Brick Fanatics’ Top 20 LEGO Sets List

2021’s biggest entry in the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series is truly a force to be reckoned with. Measuring an incredible 62cm high, the larger scale of 75313 AT-AT – the biggest LEGO Imperial walker to date – means it’s packing some serious firepower. 

The model forgoes the display stand of other UCS sets for a freestanding design, in itself a real feat of engineering, with legs adjustable by a special, brick-built tool. There’s a full interior, too: the body of the AT-AT can be opened up to store up to 40 Snowtroopers seated (or 85 standing, or up to 185 if you just pile them in), along with speeder bikes and blaster cannons. The walker’s cockpit also features space for General Veers and a pair of AT-AT drivers, while intrepid Jedi Luke Skywalker can be seen swinging underneath the belly of the beast.

As one of the most iconic vehicles in the Star Wars franchise, this is basically the UCS set we’ve all been waiting for since 2000. However, as one of the most expensive LEGO sets on the market right now (at least in the UK), it may prove a tough pill to swallow. Watch our video review or read our written review to make a more informed decision, or just trust us when we say there’s a reason it’s at the top of this list…

The LEGO Group has finally returned to Middle-earth good and proper in 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell, a beast of a set that’s not only the largest LEGO The Lord of the Rings model of all time, but also one of the biggest LEGO products ever. It puts its 6,000+ pieces to very good use, too, effectively recreating the iconic and intricate architecture that defines Peter Jackson’s realisation of Tolkien’s world.

That this set has come in at minifigure scale rather than microscale is also pretty remarkable, and means you get a full complement of characters in the box – including every single member of the Fellowship of the Ring, along with Bilbo, Elrond, Arwen, two elves and a dwarf. But while that’s an instant LEGO The Lord of the Rings minifigure collection all in one go, 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is about more than just its characters.

For example: there’s also the build experience, which is almost unrivalled among its contemporaries. From the imaginative part usage to the sheer variety of builds on offer (including four different types of tree!), you’ll never get bored while putting this together. It’s for all those reasons and more that it now sits so highly on our Top 20 LEGO Sets List, as the one LEGO The Lord of the Rings set to rule them all.

How do you celebrate the 90th anniversary of the LEGO Group, while also honouring one of its oldest (and, coincidentally, most-celebrated) lines? By taking everything so well-loved about that classic theme and pouring it into its single biggest set to date. That was seemingly the brief for 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle, an unprecedented and unparalleled build that brings together and bottles pure nostalgia through its massive 4,514 pieces.

The result is an equally massive fortress, spanning two sprawling and separable sections, multiple medieval rooms, and a limitless roster of minifigures – all within and against the backdrop of a castle that captures all the hallmarks of the real thing, to a level we’ve never seen in an official set before. 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle pulls off the same trick as 10497 Galaxy Explorer, coming in at a scale that replicates the feeling of building those original castles as a kid. 

There’s no getting around its price tag, of course, but we’ll just borrow a line from our review in summing up our feelings on that one: the mortgage can wait. 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle is absolutely one worth saving up for, worth ignoring other sets for, and worth dedicating a more-than-decent chunk of your display space to. It really is as true a celebration of 90 years of LEGO as you’ll find, and well worthy of its place in our Top 20 LEGO Sets List.

Released back in July 2007, the original Ultimate Collector Series 10179 Millennium Falcon marked the pinnacle of LEGO design and in no small measure for the minifigure scale in which it captured one of the Star Wars original trilogy’s most iconic ships. A full 10 years of four-figure aftermarket prices after, the LEGO Group released a fully redesigned, remastered and upgraded UCS version with September 2017’s 75192 Millennium Falcon.

75192 Millennium Falcon more than just lives up to its predecessor’s status, as it reimagines building at the most ridiculous of scales, thanks to an engrossing multi, multi-bag build process packed with detail and ingenuity across 7,541 pieces. Even at twice the price of 10179, 75192 sold out within the first hour of VIP release across LEGO stores before only sporadically reappearing ahead of that first Christmas, as demand caught the LEGO Group by surprise.

A more than steady seller in the years since (often dropping in and out of stock), 75192 Millennium Falcon is the big one, both literally for the (now second) largest piece count of any single LEGO set, and for the budget it demands. It’s planned to retire at the end of 2023, so time to buy if you don’t want to miss out…

What better way to celebrate the LEGO Group’s 90th anniversary than with a reimagining of the classic 497 Galaxy Explorer? It’s the Space set that defined a generation of LEGO fans’ childhoods, ballooned to one-and-a-half times its original size, so that the final model recaptures that feeling of swooshing a massive ship around your living room.

