I’ve been thinking about Sonic the Hedgehog a lot lately. In some ways, I feel like Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 sort of broke my brain, by being as good and heartfelt as it was. I enjoyed the other Sonic films, particularly for Jim Carrey’s varied performances, and the endearing depiction of Sonic as a kid just trying to do right. But Sonic 3 genuinely ruled – and it brought me right back to my mid-2000s edgelord Shadow the Hedgehog phase. A phase I long thought I’d abandoned.
The older we get, the more we’re separated from our hobbies. We’re encouraged to move beyond childish things, to pick up more “adult” interests, and leave behind all the fun, colourful stuff. Since COVID flipped the world and reshaped our communication skills and our work practices, I’ve been thinking a lot about this act of leaving behind. The idea that at a certain age, you have to give up what you love, even if you’re not ready.
And pretty frankly, I’ve decided the idea is trash. Look around you, at the world outside. Where does liking “adult” things get you? Does the world outside, as it current is, make you happy? For me? Nah. I’ve decided the notion is silly, and the more adult thing is making space for anything and everything that gives you warm, fuzzy feelings, and genuinely sparks your interest.
Sometimes, all it takes is a little Sonic the Hedgehog Lego to make the world a brighter place.
There are many varied Lego Sonic the Hedgehog sets, each focussed on particular locations, enemies, or set pieces from the classic games. Thanks to a recent chance meeting, I was able to fully embrace my excitement for and envy of these sets, and embark on a quest of rediscovering my childhood joy.
To begin my journey, I started with the Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane set, which features Sonic and Tails, a plane, a workshop, and a Flicky-powered bug enemy.
Let me tell you, the details in this particular set inspired much delight. I’m particularly enamoured by how each little Sonic mini-fig features a shrunken down, block-ified version of the Sonic the Hedgehog character designs. Their little faces are adorable, and pieces like Tails’ two tails (which fit under his torso) and Knuckles’ knuckles (which snap onto his wrist) add stylish flourishes.
As with other Lego sets, the joy of these sets is largely in their creation. Lego has perfected the art of minimalist instruction, so you can really pop on some music, put on a candle, and start flipping through your step-by-step Lego booklet to carefully start building your next centrepiece.
There’s something so brain-tickling about looking at a mess of bricks spread over your table, thinking, “what exactly is this,” and then watching as it all coalesces into a very cool collectible.
Read: Lego Mario Kart review – Rev your engines, let’s-a-go!
I certainly had that feeling while building my next creation, Knuckles’ Guardian Mech. This one features some very nifty bricks (including some I’ve never seen before) with all of them adding up to a towering mech, with Knuckles at its heart. You also get Rouge the Bat in this set, as well as a glider, and a giant Chaos Emerald. You can see Knuckles in the header image for this article – he looks fab.
The mech you build has got jointed articulation, so you can pose the figure however you like, and Knuckles just sits pretty on the throne, controlling his mech and bullying Rouge. It’s a great set, and the mech itself is a fantastic creation. It’s essentially like a standalone action figure, and you can be happy knowing you made it yourself.
One of the other sets I very much enjoyed building was Knuckles and the Master Emerald Shrine.
Here, you get to build the Master Emerald Shrine (as seen in games and in Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2) as well as a Robotnik enemy. Amy Rose is also along for the ride, wielding her hammer and a grape-filled catapult.
Again, it’s the details that are most striking in this set. Robotnik’s minion gets a dapper suit that’s really just two yellow tiles in just the right formation. If you open his head, you’ll find a trapped Flicky inside. The tiny Chaos Emerald pieces are very aesthetically pleasing. The special ferns are wonderfully fluid and dynamic for Lego. Then, there’s the punching bag set where you can place Knuckles, which comes together hilariously. What’s this? Oh…. OH. It rules.
That’s not to mention that when you flip the whole set around, you can actually see a bedroom complete with tiny cola cans, a lava lamp, a bed, and more. Lego really loves an easter egg, and there’s plenty in this snazzy set.
In building this, and the other Lego Sonic the Hedgehog kits I got my grabby hands on, I think I reached a point of zen where nothing could touch me. World events didn’t matter. I may have missed a message or two from my friends. But that peace of mind, that sense of tranquility, is so hard to come by these days. And for the hours I spent building Sonic the Hedgehog Lego, I was genuinely encased in a blanket of pure bliss. Silly, maybe. But it would be silly to discount just how calming the simple act of building can be, particularly when you see all the steps beginning to make sense.
Building this Lego was a wonderful indulgence, and it tickled my Sonic the Hedgehog brain worms greatly. It solidified for me that no matter how self-indulgent or silly your hobbies and interests are perceived to be, what matters most is how they make you feel.
And creating these pieces was true joy, for me.
The Lego Sonic the Hedgehog sets – Knuckles and the Master Emerald Shrine, Tails’ Workshop and Tornado Plane, Knuckles’ Guardian Mech and the Knuckles & Shadow BrickHeadz were provided for the purposes of this brain worm rumination.
