Listen, Lego has always been cool, but the big success of The Lego Movie has only reminded us all that the brick-building line is more than just a toy -- it’s a way of life! The bottom line is we at IGN love Lego -- always have, probably always will. And while there are so many awesome Lego sets out there, past and present, the following 10 are the Lego sets that truly rocked our world. Imperial Flagship While Lego has been doing pirates since the 1980s -- as well as Pirates (the Johnny Depp kind) more recently -- this beauty is surely the, ahem, flagship of the theme. Like most of the items on this list, the Imperial Flagship makes for a great display piece (assuming you’ve gotten past the whole “I’m too old to play with Lego publicly” thing). It’s also a nice reminder that not all Lego collections need to be based on franchises. 9 Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon Look, there are a lot of excellent Star Wars Lego sets, and there are a lot of excellent Star Wars spaceship Lego sets.
Some would say the Star Destroyer should be on this list, or the Super Star Destroyer, or the Imperial Shuttle (sorry Peer!). But in the end, you gotta go with the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon! There have actually been about seven different Lego takes on the Corellian freighter, but the Ultimate Collector's set from 2007 and its 5100-plus pieces takes the prize. It also cost $500 at that time, which makes it the most expensive Lego set (in retail) ever. 8 The Batcave Lego has given us some really nice superhero sets over the years, with the company creating both Marvel and DC collections. But this Batcave set from 2006 is one of the finest examples of this partnership. Also called The Batcave: The Penguin and Mr. Freeze's Invasion, the set features over a thousand pieces, a chamber for Bruce Wayne to magically switch into his bat-costume, a bat-computer station, a vehicle repair bay, and of course several minifigures (good guys and bad). A different Batcave set was released in 2012, though this one remains a favorite if only because it was a nice preview of what the Lego Batman video game would be like two years later.
7 Technic Grand Prix Racer As part of the Technic Lego theme, the Grand Prix Racer -- which came out just last year -- isn’t simply a building set, but also features moving parts and “realistic functions” like independent all-wheel suspension, moving pistons, and steering capabilities. You can also power it up by adding a motor set (sold separately!) to this two-foot long baby, or convert it into a race truck. As for where you can play with this thing, you might need the Technic Mobile Crane to build some roads… 6 Galaxy Explorer Spaceship! While Benny “the 1980-something space guy” from The Lego Movie finally did get to build his ultimate spaceship during that film’s climax, for those of us who were around way back when, the original version of that vehicle still holds fond memories. The Galaxy Explorer, first released in 1979, was a jewel in Lego’s Space line of the era, though it must be noted that Benny was apparently not a part of that ship’s original crew, who were red and white spacemen.
But for those completists who need the movie version too, Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! set is coming this June. Read on for more Lego goodness...Lego has been captivating the minds of kids and kids at heart for over 80 years. The Danish toy company has come a long way since its humbling beginnings when wooden toys were made in a small shop in Billund, Denmark. Today, Lego is one of the most popular toys, and the last ten years in particular have been very good for the company. This is the golden age of Lego. Just about any pop culture phenomenon you can think of has had accompanying Lego sets whether it’s a cartoon, video game or blockbuster movie franchise. In the last ten years Lego has acquired the licenses to a number of famous properties. Lego no longer makes only generic building sets based on cities, trains and pirates. Now Lego makes sets based on Star Wars, The Simpsons, Jurassic World, Minecraft and so much more. Here is a look at the ten coolest Lego themes.
Which one is your favorite? There has only been one Back To The Future Lego set so far, but there is the possibility for more to be made. The Lego DeLorean time machine came with a minifigure of Marty McfFy and one of Doc Brown. This Lego Ideas set even had the famous gull wing doors and a mini flux capacitor. The set is now retired, but Lego recently released Back to the Future Lego expansion packs for the new Lego Dimensions video game. Other Back to The Future models have been submitted to the Lego Ideas site – which makes Lego sets based on fan suggestions and designs. The team responsible for the original DeLorean time machine design also submitted a build of Doc Brown’s steam engine time machine, which was featured in Back To The Future III. Here’s hoping that set makes it to stores, too. Lego has produced more than 50 sets based on the Harry Potter franchise during the theatrical run of the film franchise. The license is currently discontinued, but with the new Harry Potter spin off on the way, perhaps we might see more Harry Potter themed sets in the future.