10497 Galaxy Explorer is effectively the Classic Space set that’s grown with you, and whether you were lucky enough to own the 1979 original or not, it’s well worth picking up this anniversary edition – not least because it’s the more accessible of the two flagship 90th-anniversary sets at just £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99.

For all those reasons and more, we’re expecting 10497 Galaxy Explorer to be hard to come by at LEGO.com. If you see it in this list, it means it’s in stock and available now, so grab it while you can. While you wait for it to arrive, pop on those rose-tinted reading glasses and sit back with our detailed review.

Short of actual minifigures, the LEGO Group is doing great things with its Super Mario licence – not least through its direct-to-consumer sets, each of which has provided a different entry point into the world of Nintendo. 2020’s 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System is nostalgia bait with a unique gimmick in its scrolling screen, while 71411 The Mighty Bowser is a pure and delightful character build.

In fact, Bowser might well be the best LEGO character build to date, realised expertly through 2,708 pieces that come together to deliver a model packed with personality. That’s partly through his functions, which allow him to turn his head and shoot a flaming missile from his mouth, but also through the puppet-like articulation baked into his legs.

You couldn’t ask for a more accurate depiction of the King of the Koopas, either, achieved through some brilliant building techniques. The fact it’s compatible with the digital Mario, Luigi and Peach figures (it’s basically one big boss level for the interactive sets) is the cherry on the cake. Sure, the price is high, but we’ve already seen it at a considerable discount across third-party retailers, making 71411 The Mighty Bowser one of the most attractive sets released in 2022.

Being the most expensive LEGO Harry Potter set to date and the second largest ever sets expectations and hopes for 75978 Diagon Alley incredibly high. And for every LEGO Harry Potter fan lucky enough to experience this gigantic set, it delivers in every way imaginable.

In a similar vein to 2018’s 71043 Hogwarts Castle, 75978 Diagon Alley skilfully translates into LEGO form not only a memorable location at an incomparable level, but at a level of detail and love for the source material that immediately transports the builder back into the Harry Potter books and films.

There’s much to love and admire about this row of memorable locations from Diagon Alley, packed with various nods to and details from across Harry Potter’s story. Read our review to understand why this set ranks so highly in this list.

The LEGO Group’s take on the Titanic first launched on November 2, 2022, and it’s since made waves, selling out repeatedly at LEGO.com. This lavish recreation of the doomed ocean liner offers impressive detailing both inside and out. LEGO fans can look out for lifeboats, benches and era-appropriate flags on the deck, or take it apart to see its suites, swimming pools and mechanical innards. 

The high piece count and slavish attention to detail has resulted in a challenging build – although you can disassemble it for storage or transport. However, with a length of 1.35m, finding an appropriate place to display it might be difficult. It’s the longest LEGO set ever released, and has (appropriately) received the longest LEGO design video ever too.

It’s proven very difficult to come by since first setting sail, so if you see 10294 Titanic on this list, make sure to bag it while you can. It’s one of the most expensive sets around, but if you want the ultimate LEGO experience, you won’t do much better than this.

Pure NES-talgia, 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System is a love letter to a classic games console from many a childhood. As the NES marked its 35th anniversary in 2020, the LEGO Group presented across 2,646 pieces this most detailed and accurate LEGO recreation, complete with game cartridge, controller and television.

Iconic shaping so accurately captured in brick form is only the loading page of this set’s experience, though, for it is in its play feature and cross-set compatibility where it really tugs at the nostalgic heartstrings of many a retro gamer.

Simply turning a lever on the side of the television rotates the 8-bit display screen through a level of Super Mario Bros. whilst placing the Super Mario figure from 71360 Adventures with Mario Starter Course on top of the television adds authentic sounds and music from that same game. We took a closer look at the set here, and compared it to the real NES too.

If there’s one thing the LEGO Group gets consistently right these days, it’s its Creator Expert cars. From 10265 Ford Mustang through 10295 Porsche 911, the designers in Billund have honed and perfected their approach to channelling these iconic works of automotive history in bricks. And nine years on from the badly-dated LEGO Ideas 21103 The DeLorean Time Machine, it’s allowed them to finally do justice to one of cinema’s most enduring vehicles.

Between its endless list of accurate (and entirely nerdy) details to its comprehensive 3-in-1 design, 10300 Back to the Future Time Machine is the pinnacle of DeLorean design through a LEGO lens, all conveyed through a relatively simplistic build. That’s no bad thing: it never feels overworked, overwrought or unnecessarily complex, and is still plenty of fun to put together.

The best minifigures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown to date round out the 1,872-piece package, which for our money is basically the best LEGO vehicle of this size and scale you can currently buy, and rightfully deserves a spot in our Top 20.

