Can we be honest with each other for a minute? Most things advertised as “all ages” or “fun for kids and adults” are just flat-out lying. Find me an adult who actually enjoys Candyland or Chutes and Ladders. None of us are watching Adam Sandler movies of our own free will. We don’t really like knock-knock jokes.
But LEGO sets are different. People of all ages genuinely adore LEGOs. My tween loves them. My teenager loves them. I love them. Even my cat loves them. (Okay, fine, my cat loves swatting them, but you get the idea.) The best LEGO sets really are fun for all ages.
The Best New LEGO Sets of 2021
With new sets featuring Star Wars, Harry Potter, Rapunzel, and Iron Man just for starters, this year’s new wave of LEGO sets are some of the coolest and most collectable yet. Here are the best new LEGO sets for 2021. Happy building!
LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina Master Builder Series Set (75290)
Ages: 18+
Pieces: 3,187
Size: 7.5” high, 20.5” wide, 23” deep
Star Wars fans will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than this Ultimate Collector Series recreation of the Mos Eisley Cantina. And that’s a good thing. Full of incredible details and a removable roof to peak inside on the action, this massive LEGO Star Wars set comes with an assortment of smugglers, bounty hunters, and aliens, plus Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, and Chewbacca minifigures. Also included: two landspeeders, one Dewback, and the opportunity to once and for all show that Han shot first.
LEGO Star Wars AT-AT Building Kit (75288)
Ages: 10+
Pieces: 1,267
Size: 13” high, 14.5” long, 5.5” wide
This is not the first Star Wars LEGO set to feature an AT-AT, and it probably won’t be the last. But with its fold-out panels, spring-loaded shooters, winch, and convenient bottom hatch for Luke Skywalker to toss in his thermal detonator, it’s definitely the most playable take yet on the iconic Imperial Walker first seen on the Ice Planet of Hoth way back in the second Star Wars movie (a.k.a. the best Star Wars movie—search your feelings, you know it to be true … ) The set comes with six minifigures, including Luke Skywalker in his X-wing uniform, plus two snowtroopers and a speeder bike to help you recreate one of the most epic battles of the Rebellion.
LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Razor Crest Building Kit (75292)
Ages: 10+
Pieces: 1,023
Size: 5.5” high, 15” long, 11” wide
Maybe the only thing cooler than The Mandolorian’s armor is his ship, the dreadnaught-class hunk of space junk known as The Razor Crest. This highly detailed new LEGO Star Wars set comes with a dual minifigure cockpit, two spring-loaded shooters, a cargo hold with opening sides and access ramps, a carbonite chamber, a sleeping area, and a detachable escape pod. It also includes The Child (“Baby Yoda”), Mandolorian, IG-11, and other minifigures for posable or playable action.
Tip: Mandolorian fans might also like BrickHeadz’s The Mandalorian and Child set (ages 10+, 295 pieces) measuring three inches tall and retailing for just $19.95.
LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Child Building Kit (75318)
Ages: 10+
Pieces: 1,073
Size: 7.5” high, 8.5” wide, 5” deep
The breakout star of Star Wars: The Mandolorian, The Child gets his own (possibly life-size, definitely cute) new brick-built LEGO model in 2020. Complete with posable head, movable ears, an adjustable mouth, “Baby Yoda” will look great on any collector’s shelf. Just keep him away from the remnants of the Empire—they’ll do just about anything to get their hands on this naughty little carnivore.
LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Moment – Transfiguration Class (76382)
Ages: 8+
Pieces: 241
Size: 7.52″ high, 10.32″ wide, 2.4″ inches deep
The LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Moment series offers smaller (and more affordable) LEGO scenes that celebrate the small details of the richly rendered world of Harry Potter. Each set folds up into an old-fashioned looking book, and can be stowed safely on a shelf—or even carried. More of a playset than some LEGOs, this series encourages imaginative play and allows kids to create their own wizarding world.
The Transfiguration Class set includes Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Professor McGonagall, plus a blackboard, desks, chairs, storage cupboard packed with authentic accessories, a spell book, and more. The other sets are Potions Class (with Snape, of course), Charms Class (with Flitwick), and Herbology with Professor Sprout.
Tip: Younger witches and wizards might enjoy the new Harry Potter Attack of the Burrow playset (1,047 pieces) which is ideal for hands-on play and best for kids ages nine and up.
LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V Outer Space Model Rocket Building Kit (92176)
Ages: 14+
Pieces: 1,969
Size: 39” high, 6” diameter
The rocket that took humankind to the moon comes to life in this highly realistic 39-inch-tall Saturn V model, which includes three removable rocket stages (first, s-ii second, and s-ivb third) and three stands for horizontal display. Also included are two NASA minifigures to accompany the Lunar Lander and splashdown rocket. This new-in-2020 set also comes with a booklet explaining all about the manned Apollo moon missions.
LEGO Disney Rapunzel’s Tower Building Kit (43187)
Ages: 6+
Pieces: 369
Size: 17.5” high, 4” wide, 3” deep
Maybe it’s something to do with all the self-isolation and social distancing of 2020, but suddenly the idea of being locked away in Rapunzel’s tower for years on end feels, I don’t know … kinda relatable? With this new 17.5-inch tall LEGO set, kids can relive some of their favorite scenes from Tangled (the best Disney animated movie ever, fight me) and then orchestrate an escape through the secret cave at the base of the tower. The open-back set up invites imaginative play on each of the four levels inside the tower, too.
LEGO Marvel Avengers Iron Man Armory Building Kit (76167)
Ages: 7+
Pieces: 258
Size: 10” high, 7.5” long, 3” wide
The 258-piece Iron Man Armory is a great new LEGO set for young superheroes to recreate some of their favorite movie scenes and epic battles from the Marvel Universe. The bad guys won’t know what hit them when Tony Stark suits up in one of the two Iron man minifigure suits. If you’re looking for a modestly priced new LEGO set for Marvel fans, this is the one to buy.
LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Building Set (51515)
Ages: 10+
Pieces: 949
Size: varies by build
Kids can create five unique models with the new five-in-one LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor kit, but that’s just part of the fun. Using the included Robot Inventor app, they can learn to program the robots to perform 50 different activities with a scratch-based coding interface (no previous coding experience required). This new LEGO kit comes with four medium motors, a color sensor, a distance sensor, and an Intelligent Hub. It’s compatible with LEGO BOOST Creative Toolbox, Droid Commander, and other sets.
LEGO Creator Expert Gingerbread House Building Kit (10267)
Ages: 12+
Pieces: 1,477
Size: 11” high, 19” long, 3.5” wide
Nothing says Christmas like gingerbread houses, and this year’s new LEGO Creator Gingerbread House set is the ultimate seasonal centerpiece for build-it-together families. It features details like tiny wrapped gifts, a toy train, a rocking horse, and an entire gingerbread family, and the battery-operated elements make it a great display piece on any shelf or mantle.
LEGO Creator Colosseum (10276)
LEGO Creator Colosseum
Ages: 18+
Pieces: 9036
Size: 10.5” high, 20.5” wide, 23.5” deep
Let’s just take a moment to thank LEGO for continuing to think big. Bigger than ever, in fact, by looking to the ancient past for inspiration. The LEGO Colosseum is truly colossal—one of the biggest sets ever—but in the spirit of play, LEGO has made sure it’s still easy to lift and maneuver when built. Made for detail-oriented adults and ambitious kid builders, the model allows you to build the northern part of the outer facade, three stories of Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns plus Corinthian pilasters at the top. The build comes with a coffee-table-style instruction book that mingles instructions, history, and design notes.
