With official guidance to stay at home, and increasingly more reason to never go outside (I joke, but…) this past year I’ve really gone deep into Lego as a hobby, and I’ve found myself really relishing it as a timesink. Between building my Lego Castle and creating an Instagram just for Lego, pottering about with bricks and sorting, handling and organising, I’ve just found it incredibly comforting. I already have far too much Lego, but for Xmas past I pushed the boat out and got one last pick-me-up of the year: 6066 Forestmen Camouflaged Outpost.
The set released originally in 1987, and at the tender age of one(!) I obviously missed it first time round. As a Lego Castle faction, I missed the entirety of the Forestmen -a tree dwelling band of Robin Hood-esque thieves- and never actually had any of the sets or minifigs despite the awareness of them. I remember seeing them in shops, in old catalogues, and a lot more often when I became an AFOL but it’s only maybe in the last 12ish years I’ve gotten some of the minifigs. Only 7 sets were released in the theme, and this is now my first.
I picked this up on eBay for what I think is a bargain, and while it had been opened, both the box and instructions were in great condition. The whole thing to be honest was in great shape, with pieces still rigid, coloured, and all the prints still intact. Someone really looked after this! I set time aside for building it and it was a really rewarding experience handling the bricks and admiring the old-school instructions, how everything was just so much simpler, and well…pure. And six minifigs included! As a set it’s not too detailed compared to modern standards but it has plenty of room for imagination and adventure to take over, and all it needs is a rival knight or thief to get involved and there’s a story there immediately. I’m very fortunate to have this thirty three years later, and building it made me both happy and sadly nostalgic.
The set rests in front of me on my desk where it catches my eye everytime I pass. For now I want to keep it separate from the rest of the collection, but in a few weeks I might see about acquiring some more sets from the same era and make a large classic diorama. It’s time to go (evem further) all in!