What are the best value sets released this year?
Posted by Huw,.jpg)
Judging by the comments on our recent reviews, it would seem that many of you consider the sets released nowadays to be too expensive and poor value for money. Discussion about the price of the set often overshadows that about the set itself, and the comments descend into a spiral of negativity.
So, to try and turn that around and generate some positivity, we're going to run a poll to find out which sets released this year that you think are good value for money.
Please use this form (not the comments) to nominate up to five of this year's sets that you feel are priced sensibly at full price and represent good value. If you're logged in you can view a list of this year's sets that you own to make it a bit easier.
The ten sets with the most nominations will be included in a poll in a few days' time.
Thanks to Brick_Master for the suggestion.
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70 comments on this article
Actually love this, I’m not gonna say my picks in the comments but I’m looking forward to a list without Star Wars ;)
@sebitsena said:
"Don't know if my submission is OK but i got an alert message saying a bug has been encountered..."
@Jobbo said:
"I've got the bug message too. I tried omitting a couple but still get it with just the first three."
Me too!
Bugs when submitting as well.
When looking at value - ppc is going to be key, then set design/play features, and if appropriate, figures included (print detail and 'coolness' etc.) - so I think this is still going to feature a lot of Star Wars and other licensed sets...
who buys LEGO at full price!?
Oops! I noticed I bought significantly less Lego this year than in previous years. But seems I own exactly zero sets from 2025. So, this poll is not for me :)
Uhm, do we have any price bracket for the poll, @Huw?
I’ve got to try and remember which ones I got elsewhere at discount. This made them better value straight away.
Should we include those? Or just stick to judgements based on full Lego prices?
I do like the metric of "best value" versus "best set". There's several sets I saw this year that I kind of liked, but not at retail price. Some other sets, I didn't mind shelling out full price for. Those were the sets I picked.
Sorry, Soundwave. I love the metal pants off of you, but you are not a good value set.
So, I used the link to these year's releases I own and I was shocked again how few there are. 33 from this year's lineup and I don't even plan to buy many more (maybe 2 from animal crossing).
While I like the sets that I own (obviously, duh!) few of them looked okay when considering the RRP. Most expensive nominee is 76446 which surprisingly grew on me a lot.
@BelgianBricker said:
"who buys LEGO at full price!?"
People who want Insiders points. I rarely buy sets on offer elsewhere because of points and I cashed mine in for the Titanic this year which I considered a good thing, though I do feel that the acculumation amounts should be revamped, because it does take a while to gather the points you need for a set like that.
As to the other inquiry of this article, looking at the sets I brought this year, there are very few which I would consider inexpensive. Possibly the Botanicals that were part of the four gentlemen. But that doesn't make five, so I'm not filling in the form.
It might be me, but it feels weird to be able to vote for sets that still haven’t been officially released(Goonies and Enterprise).
Nice Idea but WHO is buying Lego at full price? I assume like me we are all using Bricksets Wanted feature to scour the internet and then buy from a certain River based company who quite often price match anyone else. I do buy full price from Lego.com but only when there is a GWP to which in my head I offset the Full price, and you get 5% back in general with VIP. That aside lets assume we did pay full price and continue.
That's a good question. I mostly bought second hand sets and sets on discounts so I actually have no idea where to start.
@BelgianBricker said:
"who buys LEGO at full price!?"
One answer could be: People -like myself sometimes- that want a specific GWP when on offer instead of buying said GWP on the secondary market (at a usually inflated price.)
@Lego34s said:
"Nice Idea but WHO is buying Lego at full price? I assume like me we are all using Bricksets Wanted feature to scour the internet and then buy from a certain River based company who quite often price match anyone else. I do buy full price from Lego.com but only when there is a GWP to which in my head I offset the Full price, and you get 5% back in general with VIP. That aside lets assume we did pay full price and continue."
My question now @Huw -considering the above comments- is:
Can we pick any of this year's GWP to make it to the list of 'good value at full RRP' if the threshold has been spent (obviously on buying other items at lego.com) in order to get said GWP? (Don't worry, I am NOT referring to sets 40771 and 5009823 )
@BelgianBricker said:
"who buys LEGO at full price!?"
In the US, we rarely see sales on “premium” sets. This would include D2C, Icons, Ideas, etc. There are exceptions, but rarely. So if you want these sets, it makes the most sense to buy them from LEGO where you get Insider points at least.
