While there’s no shortage of top consoles out there to demand hours of your time, it’s great to know Lego is still going strong. As everyone from kids to AFOLs knows, Lego is only limited by your imagination. And Lego’s designers have big imaginations if the size of many current sets is anything to go by.
This update to our long-standing guide of the best large Lego sets adds 25 new corkers. Many sets are flagships. Each of them has 1000 pieces or more and is available to buy. All of them are of the kind you’ll immediately want in your mitts. Let’s brick on!
Brick-built cars
On hearing the word ‘Lego’, you might think of dinky oddly proportioned cars you shove a minifig inside of. Guess again. Lego’s Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole (1506 pieces, $179.99/£159.99) reimagines an icon in fine form. It has all the classic lines, a brick-built V12, and those famous scissor doors.
Land Rover Classic Defender 90 (2336 pieces, $239.99/£209.99) is a stunning replica of the rugged off-roader. You get working suspension, functional steering, and a roof rack into which you can bung all kinds of junk for a full-on Lego adventure.
Vespa 125 (1107 pieces, $99.99/£89.99) is just the ticket for anyone who prefers zooming about on two wheels rather than four. There’s a kickstand and working steering to fiddle with as you gleefully shout “Ciao!”
Some cars take brick-built vehicles in a more fantastical direction. Back to the Future Time Machine (1872 pieces, $199.99/£169.99) is a scale model of Doc Brown’s souped-up De Lorean. You can mod it into the second film’s hover form, or add the hood-mounted circuit board from Part III. But don’t zoom it along at 88mph, or it’ll disappear in a blaze of timey-wimey glory.
Ghostbusters ECTO-1 (2352 pieces, $239.99/£209.99) is the most impressive Lego ECTO-1 to date. This detailed 47cm/18.5in long converted 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance has a moving ghost sniffer, an extendable rear gunner seat, a working steering wheel and authentic logos.
Want something more 1960s than 1980s? Yell “Holy oversized Lego cars, Batman”. Then put together Batman: The Classic TV Series Batmobile (1822 pieces, $149.99/£129.99), while the included Batman minifig goes BOFF! and ZWAPP! at the absence of Robin. Tsk.
Lego ships and planes
Prefer water to roads? Titanic (9090 pieces, $679.99/£589.99) faithfully recreates the legendary ship. Gawp at a tiny grand staircase! Mess about with propellers to turn the piston engines! But don’t smash it into a homemade ‘iceberg’ or you’ll get that sinking feeling as dozens of parts disappear from view.
If you fancy a different boaty disaster, there’s The Endurance (3011 pieces, $269.99/£229.99). Here, you build the famous Antarctic exploration in its pre-crushed-by-ice state. You get detailed masts, sails, rigging, decks, cabins and lifeboats. There’s a wheel to operate the rudder. Alas, no penguins.
Alternatively, take to the air with Concorde (2083 pieces, $199.99/£169.99). This set lets you remake an engineering masterpiece as a huge (105cm/41in long) brick-built model with realistic tiltable nose and cramped seating. Maybe avoid swooshing it around, though, or you’ll have your very own aviation disaster.
Star Wars Lego
The Star Wars theme brought Lego back from the brink during its darkest days. And it remains something of a cash generator.
X-Wing Starfighter (1953 pieces, $239.99/£209.99) is Lego’s latest take on the craft Luke used to showcase the Death Star’s notable security flaws. Twiddle a dial to switch it from flight to attack mode. And pose the relatively tiny Luke alongside, so he can wonder how he’ll fly such a monster.
You can also get your swoosh on with Millennium Falcon (7541 pieces, $849.99/£734.99). This 83cm/32.5in-long monster’s jam-packed with details and you even get two sets of minifigs to pop in the cockpit.
If the kits you’re looking for are droids rather than ships, you could opt for R2-D2 and C-3PO. But the set that won us over is Creative Play Droid Builder (1186 pieces, $99.99/£89.99). You might not have had ‘Lego droids meets Mr. Potato Head’ on your Lego bingo card. But you’ll surely warm to building R2-D2 and chums and giving them comedy disguises.
