#Wood kaleidoscope series#

You build a joystick that attaches to the back of the console, three cartridges, three small models representing each of the three games (Asteroids, Adventure, and Centipede), and a cartridge holder. The console itself takes the brunt of the build time, but the set is packed with smaller-scale kits that give it some added charm, authenticity, and variety. It shouldn't be a kid's first Lego set, but if they have experience with decent-sized builds (even some of the Lego Mario sets), it shouldn't present very many issues. While Lego recommends this set for builders 18 and over, the weighty instruction booklet is predictably superb. Each of the more than 15 bags of pieces represents a new aspect of the build with its own unique quirks. But Lego once again made the process of building the box an in-depth event that excels by avoiding repetition. After all, just like the NES, it's essentially just a box. At a glance, the console itself doesn't look like a super exciting build. This set is incredibly well-designed and contains a huge variety of pieces that made it a pure joy to build, even though it took me roughly seven hours. The only easily identifiable sign that this is a Lego set is a set of four studs sticking out of the front 'wood' panel. The other reason is that everything from the grates to the signature wood panel front looks so close to the actual console. That's partially why it could dupe people into thinking it's the real thing. Though the Lego NES was clearly smaller than the actual console, the Lego Atari (4 x 13 x 9 inches) is almost the same size as its inspiration (3.5 x 13.6 x 9.1 inches).

#Wood kaleidoscope series#

The TV took up about half of the NES build, while the Atari has a series of smaller supplementary builds. And the Lego Atari 2600 shows the console the reverence it deserves.Ĭoming in at 2,532 pieces, the Lego Atari 2600 has about 100 less pieces overall, but it has more pieces dedicated to the console itself. Without the Atari 2600, gaming would undoubtedly look different today. Predating Nintendo and Sega's home consoles, the 2600 is really the first console that found its way into homes in a big way. Younger Lego enthusiasts and gamers may not know much about the Atari 2600, but it's a really important piece of video game history. Though Atari is technically still operating today (in name only, really), it has been out of the console business for many years.