I never bought LEGO in Europe, but it seems by the comments on Brickset that you get more frequent sales on these “premium “ sets compared to the US.
This will just turn into a favourite set vote and the price is different in different countries, so it's a little hard to judge.
@CoffeeBrickMan said:
" @sebitsena said:
"Don't know if my submission is OK but i got an alert message saying a bug has been encountered..."
@Jobbo said:
"I've got the bug message too. I tried omitting a couple but still get it with just the first three."
Me too!"
+4
A lot of the £9-£13 sets are good value still but the winner has to be:
77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth
@Crasha said:
" @CoffeeBrickMan said:
" @sebitsena said:
"Don't know if my submission is OK but i got an alert message saying a bug has been encountered..."
@Jobbo said:
"I've got the bug message too. I tried omitting a couple but still get it with just the first three."
Me too!"
+4"
+5 :)
Not sure if looking at my own 2025 sets will be all that useful......only got 14, and 5 of those are poly/paperbags. And from the remaining 9, I only got one at RRP, but all of the other ones with anywhere between 20 and 50% discount......so can I good conscience say I consider any of those good value?
(I could obviously nominate those 5 poly/paperbags as those are always good value!)
The lack of discounts in the US is still quite baffling to me. Over here you see a downright price war between Amazon and other major retailers, here in the netherlands most particularly Bol.com: They follow each others prices to the cent. And while brick & mortar stores can't always follow, they do regularly have discounts or other kinds of promotions as well. How come this doesn't happen in the US? Lack of competition or is it just one big cartel?
@SMC said:
"A lot of the £9-£13 sets are good value still but the winner has to be:
77037 Aloy & Varl vs. Shell-Walker & Sawtooth"
You know, I’d actually completely forgotten about that one until I ran into it in an of all things Norwegian electronics store the other day.
What's with all the bugs in here? I got one, too. Anyway, I went with 60458, 60459, 71487, and 71488. I don't own the last one, and haven't gotten around to building the other three, but while the first two have a pretty high PPP, there are more kinds of value than just how much how much something costs. Those two look to have a good amount of play value, what with the whimsical nature of them and the battle-in-a-box aspect. As for the latter two, they *do* have a good PPP, and they're 20-in-1 sets, which definitely brings a lot of play value to them.
Now to hope resubmitting (multiple times, if need be) won't break something (any more than it's already broken, anyway).
@Bengh_Zeran said:
" @BelgianBricker said:
"who buys LEGO at full price!?"
One answer could be: People -like myself sometimes- that want a specific GWP when on offer instead of buying said GWP on the secondary market (at a usually inflated price.)
"
This. I don't often, but the right GWP will get me. If it's combined with 2x VIP, pretty sure it's a guarantee. Usually with the 2x, I'll even snag a set to get a GWP to sell, because they will often go for $30+, so if I get a set for $150 with $15 in VIP and $30 in GWP sales, I've got myself a nice reward/effective discount on a set I was going to get anyway.
Sorry about the bug -- that'll teach me to roll out code just before going out and not testing it fully beforehand :-)
Submissions are being saved now.
@Goujon said:
"Actually love this, I’m not gonna say my picks in the comments but I’m looking forward to a list without Star Wars ;)"
I gotchu - all of my entries are Star Wars except the Northern Lights diorama ;))))
Not one set, I have bought this year was worth its full price. Especially not the ones I bought at full price from the lego online shop because they were exclusives. Some sets were worth their reduced price, though.
The question is not "who buys LEGO at full price!?" but why this poll asks for this.
I think that the goal was say something like "are there LEGO sets that are so good that you bouth them at full price", but it seems pointless to me.
Ok, let's say that there is a great set with a great value that I desire. Maybe I would buy it at full price if there was any alternative but... I can access a good discount, so I will buy it at a discounted price.
I bought many sets this year, some of them have a great value for money but probably I've purhase them with some, maybe minimal, discount. So can't I join the survey?
Definitely Death Star and Fish Tank.
I was surpised to see how few 2025 sets I currently own. This has been the lowestI have bought ever. I have found very little value sets and I am waiting for next year to see if I find them on discount.
@woosterlegos said:
"In the US, we rarely see sales on “premium” sets. This would include D2C, Icons, Ideas, etc. There are exceptions, but rarely. So if you want these sets, it makes the most sense to buy them from LEGO where you get Insider points at least.