If you’re a more serious type when it comes to Lego and Star Wars, don’t worry. There are plenty more grim and grey Lego ships. The Razor Crest (6187 pieces, $599.99/£519.99) is a gigantic take on the hero’s original ship from The Mandalorian, along with a handful of minifigs and a brick-built Blurrg. As a bonus, [spoiler alert] chuck it at a wall and you’ll see how the Razor Crest ended up in the show.
Want to unleash your inner Sith instead? TIE Interceptor (1931 pieces, $229.99/£199.99) can be the menacing nemesis to your X-Wing. And Imperial Star Destroyer (1555 pieces, $159.99/£149.99) is a detailed minifig-scale take on the imposing Empire ship that’s a touch more merciful on your wallet than the retired metre-long UCS version. Just don’t tell Vader.
Lego space sets
Lego’s keen interest in space predates even Star Wars, as evidenced by Space Rocket, from way back in 1964. With its 3486 more pieces than that ancient set, NASA Artemis Space Launch System (3601 pieces, $259.99/£219.99) is a rather more detailed and modern take. It should have space fans over the moon, constructing a rocket that’s part of a program to finally once take people there once again.
Technic sets also get their space on, for a spot of ramping up realism. NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle – LRV (1913 pieces, $219.99/£189.99) has steering, suspension and, um, moon rocks, and even folds up, like the real thing. NASA Mars Rover Perseverance (1132 pieces, $99.99/£84.99) also packs in realistic functions and articulated suspension while daydreaming about its sibling in space. Finally, Mars Crew Exploration Rover (1599 pieces, $149.99/£129.99) offers a glimpse of the future, when crewed missions land on the red planet.
Microscale Lego buildings
The earliest Lego sets focussed on buildings. But today’s incarnations are considerably more elaborate than anything Lego founder Ole Kirk Christiansen and chums dreamed up.
Notre-Dame de Paris (4383 pieces, $229.99/£199.99) recreates the Paris landmark in fine style. After a devastating fire, it took five years to reconstruct this beautiful building. With a slew of 1×1 tiles, this set might take as long to put together. But when complete, you’ll have a stunning brick-built tribute to an architectural masterpiece.
Eiffel Tower (10,001 pieces, $629.99/£554.99) is quite the ‘eiffel’. When built, it’s almost 1.5m (nearly 5ft) in height. Fortunately, the model separates into four sections, to give you a fighting chance of lugging it around. No Lego set has been taller. And nor has one before – even Star Wars sets – presented this level of challenge if you decide to mix up all the grey bricks before you start. (Stuff top tip: don’t do this.)
Great Pyramid of Giza (1476 pieces, $129.99/£119.99) imagines how the structure originally appeared, with a smooth limestone finish. Lift that off and you get a scene of the pyramid under construction. Spin the model round to gawp at a cross section – and immediately realise you only get half a pyramid. (Shove it against a wall. No-one will notice.)
Keener to head further east? One of our favourite architecture sets to date is the gorgeous Himeji Castle (2125 pieces, $159.99/£139.99). This miniature take on the revered Japanese building beautifully captures its turrets, walkways and asymmetric walls. It even has some adorably dinky trees to brighten up the place.
Movie and TV show Lego sets
1999 saw the first Lego products based on movies and TV shows. The range has grown since – sometimes in a literal sense. Daily Bugle (3772 pieces, $349.99/£299.99) is huge. It crams a wealth of Marvel history within its 82cm/32in tall building and whopping 25 minifigs. Your fingers will be rougher than Sandman’s when you’re done.
More of a DC Comics fan? Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City (4210 pieces, $299.99/£259.99) is a suitably 2D take on the much-loved animation. Once done, wall-mount the set to gleefully peruse the brick-built Arkham Asylum, Bat Signal and teeny tiny Batmobile, while a bundled quartet of minifigs also looks on approvingly.
Meanwhile, The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell (6167 pieces, $499.99/£429.99) is the one set to rule them all. Given its size, this one may take as long to construct as the movies do to watch. But while building the place where the Fellowship is formed, you can happily take in its many Easter eggs. Or grab the bricks and hiss “my precious” if anyone ventures too close.
Plenty more big Lego sets have you build characters and play out key scenes from classic films.
Home Alone (3955 pieces, $299.99/£259.99) provides a house full of booby traps for Lego Kevin McCallister to thwart the Lego Wet Bandits. (Kevin should have just stolen their shoes and peppered the floor with Lego in the original film. That would have had the bad guys flee to safety.)
