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Largest exclusive LEGO sets 2010 – 2016

by Thita (admin) on November 9, 2016

in LEGO Exclusives

As we are almost at the end of the year, I thought this was a good time for an annual review of the largest LEGO sets released during 2016. This has been a particularly interesting period, because the number of big sets almost doubled compared to previous years. In fact, let’s start out with a short comparison, before discussing the current year. 🙂

➡ LARGE EXCLUSIVE LEGO SETS 2010: There were a total of three large sets over 2,000 pieces this year, the largest being over 4,000 pieces! The largest set was the #10214 LEGO Creator Tower Bridge (still available, see link) with 4,287 pieces and a price of $239.99. The second largest set was the #10212 LEGO Star Wars Imperial Shuttle with 2,503 pieces and a price of $259.99. The third largest set was the #10211 LEGO Creator Grand Emporium with 2,182 pieces and a price of $149.99. All other sets had less than 2,000 pieces.

➡ LARGE EXCLUSIVE LEGO SETS 2011: There were a total of five large sets over 2,000 pieces this year. The largest LEGO set released in 2010 was the #10221 LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Super Star Destroyer with 3,152 pieces and a price of $399.99. The second largest set was the #21010 LEGO Architecture Robie House with 2,276 pieces and a price of $199.99. The third largest set was the #8110 LEGO Technic Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 400 with 2,048 pieces and a price of $199.99. The fourth largest set was the #10218 LEGO Creator Pet Shop (retiring soon) with 2,032 pieces and a price of $149.99. The fifth largest set was the #10217 LEGO Harry Potter Diagon Alley with 2,025 pieces and a price of $149.99. All other sets had less than 2,000 pieces. Note that only one set had over 3,000 pieces and costs over $200.

➡ LARGE EXCLUSIVE LEGO SETS 2012: Looks like in 2012 LEGO decided to be even more conservative, as no sets reached 3,000 pieces or costs more than $200. There were a total of three large sets over 2,000 pieces. The largest set released was the #10224 LEGO Creator Town Hall with 2,766 pieces and a price of $199.99. The second largest set was the #10225 LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 with 2,127 pieces and a price of $179.99. The third largest set was the #10228 LEGO Monster Fighters Haunted House with 2,064 pieces and a price of $179.99. All other sets had less than 2,000 pieces.

➡ LARGE EXCLUSIVE LEGO SETS 2013: This year is about the same as the previous one, with no set reaching 3,000 pieces, and only three sets were over $200. There were four large sets over 2,000 pieces. The largest set released was the #10234 LEGO Creator Sydney Opera House (retiring soon) with 2,989 pieces and a price of $319.99. The second largest set was the #42009 LEGO Technic Mobile Crane MK II with 2,606 pieces and a price of $219.99. The third largest set was the #10237 LEGO The Lord of the Rings Tower of Orthanc with 2,359 pieces and a price of $199.99. The fourth largest set was the #10232 LEGO Creator Palace Cinema with 2,196 pieces and a price of $149.99. The fifth largest set was the #10236 LEGO Star Wars Ewok Village (retiring soon) with 1,999 pieces and a price of $249.99. (It is only one piece below the 2K threshold, so I added it here, plus it is considered a LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collectors Series set, so it deserves to be mentioned.) All other sets had less than 2,000 pieces.

➡ LARGE EXCLUSIVE LEGO SETS 2014: This year there were four large sets over 2,000 pieces, with one of the sets reaching over 3,000 pieces. As far as price, only two sets were over $200. The largest set was the #75059 LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Sandcrawler (retiring soon) with 3,296 pieces and a price of $299.99. The second largest set was the #70810 LEGO Movie MetalBeard’s Sea Cow with 2,741 pieces and a price of $249.99. The third largest set was the #71006 LEGO The Simpsons House with 2,523 pieces and a price of $199.99. The fourth largest set was the #10243 LEGO Creator Parisian Restaurant with 2,469 pieces and a price of $159.99. All other sets had less than 2,000 pieces.