I never bought LEGO in Europe, but it seems by the comments on Brickset that you get more frequent sales on these “premium “ sets compared to the US."
Prices in Europe are weird, to say the least. Most likely because all countries are not part of the EU, and some countries that are in the EU are still not using EUR currency. Denmark for example are using DKK, and Sweden where I live use SEK. I assume there are also varying sales tax rates in different countries, and I think all European countries list prices including tax, unlike the US. So yeah, we are off to a good start here...
Speaking more in detail for my own situation, Sweden seem to have among the higher price tiers. But what bugs me the most is that for the last two years the SEK has become stronger compared to both DKK and EUR, while our relative prices have still gone up. A few years ago it used to be 100 EUR sets cost 1000 SEK, but now they are around 1300 SEK. That seems backwards to me as in the same time the value of DKK has dropped from about 1.6 to 1.45 SEK, and EUR has dropped from 12 to under 11 SEK. Doesn't make any sense to me.
Other retailers with physical stores around here seem to stay close to RRP. Online sellers can be cheaper, but it varies a lot. They can have short deals that are very good if you manage to catch them, but at the same time the more rare or high-end sets can be listed even higher than RRP. To get a good deal, you really need to be into it, look around, be patient, and grab the deals when you stumble upon them. There are always good deals around, but maybe not for the sets you want.
In the mean time, retailers such as the big one named like a South American river, seem to automatically price-match the lowest offer across everybody else in the entire region. So if someone has a super-deal for a few days, or just hours, you can get it from them too at that same price if you place the order at that time. That is how we get 30-40-50% off so regularly, because it's comparing our high base price to sales internationally.
Looking at 2025 sets that I own, the only one I have bought directly from Lego at RRP is Tudor Corner (a 230 EUR set, but 2900 SEK here), because I didn't want to wait with that particular one, and I think there was a 2x insider points period or something. It took until April before anyone offered it below RRP. It is currently available at around 20% off, or 2300 SEK. But in reality with current exchange rates that's 211 EUR, so only about 8% off the international base price.
1. Value for money in Lego sets is a tale as old as time (or at least as old as CPI increases which are a thing that exist within every capitalist society)
2. Everyone has rose-tinted glasses. It's true, except with Brickset, which has never changed but was way WAY better in 2012
3. What "we" think of as value for money is highly subjective
4. If you're not logged in you can submit a nomination for the 75419 Death Slice
5. If this activity can somehow define what constitutes a set that is objectively the greatest value for money, then good luck going forward when everyone cites the results of this poll forever into eternity ad-nauseam
It works! Thanks for fixing the form issue we had :)
Most of my picks were Botanicals.
@Huw said:
"Sorry about the bug -- that'll teach me to roll out code just before going out and not testing it fully beforehand :-) "
Words of a true software developer! ;-)
(and no, we never learn)
@daniellesa said:
"People who want Insiders points. I rarely buy sets on offer elsewhere because of points and I cashed mine in for the Titanic this year which I considered a good thing, though I do feel that the acculumation amounts should be revamped, because it does take a while to gather the points you need for a set like that.
"
The reason is takes a long time to gather points for a set like the Titanic is that the Insiders points are only 5% (10% on double Insiders) of your purchase. So if you want to buy a £590 set with pints, you have to have spent £11.800 at the normal rate.
Rather than saving up Insiders points, you could just buy the discounted sets elsewhere and put the difference between the price paid and the RRP into a pot marked LEGO fund. You are likely to build up a bigger amount in cash in that pot than you are Insiders points. Both can be spent at lego.com, where the cash pot could also be used at another retailer if whatever set is not-exclusive and available in that store, especially at a discount.
Personally, I rarely use Insiders points as money off, and instead use them only for the exclusive Insiders sets.
As to the form ... Please use this form (not the comments) to nominate up to five of this year's sets that you've bought at full price that you feel are priced sensibly and represent good value.
I don't see why you had to pay full price for the set. I've bought sets i the past that I thought were reasonably priced at RRP but still bought them at a discount simply because why pay full price when they are also available at a discount. So when filling in the form, I assume any sets that I think are good value at the RRP are acceptable to include whether I bought them or not, and whether I paid full price or not.
I only own seven sets from 2025, and I nominated three of them, my favourite being 31173 Tropical Toucan. It's a fun build with decent alternate builds, and it's great value for money even at RRP, let alone at the usual discounts.
I dig the positivity! What a great change of pace!!!