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the toy shop, Jaws (1497 pieces, $149.99/£129.99) grins that “you’re gonna need a bigger shelf”. The set includes the boat and the shark. It also offers a new and unique line in horror. When the top half of the shark is placed in the diorama, its bottom half is left behind on a stand. Scream! Etc!
Also in the horror space, Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (2193 pieces, $199.99/£169.99) is all angular buildings, weird minifigs, and a gigantic moon piece behind Spiral Hill. You could use it to make your own stop-motion sequel. Although maybe don’t, because you’d be sued by Disney lawyers. Who are probably skeletal ghouls.
The rivalry between Lego and Hasbro makes the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons look like a minor tiff. Yet somehow we got Optimus Prime (1508 pieces, $179.99/£159.99). He transforms. He has a glowy laser axe to wave around. And we desperately hope he’ll soon have a Lego Soundwave, Megatron or Starscream to battle.
Two very different castles are also available to buy. From the house of mouse is Disney Castle (4837 pieces, $399.99/£344.99). Within, minifigs can play out scenes from famous Disney films, such as the ballroom from Cinderella, the magic mirror from Snow White, and the mop and bucket bit from Fantasia once everyone’s inevitably made a mess. Again.
And Hogwarts Castle and Grounds (2660 pieces, $169.99/£149.99) is like someone rethought Lego’s Hogwart’s Castle for the Lego Architecture line. Still, with 2660 tiny pieces, you might want to yell “Constructio!” and have it magically make itself.
Video game Lego sets
Turns out that Nintendo and Lego are a mightier pair than any plumbers. Witness The Mighty Bowser (2807 pieces, $269.99/£229.99), which recreates a Mario foe in eye-popping brick-built form. He’s a chonky one, highly posable, and can blast fireballs, like in the games. And although he probably should make Lego Super Mario flee in terror, you can connect a Lego Mario starter pack figure to Bowser to see some new reactions.
Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 (2500 pieces, $299.99/£259.99) finally confirms Nintendo isn’t entirely against minifigs. (*cough*Super Mario CMF series*cough*). The titular tree’s the main feature, though. It can be built in its Breath of the Wild or Ocarina of Time incarnations. And there are plenty of smaller details for Zelda fans too – just as well, given that this set costs as much as a Switch.
Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi (1215 pieces, $129.99/£114.99) harks back to the character’s origins on the SNES, giving you a huge pixel-art Mario riding a similarly huge pixel-art Yoshi. A hand crank lets you bring the set to life. And there is a dial for poking out Yoshi’s tongue when someone remarks you spent over a hundred bucks on a plastic SNES sprite.
Lego’s attempt to assimilate video games isn’t just about Nintendo. Pac-Man Arcade (2651 pieces, $269.99/£229.99) channels the spirit of the arcade machine rather than being a slavish recreation. But it retains plenty of character. Turn the crank to drive a simulation of sprites roaming the maze – and spin brick-built takes on Pac-Man, Blinky and Clyde when they’re attached.
If that feels like your parents’ (or grandparents’) gaming era, don’t despair – there are more modern Lego video game sets. Peely Bone (1414 pieces, $99.99/£89.99) was, let’s say, unexpected. But the half-banana, half-skeleton looks great on display. (For a more conventional Fortnite set, try Battle Bus, which would have been on this list had it included another 46 pieces.) And for long-time Minecraft fans, The Crafting Table (1195 pieces, $99.99/£79.99) celebrates 15 years of the game with a detailed build that includes 12 biomes.
Lego sets for minifigs
Everything changed for Lego in 1978 when the minifig rocked up. Sets were suddenly built to house them, rather than merely echo real-world buildings and transport. And with larger sets come far more ambitious builds.
Ninjago City Markets (6163 pieces, $369.99/£319.99) is the latest massive Ninjago modular. This one has four storeys and a whopping 21 minifigs. Highlights include a working cable car and a slew of shops. We’re less excited about the working toilet that can flush a Lego poo into the water below.
Megapolis City 5th Anniversary (2330 pieces, $189.99/£159.99) is similarly vibrant and bonkers. Whether or not you’re a fan of Monkie Kid, it’s hard to not be taken in by this vibrant hodge-podge of elements that somehow hangs together really well.
