It is now official and irrefutable: Lego No longer just for kids. Of course, this has always been the case, but in recent years companies themselves have come to accept this fact. The first is “Creator Expert,” a larger, more complex, and more expensive series. Then there’s the adult-driven packaging, marked by sleek black boxes and a marketing campaign that gleefully declares “adults welcome.” Like many of the best children’s toys, LEGO is first and foremost for kids — but it’s also great for adults.
LEGO GroupThe latest attempt to rush into the middle-aged suit world at breakneck speed is suit 10306, Atari 2600. That’s exactly what you’d expect — a nearly but not entirely true scale model of one of the most important consoles in gaming history, dating back to 1982.
To be honest, the 2600 is way before my time (my first console was a Mega Drive), but I’m definitely the target audience for this series: a video game nerd who also loves and collects intricate scale LEGOs, appreciate The artistry of vintage video game consoles. I mean, for god’s sake, this machine has a woodgrain finish. You just don’t understand anymore.
As an architectural project, LEGO’s 2600 is a wonderful little experience. At $239.99 / £209.99 for 2532 pieces, it’s a big set and will take you a while to complete. I do think the price is on the high side for the core of the range – but I’ll come back to that later.
First, though, how about the bulk of the series? The 2600 console is stunning on its own, as are the cleverly bricked joystick controllers. Some neat building techniques were used throughout, with the perfect combination of orange and brown brick helping to create the signature wood grain on the console front. The logo and icons on the console are treated entirely in print – there are no stickers on the console itself. This is a major victory.
There are lovely click switches for things like the game selection and on/off switches, which make the finished model feel a little tactile. Like the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System, the Atari can also use game cartridges made from bricks that can be inserted just like real cartridges. This is first and foremost a mod, but I appreciate that it has a playable element.
Hidden under the hood of the 2600’s fuselage is a cute little easter egg. Pull the body of the machine toward you and flip up a small diorama from the 1980s—a living room fit for the era. There’s a wired phone, a 2600 and CRT TV running Asteroids, a poster that references Indiana Jones through the long-retired classic LEGO series Adventurer, a VHS tape, speakers and a LEGO minifigure who lives there. It’s a lovely addition and takes home the rendezvous: hardcore ’80s nostalgia.
it’s great. My slight reservations about the price have nothing to do with the main console, but more to do with the extras. In addition to the console and joystick, the LEGO Atari set includes three game cartridges and a mini shelf for storing them. Additionally, each cartridge can build a diorama for each game – so the asteroid rover can individually build a spaceship and exploding space rock, for example. Cartridge art is done with stickers, just like on the NES.
The build on these sides actually feels a little redundant, and that’s where this series is missing a little bit of me. Check out the baseball here – LEGO sets are designed in such a way that the concept is signed first, and then the design is done, which includes the price range. Honestly, it feels like the culprit here: the designer got the Atari 2600’s budget and final retail price, but after building the console and controller, the design was under budget. So add dioramas and cartridge cases to keep costs down to match the planned retail price — but these elements end up feeling like add-ons.
With the LEGO NES, the large CRT TV it comes with as part of the set makes sense and feels like a beneficial build and display part – the cartridges are much less important, especially the cart storage tower – which is based on A true Atari product, but also feels completely redundant.
That being said, it’s hard to argue too much against the value of this set of books. Once built, it’s an impressive, nostalgic building – something you’d be proud to show.
This is the best LEGO for adults – an engaging, mind-bending build, and a model worthy of showing off at the end. At this point, the Atari 2600 is more than adequate. It joins the NES as a cute showcase for retro gamers. With Nintendo and Atari done, it only had one thing – it was time for the Sega console. And then there’s the PS1. Are you listening, Lego?