Although we are only a little over half way through the year, LEGO fans are already busy discussing 2016 LEGO sets and themes. Rumors have been circulating for quite some time now, however it was only recently that Amazon released a detailed list of the upcoming sets for the beginning of next year. Apparently the information was made public by accident so the list has been removed, however you can still find it in the Brickset database under the 2016 LEGO sets section. There is very little information known besides names, but I thought to start a conversation here so we have a concentrated place to discuss the new sets. 🙂
➡ 2016 LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS – One of the most interesting upcoming line is called LEGO Nexo Knights. There are several rumors circulating about this new theme, but one thing we know for certain is that LEGO designer Mark Stafford has been involved with designing the sets. Mark is well known for his excellent mechs and vehicles, which indicates that the Nexo part of the name is something either space related, or (as some rumors indicate) related to steampunk. Another part of the rumor is that this is going to be the new LEGO Castle theme, but with a mechanical twist. If you look at the set names in the Brickset database, (linked above) the #70313 LEGO Nexo Knights Lance’s Robo Horse especially seems to confirm this. Another thing we know about this theme is that it is going to be big; basically a replacement for LEGO Legends of Chima, which might also indicate a new TV show. There are six sets in the first wave of this new theme, along with six more sets that are titled “Ultimate”, which either mean a new type of game like the LEGO Ninjago spinners and flyers, or the LEGO Legends of Chima Speedorz, or perhaps some LEGO Constraction Figures.
As far as stempunk-style LEGO goes, the final LEGO Master Builder Academy set had a steampunk twist to it and it wasn’t well received. At the same time the steampunk-ish character MetalBeard from The LEGO Movie has been quite popular, and two of the sets are pretty much fully steampunk style: the #70810 LEGO MetalBeard’s Sea Cow and the #70807 LEGO MetalBeard’s Duel, so while this is a risky theme to work with due to the unusual design elements, it can be done. I’m more hesitant about believing that this is going to be the new LEGO Castle line. In general LEGO Castle fans like and expect sets that are traditional European Middle Ages style, with perhaps an added fantasy twist with elves, dwarves, dragons and similar creatures. I can’t imagine that the idea of heavily mechanizing and modernizing LEGO Castle sets would be accepted by the general LEGO Castle crowd. At the same time LEGO Castle has been sorely missing from the available lines, so something must be coming. We shall see…
➡ 2016 LEGO ELVES SETS: Speaking about fantasy the LEGO Elves line will continue next year with dragons… lots of dragons! There are six sets in total with a water dragon, a fire dragon, a wind dragon, and even a dragon school! We should also expect a second episode of the TV show. So far LEGO Elves has been a very strong line with beautiful sets. It is basically the fantasy version of LEGO Friends with beautiful colors and really nice pieces. The sets appeal not just to girls who like a magical twist, but also to adult LEGO Castle and fantasy fans. You can check out the currently available sets under the LEGO Elves section of the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO DISNEY PRINCESS SETS: And now that we are on the topic of magic, LEGO Disney Princess will also continue with six new sets based on Cinderella, Frozen, and the Little Mermaid. This is another very well received line that little girls have been gobbling up. You can find the currently available sets under the LEGO Disney Princess section of the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO FRIENDS SETS: Of course LEGO Friends is also continuing with some great sets. Some that sound really good are the #41117 LEGO Friends Popstar Studio, the #41118 LEGO Friends Heatlake Supermarket, the #41119 LEGO Friends Heartlake Cupcake Cafe, the #41121 LEGO Friends Rafting Adventure Camp, and the #41135 LEGO Friends Pop Star Villa. As you can see this wave is a bit all over the place; there is the continuation of the current pop star line, as well as city buildings and adventure sets. There should be something for everyone’s taste. You can check out the currently available sets at the LEGO Friends section of the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO CITY SETS: If you look at the list on Brickset for the 2016 sets, LEGO City appears to be particularly lackluster this time, There are plenty of sets for sure, but it is basically just more police activity and more firefighting. I think the currently available LEGO City sets with underwater and space adventures are a lot more interesting. You can find them under the LEGO City section of the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO CREATOR SETS: Here we get more of the 3-in-1 sets featuring vehicles and animals, but the most interesting one is the #31050 LEGO Creator Deli. This appears to be the third in the line of LEGO Creator buildings that a lot of LEGO fans consider the smaller and cheaper versions of the LEGO Modular Houses that still look really good. Plus they are 3-in-1 sets, so if you buy multiples of them you can easily expand the layout. For your reference, the two previous sets are the #31026 LEGO Creator Bike Shop & Café and the #31036 LEGO Creator Toy & Grocery