And then there’s The Never Witch’s Midnight Raven (1203 pieces, $99.99/£89.99), which is part of the oddball Dreamzzz theme. These offer branching builds, where you create a base model and then decide how to finish it. And while it’s technically a theme for kids, who doesn’t love a giant bird with a nightmarish house on its back?
Dragons! There are loads of them about in minifig-scale sets right now, mostly from Ninjago. Dragon Stone Shrine (1212 pieces, $119.99/£104.99) does something a bit different, with a display worthy set-up that finds brawling minifigs duking it out on a precariously wobbly dragon-shaped rock. Source Dragon of Motion (1716 pieces, $149.99/£129.99) is your more typical Ninjago dragon, although it just happens to be huge. And terrifying.
But maybe you want some dungeons with your dragons? If so, Lego Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale (3745 pieces, $359.99/£314.99) gives you an eye-popping place to plonk D&D minifigs, with a tower, a tavern, a dungeon and a colossal dragon. There’s even a campaign you can play alongside the set.
Galaxy Explorer kickstarted a welcome period of Lego reimagining classic themes. Lion Knights’ Castle (4514 pieces, $399.99/£344.99) does this for classic Castle. It’s a beautiful set with loads of detail, which can be folded to make an enclosed structure. There are also ways for forest folk to sneak into the castle and pilfer bling! And if this is a modern take on Castle, you might wonder what happened to Town and City. Well…
Lego’s modular buildings line has amplified the detail and build experiences in minifig-scale city sets. Natural History Museum (4014 pieces, $299.99/£259.99) is our current favourite, with a range of exhibits. One sneakily provides a potted history of Lego by way of a collection of hats. Then there’s the brick-built brachiosaur skeleton. It towers over visitors and can be removed to go on tour, just like its British cousin, Dippy.
If you fancy something greener, try The Botanical Garden (3792 pieces, $329.99/£289.99). Heavily influenced by Kew Gardens, it brings colour to your shelves, and lets your minifigs chill among plant life. All while your Star Wars minifigs wonder why their world is so very, very grey.
Technic sets to challenge you
Standard Lego bricks give you a warm fuzzy nostalgic glow. But grown up model-makers might fancy something a bit more technical. That’s where Lego’s Technic line comes in.
Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000 (2883 pieces, $699.99/£579.99) is a giant of a set. When complete, it stands over 100cm/39in high. Handily, you can control it with an app to – very slowly – clear up that pile of Lego pieces you ’accidentally’ dropped on the floor. (See: this one’s a legitimate investment!)
Got more of a need for speed than a need for emulating the construction industry? Yamaha MT-10 SP (1478 pieces, $239.99/£199.99) is the best Technic motorcycle to date, with whopping tyres, functional steering, and a fancy stand to plonk the thing on so it doesn’t fall over.
McLaren P1 (3893 pieces, $449.99/£389.99) and Mercedes-Benz G 500 PROFESSIONAL Line (2891 pieces, $249.99/£219.99) are for people who prefer four wheels. Both are packed with details. The McLaren in particular gives you the impression it’s only marginally less complicated than building the real-world car it represents. They look superb when finished, though, with plenty of interactive features to mess around with, while you occasionally dream of owning a real supercar or yell “let’s offroad!” until everyone nearby asks you to stop.
And Lego for grown-ups…
Whether you’ve got one of these sets or a dozen, someone at some point will scoff. “Toys?” they’ll say. “Really? At your age?” At which point, you can direct them towards Lego’s range of display pieces.
The posable Tuxedo Cat (1710 pieces, $99.99/£89.99) can be rebuilt with different expressions and have its eyes swapped, if you prefer blue over yellow. It’s also cheaper to feed than a real cat, won’t make allergic folks sneeze, and is significantly less likely than the real thing to knock your other Lego sets off a shelf. Or if you’re keener on bugs than mammals, there’s The Insect Collection (1111 pieces, $79.99/£69.99). It’s unlike anything Lego’s released before, with three life-sized, posable critters atop buildable dioramas.
And finally, get your art on with Hokusai – The Great Wave (1810 pieces, $99.99/£89.99). This set ambitiously attempts to reimagine the famous painting in Lego, along with adding unique 3D elements. And, yes, you can hang it on a wall, like any other painting. Great for losing yourself in while mulling over just how much you’ve spent on Lego.