➡ LARGE EXCLUSIVE LEGO SETS 2015: In 2015 LEGO started to get bolder and released six large sets over 2,000 pieces, and one that almost reached the 2K threshold. But there were no sets over 3,000 pieces, and only two sets costs above $200. The largest set in 2015 was the #76042 LEGO Super Heroes SHIELD Helicarrier with 2,996 pieces and a price of $349.99. The second largest set was the #42043 LEGO Technic Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 with 2,793 pieces and a price of $229.99. The third largest set was the #10247 LEGO Creator Ferris Wheel with 2,464 pieces and a price of $199.99. The fourth largest set was the #10246 LEGO Creator Detective’s Office with 2,264 pieces and a price of $159.99. The fifth largest set was the #71016 LEGO The Simpsons Kwik-E-Mart with 2,179 pieces and a price of $199.99. The sixth largest set was the #70751 LEGO Ninjago Temple of Airjitzu with 2,208 pieces and a price of $199.99. Honorable mention goes to the seventh largest set, which is just below the 2K piece threshold; the #75060 LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Slave I with 1,996 pieces and a price of $199.99. All other sets had less than 2,000 pieces.

➡ LARGE EXCLUSIVE LEGO SETS 2016: And here we are in 2016, with an unprecedented nine large sets over 2,000 pieces, four of which are over 4,000 pieces and one almost reaching 5K. And eight of the nine sets are over $200. If you look at the pattern of the previous years, you can see that this is completely unheard of. The largest set in 2016 is the #75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters with 4,634 pieces and a price of $349.99. The second largest set is the #10253 LEGO Creator Big Ben with 4,163 pieces and a price of $249.99. The third largest set is the #71040 LEGO Disney Castle with 4,080 pieces and a price of $349.99. The fourth largest set is the #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star with 4,016 pieces and a (crazy) price of $499.99. The fifth largest set is the #42055 LEGO Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator with 3,927 pieces and a price of $279.99. The sixth largest set is the #42056 LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS with 2,704 pieces and a price of $299.99. The seventh largest set is the #76052 LEGO Super Heroes Batman Classic TV Series Batcave with 2,526 pieces and a price of $269.99. The eight largest set is the #10251 LEGO Creator Brick Bank with 2,380 pieces and a price of $169.99. And the ninth largest set of 2016 is the #75098 LEGO Star Wars Assault on Hoth with 2,144 pieces and a price of $249.99. All other sets have less than 2,000 pieces.

While in previous years all of the large exclusive sets received pretty much universally positive reviews, 2016 is a bit troubled in this regard. From the nine sets released, the #75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters, the #10253 LEGO Creator Big Ben, the #71040 LEGO Disney Castle, the #42055 LEGO Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator, the #42056 LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and the #10251 LEGO Creator Brick Bank are all considered very solid sets. On the other hand, the #76052 LEGO Super Heroes Batman Classic TV Series Batcave, and the #75098 LEGO Star Wars Assault on Hoth received a lot of criticism for some of the design decisions. And while the #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star is a good set, it is almost exactly the same as the previous version, but for a $100 more. So from the nine sets, six are definite winners, while the remaining three are a bit questionable.

While it is nice to see so many large sets, the significant rise in piece-count and price is troubling to some LEGO fans. Previously, with a well-managed budget, most LEGO fans had no trouble picking up the large exclusive sets they liked each year, or even all of them. However in 2016 only one set is below $200, five are between $200-$300, two are $350, and one is $500. That’s a lot. And of course this means that LEGO fans need to pick and choose their favorite large sets more carefully, plan ahead accordingly, and also manage their budget even more vigilantly. And we haven’t even taken into consideration many of the excellent smaller sets that were released this year! I’m curious to see if LEGO will continue to flood the market with extra-large sets next year, or will cut back some to the previous levels to focus on quality and keep the uniqueness of the exclusives.