Surely near the top of what’s already an increasingly long list of LEGO sets we never expected to see on shelves, 76989 Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck brings one of PlayStation’s most iconic franchises to life through a brilliantly-realised display model.

The machines that wander the post-post-apocalyptic world of Horizon seem readymade for transforming into LEGO sets, as evidenced by the very many examples that have sprung up through the fan community over the past couple of years. For its first official set, the LEGO Group has opted for one of the series’ most striking mechanical beasts – and perhaps its only peaceful one – in the Tallneck.

In-game, protagonist Aloy scales these formidable machines to gain a better vantage point on her surroundings, uncovering wider portions of the map. In LEGO, the Tallneck has been downsized considerably (in the interests of practicality), but it still makes for an incredible build – and one that’s incredible value for money, too. Throw in an über-detailed Aloy minifigure, and it’s no wonder this set sold out so quickly when released. If you see it in stock, grab it while you can.

Indy’s back on the silver screen for 2023, and back on LEGO Store shelves to celebrate. The biggest set released so far is 77015 Temple of the Golden Idol, and it’s arguably set a new benchmark for LEGO sets as a whole. This is first and foremost a display set that’s somehow also first and foremost a play set, giving adult fans the chance to have some fun even once the building has finished.

That’s by virtue of all the traps and contraptions so wonderfully incorporated into the diorama-style set, which recreates the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark originally captured in 7623 Temple Escape. Using four separate knobs on the back of the model (don’t look round the back, you understand, just turn the knobs – it’s a mess of Technic mechanisms), you can swing Indy across a pit, collapse a wall, and set the classic giant boulder rolling down after him.

The final play feature anchored around the idol is maybe the best, and would possibly have earned 77015 Temple of the Golden Idol a spot on this list all on its own: turning the dial (of destiny?) will first shine a light on the idol, then drop the pedestal it’s on, then collapse the wall behind it, all re-enacting the moment the adventurer swaps out his sack for the idol in Raiders. Buy it, build it, and most importantly, play with it – you won’t be disappointed.

Who could have predicted that the LEGO Group would one day team up with perhaps its biggest toy industry rival, Hasbro, for a LEGO Transformers set? Absolutely nobody, which is what makes 10302 Optimus Prime all the sweeter: it’s the kind of forbidden fruit that’s only ever existed in the minds of fans building their own custom Transformers at home, but is now available to the masses.

It helps that it’s also a superb set in its own right, of course, underscored by the fact that it can do the very thing any LEGO Transformer needs to be capable of doing: transforming. It’s a seamless process, too, as Optimus can smoothly transition from robot to truck form (and back again) without skipping a beat, which is to say that there’s no disassembly required.

Beyond achieving the bare minimum, though, 10302 Optimus Prime manages to brilliantly bottle nostalgia for the crowd of 30- and 40-somethings who grew up with the original run of Transformers cartoons in the ‘80s and ‘90s, delivering an authentic model wrapped up in a satisfying and engaging build experience. It’s truly one of a kind in the LEGO portfolio, so don’t miss out.

The third Harry Potter direct-to-consumer set slides into our Top 20 without pushing either of the other two – 75978 Diagon Alley and 71043 Hogwarts Castle – out, which is really just a testament to how well the LEGO Group has treated the boy wizard since bringing back the theme in 2018.

Where those two previous sets went microscale and minifigure-scale, 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collectors’ Edition serves up something still completely different, with a life-size recreation of Hedwig topping a pile of brick-built Wizarding World objects.

It’s a real love letter to Harry Potter, and includes an actual Hogwarts letter by way of three printed 8×16 tiles, along with a pair of glasses that you can actually wear. You know, if you’re feeling especially nerdy. (We won’t judge.) It’s another spellbinding D2C for what’s quickly become one of the LEGO Group’s most impressive themes, and its three golden 20th-anniversary minifigures only sweeten the deal.

An impressive set for an impressive theme. 71741 NINJAGO City Gardens was designed with one goal in mind – celebrate 10 years of LEGO NINJAGO while acting as a faithful expansion to 70620 NINJAGO City. 71741 NINJAGO City Gardens might just be the ultimate LEGO NINJAGO set – three storeys and 5,685 pieces certainly makes it the biggest set of the theme.  The sheer size of the set isn’t what makes 71741 NINJAGO City Gardens great though, it’s the references to the show, from all 10 years of it. 

This model easily takes the cake for the most NINJAGO references in one set, with iconic locations such as Zane’s memorial statue and Chen’s Noodle House finally realised in real LEGO bricks. The 19 minifigures themselves also offer plenty of characters direct from the TV show, such as the Mechanic who plays a pivotal role in more recent seasons. As if all of that wasn’t enough, the LEGO Group made sure to be as on the nose as possible with its release, launching it on the day that NINJAGO reached 10 years of age. Truly, this is the ultimate NINJAGO set.

