Slacking On Company Time
Last year, after sensing my career growth potential was been sputtering out, I decided to leave the car business. I’m sure it will try to pull me back in eventually, but for now I can’t say that I miss it. I miss some of the people and some of the cars, you know, the best parts. But most people suck and I had to deal with a ton of shitboxes, so the new job has been a refreshing change of pace.
Now that I’m settled into my new gig, I’m fielding car questions from co-workers almost daily. What’s this noise? Where can I get this part? Did I just get ripped off by my mechanic? I don't know. Maybe Napa. Maybe, maybe not.
Aside from better pay, less hours, and a slick office, I also get something I haven’t seen in almost a decade, an hour long lunch break! What the heck am I supposed to do with all this time? I’ll tell you what…build Legos…Bootleg Legos. (Bootleg-os?) But not just any sort, I’m a car guy after all.
After my wife sent me the link to the Build Mini Motors e30 M3 kit, I had to have it. Sure, I could have built it at home and have brought it to work, but I have a newborn at home and minimal free time. I also fly in an airplane to work. (Wild, I know.) I’d look like a psychopath waltzing onto a small airplane with my lunchbox and a model car. So for the past few weeks I’ve been cobbling it together on my lunch break along with a model workshop to park it in. Sure I could read books, but my penchant for erotic thrillers would raise a few eyebrows. I think it's safer career move to look like a nerdy slacker than a low key pervert.
While the bricks look like Lego brand bricks, they’re actually “Mooxi Blocks”. They look like they’re Lego compatible, but I'm not entirely sure. While the tolerances aren’t legendarily tight like Lego, they’re pretty good, especially for the price. We're talking $35-$50 for most kits. My Lego skills are a bit rusty and dozens of new bricks have been released since my Space Police 2 days, but I found both sets to have some nifty build techniques. The kits were also very detailed despite being quite small! A toolbox that opens and closes? Check. A full interior with gauges, dashboard, gearshift, and roll bar? Check.
Single stud plates are stacked sideways to make the taillights and grilles. Jumper plates are stacked in nifty ways I've never seen. The M Stripe livery makes for an asymmetrical, challenging build. But look at that tile fitment! Yikes...tolerances are a bit loose.
The M3 and the workshop are sold separately so they aren't the same scale, but they still look badass on my desk next to my red Swingline stapler. Do you want a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, MK4 Toyota Supra, or a Ford Bronco for your desk? (I know I do.) Build Mini Motors has you covered. Build Mini Motors also takes requests, so ask away! You know you want to. I think I'm going request an AmphiCar or a Caterham 7.
A tire mounting machine, lathe, drill press, hooks for tools, and spare wheels...All it needs is a mini-fig in a race suit!
So, how was the build experience? Fun! Sure, the instructions were a bit puzzling at times, but nothing a semi-experienced AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego) hasn't run into before. The designs are well thought out too. The best part is these sets were so cheap I don't care if a piece mysteriously disappears. Though like my Office Space stapler, seeing a faux lego (Leg-faux?) on a coworker's desk is pretty damning evidence of thievery.
Since my office has so much room for activities, I'm sure one or two more of these sets will magically appear in the future. Oops. Meanwhile, my Lego brand Vespa and Back to the Future DeLorean will remain safe and sound in their boxes my living room.
I'll get to those real Lego kits sooner or later, I swear. As soon as I clean off my desk at home.
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