As a surprise move, LEGO just announced that they are resurrecting the #10189 LEGO Creator Taj Mahal that was originally released back in 2008. The official set number and name for the new Taj is #10256 LEGO Creator Expert Taj Mahal, and it is basically the same set as the previous one, with only one extra piece (likely just a brick separator). Below are the details and a fun intro video. 🙂
Here is the official description of the new set: Discover the architectural wonder of the Taj Mahal! Build and discover the Taj Mahal! The huge ivory-white marble mausoleum, renowned as one of the world’s architectural wonders, was commissioned in 1631 by the Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, the Empress Mumtaz Mahal. This re-launched 2008 LEGO Creator Expert interpretation features the structure’s 4 facades with sweeping arches, balconies and arched windows. The central dome, subsidiary domed chambers and surrounding minarets are topped with decorative finials, and the raised platform is lined with recessed arches. The model is finished with ornate detailing throughout and intricate tilework around the base. With more than 5,900 pieces, this set is designed to deliver a rewarding building experience and makes a great display piece for the home or office.
- LEGO interpretation of the real-world architectural wonder, the Taj Mahal.
Relaunched 2008 model, featuring 4 facades with arches and arched windows; central dome, 4 subsidiary domed chambers and 4 minarets, all topped with decorative finials; raised platform lined with recessed arches; ornate detailing throughout; and intricate tilework around the base. - Divides into 7 modular sections for easier transportation.
- Put your LEGO building skills to the test with one of the largest LEGO models ever created.
- Special elements include 6 blue 16×32 baseplates, white 1x5x4 bricks with bow, lots of transparent elements, ‘Erling’ bricks and ‘jumper’ plates.
- Measures over 16” (43cm) high, 20” (51cm) wide and 20” (51cm) deep.
- Recommended for Ages 16+.
- Contains 5,923 pieces.
In the video below, LEGO designer Jamie Berard, sneaks into LEGO’s super secret vault to steal the original version of the Taj. It’s pretty funny.
The #10256 LEGO Creator Expert Taj Mahal is going to be available on November 29th (Black Friday). The prices are as follows: US $369.99 – CA $449.99 – DE 329.99€ – UK £299.99 – DK 2699.00 DKK. The set will be available at official LEGO stores and under the LEGO Creator Expert section of the Online LEGO Shop.
It seems like LEGO decided to re-release some of the largest and most popular collectors’ sets for the past, which is an interesting move. Even more interesting is that while the re-release of the LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon is a complete redesign with updated pieces and building techniques, the Taj appears to be exactly the same as the set released a decade ago, with the same pieces, piece-count and techniques (the only difference is the box). I wonder what other retired sets LEGO is planning to bring back. This new and surprising direction is definitely making resellers very nervous…
What do you think about all of this? Are you excited for the re-release of the LEGO Creator Taj Mahal? What other retired sets would you like LEGO to bring back? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
Just like the movie Industry, can’t come up with anything new. If it was for mini figures that would be cool.
Oh, yeah… movies… It’s interesting that it was even pointed out recently by some very key people in the industry that this was a major problem, and they are still continuing with more sequels. For a few films it works, but for others it’s an absolute disaster. Movie goers are grumbling because there is nothing new and fresh. Then Hollywood is wondering why they are not selling more overpriced tickets… 🙁
And look at all the reboot of TV series. Just makes me roll my eyes. But it’s all good. More time for MOC Lego.
I never really like this set though, so my wallet is safe.
First millenium falcons, and now this… I don’t think it’s such a good idea.
Off-topic:
My interview with key to the brick is posted! Here’s a link:
https://keytothebrick.wordpress.com/2017/10/28/interview-with-prashbricks/
By the way, I am having a bit of a trouble in choosing what I want to buy with my birthday money, I could either buy
– a good computer set-up
– detective’s office + a good spriting program
– parts for lego MOC modular buildings + a good spriting program
– parts for lego MOC ranged weapons + a good spriting program
– carrot gun in real life + a good spriting program
Do you have any advice?
I have already made a list with the pro’s and con’s of each choice, but I still have no idea!
Good interview! And that’s a nice suggestion about leaving the back of the Modulars open. As far as your choices, you already made a pros and cons list, which is what I would have suggested first. Since that still didn’t help you clarify, what about looking at the long term results for each? Say, for example, a year from now, which choice would you be most happy with? Which is the one that would bring the most satisfaction that you would still benefit from a year from now?
Maybe you can get a spriting program for free. It seems Aseprite is free and Open Source if you download and compile it yourself… Try looking things up.
That’s actually a really good point. He may be able to squeeze more of his wants out of the same budget by just looking at cheaper sources or alternate options.
