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Best LEGO sets 2016 Christmas shopping guide

by on November 24, 2016
in LEGO Sales & Deals

With the holiday shopping season officially on us this weekend, it’s time to tackle that Christmas shopping list. If you have a LEGO fan on your list, you know what they want for Christmas; more LEGO! And the good thing about LEGO fans, is that you can’t go wrong. Even if you are not exactly sure what they would like, there is no such thing as a bad LEGO set. For a LEGO fan, any LEGO set is awesome. Even if you buy a duplicate of something they already have, they will love to get the extra parts! 🙂

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The only thing to look out for is making sure you are not buying a “clone-brand” instead of LEGO. There are many companies making inferior quality products that are imitating the LEGO brand, hoping that uninformed parents and grandparents will accidentally pick those up instead of genuine LEGO. In fact, they go as far as imitating the color-scheme and box design of real LEGO sets, and their products are often placed in the same isle right next to LEGO! Many LEGO fans despise these brands and would be quite disappointed. The only thing you need to do in this regard is check the box for either the LEGO or DUPLO logo (DUPLO are larger bricks for children under 3 years of age). These are the only two brands LEGO makes. Of course LEGO has sub-themes like LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Super Heroes, LEGO Technic, LEGO Friends, etc., but you will always see the red square LEGO logo displayed on the box.

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So now that you can relax and know that all LEGO is good LEGO (as long as it is real LEGO), let’s look at what is available this year that you might consider getting for the LEGO fan in your family or for your LEGO-crazed friends. Below you will find helpful links to recommended products.

➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR FAMILIES: “The family that builds together stays together.” For many people LEGO is a family affair. This is especially true where the parents also grew up with LEGO and they appreciate the educational and creative aspects of LEGO, along with the family bonding experience. If you are Christmas shopping for a family like this, you probably already know what aspect of LEGO they are into; perhaps they have a giant LEGO City layout in the basement, or LEGO Star Wars sets all over the living room, or a huge LEGO castle is taking up their dining-room table, or they set up a LEGO village and train around the Christmas tree every year. If your budget allows it, I would recommend getting a larger LEGO set for this family that everyone can enjoy. Good candidates are:

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➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR BOYS: If you know their wish-list, or the LEGO theme they like to build, get something that would fit that. For a lot of boys LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Ninjago and LEGO Nexo Knights are the rage, so anything from these themes would make a great Christmas gift. Also, the LEGO Creator line is excellent for kids who like to build their own designs. These sets are mostly priced in the $10-$50 range, so are quite affordable:

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➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR GIRLS: If you are Christmas shopping for a girl who is already into LEGO Friends, you can’t go wrong with any of the currently available sets. There is a great selection available in the $10-$50 range. LEGO Elves and LEGO Disney Princess are two other themes that use mini-dolls instead of regular LEGO minifigures. Girls also tend to like the LEGO Creator houses and other sets that are not centered on conflict:

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➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR TEENS: LEGO shopping for teens is a bit more challenging (I guess shopping for anything for teenagers is challenging). First of all, make sure they are still into LEGO. Even kids who have been building with LEGO all their life, once they hit their teens other pursuits will likely take up their interest. However this is not true for all teens; many of them will continue the LEGO hobby, and in fact take it much more seriously with designing their own LEGO creations with astounding skill and creativity. This can lead them to a future career in architecture, engineering, design, robotics, art, programming, or even landing a job at LEGO. If the teen you are shopping for is on their way out of the LEGO hobby I would suggest one of the excellent LEGO books available from No Starch Press that may rekindle their interest, or if they are still deeply involved with LEGO there are many LEGO sets specifically designed for teens. Good candidates are:

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➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR ADULTS: As more than one generation grew up with LEGO and continued the hobby in their adulthood, it became obvious that LEGO is not just a childhood toy, but can become a lifetime hobby. The many adult LEGO fan-sites, blogs and forums with thousands of members, and LEGO conventions all over the world, are a testimony of the thriving adult LEGO fan community. LEGO has responded to their adult fan-base by releasing LEGO sets specifically targeting adults. These are usually very large sets with complex building techniques and intricate details – things that would be too overwhelming for a child to build or pay attention to. Adult oriented LEGO sets are more expensive too, in the $100-$500 range, however there are also smaller sets that adults would appreciate:

