Lego’s Spinning 3D Globe Is Another Convincing Reason for Adults to Keep Playing With Plastic Bricks

Lego’s Spinning 3D Globe Is Another Convincing Reason for Adults to Keep Playing With Plastic Bricks

When the first true Lego sets arrived decades ago they were targeted at kids, but as those kids grew into adults, they never stopped loving the building bricks. As a result, adult fans of Lego (or AFOLs) have always been a driving force behind the toy’s popularity, but it’s only in recent years the company has started catering to them specifically with sets featuring more grownup themes and designs.

There’s nothing wrong with an adult grabbing up the latest Lego Star Wars models. But for those who love building with the plastic bricks but don’t necessarily want shelves filled with spaceships and superheroes, Lego’s introduced alternatives including pop culture-inspired portraits, a monstrous map of the world that’s officially the company’s largest set to date, and even a staggeringly detailed replica of the ill-fated Titanic. Its latest creation is not only a technically-challenging build, it would also look right at home in a study or an office because nothing makes you look smarter than a globe sitting on your desk.

It’s Educational!

Lego’s Spinning 3D Globe Is Another Convincing Reason for Adults to Keep Playing With Plastic Bricks

How many Lego sets actually promise to teach you something? Not only does the new 2,585-piece globe put all of the planet’s continents and oceans on a 3D recreation of our celestial home, but they’re also all labelled. So, if you struggle to remember which side of the country the Pacific and Atlantic oceans are located, keep this perched on your desk to provide an instant answer.

It’s Educational In the Dark Too!

Lego’s Spinning 3D Globe Is Another Convincing Reason for Adults to Keep Playing With Plastic Bricks

How often have you woken up in the middle of the night wondering how much larger Asia is than Africa? Too many times to count, right? The printed label tiles included with the Lego globe all glow in the dark, so even if you can’t see your hand in front of your face, you’ll still be able to glance over at the globe and learn something — assuming you keep it on display close to your bed.

Building a Sphere From Lego Is an Incredible Technical Challenge

Lego’s Spinning 3D Globe Is Another Convincing Reason for Adults to Keep Playing With Plastic Bricks

Like trying to draw accurate curves on an Etch A Sketch, Lego bricks aren’t exactly the best building materials for creating three-dimensional spheres. But through clever use of Lego Technic pieces for the globe’s inner structure that’s then wrapped in an outer mosaic of lightweight flat tile pieces, this set realises the impossible and recreates our spherical home — although on a much smaller scale.

You Can Customise It However You Want

Lego’s Spinning 3D Globe Is Another Convincing Reason for Adults to Keep Playing With Plastic Bricks

As with most Lego sets, this one has a handful of fun Easter Eggs, including a ship sailing across the Pacific Ocean. But once you work your way through the build manual, you’re free to customise and accessorize the globe however you see fit. Plant a flag on the stud nearest your hometown, add a sea monster here or there, or even take what you learned about how the sphere was built and create an accompanying moon.

It’s Inspiration to Keep Building, Even as an Adult

Lego’s Spinning 3D Globe Is Another Convincing Reason for Adults to Keep Playing With Plastic Bricks

Although Lego’s in-house designers have the final say on every new set that goes into production, the new Lego globe was actually designed by Guillaume Roussel, a longtime fan of the building toy whose creation was endorsed by thousands of other fans through the Lego Ideas platform. Imagine finding a Lego set you designed and built on a toy store shelf one day.

Officially Available Starting on February 1

Lego’s Spinning 3D Globe Is Another Convincing Reason for Adults to Keep Playing With Plastic Bricks

Although revealed today, the new 2,585-piece Lego globe won’t officially be available until February 1, 2022. So you’ve got just shy of two weeks to find room on your desk and $US200 ($278) in your budget.


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