Lego made a number of different sets based on the Hogwarts Castle. Many of these sets had near or over 1,000 pieces. The 2010 version of Hogwarts was a staggering 1,290 pieces. Sets based on the quidditch field, Diagon alley, Grignotts banks, and the Hogwarts Express were also produced over the years. Lord of the Rings sets proved to be so popular that Lego store exclusive collectors sets were made based on the Lord of the Rings movies. The tower of Orthanc was one of the most impressive sets. The set contained over 2,000 pieces that could be used to create Saruman’s hideout and a buildable Treebeard. Lego fans got to recreate epic battle scenes with the Helm’s Deep set. With the release of the Hobbit films, Lego produced sets based on those movies, too. A Lego hobbit house complete with mini pots and pans and a tiny garden was one of the more interesting sets based on the Hobbit movies. When rumblings of a movie based on Lego hit the Internet, the original response was largely negative.
Many thought the idea was stupid. How could a movie based on a toy be any good? It turns out the naysayers were wrong because The Lego Movie was a smash hit both critically and financially. So, naturally Lego would make Lego sets based on The Lego Movie. Fans got to recreate their favorite scenes from the film with set like Emmet’s double-decker couch and Benny’s spaceship. A Lego store exclusive set of Metalbeard’s Sea Cow was by far the most impressive set in the line. In 2006, Lego started making Batman themed sets, but the line was cancelled after only a couple of years. After a short hiatus the line returned in 2012, and eventually it was expanded to include other DC Comics heroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, the Teen Titans and numerous other members of the Justice League. Sets based on DC movies like The Dark Knight, Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises have been made, and next year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will feature at least three Lego sets.
Fans have wanted Lego dinosaurs for years. Lego has had many dinosaur themes over the years, but the recent procurement of the Jurassic World license saw the release of six sets based on the year’s biggest movie. The sets were fairly expensive because each one featured a molded dinosaur figure. The cost to produce figures like this drives up the cost of Lego sets considerably. Despite the prices though, fans still wanted to have a Lego T-Rex and Indominus rex so they could reenact the epic final battle from the summer smash. The largest set featured the Indominus rex, a gyrosphere and a holding pen for the genetically modified dinosaur. Lego has been making sets based on Marvel characters as far back as 2002 when a few sets based on Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man movie was released. Lego eventually lost the rights to make Marvel construction sets to Mega Blocks, but in 2012 Lego got the license back and now makes sets based on Ultimate Spider-Man, The Avengers movies, Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy.
The most stunning Lego marvel set is by far the Lego helicarrier from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers this collector’s editions set even has an option to add motors and lights to make the set even more realistic (these complements are sold separately, of course). So far Lego has released just one Ghostbusters set – the iconic Ecto 1. This was also a Lego ideas set, but it has sold so well that Lego is going to be making more sets based on the franchise. Next year will see the release of Lego dimensions Ghostbusters packs, as well as an insane $350 USD collector’s set of the Ghostbusters firehouse. Lego also has plans to release a few sets based on Paul Feig’s all female Ghostbusters reboot due out next summer. There is no word on what the sets based on the new Ghostbusters film will be, but a new Ecto 1 and headquarters are likely possibilities. Rumor has it that the new Ghostbusters headquarters will be a Chinese restaurant, which would make a great build for Lego fans.
With the recent celebration of The Simpsons 25th anniversary, Lego thought it would be a good idea to make sets based on everyone’s favorite Springfieldians. Two gigantic collector’s sets have been released so far. The Simpsons house and Kwik-E-Mart both related for $200 USD and feature over 2,000 pieces each. Because the number of characters in The Simpsons is in the thousands, Lego even produced two sets of collectible blind bag mini-figures. A total of 24 collectible Simpsons minifigures were released in addition to the minifigures that came with the sets. The granddaddy of all Lego themes is of course, Star Wars. Lego has released hundreds of sets and thousands of mini-figures based on the Star Wars universe. The theme has been around since 1999, and since that time multiple versions of different sets have been released. There have been 4 Slave 1s released to date and 5 Millennium Falcons. One of the most popular Lego Star Wars sets was the Lego Death Star playset.