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.I’m seeing The Force Awakens in 48 hours, but some of the 2016 LEGO Star Wars sets arrived from our friends in Billund yesterday (with a confirmation from LEGO today that we can go ahead and post our review prior to the movie’s release on Thursday), so we’ll start our pre-movie rush of Star Wars LEGO set reviews with 75140 Resistance Troop Transporter, due out in January. Given that this set references characters and a vehicle from The Force Awakens, I’ll be careful about spoilers myself, and the full review itself is buried after the jump. I wouldn’t normally bother talking about the box for a regular LEGO set, but given how little information we’ve had about the set, I’ll make an exception.
Until now, the only photo we’ve seen of this set is a mid-resolution image in which you can’t even read the names of the characters listed on the box. This turns out to be a good thing, since one of the names reveals a minor SPOILER regarding one of the characters. Don’t click through for the full-size version of the next image if you don’t want to see the spoiler. I have yet to see any photos of the back of the box online, so here it is. On to the actual LEGO… The set comes in 5 numbered bags, with an 80-page instruction booklet, with the usual modular construction along the way — including Technic pin connectors between modules. We’ve come to expect studs-out techniques from even mainstream LEGO sets these days, so there really aren’t any major innovations in terms of technique. I finished the set while watching the first half of Empire Strikes Back. The European box I received from LEGO doesn’t include a part count on the front as American boxes tend to do, nor is there any information online yet regarding part count or price.
Doing some rough math on the inventory in the back of the booklet, the set appears to contain about 600 pieces. Our guess is that the set will retail for $80-90 here in the US. (I’ll update this review with the exact part count and the pricing when we have that info, presumably in a few days.) UPDATE: The page for this set is now up on the LEGO Shop website, and confirms the part count at 646 pieces, with a price of $69.99 in the US. In terms of new parts (or ones I haven’t seen before and/or aren’t yet listed in any online inventories), the set contains 8 1x2x2 bricks with four studs on the side. Basically, it’s a two-brick-tall version of the old 1×2 brick with two studs on one side. The set also includes three of the new 2×2 round tiles with open stud, along with 9 1×1 round plates with an open stud (until recently only available in white, and rarely at that). Though neither are brand new, it’s nice to get a couple more corner tiles and corner panels. Overall, the set contains a lot of light and dark gray, but it does make extensive use of dark tan as well.
At 28 1×2 plates, 13 2×3 plates, and 18 1×4 plates, there’s plenty of dark tan that’s not immediately evident in the finished model. Amazingly, the only reference to this new vehicle from The Force Awakens is this very LEGO Star Wars set. So obviously, I can’t compare the completed LEGO set with its source material. Nevertheless, I appreciate the utilitarian, chunky look of the vehicle, and I particularly like the sensor array on the pod opposite the cockpit. The whole vehicle opens up to reveal the interior. There are two console stations in the central area, and the interior is tall enough for a minifig to stand up. The rear of the vehicle has a fully detailed pair of engines, with brick-built cowlings that extend out from the main body of the ship. The rear is also where you flip the pair of long trans-red spring shooters. Fortunately, this particular play feature is well-integrated into the body of the vessel, and doesn’t uglify the model as they do in 75102 Poe Dameron’s X-wing Fighter.
The cockpit is flush with the vessel’s hull, so there’s a little wheel on the interior side that actuates a Technic lever to pop open the cockpit. You can admit it — we’re among friends here: You buy Star Wars sets for the minifigs. This set includes four minifigs: A certain dignitary formerly of Alderaan, two Resistance troopers, and a Mon Calamarian. As usual, the minifigs are printed on the back as well. Leia looks like she time-warped forward from the 70’s, with a purple vest over a wide-collared green jumpsuit, finished off with a big silver buckle. Hilariously hideous (and potentially rather useful) in minifig form, but it doesn’t seem nearly as gross on Carrie Fisher in the images from the movie I’ve seen so far. General Organa is the only minifig with a double-printed head, with a stern expression and a happy face. The Resistance troopers’ helmets include a face shield that folds up and down, and the two troopers have different heads. I particularly like the usefully generic printing on the trooper with the ammo pouches.