Today in “Lego is Freaking Awesome”, a good friend of Brickwares: Andrew Phung.

Andrew is a big kid at heart. During the day he’s the Program Director of a local organization. He loves toys and wrestling belts. He keeps action figures in his office. He’s been an improviser at the Loose Moose Theatre since he was 16 years old.

What was the first Lego set you remember playing with?

I remember getting something like this for a birthday:

My dad’s always been really good with his hands so he encouraged me to build things. My mom taught me that building it is most of the fun. This set was dope. It was a blank slate for me to create things. I had a phase where I’d make guns and than a Star Trek phase and eventually a wrestling phase.

I use to take my Mattel wrestling figures and play with the LEGO sets. I’d build announcer tables, dressing rooms, and even the ring. It was awesome.

What was the coolest Lego set you remember?

The coolest ones were the space ones:

I was a big Star Trek nerd so I loved anything to do with space. I think the appeal of something flying with guns was the main attraction. You could build small ships, big ships, etc. Also, these sets had more color and lasers and stuff.

How much Lego did you have as a kid?

I had a fair amount of Lego. Maybe 6 shoe boxes full. I never kept anything together for too long.

I remember this one time I had built this badass recreation of the USS Enterprise. I put it on my shelf in my room. This kid Daniel came over to play. He was an aggressive kid who did things just for a laugh. He started playing with it and dropped it. I went nuts on him. I was also in Tae Kwon Do so I could hold my own. He and I fought it out in my room. A while later I got him back by stealing the nun-chucks fom his Michelangelo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy. He cried when he lost it.

When was the last time you built something with Lego?

The last time I probably built anything was with this set:

I remember being really into basketball at the time and this toy store had it for half off. It came with spring-loaded men that could shoot the basketball. It didn’t take long to build but it took hours to figure out how to shoot the ball into the rim. Once I built it and played with it, there wasn’t much I could do with it. Unlike my previous sets I couldn’t take it apart and build something new. It was a basketball arena and that’s it. Anyways, it was good times and currently sits in the basement of my parents’ house.

Have you seen any Lego sets recently that made you want to buy them?

During Christmas this year, I saw some Batman sets that looked pretty dope. I remember walking over and reasoning it my head. The biggest question was, “will I play with it after I build it?” I didn’t think I would so I didn’t buy it. But I looked at it…a lot.

The one set I wish LEGO but I’ve never seen is a wrestling set. As a kid I loved wrestling and I always thought it was a good fit for both sides.

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Many thanks to Andrew for sharing his Lego stories with us.

We’re always looking for more stories for “Lego is Freaking Awesome”, so if you’re interested in appearing in the segment, send us an email.