We all have fond memories from our younger years putting together fun LEGO sets like cars, planes, houses, and more. But if you were especially lucky (or especially wealthy), you might have had the opportunity to construct truly massive LEGO sets like the Taj Majal, Shield Helicarrier, or even the fabled Death Star Itself. Below are the 11 biggest pre-made sets the LEGO company has ever released, sorted by number of pieces. exclusives or are out-of-print, so don't expect to nab them for their MSRP. For the ultimate Marvel Cinematic Universe fan, the Shield Helicarrier comes with five Avengers minifigures, a big bunch of manofigures, and functioning turbines powered by AAA batteries with a special add-on. Along with a few thousand other tiny details. The Ultimate Collector Series version of the Imperial Star Destroyer is full of interior detail that doesn't actually show up when the entire beast is assembled. But the most impressive thing about this set is its sheer size - it's over three feet long!
Long out of production, it now routinely sells for over $2,000. Did we say the Imperial Star Destroyer was big? If you want to build this Super Star Destroyer, you're going to need an even bigger table - this massive model is more than four feet long when fully assembled. Its custom minifigs are a nice touch. The Grand Carousel is an epic set for its detail, not for its sheer size. Its complex, colorful, and is (of course) fully motorized. If you're a big Star Wars fan, these probably are the droid you're looking for. In addition to several fun droid minifigs (Gonk Droid!), this 2014 version of the Sandcrawler model comes with functioning treads, and of course a ridiculous amount of internal detail. It's also got nearly twice as many pieces as the original 2005 UCS edition. After its fully assembled, this Eiffel Tower stands over four feet tall! It's a challenging build, making it perfect for LEGO pros. Newbies might want to pick a set that isn't almost all grey pieces. The Death Star II, like every model on this list, is absolutely massive, of course.
But it includes a lot of neat smaller details, too. I'm especially found of the physical lasers. LEGO's 2008 Death Star is a different kind of LEGO set. Plenty of these massive models have interior detail, but it's usually hidden away. This Death Star takes a diorama approach, allowing you to see lots of movie scenes all in one model. This set is rumored to end its long run and go out of production soon. Some hardcore LEGO fans dislike the Tower Bridge build since you basically have to build the same tower twice, but it's still a hugely impressive and aesthetically pleasing model. What is there left to say about the Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon? It's just plain awesome, all-around. Fantastic build experience, epic scope, nice minifigs, and great detail. If you didn't snag one when it came out in 2007, expect to shell out as much as $6,000 to buy it in-box now. LEGO's Taj Mahal set clocks in at almost 6,000 pieces, making it the biggest individual LEGO set ever made. The finished model is over 20 inches wide and over 16 inches tall, making it an imposing model to say the least.
Have you ever been fortunate enough to construct one of these sets yourself? Have fond memories of another huge LEGO set not listed? Discuss with your fellow brickheads in the comments below. Justin Davis is the second or third best-looking Editor at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter at @ErrorJustin and on IGN. Fact: Lego is the best toy. Whether you're young or old, whether you follow the instructions or freestyle it, it's pretty hard to find someone whose day can't be improved with these tiny building blocks.A few years ago, Lego steamed ahead of its rivals to be the world's number one toy manufacturer. It's an impressive feat, considering the Danish brickmaker was on the brink of bankruptcy 10 years ago, and now it's hard to imagine an occasion when Lego wouldn't make an excellent gift. Distributed equally, there are (at least) 100 bricks for every person on the planet. Lego is a huge success, and with good reason.Aside from being an excellent toy that engages young minds, Lego's good fortunes can be largely attributed to the number of licenses it's picked up over the years.
