We love Lego. So much, we’ll even forgive it the pain it induces when we tread on an errant brick. So you can imagine our glee when we heard South Africa’s first Lego Certified Store was opening in Sandton City. Last night the store played host to a media launch, with the brightly coloured doors opening to the public tomorrow.

The work of Great Yellow Brick Co, the store includes a ‘Pick a Brick Wall’ where customers can choose from a range or bricks and fill a set-priced cup or pay by weight, and a ‘Build a Minifigure Station’ (three figures for R99) where you can mix-and-match legs, torsos, heads and accessories to create your likeness (or that of a friend, family member, colleague, frenemy, or anyone else you like).

Collectors can also pick up big and small sets from Lego’s famous entertainment affiliations — Star Wars and Ninjago, among others — along with Lego-themed accessories like keyrings and stationery (we’ve never wanted gel pens more). Small humans are also catered to with a range of Duplo and build areas.

While Lego’s long been available from other toy stores in South Africa, there is a certain charm about having an officially sanctioned outlet — particular as it comes with a jumbo mosaic of the Big 5 and a case housing custom built versions of some of Johannesburg’s most famous landmarks, including Ponte Towers, the Brixton Tower, the Transnet Building, and the Nelson Mandela Bridge.

“The Great Yellow Brick Co‘s Sandton City shop will offer limited and special edition LEGO sets at the same time that they’re launched internationally, meaning that consumers no longer have to wait for months to buy them, or hunt them down online,” says co-founder Robert Greenstein.

“For example, we’re opening with the new Bugatti Chiron set, a magnificent working roller coaster, the Disney Castle, the Star Wars Y-Wing and the Hulk Buster, and collectors that have been hunting for the Star Wars Millennium Falcon need look no further…”

If you’re expecting to make regular visits, we recommend signing up to the store’s Brick Rewards loyalty programme so you can earn points to use for discounts on future purchases and jump the queue for occasional special purchases. Everything really is awesome.