In order to compile a list of the biggest and most challenging Lego sets, it was necessary to narrow down the criteria. First, the sets have to be mass produced by LEGO. In other words, we’re not considering any giant custom sets like the 6-meter Death Star Trench or insane 150,000 piece recreation of Helm’s Deep from Lord of the Rings. Second, we excluded expandable sets such as the Modular Building series that you can keep adding on to like the Town Hall (10224), Green Grocer (10185), and the newly released Palace Cinema (10232) that can be combined together to lay out enormous Lego city scenes. Furthermore, to define what we mean by “biggest” the list considers those Lego sets with the largest amounts of pieces and/or final completed size of the set. As far as “challenging,” most of the sets listed below are suggested for builders aged 16 or older, although I’ve personally seen kids half that age cranking out 1,000+ piece sets with hardly any difficulty. Some of the sets listed below are still available at Lego stores worldwide, while some are out of production.
But you may find retired sets listed for outrageous prices on Amazon or eBay, though, those ones are arguable the best LEGO sets. Once Lego stops selling an item, or if produced in limited quantities, third parties grab those products and jack up the price depending on demand. You’ll find Lego sets a purchase limit per customer on certain items. Last week we created a list of must-have movie-themed Lego sets. Now, here’s a list of the most challenging and biggest lego sets, ordered somewhat subjectively but with consideration of total number of pieces combined with level of difficulty. By the way, the number in the parenthesis represents the Item Number in case you decide to go on a hunt for one of these Lego sets. It’d be hard to argue against Lego’s Star Wars Collector’s Millennium Falcon as being one of the most challenging and largest Lego sets (it also probably ranks as our #1 LEGOs for adults). The $499 Millennium Falcon is suggested for ages 16-years and older but younger kids can probably get through it with some supervision.
The highly detailed scale model is made up of a whopping 5,195 pieces but only 5 mini-figures including Luke, Princess Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and a stormtrooper. Why the set doesn’t include C-3PO and R2-D2 mini-figures is sort of a mystery (weren’t they on the Falcon during the mission to rescue Leia?), but nevertheless the ship itself is more than enough to focus on. The Collector’s Millennium Falcon was released in 2007 and retired in 2010, but remains the most-expensive mass-produced Lego set to date. If you need a little break from science fiction-based Star Wars sets you can jump into an architectural project building the Taj Mahal. The $299 set gives you more bang for your buck than the Collector’s Millennium Falcon, boxing a total of 5,922 pieces (about 700 more than the Falcon). What also makes this set a bit more of a challenge for builders is that all the pieces are all generally the same color. This makes it especially difficult for those who like to dump all their Lego pieces into a pile rather than build bag-by-bag.
Puzzle builders will attest to the difficulty of puzzles that don’t vary too much in color or patterns. The Lego model of the famous Taj Mahal palace in India was released in 2008. The Super Star Destroyer is a massive Lego set with 3,152 pieces and five mini-figures including Darth Vader, Admiral Piett, Dengar, Bossk and IG-88. You’ll spend most of your time building the interior structure of this ship (which in the end you don’t even see), but the results are an extraordinary detailed rendition of the massive ship from the Star Wars saga that measures almost 50-inches and weighs almost 8 pounds. The Super Star Destroyer sells for $399 US. Top 10 LEGO Cars Top 10 LEGO Cars Christmas is coming much sooner than we think and the time to start shopping is now. LEGOs are some of the greatest gifts that can be made to kids, young and old. In recent years, LEGO has introduced a number of car-based builder sets that are out of this world. In fact, they are so good and popular that a number of them have become hard to find.
In order to help your shopping along, here are the Top 10 LEGO car sets: Audi R8 LMS: Audi and LeMans are a winning combination. Email this to a friendEnthusiasm for building with LEGOs starts early and sometimes never fades. Fortunately, there’s an extensive range of LEGO building sets, from simple to complex, for builders of all ages. Some are inspired by favorite fictional worlds and others by real-world buildings. Below you’ll read about some popular sets that inspire imagination, encourage attention to detail, and even in some cases provide their builders with sets they can proudly display. The younger LEGO fans will enjoy the sets with fewer pieces and more play figures, while older LEGO fans will enjoy the more complex sets with intricate levels of detailing. LEGO fans five and up will likely enjoy the LEGO City Fire Truck 60002. With 208 pieces, children on the younger end of the age range might need some adult or older sibling help to build this classic little fire truck.
The truck is equipped with an extendable ladder and a retractable fire hose, as well as a hatch where the two firefighter mini-figures can keep their equipment stored when they’re not busy fighting fires. Star Wars fans 12 and up will be challenged to build the LEGO Star Wars Death Star (10188). This is a large and complex set with fine detailing. Different mini-figure scenes can be played out from Episodes IV and VI on its multiple levels, which include the control room, the Emperor’s throne room, and even the famous trash compactor. The hangar bay and tractor beam control are a few of its other authentic details. LEGO’s Architecture series highlights building structures from the real world. Builders 10 and up can put together the LEGO Architecture Seattle Space Needle (21003), an 8.7 inch gray brick replica of the real-life landmark. It comes with a booklet describing the building’s actual construction and history. When finished, this piece makes a unique display item.
Also from the Architecture series comes the LEGO Architecture White House (21006), a 560 piece set that allows for the creation of a lovely replica of the executive mansion. The building is assembles on a base. When finished, it’s nine inches wide. The pieces are rather small, but customers say it can be assembled fairly easily. Once again, it comes with a booklet filled with historical facts about this well-known architectural landmark, making it a nice gift for a history loving adult or child 10 and up. A larger and a little more complex set than the Fire Truck is the LEGO City Fire Station 60004. Recommended for builders six and up, this busy fire station comes with a fire van, truck, and helicopter, as well as five mini-figures who can drive, pilot, and fight fires. This looks like playset that will be fun to build and inspire plenty of imaginative games. It has 752 pieces which includes many pieces of firefighting equipment and even a fire station dog. A nice addition to the firefighting ensemble is LEGO City Fire Emergency 60003, a set for builders aged 5-12.
In addition to a nicely designed fire truck with rotating ladder and retractable hose, you’ll discover a house for the firefighters to save from the flames. The house measures over 5 inches, and the set comes with three firefighter mini-figures. If you know any LEGO fans who are also animal enthusiasts, take a look at the LEGO Creator Pet Shop 10218. This large and complex set includes a pet shop nestled in a city block with a kitchenette and a townhouse. The detailing on this more than 2,000 piece set is lovely, right down to the plastic flower boxes in the windows. The set comes with four mini-figures, including the pet shop owner. Firefighters aren’t the only heroes to feature in LEGO sets, as the LEGO City Police High Speed Chase 60007 shows. This smaller and slightly simpler set has 283 pieces that builders five and up will put together to make three vehicles: a police car, a sports car, and a police motorcycle. It also has three mini-figures, one of whom is a police officer sporting a pair of handcuffs.