The 36 Best LEGO Sets of All Time, Ranked By a LEGO Expert

• Pieces: 767

Yes, this set is the most simplistic build of anything on this list, but it’s become an iconic part of the LEGO historical log that it’s got to be included here. This set was complex for its time when released in 1978 with its drawbridge and various knights to play with. It’s been done bigger and better since, but this set paved the way for everything that came after it and certainly deserves recognition as one of the greats! 

• Pieces: 1969

While I’m personally not the biggest fan of space themed sets, this model is truly phenomenal to display in your collection. It towers at over 39 inches tall when standing vertically. Needless to say, this set will need a special home in your collection, but don’t let that deter you from adding this beauty to your archive. 

• Pieces: 2164

From the LEGO Ideas theme, this set may not be the biggest on the list, but it certainly is among the most aesthetic and visually pleasing. From the amazing contoured construction to the interior details, this set leaves nothing to be desired for the castle fans out there! 

• Pieces: 2164

This is one of the biggest LEGO sets of all-time in both piece count and real estate. If you’ve been to the actual Colosseum in Rome, you know how awe-inspiring it is to witness, and the LEGO version does a great job of recapturing that in your living space. While it’s not the most exciting build experience or dynamic play set, the sheer mass of the finished product is a true LEGO feat and it’ll turn heads no matter where it sits.

• Pieces: 1254

A true throwback to the Classic Space sets of the 1980s, this set delivers the vintage aesthetic of the old sets while capitalizing on more modern building techniques. It’s a true beauty and has captivated builders of all ages since its debut. 

• Pieces: 1212

This 2006 set is a bit dated aesthetically, but that’s part of what makes it so cool. LEGO hasn’t remade this ship since this iteration, so it’s a bit of a collector’s item (hence the hefty price tag on the secondhand market these days). It’s obviously not as detailed or sleek as some of the more recent Star Wars sets, but its understated style and rarity make it among my favorites of all-time.

• Pieces: 3296

LEGO has done a couple of versions of the Sandcrawler, but this Ultimate Collectors series edition reigns supreme. After the explosion in popularity of The Mandalorian, the Jawas’ Sandcrawler, one of the most iconic vehicles in the Star Wars franchise, saw an increase in sales.

This set is also super detailed on the interior, making it a difficult but extremely rewarding build. It’s absolutely gigantic (22.9 x 18.9 x 6.7 in), so make sure you’ve got space before building this set, which comes with a whopping 14 minifigs —from Luke and the R5 unit with a bad motivator to those pesky Jawas.

• Pieces: 1901

Taken straight from Avengers Endgame, The Guardians’ Ship is a perfect example of a set being bigger than traditional playscale, but cheaper than a full-on UCS set. This set included a brick-built black stand so it could hover over your LEGO collection and included nearly all of the Guardians of the Galaxy (plus Thor!) to zoom off into battle. An exquisite model priced fairly will always deserve a spot on lists like this. 

• Pieces: 2196

This is another modular set, so you can add it to your growing LEGO city—and the growing list of modulars in this countdown! The Palace Cinema is meant to be a corner building and perfectly encapsulates the vintage Hollywood fee it seeks to represent. The first floor has concessions and the second floor has the movie theater seating area. The theming on this set is just so perfect; this makes for a great set that has earned its place in the top ten portion of this list.

• Pieces: 1569

Aside from the Millenium Falcon, you’d be hard-pressed to name a more recognizable Star Wars ship than Luke Skywalker’s Red Five X-Wing. This set is from the Ultimate Collector series, so it’s super detailed and definitely requires some time and prowess to build. “Red five, standing by.”

• Pieces: 4002

This is another one from the LEGO Creator modular series. This set was actually released as a celebratory set for the 10th anniversary of the modular series. It’s bigger than the standard modular series sets and is built to include a flower shop, bakery, and numerous apartment buildings over the storefronts. This is such a great culmination of the modular series and a really great addition for anyone building out a LEGO city. Combine it with your other modules and you’ve got yourself an ever-growing city block!