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➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR GRANDPARENTS: LEGO has been around long enough that there are fans of the brand who are grandparents themselves. And grandparents deserve gifts too! Especially if they are fun grandparents who are into LEGO! They would likely appreciate the same LEGO sets as adults, but there is also something else I would recommend for them; LEGO books. Older LEGO fans have likely seen it all, built it all, even have it all, but they can still get inspiration from LEGO books that share amazing LEGO creations or delves into LEGO’s long history:

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➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR CO-WORKERS: You may be working with someone who is a LEGO-nut. Perhaps you have not seen their whole LEGO collection and know exactly what LEGO theme they are into, but you can get them something funny and LEGO related that fits in the office:

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➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR YOUR BOSS: Yes, your boss may be into LEGO too! Or perhaps you are the one who is known as the LEGO geek, and you want to surprise your boss with something from your hobby:

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➡ THE BEST SMALL LEGO SETS (UNDER $20): If your budget is small but would still like to surprise a LEGO fan, or you are just looking for LEGO stocking-stuffers here are some ideas:

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➡ THE BEST LARGE LEGO SETS (OVER $100): These are the best of the best LEGO sets, mostly recommended for teen and adult builders, although some younger kids may like them too. If money is not an issue, any LEGO fan would be very happy with these sets. Here are the best of the currently available large LEGO sets:

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Again, as I have mentioned, there is no such a thing as a bad LEGO set, and LEGO fans would appreciate any gift that would enhance their hobby. These are just some guidelines, in case you don’t know where to start. I hope it helps out in your Christmas LEGO shopping! Also, if you have your own suggestions, feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

LEGO SHOP IN USA: Online LEGO Shop USA
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LEGO SHOP IN CANADA: Online LEGO Shop Canada
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LEGO SHOP IN UK: Online LEGO Shop UK
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LEGO Education Panama Canal

by on November 23, 2016
in Other LEGO Sets & Themes

Recently a very interesting set was added to the Brickset database: the #2000451 LEGO Education Panama Canal. LEGO Education sets are geared towards teachers and educational specialists to deliver playful learning experiences in preschool, elementary and middle school classrooms. While LEGO Education packages do include actual LEGO bricks to teach math, science, robotics, etc., it is rare to see an actual cohesive LEGO set in the line. In fact, the #2000451 LEGO Education Panama Canal is special in more than one way, so let’s take a look. 🙂

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According to the announcement on Brickset, the #2000451 LEGO Education Panama Canal is released to commemorate the widening of the Panama Canal. The set shows how a series of locks allow ships to go through the canal while compensating for the height difference between sea level and the level of Gatun Lake. You can see the set in action in the video below:

As you can see, this 1,184-piece set is quite massive. It is somewhat crudely built compared to standard LEGO consumer sets, but the focus here is the educational aspect instead of good looks. Having an unfinished looking build allows students to see the moving parts, and highlights the mechanics of the canal. In contrast, the little ships are very well designed micro-builds. (Image below: map of the Panama Canal with gates leading to and leaving Gatun Lake – source Wikipedia)

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The #2000451 LEGO Education Panama Canal will only be available in Panama, so it will likely be very hard to find outside of the country. In addition, production is limited to 40,000 sets. The original price is around $250, which means that on the secondary market it could very well be in the $500-$1,000 range. Also, the set is really meant to be an educational prop for teachers, so even in Panama its availability will likely be limited.

On the positive side, because the set uses simple elements and a fairly straightforward design, LEGO fans should be able to replicate it without much difficulty. So if you don’t care for the box and original instructions, you might want to take up the challenge to build your own LEGO Panama Canal. The price should also be much less if you build the set yourself.

And if you are interested – especially if you are a teacher – you can also take a look at the LEGO Education website to learn more about what they offer. For adults, LEGO has another educational program called LEGO Serious Play (click on link to visit their website) with sets that can be found under the LEGO Serious Play section of the Online LEGO Shop.

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What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Education Panama Canal? Would you be interested in buying it? Or are you inspired to build your own? Do you think LEGO should release similar educational sets in their regular product lines? 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:

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