LEGO And Glue: When Is It OK?

Greetings, AHOL.

When is it OK for me to use glue when working with LEGO?

The short, and perfectly definitive answer is: NEVER

If you’re the kind of AHOL that gets down with the Kragle from time to time, we can still be friends.

But I gotta be honest.

I’m going to silently judge and secretly think less of you.

Just kidding. Not really.

Sort of.

But the practice of using glue with LEGO does make me scratch my head.

Well, Are You?

I’m not daft. Fully aware of most reasons why an AHOL might cement their LEGO bricks in place.

Maybe you’re working on a LEGO MOC that’s particularly large. And think securing your structure with an adhesive will strengthen it.

Perhaps you want this particular build to be easily transportable. And feel if it’s held in place permanently, you won’t have to worry about it toppling while in transit.

Maybe you have kids. With dirty, little, obnoxious friends.

Or a wily Godson that’s always getting into shit he shouldn’t.

In those cases, glue might be a kind of insurance policy. One that preserves the longevity of prized LEGO creations.

Whatever the personal justification, if gluing down LEGO bricks works for you, that’s sweet.

I perpetually maintain the hobby is to be enjoyed on an individual basis.

Every AHOL abides by their own set of rules, indulges private peccadillos, and has the right to do things her or his own way.

This is LEGO for adults, after all.

That's what makes the hobby so great.

Glue Is For Children, Kids Eat Paste

If we all built the same way and lived by an identical ethos, gone would be the grand variety of LEGO MOCs, original LEGO minifigure assemblies, custom layouts and carefree builds that characterize the greater AHOL/AFOL community.

But for me, glue is a never-never.

It contradicts and cancels out so much of what I find sacred about the LEGO hobby.

In my life, LEGO has always represented the idea of infinite possibility.

Every minifigure has a story to tell.

Every build has a new history to discover.

And when you’re finished telling a certain tale, or playing out a specific adventure, the slate can always be wiped clean.

Hit the reset button. Make the canvas blank.

Tear it all down. Build it back up again.

Bigger. Better. More badass than before.

But not if it’s glued together.

I’ve built some pretty cool stuff before.

But nothing I was ever so sure of, ever so in love with, or so confident in that I wanted it forever.

LEGO and eternity do not mix well in my world.

A huge piece of what makes me love the LEGO hobby is freedom.

LEGO is forgiving. You get unlimited lives and infinite do overs.

Unless it’s glued together.

Do You Do Glue?

Talk to me, AHOL.

Do you do glue?

If so, why?

What weird boner does it give you?

Is clutch power not good enough for you?

Are you better than the LEGO System? What's your deal?