The tallest LEGO Marvel set to date – it was once the biggest by piece count, but has since been usurped – 76178 Daily Bugle takes an iconic comic book location and transforms it into a modular building-compatible model that should slot right into your growing LEGO city.

Yes, it’s ostensibly a big, grey, concrete slab – but that just makes it the perfect backdrop for the action offered up by its 25 minifigures, which bring a wealth of Spider-heroes and -villains to the table (including the first-ever LEGO versions of Deadpool, Blade and The Punisher). Painting the exterior of the building with those characters brings the entire scene to life in a way that’s sure to draw the eye wherever you place it.

A pricey set, no doubt – but if you’re a Marvel fan, one that’s easily worth the investment.

The 33rd LEGO Ideas set may be a far cry from Clemens Fiedler’s original submission in design aesthetics, but that shouldn’t detract from what’s technically the biggest castle-themed LEGO set ever released (even if it isn’t actually a castle).

It takes its cues from the Modular Building Collection in its multi-storey approach, and packs in plenty of familiar techniques from the LEGO design team’s modern-day toolbox. That doesn’t mean 21325 Medieval Blacksmith lacks the ability to surprise you, though, because it’s how they’re applied that matters.

For Classic Castle fans, nothing can really compare to seeing the part palette, design language and attention to detail of the very best LEGO sets today poured into a medieval setting. Putting together 21325 Medieval Blacksmith, you genuinely feel like you’re diving into the Middle Ages through the lens of a set that embraces all that’s great about LEGO today. Check out our review for a closer look at this superb slice of medieval life.

The LEGO Group’s Botanical Collection continues to bloom in 2022, with another pair of sets joining the increasingly-leafy (albeit plastic) garden. The clear winner is 10311 Orchid, a beautifully-designed buildable plant that makes gorgeous use of the LEGO colour palette and fascinating use of the part library, bringing out all the details in its flowers while wonderfully contrasting its dark green stem and sand blue pot.

Better yet, 10311 Orchid dials things back to a more accessible price point than last summer’s 10289 Bird of Paradise, matching the first two Botanical Collection sets – 10280 Flower Bouquet and 10281 Bonsai Tree – at less than £50 / $50 / €50. Now much more than a novelty in the 18+ line-up, the Botanical Collection is seriously worth digging into, whether you’re green-fingered or not.

Check out our review of 10311 Orchid for more, and note that while it’s our current fave in the Botanical Collection – thus earning its place in this list – the rest of the assortment is very much worth your time, too.

Announced at February 2020’s New York Toy Fair, 75292 The Razor Crest was promptly made available for pre-order at LEGO.com in the UK and Europe, ahead of release a whole six-and-a-half months later in September. With only video from New York and official imagery to impatiently gaze at, it was a long seven months of anticipation for the title character’s ship from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian.

And it lived up to the hype. 75292 The Mandalorian Bounty Hunter Transport/The Razor Crest ticks a lot of boxes for LEGO Star Wars fans, from its central status within a new and highly popular Star Wars story (at least for a while) to its size as a model, promising plenty of detail and playability. And, yes, there is a Baby Yoda included. Whilst a BrickHeadz double set 75317 The Mandalorian and The Child released at the same time, plus a larger scale Baby Yoda buildable set, 75292 is the set that captures that greater level of depth, story and detail from The Mandalorian Disney+ show that many LEGO Star Wars fans are looking for.

And even with 75331 The Razor Crest on shelves now, this remains the version of the ship best-suited to general audiences, capturing everything great about Mando’s original cruiser at an affordable price point.

If there is one set that every Harry Potter fan – LEGO collector or not – needs to own, it is 71043 Hogwarts Castle. At 6,020 pieces, 58cm tall and 69cm wide, this is the ultimate, detailed recreation of the central setting to the Harry Potter series. With so much packed into the model across a 360-degree display, it’s impossible not to admire the build, nor to be taken back to those incredible, sweeping shots of the real castle from the film series.

The exterior of the building is wonderfully captured through clever usage of texture and detail, whilst the design team’s passion for the project shines through the interior builds that capture not only key rooms and chambers from the castle but also key moments of the story.

Harry Potter’s return to LEGO has brought with it some truly quality upgrades on previous sets – 75968 4 Privet Drive is one such example that narrowly missed our Top 20 – but it is in what the theme has strived to create anew, at scales previously untested, that is most worth paying attention to, with no better example to celebrate than 71043 Hogwarts Castle.