CA and FL. I doubt I will got to the FL Legoland, because when I we go to FL we usually just check into our resort at WDW and only leave the property once to go to church on Sunday. I don’t like to drive on vacation, so LL FL is most likely not going to happen and a limo to LegoLand from WDW is just well, too much.

As for age and how old we feel... I feel younger some days than others, but I do try to enjoy each day.

I only got seriously interested in LEGO in 2010 (age 65), now I envy those of you who are at the low end of the AARP age group (50). Just admit you are 50, and enjoy your LEGO, and enjoy the Oldie’s group.

Myxo: Nothing wrong with being an “Old Timer” at 56, wear the badge proudly, lots of people don’t get to be 56. Be happy at 56.

BTW: Can someone give Myxo an “Old Timer’s” badge?

Look like our lego interests are all over the place, just like any age group, although I do think I see a few more folks in the modular or buildings type of interests, some Technic and Mindstorms (what got me started before I moved to modualrs).

Have a great day,

Andy D

This thread has gone all over the place in the last two days, wow!

Andy D

Yep, sure has. I appreciate the moderators not playing the 'off topic' card. Because.......it would be nice if this remained a broad, flexible thread where those over 50 could go to just bounce things off the wall, so to speak. Our age does give us a different paradigm.

Yep, sure has. I appreciate the moderators not playing the 'off topic' card. Because.......it would be nice if this remained a broad, flexible thread where those over 50 could go to just bounce things off the wall, so to speak. Our age does give us a different paradigm.

Yep, but it always seems to come back to topic as well, in fact, the little side trips are just ways of getting back to the topic of what we collect.

Andy D

I guess I am a Youngtimer, but I mainly collect older sets: Technic from '77 to ~2000, Model Team, and Classic Town from 1978 to ~1995.

Modern sets don't appeal to me, except Mindstorms and Trains. I also bought some modern Technic sets, but I discovered that I don't like studless building. Lego = studs, imho.

Andy D,

It is great you live close enough to a Legoland Park to go several times a year. LL FL is at least a 12 hour drive for us; we are planning to fly there next month on business, but it is a drive from Orlando to the Park. Too bad it is not closer to Orlando, too, as we visit the east side of FL on business, and traffic through Orlando can be a killer much of the time.

All,

It is great to have an Oldies group. Modulars and Architecture seem to interest most of us, which is great. Due to our longevity and more extensive travel, we tend to have more of an appreciation of which buildings are more worthy of recognition as an Arch set. And face it, we have just seen more of life and what people do and don't do.

Being in my sixties does not bother me because I can usually think my way through most situations and have a better understanding of where others are coming from. My mind and experience are my best assets besides my family and decent health. And I recognize that time is finite for each individual. That means we better do what we want with whom we choose before the clock runs out.

It also means that we tend to focus more on the survival of future generations including those who have not yet arrived on Planet Earth. What kind of legacy do we want to leave them? What kind of values do we want to model for them?

Spending time with our parents, children, grandchildren and good friends allows us to show what we think is important. Building LEGO with and for others sets an important example of how we value creative play. And things that don't require electronic devices.

When we can build with others, it is a bonding experience that makes it even more fun than building alone. And the act of talking and listening to others is what makes us more human. SO please play on and enjoy life especially over the holidays. Cheers!

...snip

Spending time with our parents, children, grandchildren and good friends allows us to show what we think is important. Building LEGO with and for others sets an important example of how we value creative play. And things that don't require electronic devices.

When we can build with others, it is a bonding experience that makes it even more fun than building alone. And the act of talking and listening to others is what makes us more human. SO please play on and enjoy life especially over the holidays. Cheers!

Parents, no, my wife and I are the older generation in our family. Grandchildren, not likely my son and daughter (in-law, more of a daughter to us) are 33 and children are not likely.

Building LEGO -- We have a tradition, on Christmas Day me, my son and his wife will build LEGO, while my wife prepares Christmas dinner (doesn't seem fair, but she enjoys seeing the family doing things together and we all do it in the same room, table off the kitchen in the Family Room so we all interact with each other). This year we are going to Build the Helms Deep, a perfect set to divide up both instructions books and bags of parts. When done, since it is modular castle it will fit together as one unit. I am really looking forward to that!

(Note to mods: Please don't bust us yet, this is really a fun thread for the Old Timers, we're working on an alternate solution)

Andy D

Edited December 21, 201311 yr by Andy D

I'm just a few years away from 50, and have been collecting LEGO for about 40 years (with only a minor setback in the early 80s when I went off to school and had to split the pile with my younger brother). I've never been very interested in the themed sets, perhaps because I was raised on the Universal sets. I get almost all my pieces in bulk used lots, now, and find I can pay for my habit by re-selling the themed items I happen to get with them. When I do buy a new set, it's usually one of the Creator series, which seem best to maintain the "Universal" ethic of the earliest days.

Well, my wife got me another Pet Shop and another Haunter House for Christmas. I now have all of the mods NIB back through GG plus I have all of them built. I had a haunted house, but converted it to a modular building. Maybe I'll just build it this time as a straight up Haunted House.

Can't wait for January 1st as I want the new Maresk ship. Thinned out a few sets over the holidays including the mobile crane to one of our friends children.

Will hold off on the PR......

Hope all fellow old timers had a good Christmas. I was really proud of my 13 and 11 year old nieces. They wanted archery gear and BB guns for Christmas. They live in rural Alabama and live life like it was lived decades ago (in many ways). They show much more interest in things they can use on their farm rather than on tech gear. While they have iPhones, when I left yesterday they were not glued to them. Instead, they were getting ready to go out for a little target practice.

I found this thread while looking for something else altogether. From the title I thought it would be about people who have been (back) in the Lego hobby for a long time. Looks like I don't qualify here just yet.

If I remember I'll come back in 2020 ;-)

I turned 50 earlier this year and although I don't consider myself to be old various family members derive (rather too much!) enjoyment from referring to me as such

According to my Daughter (Devil )-in-Law, when your head, and in my case chin, become over populated with grey hair you're officially old. Mind you, she thinks leopard print is the height of fashion so I'm inclined to discount much of what she says

I collect mainly Technic sets but also Model Team, Star Wars & Racers. I do though seem to accumulate sets at a far greater rate than I can build them.

My Wife loves the modulars and so far has the Cafè Corner, Pet Shop, Grand Emporium, Fire Station, Town Hall, Palace Cinema, Parisian Bakery and we're slowly accumulating the pieces for the Green Grocer. She also has the Haunted House and yesterday ordered the Simpsons House.

Jake, our 7yr old Grandson, has recently completed his first solo Technic build, the 42004 Mini Backhoe Loader. He's was so pleased with himself and following a browse through my collection has chosen the 42005 Monster Truck to build next.

He and I have a couple of joint projects in the pipeline, one of which is Zblj's Buggy, which we're both very much looking forward to getting started on.

Grandchildren are a wonderful gift and the one thing that this 'oldie' takes his greatest pleasure from. Mix Grandchildren with LEGO and I believe you have a comination guaranteed to keep any 'oldie' happy

Edited August 31, 201410 yr by grum64

This is such a great thread! Love the wisdom in here. I'll join you guys in another 10 or 15 years