Alright, so let me tell you about my latest little project: getting some Forest Men Lego figures put together. It’s been a while, but the urge just kinda hit me, you know? I was digging through some old boxes in the attic, looking for something else entirely, and bam! Found a couple of those classic green feathered hats. That was it, the spark was lit.
Getting Started – The Great Brick Hunt
First things first, I knew I didn’t have all the original pieces. Those old sets are long gone or mixed into the general Lego chaos. So, the hunt began. I started by sifting through my loose bricks, a mountain of plastic, really. It’s like an archaeological dig sometimes! I was looking for specific torsos, the ones with the green patterns, some brown or green legs, and of course, bows and quivers.
I spent a good few hours just sorting. My back was aching, my eyes were tired of scanning for that specific shade of green. Found a few decent torsos, a couple of bows, but not enough. So, I did what any dedicated builder does: I checked out some online spots for individual pieces. Not gonna lie, some of those vintage parts can be a bit pricey, but I was on a mission.
- Scoured my own collection first.
- Made a list of what I was missing.
- Then, reluctantly, ordered a few bits and pieces online. Mostly just some specific torsos and a few more hats.
Waiting for those little plastic bags to arrive felt like being a kid again, waiting for Christmas.
Putting the Lads Together
Once all the parts arrived, it was assembly time. This is the fun part, right? I laid everything out on my workbench. I tried to get a bit of variety in them. Not all identical, you know? Some with different quivers, maybe a slightly different leg color if it looked right. The main thing was getting that classic Forest Men vibe.
I must have swapped heads and hats a dozen times on each figure. Does this hat look better? Does this face look more… foresty? Yeah, I get a bit obsessive with these things. I even found some old green capes, which I thought added a nice touch to a couple of the more ‘leader’ looking figures.
One fella was a bit tricky. The torso I got was a bit faded compared to the legs. Drove me nuts for a bit. I ended up giving him a cape, which kinda hid it, so problem solved, sort of. You gotta improvise sometimes.
The Final Setup – Into the Woods!
So, after a bit of tinkering, I had a nice little band of Forest Men. Maybe five or six of them. What to do with them then? Can’t just leave them standing on the desk. I grabbed a green baseplate, a few of those classic Lego tree pieces, and some bush elements. I wanted to create a small scene, like they were patrolling their neck of the woods.
I positioned them around, some hiding behind trees, one with his bow drawn. It’s not a massive, award-winning diorama or anything, just a simple setup. But it looks pretty cool, I think. Takes me right back. I’ve got them sitting on a shelf in my office now. Every time I look over, it brings a bit of a smile to my face.
It was a fun little detour from my usual stuff. Just messing with bricks, no complicated instructions, just building something that I remembered fondly. Definitely worth the effort, even if my fingers were sore from all that sorting!
