A Canadian man who began collecting LEGO Star Wars sets as part of his recovery from hand surgery has broken a Guinness World Record.
Fredrick Oliver of Edmonton has reclaimed his own record for largest collection of LEGO Star Wars sets, now holding a verified total of 993 sets.
Oliver began collecting LEGO in 1999 after years of manual labour led him to require bilateral carpal tunnel surgery. When the procedure was unsuccessful, the Star Wars fan was left with severely limited movement in his hand for almost a year.
Under doctors’ advice, he was encouraged to rebuild his fine motor skills through small, precise activities such as building with LEGO.
His recovery coincided with the release of the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the launch of the LEGO Star Wars theme, meaning Oliver has been part of the fandom since its earliest days.
Although he did not play with LEGO as a child, Oliver has long been a Star Wars fan, making the sets a natural fit for both rehabilitation and personal interest.
“I grew up during the original Star Wars trilogy, so they were a big part of my childhood,” he told Guinness World Records. “I think I’m drawn towards Star Wars specifically because it’s a good escape from the realities of our world.
“I think I’m drawn to LEGO for two reasons: the creativity – you can build pretty much anything you can come up with – and the imagination,” he added. “I think a lot of people lose that as they get older, and this certainly helps keep your imagination young.”
After three rounds of treatment aimed at rebuilding muscle fibres, alongside chiropractic care and physical therapy, Oliver eventually regained approximately 95% function in his hand.
He continues to expand his collection and currently displays only around 30% to 40% of his sets due to space limitations. While he owns most available releases, he still hopes to acquire rare items such as the 14-karat gold Boba Fett figure, of which only two exist.
The Canadian shows no signs of slowing down and has already submitted a new application for a Guinness World Record update. If verified, he would once again surpass his own record with a total of 1,051 sets.
All images: Guiness World Records
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