The carrot gun is the thing I have hardest to understand, myself. Then, I’m not a gun nut, although I shot off some wild flowers on the countryside with an air rifle with my big brother when I was younger…
Then, it seems the material for constructing one of your own might still be quite cheap…
In Sweden, even air guns are regulated, so I guess the rifle we owned wasn’t too powerful…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_gun_laws#Sweden
Thank you for all these kind reactions! I will certainly give you guys more information if I have chosen something and I will make that long terms list! As per the carrot gun, you could compare it with a water gun, we all now it, and it’s just ment to play with, and you don’t have to live in america to be able to use it. The carrot gun is difficult, because the mechanism is hard to think off, though constructing might be cheap… 🙂
It seems like the price range for your ideas could vary quite a bit. I could estimate a carrot rifle and a spriting program together for about 20-30$ and a good computer setup for maybe 200-300$ … =/
My budget is around the €325,-.
I agree that the price range varies, and that I could combine them even more, to be able to buy even more stuff. 😀
That’s a really nice size budget to work with. Use it wisely, and you can stretch it out even more! With the holidays coming up, you will likely able to get everything you want much cheaper. Which, of course, means checking off more of your wanted list. So watch for sales, coupons, and other incentives for both your LEGO and non-LEGO wish-list. The next couple of months are the perfect time to go on a little shopping spree. 😉
Ok!
Very interesting news indeed and for many reasons. I hope Lego remakes more old sets especially some of the older modular buildings, with detailed interiors this time.
I do feel that just re-releasing a set without updating anything at all is a strange choice to make. It seems a bit lazy.
I won’t be buying this one. If I was an investor that had a lot of older sets I would wonder how the future might look if Lego continues this trend.
I also prefer updated re-releases rather than just throwing a new number on a old box. While the Taj was a beautiful set in its time, it looks kind of dated now. It could have been made so much nicer with some of the new decorative and curved pieces.
Wait. What? This was totally unexpected. I don’t even know what to think. I have heard people talking about wanting the Falcon and the modulars, but I never heard of people seriously asking for the Taj Mahal to be brougth back. And with no upgrades, it’s even less desirable. I kind of remember that when the first set was available they had to keep lowering the price because it wasn’t selling well.
I actually remember that too. I may dig up my old catalogs to confirm, but I also remember that Taj just sitting around and LEGO having to keep lowering the price to get rid of them.
Maybe lego is testing out which kind of rereleases people like. Updated remakes, or just straight on releases with no changes. In either way, this announcement is very surprising.
That’s a possibility. Although, in that case it would have been easier to judge and trust the numbers if they re-release two sets from the same – or at least similar – themes. Like an updated Star Wars set and a re-released non-updated one. The Falcon and the Taj are as far from each other as possible. So comparing sales numbers is like comparing apples and oranges.
I’d like to see a re release of emerald night and / or other high quality trains.
Oh, yes! Thanks for mentioning trains! And I would also like to have the Maersk train back, but without that hideous sticker at the front that overlaps several pieces. And what about the really old trains, like the gorgeous Santa Fe? Would love to see an updated version of it coming back! 😀
When I saw this on Brickset this morning, I had to check to make sure it wasn’t April 1st already. 😉 That’s how surprised I was, making this re-release probably the most surprising thing I’ve seen from LEGO all year.
I wonder why LEGO chose to re-release the Taj Mahal, especially this late in 2017 – at this point it feels like an afterthought. (The Joker Manor almost feels the same way, except it’s new and interesting.) I know people have been hoping for a re-release of all the big 2007-2008 sets, but I doubt many of them expected it to actually happen. I’ve also read that perhaps LEGO is trying to beat Lepin and other clone brands who make fake versions of old sets and, to a lesser degree, to diminish the aftermarket. LEGO’s reasoning could be any combination of these. 😕
As I look through the Brickset comments, I see a clear divide between people glad to have a re-release and people disappointed with the lack of updates or something new. I share both opinions: I’m glad that those who missed the original can get one just like it, but I also think the set could have been improved like the UCS Falcon was. However, since the set has no changes, at least people who have the old Taj Mahal needn’t buy this new one, though that also seems like something LEGO would want to avoid.
Speaking of the Falcon, I also find it odd for LEGO to release their two largest sets ever (by piece) only a month apart. Is LEGO testing the AFOL community to see how much they will spend? That’s a dangerous experiment, to me. The price of $370 seems like an odd amount, too. I don’t think any LEGO set has had that price before.
Overall, I’m surprised but not impressed. Time will tell how this fares.
(BTW, I realize I haven’t commented in quite some time, but I almost never have time to do so these days. However, I do still visit this site every day to see what’s new. 🙂 )
LOL! I did the same thing! I was in fact talking to myself aloud “It’s not April, right? RIGHT???” Also, LEGO didn’t send out a press-release on this set to LEGO fan sites, which is highly unusual. They usually send them out at least the day before, if not longer. Like Jamie literally just broke into the vault yesterday, and this is all news for everyone. Even on the Ambassador forum everyone is shocked. Everything about this set is unusual… and unsettling…
And, BTW, nice to have you! I was just thinking about you over the weekend, like I haven’t seen you around for a while and was wondering if you were okay. Glad to hear that things are okay, and you’re just busy.