Shop. You can find them both under the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO JUNIORS SETS: LEGO Juniors has become a fan favorite, offering really creative and well designed sets that target younger children with an easier building style. The sets have also been collected by adults because of the nice printed elements and unique minifigures. The new wave will include six sets; the one that sounds most interesting is the #10725 LEGO Juniors Lost Temple. You can also find the currently available LEGO Juniors sets at the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO NINJAGO SETS: LEGO Ninjago is also continuing of course (probably at least until the upcoming film in 2017), although the list of sets revealed so far is quite small. The next season supposed to bring back the pirates to LEGO Ninjago, and the upcoming #70604 LEGO Ninjago Black Widow Island seems to confirm that. While this wave seems small, Ninjago just got a huge update a few days ago, so you might want to check out the current sets under the LEGO Ninjago section of the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO STAR WARS SETS: LEGO Star Wars is definitely going to get a huge boost from the new Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens film at the end of the year, so it was expected that the line of new sets is going to be large. You can find the full list in the Brickset database, however I would like to point out that the large buildable LEGO Star Wars figures line and the LEGO Star Wars MicroFighters line will continue. There are also going to be several LEGO Star Wars Battle Packs. Based on the listed prices the sets revealed so far are all small or medium size, but I’m pretty sure there are also going to be large ones. In the meantime you can also check out the currently available sets under the LEGO Star Wars section of the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO SUPER HEROES SETS: DC Super Heroes is getting the #76044 LEGO Super Heroes Dawn of Justice Batmobile, and under the Marvel license there are a number of sets based on the upcoming film, Captain America: Civil War that is scheduled for release in May 2016. It is worth checking out the full list at the Brickset database.
➡ 2016 LEGO MINECRAFT SETS: LEGO Minecraft is an interesting phenomenon. You can find little enthusiasm for the sets in the online LEGO community, but they are obviously popular with someone if LEGO is planning to release a third wave. I think they are nice sets and they provide a great potential to build large Minecraft landscapes. I particularly like the first wave, and the minifigs in all of the sets are great. There are going to be three new sets next year, but no set names are provided yet. You can also check out the current sets under the LEGO Minecraft section of the Online LEGO Shop.
arrow: 2016 LEGO BIONICLE SETS: Nine new sets have been revealed: #71301 LEGO BIONICLE Ketar Creature of Stone, #71302 LEGO BIONICLE Akida Creature of Water, #71303 LEGO BIONICLE Ikir Creature of Fire, #71304 LEGO BIONICLE Terak Creature of Earth, #71305 LEGO BIONICLE Lewa Unifier of Jungle, #71306 LEGO BIONICLE Pohatu Unifier of Stone, #71307 LEGO BIONICLE Gali Unifier of Water, #71308 LEGO BIONICLE Tahu Unifier of Fire, and #71310 LEGO BIONICLE Umarak the Hunter. LEGO BIONICLE has been revived and so far going strong. The sets are creative and well received with a new generation of LEGO BIONICLE fans. You can also check out the currently available sets under the LEGO BIONICLE section of the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO MIXELS SETS: There is going to be another wave of LEGO Mixels, the strange but cute brick-built characters known for their excellent parts-selection. Not much is known about them yet besides that this is going to be the 7th wave, so in the meantime you can check out the currently available LEGO Mixels sets at the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO SPEED CHAMPIONS SETS: A nice surprise is that we are going to get a second wave of LEGO Speed Champions sets; the #75870 LEGO Speed Champions Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the #75871 LEGO Speed Champions Ford Mustang GT, the #75872 LEGO Speed Champions Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro, the #75874 LEGO Speed Champions Chevrolet Camaro, and the #75875 LEGO Speed Campions Ford F-150 Raptor. An interesting line-up for sure! If you are planning to collect this theme and don’t want to miss out on the first wave, I recommend that you check out the currently available sets under the LEGO Speed Champions section of the Online LEGO Shop.
➡ 2016 LEGO TECHNIC SETS: This is another interesting mix of sets: #42044 LEGO Technic Jet, #42045 LEGO Technic Rescue-Bot, #42046 LEGO Technic Escape Vehicle, #42048 LEGO Technic Go-Kart, and #42049 LEGO Technic Mining Loader. Based on the listed prices, all of these are relatively small sets, so larger ones must be coming later. In the meantime you can also check out the currently available sets under the LEGO Technic section of the Online LEGO Shop.
And that’s all for today! Quite a bit, isn’t it? Personally I’m looking forward to the LEGO Elves, LEGO Creator and LEGO Juniors sets the most, and of course I also want to see what those LEGO Nixo Nights are about! How about you? What do you think of the upcoming LEGO sets? Which ones are you looking forward to the most? Feel free to share and discuss, and also post any updates you find, in the comment section below! 😉
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