• Pieces: 2363

Released in 2020, this iconic ship was released as a follow-up to the 1989 Batmobile the previous year (which appears higher in this list!) This time, the set came with a stand to allow the ship to “hover” on your shelf, but even cooler than that, the model has a built-in hook that will allow you to mount it to the wall on a nail. Far out!

• Pieces: 1872

This is the only time the same conceptual set will appear on the list twice, but it’s certainly for good reason. In 2022, LEGO released a large-scale DeLorean Time Machine from Back to the Future. Fans were immediately drawn to the model for its sleek design and plethora of addable accessories, including the Mr. Fusion, interchangeable tires, and more. You can transform the model to appear as any of the three versions of the car from across the Back to the Future trilogy, and if that isn’t cool enough, it also included a mini Hoverboard and exclusive minifigs of Marty and Doc from the second film. Great Scott!

• Pieces: 5544

Full disclosure, I’m not a diehard Harry Potter fan, but this is too cool of a set not to include! These sets connect with the LEGO Creator modular buildings (as I talked about with other sets on this list)  and come with four connectable buildings to create your own LEGO-scale Diagon Alley. This comes with so many figures and is so incredibly detailed; if you’re a Harry Potter fan, this is a must-have set.

• Pieces: 1508

The first-ever collaboration between toy giants Hasbro and Lego, the Optimus Prime Transformers set blew fans of both toys away. The model is able to transform back and forth from robot protector to the iconic blue-and-red semi, making this the perfect model for play or display. 

• Pieces: 1164

Submitted through the LEGO Ideas platform, this set was voted on by LEGO fans around the world who rallied for Dunner Mifflin to be immortalized in plastic brick form. With 15 minifigs straight from the show and dozens of reference and Easter eggs hidden throughout the set, this set’s price tag felt too good to be true at only $120. 

• Pieces: 6785

Star Wars populates this list quite a bit, but for good reason: models like this are hard to pass up! Released in 2021, this 6,785 piece behemoth stands at over 24 inches tall and retailed for $850, making it among the tallest and most expensive Star Wars models ever to be offered. 

• Pieces: 5201

More than a decade after its debut in the 2012 Avengers movie, the LEGO Avengers Tower is every Marvel fans’ dream; from the largest minifigure count in a LEGO set ever to the detailed interior, this set delivers on all fronts… just be prepared to part with $500 to obtain it! 

• Pieces: 9,090

This is one of the largest LEGO models ever offered, and the grandiose of this set in person is truly breathtaking. Those who have built this set will tell you it is a VERY repetitive build, but the final product is truly incredible and certainly a worthy inclusion on this list! 

• Pieces: 6,187

Released in 2022, the iconic Mandalorian ship was unveiled to LEGO fans with thunderous applause. Including several exclusive minifigures and one of the most detailed interiors on any UCS set to date, this $600 giant is comprised of 6,187 pieces. 

• Pieces: 1545

This set recreates the iconic opening sequence from Raiders of the Lost ark, and I’m not afraid to admit that building it brought a tear of joy to my eye. The final Technic contraption for lowering the idol’s pedestal into the floor is a true work of LEGO engineering genius, and it is one of the best display models I’ve ever owned. While it’s not #1 on this list, this is my personal favorite LEGO set of all-time!

• Pieces: 3772

Perhaps the greatest Lego Super Heroes set of all-time, 2021’s Daily Bugle blew LEGO fans away with its plentiful Spider-Man minifigure selection, amazing attention to detail on the inside, and its welcomed inclusion of long-awaited minifigures like Daredevil and The Punisher. Not to be outdone, it also kicked off a trend of getting a yearly modular Marvel set, with Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum releasing the next year. 

• Pieces: 1996

This is another entry from the Ultimate Collectors Series and is an absolute must-have for Star Wars fanatics. Like with all of the sets in this UCS line, this model is aimed at adults—hence the high price point and elevated build complexity. After the re-emergence of Boba Fett and the Slave 1, this set is one that is bound to go up in value over time. 