This is a diversion to distract people from the Falcon, since Lego is struggling to meet demand for it. People will have to decide between this and the Falcon…
Really? I don’t think the markets overlap particularly…
Yeah, I don’t think people who buy the Falcon are the same who want to buy the Taj. Unless the breaking news tomorrow is going to be that archeologists just uncovered an ancient spaceship that looks like the Falcon hiding under the Taj and put there by our lizard people alien overlords. 🙄
That would make people want BOTH of them for an accurate display…
Yes, exactly! 😀
I am really happy since we were not doing Legos when this set first came out. I was also not at all happy with the resellers price or the lepin version (an unstagged almost 5000 pieces). So, great. Good news as far as I’m concerned.
Nancy, thanks for sharing! You are exactly the type of LEGO fan this set is great for! Enjoy! 😀
Off topic) , Did you see that Playmobil is doing a Ghostbusters theme . Should The Company be worried that LEGO might have a problem with that ? Considering LEGO did a Ghostbusters set first. As for the rehashing the taj Mahal set. So, they put an improved version from the old and why didn’t they do it right the first time . Or is it just the same thing and LEGO thinks we are like goldfish ( short term memory) and we think it’s new all over again .
Oh, yeah, but themes come and go… Both companies do well enough to survive for the foreseeable future. (Although I don’t think Playmobil really has bought any pop culture licence before GB.)
And the set seems to be basically exactly the same as last time, except for a brick separator.
Although I don’t talk about it here much, I really like Playmobil, and have had Playmobil sets ever since I was a kid. JANG has a separate channel reviewing Playmobil sets. They have such wholesome themes.
Playmobil is a old and very solid company. They don’t do shady or questionable stuff. The new Taj is the exact same as the old. Sometimes LEGO can make improvement on old sets because of the release of new parts that were not available when the original set came out.
Yeah, I don’t think Lego bought the Ghostbusters license for that long, and after it expired, Playmobil picked it up. Or something like that.
I can’t help but wonder how much this has to do with Christiansen taking over the company.
I realize that big sets take a year or two to produce and release, but so many huge sets in a short frame of time makes me feel like Lego is trying to clear out old projects so they can move forward with their new leader’s vision.
That’s a very interesting thought I haven’t considered. It does seem like LEGO is releasing a lot of large sets that seems to be out of the ordinary schedule.
As a current owner of the original Taj Mahal, this new one definitely looks identical. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this model while building it with all of the really tiny pieces- sore fingers and all, lol! Pretty model and I am really happy I did buy it though.
My one thought after the initial surprise of this model being re-released was that Lego was opening a bit of a Pandora’s Box that will likely tick off many people who will be requesting/demanding the re-release of their favorite wanted sets and Lego not being able to/choosing not to do so. I personally can think of a good half a dozen or so sets I’d not mind being able to purchase. 😀
Yeah, I wonder what they have in mind for re-releases. And they obviously can’t please everyone. Also, in the past they said that every time they tried re-releases, they didn’t do very well. The whole thing is just very unusual…
Please, please, lego, rerelease the Imperial Flagship!
Oh, yes!!! I missed out on that set, but I really would like to have it. Sometimes I look it up on eBay, and just have to turn away because of the price.
Very interesting that LEGO would choose to do this… not to say odd. But I’m probably pretty far from the target audience with this set, I certainly was with the Falcon – as a matter of fact, I cross virtually all $100+ sets right off my list.
I think given what we’ve seen with the Falcon being so popular, while many AFOLs may look at this set funny, it’ll probably sell just fine.
Personally I opine that an identical one is a reasonable choice – it would be tough to make one so much better that people who had already forked over several hundreds of dollars for one years ago would feel like buying another one. This one is a fine display piece and while there are perhaps spots where us AFOLs can think of better techniques given the expanded palette since it was designed, on the whole it’s still a great model. People who missed it years ago will feel like they’re getting the original deal.
It would make sense for LEGO to do a test case regarding an identical re-release… but this would be a rather extreme set to choose as a test case!
Yeah, it’s all very confusing. It will probably take a while to figure out what LEGO is doing. I think next couple of years are going to be pretty crucial. If they re-release more retired sets we should start to be able to see a trend. I’m not surprised by the re-release of the Falcon. So many people wanted it, and the updates are wonderful.
The Taj is a lovely looking set for sure, and is definitely attractive to some people, but I have never really heard of any major demand to bring it back. It wasn’t super popular when it was first released either. Perhaps LEGO is planning to run some limited production re-releases of sets that were retired about ten years prior. This will satisfy people who missed out the first time around, and it’s not a huge risk or endeavor for LEGO to do. Especially if they don’t have to spend time redesigning the set or recreating old moulds. Just bring out an old set they know fans like, put it in a new box, slap a new number on it, and let the money roll in. Easy-peasy. 😀
And I’ve heard that the Taj Mahal was actually going for $3000 here and there, so there obviously is a demand for it!
High collector prices only means there are some nuts, in the plural, willing to pay outrageous sums… Not necessarily that a whole production run would pay off.
Prices on the secondary market for the original set ranges between $1K-$4K, with the average going price around 2-2.5K, with about 1-4 selling per month. That’s still shows some demand, but not a huge one. Of course, for the significantly lower price of the new set, I’m sure LEGO will sell a lot more than just 1-4 a month. 😀