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.The #10188 LEGO Star Wars Death Star has been one of the best-selling LEGO sets of all time, originally released in 2008, and finally retired after seven years at the end of 2015. However this wasn’t a true retirement, just a bit of time taken off to get some updates and improvements, and now the Death Star is back! The #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star includes over 200 extra pieces as well as three new minifigures. Below is the full press-release with pictures and details. Here is the official description of the #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star: Win the battle for the Empire with the awesome Death Star! Reenact amazing scenes from the Star Wars saga with the Empire’s ultimate planet-zapping weapon—the Death Star! W
ith over 4,000 pieces, this fantastic model has a galaxy of intricate and authentic environments, including a superlaser control room, Imperial conference chamber, hangar bay with moving launch rack and Lord Vader’s TIE Advanced with space for Vader inside, Emperor Palpatine’s throne room, Droid maintenance room, detention block, trash compactor, tractor beam, cargo area, turbo laser with spring-loaded shooters and seats for the 2 Death Star Gunners, and 2 movable turbo laser towers. This fantastic set also includes 23 iconic minifigures and 2 Droids to ensure hours of Star Wars battle fun. Includes 23 minifigures and 2 droids: Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Imperial Navy Officer, Imperial Officer, 2 Stormtroopers, 2 Death Star Troopers, 2 Emperor’s Royal Guards, 2 Death Star Gunners, Death Star Droid, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, C-3PO, Han Solo, Han Solo (disguise), Luke Skywalker (Tatooine), Luke Skywalker (disguise) and Luke Skywalker (final duel), plus R2-D2, an Imperial Astromech and a Dianoga trash compactor monster.
Features a superlaser control room, Imperial conference chamber, hangar bay with moving launch rack and detachable TIE Advanced with space for Lord Vader inside, Emperor Palpatine’s throne room, Droid maintenance room, detention block, trash compactor, tractor beam, cargo area, turbo laser with spring-loaded shooters and seats for the 2 Death Star gunners, and 2 movable turbo laser towers. LEGO VIP members will get early access to the #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star on September 15th, followed by general release on September 30th. Prices are as follows: US $499.99 – CA $599.99 – DE 499.99€ – UK £399.99 – DK 4499.00 DKK (Euro pricing varies by country). The set will be available at official LEGO stores and under the LEGO Star Wars section of the Online LEGO Shop. Rumors started circulating even before the #10188 LEGO Star Wars Death Star was retired that LEGO was going to release a new Death Star. Some people thought it will be related to the new Star Wars film, others speculated that it would be like the old #10143 LEGO Star Wars Death Star II display-model from 2005, and some LEGO fans reasoned that it will probably be just an updated re-release with new minifigures and improved building techniques. A
nd this third group pretty much had it right; the #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star is basically the same thing as the original set, with updated minifigures. It is clear that LEGO felt that there was no need to change the original set, besides freshening up the minifigures and adding a couple of other small changes. On the box image the Death Star is even oriented almost exactly the same way as on the original set, to emphasize that it is the same thing. Nobody was expecting that the sets will be this similar. In fact, when the first images of the new set leaked in mid-August, most LEGO fans thought it was a prank. Even with a re-release people expected that LEGO will at least update some of the more unsightly features of the original model, like the stepped curves. Personally, I would have loved if the outside would be covered with opening panels! The collection of minifigures is nice, but I don’t think it justifies a $100 increase in price. Just to give you some comparison here is some data. T
he #10188 LEGO Star Wars Death Star was released in 2008 with 3,803 pieces and 24 minifigs/droids for a price of $400 (10.5 cents a piece). The #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star comes with 4,016 pieces (213 more pieces) and 25 minifigs/droids for a price of $500 (12.4 cents a piece). The #71040 LEGO Disney Castle is 4,080 pieces (so 64 pieces more than the new Death Star) for a price of $350 (8.6 cents a piece). From this perspective, it might make more sense to just buy the old Death Star (which still sells for around $400 on the secondary market and prices will likely drop once the new one is out), and maybe add a few updated minifigs. Or if you just want to get a big display set, the LEGO Disney Castle is a much better deal. Below are a few more comparison pictures of the two sets (old on the left, new on the right). What do you think? How do you like the new LEGO Star Wars Death Star? Do you think it is worth getting it? What interesting changes and updates you notice between the two sets? A