If you are considering purchasing any of the large exclusive sets before the end of the year, I would suggest that you check out reviews of the sets to make sure you end up getting the one you would be the most happy about. The sets come from a wide variety of themes (LEGO Creator, LEGO Technic, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Super Heroes, LEGO Ghostbusters, and LEGO Disney), so there is something for everyone. Also, remember that some of the older sets from previous years are still available, but are scheduled to retire soon (see: LEGO Sets Retiring Soon & Sales and Deals). You can find both the current and previous large exclusive sets under their respective themes and under the Exclusives and the Hard to Find section of the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? How do you like the 2016 selection of large exclusive sets? Do you think there are too many of them? Or would you like to see even more? Which one is your favorite set this year? What about previous years? And which sets you don’t like? 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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Brick City Depot & Brick Builders Pro

by Thita (admin) on November 8, 2016

in Useful Resources

The LEGO Modular Buildings series is one of the most popular collections with adult LEGO fans. They are substantial, look good on display, and provide a satisfying building experience with lots of little details and interesting building techniques. While many LEGO fans are happy to display the sets as they are, others like to modify them slightly – or even substantially – to create a unique layout. This may include making the official sets wider or taller, changing the colors, or upgrading the interior. We have discussed a number of techniques in this regards, and I have included some links for you at the end of this post. 🙂

10255-lego-creator-assembly-square-street-view

However if you want to be even more adventurous, you can also build completely unique structures that still fit the style of the official LEGO Modular Buildings. By following the basic layout, style and connection points of the LEGO Modular Buildings, you can add pretty much any other structure; office buildings, restaurants, shops, residential buildings, and more. Using examples from other LEGO fans, and taking advantage of LEGO Digital Designer, you can work out the details even before buying a single brick. Once you are done, you can order the LEGO pieces you need directly from LEGO, or from BrickLink sellers.

If you are not completely ready to build your own buildings from scratch, but would still like to add something unique to your layout, there are a couple of resources for custom LEGO Modular Buildings that you might want to take advantage of. Some time back I told you about a book that is an excellent source for LEGO Modular Buildings style structures, called The LEGO Neighborhood Book by Brian and Jason Lyles. The book covers everything from the specific standards of the LEGO Modular Buildings, to choosing colors, building techniques for detailing, interior and exterior decorations and furnishing, and even designing commercial buildings. You can read my detailed review of the book here: The LEGO Neighborhood Book – Review, and buy the book on Amazon at the following link: The LEGO Neighborhood Book on Amazon

The authors of The LEGO Neighborhood Book also run a website called BrickCityDepot.com. Here you can purchase additional instructions for custom LEGO buildings that fit the LEGO Modular Buildings style. They only cost a few dollars, and you will get a full inventory of the parts needed, as well as step-by-step building instructions. A particularly useful section of the website lists alternate instructions for official LEGO sets, which means that if you already have the original set, you won’t have to buy the parts. For example, the #10224 LEGO Creator Town Hall is rebuilt into a consulate, the #10228 LEGO Monster Fighters Haunted House is turned into a row house, and the #10197 LEGO Creator Fire Brigade becomes a townhouse. These instructions also only cost a few dollars, and could make your city quite unique and interesting.

A similar website is called BrickBuildersPro.com. They also provide a wide variety of instructions for LEGO Modular Buildings style structures, and also structures that may not attach directly to the LEGO Modular Buildings, but would fit into a larger LEGO city layout. Some examples are a large international airport, train-station, church, warehouse, barn, diner, fishing dock, and more. Prices for the downloadable instructions are about the same as with the previous website, and they also have some free instructions for smaller builds, like a bus-station, shopping cart, soda fountain, vending machine, and popcorn cart.

Once you build a few official LEGO Modular Buildings, and a few custom buildings by others, you are well on your way to designing and build your own structures. You may even want to recreate a street from your town! So I hope you find these resources helpful. What do you think? Have you considered building your own custom LEGO Modular Buildings? What would you like to add to your layout? Did you try any of the resources I mentioned above? How did you like them? Feel free to share your thoughts and own review in the comment section below! And you can also check out the currently available LEGO Modular Buildings at the Online LEGO Shop.

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

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Largest exclusive LEGO sets 2010 – 2016

Brick City Depot & Brick Builders Pro

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