Most Amazing Lego Sets of All Time

Legos have come a long way since the first sets first arrived in the U.S. in the early 1960s. What began as a simple child’s toy has mushroomed into an empire of theme parks, movies, and of course, bricks. Now comes word that Dungeons & Dragons is getting its own set next year to commemorate the game's 50th anniversary, and you have until Dec. 12 to vote on one of five set finalists. It'll join some of the most amazing sets Lego has produced, including the latest: a stunning replica of one of the world's most famous paintings. 

Prices and availability are subject to change.

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Release Year: 2022 | Number of pieces: 2,316

$170 from Lego

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Now's your chance to create your own masterpiece while you build a Lego version of one of Vincent van Gogh's most famous works, "The Starry Night." The set was designed by student Truman Cheng, a 25-year-old from Hong Kong. Cheng submitted his creation via the Lego Ideas platform, which welcomes designs dreamed up by fans. The public then votes on them, turning the most popular ones into a buildable set.

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Release Year: 2021 | Number of pieces: 3,955

$300 from Lego

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True fans of the 1990 Christmas classic "Home Alone" will want to snap up this amazingly detailed recreation of the film's famous McCallister residence. It includes ample opportunity for recreating memorable scenes, including Marv's encounter with a hot iron, Harry getting roasted with a blowtorch, and Kevin's zip-line escape to his treehouse. And, yes, you can even recreate Kevin's iconic bathroom-mirror scream if you're so inclined. Just promise us that you'll eat junk and watch rubbish while you build. 

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Release year: 2021 | Number of pieces: 9,090

$680 from Lego

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Lego's newest Creator set is also one of its largest builds ever. It's a to-scale replica of the Titanic, which sank in the northern Atlantic Ocean in 1912, and it measures 54 inches long, 18 inches high, and 7 inches wide when complete. The model is decked out with tons of exterior and interior details, including the ship's grand staircase, a working propeller and anchor, and some 300 portholes. 

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Release year: 2021 | Number of pieces: 11,695

$250 from Lego

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Completed, this colorful, customizable world map measures 41 inches wide and 24 inches tall. Like other Lego Art series kits (such as portraits of the Beatles and Marilyn Monroe), it is designed to be hung on a wall.

Release year: 2021 | Number of pieces: 5,685

$350 from Lego

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In the past two decades, Lego has aggressively expanded its line of building kits with numerous commercial tie-ins, such as Harry Potter and Star Wars (more on those in a minute). Ninjago, an animated TV series about six teenage ninjas and the hero-starved world they live in, is Lego’s own creation, with dozens of building kits available. The City Gardens set is one of the newest — and biggest — Ninjago kits to date.

Release year: 2020 | Number of pieces: 5,544

$450 from Lego

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Lego has been linked with Harry Potter’s wizarding world from the start, releasing a Sorting Hat kit in 2001 (and several other themed sets) as “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” premiered in theaters. Since then, Lego has released scores of wizard-themed sets, including this particularly elaborate kit. When assembled, the six buildings measure 40 inches in length, the tallest of which is 11 inches high.

Release year: 2020 | Number of pieces: 2,646

$270 from Amazon

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From almost the beginning, Lego designed its bricks to grow with  users, from chunky Duplo blocks for toddlers to elaborate models such as this one, which no doubt appeals to nostalgia gamers. It’s not a real Nintendo, but assembling this set is no less a challenge than rescuing the Mushroom Princess from the evil clutches of King Koopa.

Release year: 2020 | Number of pieces: 9,036

$550 from Lego

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Lego’s Creator Expert sets appeal to architecture buffs, allowing brickheads to build scale models of some of the world’s most iconic structures, such as Seattle’s Space Needle and the Empire State Building. But those sets are child’s play compared to this colossal Roman Colosseum kit, which at more than 9,000 pieces is one of Lego’s largest Creator sets ever sold.

Release year: 2019 | Number of pieces: 4,784

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As with Harry Potter, Lego has a longstanding relationship with the universe of Star Wars, stretching back to 1999. This 2019 release is another whopper of a model, measuring 43 inches long, 26 inches wide, and 14 inches tall — and that’s without the display stand.

Release year: 2019 | Number of pieces: 4,108

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Lego kits aimed at teens and adults are nothing new. The company launched its Technic line back in the late 1970s, its familiar bricks joined by gears, axles, gears, and motors that could be assembled into trucks, cars, construction vehicles, and more. Over the years, Lego has revamped the Technic line, and newer models are far less blocky and geeky, as evidenced by this sports car model.

Release year: 2017 (retired) | Number of pieces: 5,923

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Even with about a third fewer bricks than the Colosseum kit, Lego’s scale model of the Taj Mahal could still be a challenge to assemble, even for grown-ups. This set is a reissue; the original (and also discontinued) Taj Mahal kit, marketed in 2008, had one less brick than the 2017 version. 

Release year: 2017 | Number of pieces: 7,541

$845 from Amazon

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One of Lego’s most ambitious Star Wars-themed sets is also among its largest. The Millennium Falcon measures 33 inches long by 22 inches wide by 8 inches high. If that’s too big (or too pricey), Lego also makes a smaller version: the Millennium Falcon 75257 ($160 from Lego).

Release year: 2016 | Number of pieces: 4,080

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Disney’s wonderful world is also fertile ground for collaborating with Lego, and the company produces a whole line of building sets dedicated to familiar Disney characters and landmarks. But none of the models is as impressive (or has as many bricks) as this one: a replica of Cinderella’s Castle in Walt Disney World. It stands 29 inches tall once complete.

Release year: 2015 (retired) | Number of pieces: 714

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Some of the coolest Lego kits produced in recent years are also some of the rarest. Case in point is this retro-looking “Clumsy Hans” kit. About 300 of these individually numbered kits were made and given to a select number of people who took part in the company’s very exclusive (and expensive) annual factory tour in Denmark, and to VIP passholders at Lego’s Florida theme park. They’re nearly impossible to find, as are other annual Inside Tour building block sets.

Release year: 2005 (retired) | Number of pieces: 3,449

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Lego fans went bonkers when this Death Star kit hit stores back in 2005 because it was the largest set the company had ever created up to that point. It proved so popular that Lego released a sequel, the 3,803-piece Death Star 10188, in 2008.

Release year: 2000 (retired) | Number of pieces: 2,881

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This kit may not contain the most pieces of any Lego set, but it surely is one of the most eye-catching, in part due to its unique hue. When completed, Lady Liberty stands 33 inches high, resplendent in her shade-green bricks. Although this kit is no longer available, Lego still makes another Statue of Liberty set, though it’s only about half the size of this original set.