When the order came in to go back to the office despite the increasing infection numbers and after successfully working from home for a year, I was sad, angry, and depressed. Worst of all I had to tell my elderly mum that I have to go back to the big city during the holy month of Ramadan. It was devastating. I felt a lot of hate. I needed to find some peace.

I picked up a LEGO set.

I wanted something big, something I could relax to for a while. The LEGO Monster Burger Truck has 499 pieces and is big, bigger than the sets I usually buy on a whim.

It is a 3-in-1. it comes with instructions and enough parts to build an off-roader or a tractor. What caught my eye was the main build, a monster food truck with a large burger on top.

I wanted a set that is fully contained and does not take up a lot of space, and this does exactly that. The two minifigs, the dog, the burger, and the outdoor seating and table, all fits inside the monster burger truck.  

Its design is plain enough to fit with LEGO City sets while at the same time outlandish enough to fit with NINJAGO or Monkei Kid sets. I liked it a lot.

Best of all, it was on sale.

Set 31104 retails for a little under RM250. A hefty price for a hobbyist. But, considering how much I have spent on Gunpla recently, paying a little less than RM200 for this kit after discount was an easy choice.

Back at home, I poured the contents of the box on to my work desk. Three bags of LEGO pieces and a thick instruction booklet fell out. Four large rubber tires bounced away.

When I was younger I would build LEGO sets on the floor. The instructions would be splayed open, the pieces would be spread out so I can see them all, and there’s no chance of losing pieces because it rolled away fell off of the table.

And I used to build fast. Eyes darting from the instructions, to the piles, to the pieces I have in each hand. Clack. Clack. Clack. Two steps at a time.

This time I wanted to build to calm myself. The AC was on, all is quiet, and all was peaceful in my room. I turned the page to the first step of the build, opened the first bag, and pored its contents on to the table. The crackling sound of the plastic bag and the rustling of pieces falling into a pile made me feel calm. It was time to focus. Immediately a small part rolled away and fell on to the floor.

It was a fun and deliberately slow build. The little dog construct, the suspension, the details inside the truck, and the retractable staircase, are just some of the highlights of the whole process for me. Fitting the tires and putting on more parts once the suspension is on, were tricky. Also, the steering wheel can be fitted to the left or right side of the truck.

The Monster Burger Truck is bigger than I thought. My initial estimation was based on the scale of a piece of the build that they always put on the box. It was the wheel well and it looked small.

From the outside, the construct does not look like it is worth the money, especially since it uses the same tires as the new Monster Jam Monster Truck sets which goes for less than half the price. Most of the part count goes to the details inside the truck. There is a grill, bank of condiments, a bar of toppings, a fryer, a fire extinguisher, and more which makes the set worth it to me.

The whole experience helped and it changed how I view LEGO builds. It used to be all about the end result. But like any plastic model kits, a LEGO set can be about the build process as well.