Like puzzles, Lego sets are a delightfully tactile way to unplug and reconnect with the physical world. By snapping a few bricks together, you can build just about anything you can imagine, from Disney princess castles to Formula 1 racecars. It doesn’t matter how old or talented you are: you can buy Lego Duplo sets for kids as young as two, or 2,883-piece Lego Technic sets that will challenge even mechanical engineers.
As an adult Lego fan, I have been building for six years and own about three dozen sets, including stunning technical builds, showcase-worthy end products, and even functional sets that act like working toys. Whether you’re looking to spend a few afternoons stacking blocks, or dedicate entire days to the hobby (I have done both), I picked some of my favorite sets to share – some from my collection, and a few I can’t wait to add to it.
***
BrickHeadz
Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked
$19.99 at Lego***
Luke Skywalker from Star Wars
$9.99 at Lego $19.97 at Walmart***
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader from Star Wars
$19.99 at Lego $34.97 at Walmart***
Carl, Russell and Kevin from Up
$19.99 at Lego $30.23 at WalmartBrickHeadz are appropriately named Lego characters with tiny bodies and enormous heads that make fun, affordable decoration pieces, or toys for kids. My collection includes Grogu and the Mandalorian; Luke, Leia, and Wicket from Endor; and some Looney Tunes characters, but the latest BrickHeadz include Glinda and Elphaba from Wicked; Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader from Star Wars; and Carl, Russell and Kevin from the movie Up.
***
Christmas tree
$25 at Walmart $44.99 at TargetI picked this up before Christmas this year and my family used it as a centerpiece for our second Christmas dinner table – it worked great in that capacity. There are a couple of things to be aware of. First, you won’t be storing this in a box with your other Christmas decorations – it’s too delicate for that – so plan to have it out year-round, or to make a tradition of rebuilding it every year. Also, the candles on the leaves love to fall off, so be extra careful not to lose any of them.
***
Poinsettia
$39.96 at Walmart $39.99 at AmazonThis model was another purchase from last year that served as the centerpiece for my family’s main table. I had more fun than I thought I would putting together all the flowers. The round pot also defies the square rules of Lego world, which means you’ll deploy some creative tricks to build it. This and the tree both qualify as festive little pick-ups for yourself if you just want an excuse to build Lego sets for the holidays.
***
Lego advent calendars
Star Wars
$35.99 at Walmart $35.99 at Target***
Frozen
$26.99 at Walmart $26.99 at Kohl’s***
Harry Potter
$31.49 at Target $39.95 at Walmart***
Friends (not the show)
$29.74 at Blain’s Farm & Fleet $29.99 at GiltAdvent calendars, which offer a different surprise for each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas, are huge now. Not to miss out on the trend, Lego offers four different Advent calendars that you can pick up. Every day, you open a door and get a themed mini figurine or set to build. If you have kids this is a surefire hit: it’s literally a treat every day. You can choose from Star Wars, Frozen, Harry Potter or Lego Friends (the toy, not the TV show).
***
Creator 3 in 1 Exotic Parrot
$15.98 at Amazon $15.98 at WalmartThis is another three-in-one set: you can build a parrot, a frog or a fish. They’re all equally attractive, but I went with my gut and built the parrot, which is a very quick, simple build with an incredibly satisfying final product. In fact, it’s so cool I couldn’t bring myself to disassemble it and build the others. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t considered buying two more.
***
Dobby from Harry Potter
$24.49 at Amazon $24.49 at TargetI originally bought Dobby to go along with my Grogu and Baby Groot figures because they’re all about the same size and they just belong together. But even on its own, it’s a fun build, complete with a book and a sock, so Dobby can be free! The book and the sock are separate builds that sit in Dobby’s hands, so if you want you can go without them, but I like the whole set together – they tell the story.
***
Up house
$37.70 at Amazon $37.70 at WalmartWhile I would have welcomed the entire cluster of balloons shown in the movie, the smaller cluster that comes with this house is just fine. I was nervous about the build because (obviously) a lot of it is just red and blue and green balls stuck on to sticks, but the house really comes together in a satisfying way as you go, and it’s a fun build. In the end, you get a show piece, not something really to play with, but it’s attractive and looks good in my living room.
***
Bonsai tree
$39.98 at Amazon $39.98 at WalmartThe bonsai tree set is a way to relive your Karate Kid dreams. It comes with both green leaves and cherry blossoms, so you can choose which season to emulate when you assemble it. I went with the cherry blossoms, which are prettier and stand out as decoration more than the bonsai tree. To be honest, I didn’t find the leaves to be a very fun part of the build, even though they took a decent chunk of time, but the end product is worth it.
***
Gizmo from Gremlins
$109.99 at Lego $109.99 at TargetI’m not ashamed to admit that I audibly gasped when I saw this Gizmo model for the first time in the LaGuardia airport Lego store. I try to keep up on new Lego sets, but this one flew under my radar. I don’t have this set yet, but I already adore it. You can believe it made it on to my personal gift list long before it made it on to this one. It looks adorable and the 3D glasses just add to the whole sculpture. Who doesn’t love a mogwai?
***
Wicket the Ewok from Star Wars
$128 at Walmart $129.99 at LegoWicket from Return of the Jedi – and various other Star Wars properties perhaps best left unmentioned – is another model that is 100% on my gift list and should be on yours too. It’s not a static model: his ears wiggle, people. I have to know how this thing is put together.
***
Lego Creator 3 in 1 Wild Animals Panda Family
$31.99 at Amazon $31.99 at WalmartSpeaking of adorable woodland creatures, here’s another three-in-one set that I might end up having to buy three of. Each of the builds consists of an adult and child pair of either a panda, an orca or a penguin, and they’re just as cute as you’re imagining right now. Personally, my money goes for the bamboo-eating panda (yes, it comes with bamboo for it to munch on) but the penguins are also adorable. The nice thing about these sets is that you can build them, take them apart, and build something else completely different.
***
Lego Architecture – Paris, New York, London
Paris
$44.99 at Amazon $44.99 at Target***
New York City
$33.60 at Amazon $47.99 at Walmart***
London
$31.99 at Amazon $46.97 at WalmartIf you have a favorite city you love to visit, or just a lot of civic pride, Lego Architecture sets depicting either Paris, New York City or London could be right up your alley. I personally have the (now retired) Chicago set, which is a fun little ode to my home town. The “buildings” are not terribly detailed – they really can’t be given the size – but you definitely convey the most iconic parts of the skyline. The London Eye model looks particularly fun to build.
***
Fortnite Supply Llama
$24.99 at Amazon $31.95 at WalmartFor the Lego-loving teen in your life, check out the Fortnite supply llama. It looks very much like a pinata, and the impressive textures around the body can’t have been easy for the Lego sculptors to recreate using just blocks. I love the goof factor, and it’s also deeply discounted for Black Friday.
***
Soundwave
$189.98 at Amazon $189.99 at LegoSoundwave is the newest of Lego’s Transformers collection, which also includes Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. The truly epic part of these sets is that all three transform without disassembly: Soundwave goes from boombox to robot and back, and his cassettes can transform into a condor and panther respectively, which just goes to show how intricate and innovative Lego building sets can be.
***
Adam Doud has been a leader in the tech media field for more than a decade and keeps busy getting his hands on as many phones, tablets and laptops as possible. He regularly uses both iOS and Android (six-month rotation for each), and he fully embraces technology. He hasn’t carried cash money since 2018, and pays for everything with his phone wherever possible