• Pieces: 2646

This could have easily placed higher on the list, mostly because of the ingenious array of functioning gadgets included in the set. It’s almost a scale model of the Nintendo Entertainment System and comes with a Super Mario cartridge in addition to a buildable controller. You also get to build a vintage 80s cassette TV with a crank, which moves your Mario “piece” across the screen, simulating a real play session on the nostalgic entertainment system. This one is too cool not to include in the “top ten.”

• Pieces: 5685

Released in 2021, this massive set celebrated the 10th anniversary of Ninjago, one of LEGO’s most successful themes. The set included a jaw-dropping 19 minifigures and included so much depth and story to the build. A term I like to use is “lived in,” meaning the set has so much detail and life to it that the build alone tells a story. This is one of many Ninjago sets built in this modular style, and I think an argument could be made for ANY of those models to appear on this list… it just so happens that this one is the most recent addition. 

• Pieces: 7541

This list couldn’t be complete without a shoutout to the Millennium Falcon. They’ve done two Ultimate Collectors series editions of the Falcon, one back in 2007 and this one in 2017. This was the largest LEGO set of all time until 2018’s Hogwarts Castle set bumped it from its spot. Now it rests firmly in the third-place position thanks to 2020’s Colosseum taking the #1 spot with over 9,000 pieces. This set allows you to recreate scenes from the original trilogy and the recent films; it includes numerous minifigs, including Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, Rey, and Finn. You can also change out the satellite dish to the corresponding film trilogy. Like with many of the UCS builds, this one has a complex interior, so you can open the ship and tinker around with the Falcon’s iconic interior. It even comes with a little Mynock figurine (the critter that attacks the Falcon when they stop momentarily during their chase in The Empire Strikes Back) for full cohesion with the film.

• Pieces: 4514

Released as a celebration of LEGO’s 90th anniversary, this set solidified itself as a legend before it even hit store shelves in 2022. With over 4,500 pieces, this set’s price tag of $400 meant not every builder would be able to get it, but those who did were surely in for a great build and many years of enjoyment from the model so many of us dreamed about existing when we were kids. 

• Pieces: 4080

This set is absolutely insane. It’s modeled after the Magic Kingdom castle from Florida’s Walt Disney World and comes replete with a wide range of Disney movie-themed rooms. There’s a callback to Aladdin (with his signature rug hanging on the wall) and even a chest with Rapunzel’s hairbrush, to name just a few. It also comes with several iconic Disney minifigs, including an exclusive Mickey, Minnie, and Tinker Bell, as well as Donald Duck and Daisy Duck.

• Pieces: 4861

You might be surprised that the number one spot isn’t a Star Wars set, but this Ghostbusters model really has it all. You can open the sides to reveal three distinct floors of the firehouse from the film, chock full of Easter Eggs and references to the pair of classic films. There are bedrooms, the haunted toaster, the team’s firepole, and more. If you were lucky enough to cop the Ecto I set from LEGO Ideas in 2014, the car could even be backed into the garage of this set for safekeeping. This set comes with minifigs of every character you could want, including numerous ghosts and the entire Ghostbusters team, complete with exclusive arm printing. It’s so faithful to the movie and such a fun playset; this is without a doubt my number one set of all-time.

• Pieces: 6167

LEGO created a run of Lord of the Rings sets from 2012-2013, and a decade later, they came back with the astounding Rivendell model. Depicting so many iconic scenes and locations from the Fellowship of the Ring, this $500 set came with a whopping 15 minifigures, allowing builders to assemble their own Fellowship in brick form. 

• Pieces: 4016

This is the ultimate LEGO playset. This 2016 iteration of the Death Star includes everything you could ask for. You can spin it around and see all of the Death Star’s iconic scenes, like Palpatine’s throne room (where you can drop him down the reactor shaft just like the movie!), the garbage compactor, and Leia’s detention block. There’s even a slide from the detention block area in the garbage compactor and a button to make the walls start closing in. It’s a super expensive set due to all of its amazing features and the high piece count, but it’s worth it if you want a faithful LEGO Death Star model in your home—and really, who doesn’t?