The Lego Movie certainly added further to its burgeoning coffers. Then there's Star Wars, with The Force Awakens inspiring a huge number of great Star Wars Lego sets. Rogue One added to that, and now we've got the Lego Batman Movie.There's never a bad time to muse over your next Lego purchase, whether it's a gift for a loved one or – more likely – for yourself.Trying to choose with between so many different versions is always going to be tough. The costs ramp up if you start going down the road of wanting everything in a specific Lego range, be that Star Wars, Marvel Super Heroes, Lord of the Rings or Architecture. Then there are the the ranges for younger kids, like Duplo. Older kids like Lego Technic as well as Lego's own characters like Bionicle and Ninjago. And that's just a small sample. Here we run through some of the best Lego sets on sale right now. That should provide a decent Pokemon Go alternative for the the little (and big) kids in the family. Lego Batman Movie: The Batmobile
Lego Star Wars: Krennic's Imperial Shuttle Lego DC Super Heroes: Clash of the Heroes Lego City: Volcano Crawler Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avenjet Space Mission Lego Batman Classic TV Series – Batcave Lego Ghostbusters: Firehouse Headquarters Lego Creator: Ferris Wheel Lego Creator: Big Ben Lego Technic: Porsche 911 GT3 RS Lego Creator: Tower Bridge Lego Technic: Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 December 2, 2015, 10:58 am Hmm, not so sure I'd include the Star Wars set, Tumblr, Architecture Studio or Tower Bridge in that list if you're just doing 7 sets. For Sci-Fi I'd say the best new set this year is the very recently released TARDIS with the Command Shuttle being a bit bland and (owing to lead times and secrecy on Force Awakens) not screen-accurate. The Tumblr is a seriously nice display model but fragile as hell, guess that one would come down to personal preference but I[d probably go for Slave 1 for around the same money.For a big showcase set I'd probably go for the Ferris Wheel.
£60 cheaper, just about as impressive and a lot less repetitive (as well as fitting into about half the space). Other big sets would be the modular buildings which, for my money anyway, are still the best sets Lego make. Incredible detail, very little repetition and wonderful final models for display or, at a push, play. For cheaper ones... actually I'm a big fan of the Speed line. £13 retail, around £10 in stores if you're lucky and the cars are surprisingly close to the real world equivalent (especially for such a small scale) and just about fit into a Lego city scene without being too obviously different. December 2, 2015, 11:10 am Birds kit looks good. Your review says it costs 39.99, but I can't find it for much under 70 pounds. December 4, 2015, 7:32 pm slave 1 is more fragile than tumblr December 16, 2015, 3:59 pm Building Social Skills with Educational BlocksIf you are looking for a popular toy with the intent of fostering educationand building children's social skills, consider the Laser Pegs® buildingblocks.
In addition, these blocks promote cognitive development, languageskills and social skills as well as physical development.Child DevelopmentSocial skills are important to a child's development, increasing interactionamongst school mates and other peers, even neighborhood kids and adults. LaserPegs® building blocks can be used in group setting – in the home and at school.Group activity is an essential part of interacting socially and the Laser Pegs®building blocks offers this opportunity to children.Having a ConversationLaser Pegs® building blocks allow kids to discuss ways in which they canconstruct different structures, coming up with ideas and suggestions that mayor may not work. The fact that kids can have a conversation about making apotential structure is enough to hone their social skills. Parents and teachersshould emphasize social skills in every possible kind of play.Play TimePlaying with Laser Pegs® building blocks will place children in a positionwhere block play fosters communication and negotiation with other kids, helpingto reach different resolutions such as which child receives which blocks as itrelates to the color, shape and amount of blocks.
Agree to DisagreeAs children start to build Laser Pegs® structures from building blocks, theywill potentially have a wide range of ideas on what to build. Those varyingideas must be finalized and reconciled before moving forward. Therefore,certain rules, guidelines and boundaries must be put in place with thepossibility of compromise. It is important, then for each child to have goodsocial skills to work out any differences and to come to an amicable agreement.When and if there are disagreements, social skills help to resolve them.Tips to FollowParents and teachers can help to develop social skills in children withLaser Pegs® building blocks by following some of these tips:Put kids in teams to construct block towers. Team effort will help to build social skillsHide the building blocks and then have a scavenger hunt so that a group of kids can do the findingArrange an imagination activity like constructing a house with the Laser Pegs® building blocks and ask kids how they would carry out this activity as a group.