The only thing I bought that came out this year are Collectible Minifigures from series 27 and some of them were gifted.
Maybe I can nominate five of them? Difficult to choose though...
So the low-hanging fruit regarding the US-prices would be a bruised orange, but I do wonder - were the discounts this scarce before 2025 as well?
I won’t say which sets I nominated, but I will say that 10350 and 76974 narrowly missed. 31165 missed as well, but I really do need to pick that one up. Thanks for the reminder Brickset!
910053 910057 and beastmaster.
All other stuff i bought at +25%
@BelgianBricker said:
"who buys LEGO at full price!?"
People in the US, who don't get the constant huge retail discounts that the UK is always offering. I buy full price from LEGO for the combination of GWP, Insiders points, and free shipping, and sometimes availability.
I've just learned something, yet another marvelous feature in this first-class website:
I can sort the 2025 sets by "price per piece" and can sort the 2025 sets I own by "price per piece." Brilliant!
I admit, though, "best value" is not necessarily the logical approach, finding the lowest price per piece. "Best value" is also subjective and a matter of opinion. I tried to do both -- the sets at 7.6 cents per piece or lower, and also represent excellent value (aesthetics, display quality, play quality, etc.).
@Goujon said:
"Actually love this, I’m not gonna say my picks in the comments but I’m looking forward to a list without Star Wars ;)"
Same. I didn’t nominate any Star Wars.
60466 Bulldozer
21359 Italian Riviera
40786 Micro Command Centre
60443 F1 Pit Stop
77242 Ferrari SF-24 or any other from the collection
Yes you can vote for 2025 sets that you consider good value at rrp even if you bought them on discount.
Right now my bargainometer is off the scale for 2024 sets. I only bought 4 2025 sets and I only want 5 more and 3 of those are for the kids!
I think at some point the hobby focus has to shift for some AFOLs who don’t like modern sets and/or pricing. Dropping expectations to create MOCs and custom designs feels healthier.
Most of my 2025 purchases have been 2024 models that I have finally been able to afford and/or accumulate enough points to buy....!
Seriously, though, most of my 2025 purchases have been CMFs, as well as BaM packs and PaB boxes from the store. The CMFs are definitely worth $5 each, so long as they continue with the excellent printing and interesting parts (fabric capes, printed tiles, animal/plushie moulds, etc.).
The same can be said for the BaM selection in-store - there are often some standout figures and/or parts mixed in, and $10 for three figures isn't terrible.
Finding unique parts on the PaB wall is the best, though, especially if they are rare or otherwise expensive pieces.
Disney Pixar Luxo Jr., Wall-E & Eve, and Petite Sunny Bouquet.
I just looked through my 2025 sets and the only ones I purchased at retail price were two polybags for my daughter. That's out of 40 sets in total. Everything else was too expensive and I knew I could wait for a sale.
@CCC said:
"Personally, I rarely use Insiders points as money off, and instead use them only for the exclusive Insiders sets."
The last order I placed was the first time I'd used points for a discount in a while. I started saving points when the winning Ideas competition models that eventually became 40786 and 40789 were revealed, and, not knowing how expensive they'd be, I ended up saving a *lot* more than I needed for them. Outside of that, I tend to do the same as you do. In fact, I've used points for Insiders reward sets since I got those two sets without getting discounts on the orders I was getting them with, it's just that 21358 was, by itself, the most expensive order I've placed in a while.
@cflyg said:"I've just learned something, yet another marvelous feature in this first-class website:
I can sort the 2025 sets by "price per piece" and can sort the 2025 sets I own by "price per piece." Brilliant!
I admit, though, "best value" is not necessarily the logical approach, finding the lowest price per piece. "Best value" is also subjective and a matter of opinion. I tried to do both -- the sets at 7.6 cents per piece or lower, and also represent excellent value (aesthetics, display quality, play quality, etc.)."
Like I said, two of the sets I nominated don't have a great PPP, but they look to have a lot of play value. The other two have both. (At least, I'm assuming that they have great play value. I only have three, and haven't opened and built any, but they *look* like a lot of fun. The one I don't have is conceptually more or less identical to one of the ones I do.)
I would give the general answer "anything I got at Costco" because they usually pick good stuff with broad appeal, and it's always about 20% below retail.
The Gameboy, several botanicals, and the more popular F1 teams for Speed Champions were all such purchases over the last few years. Most Speed Champions seem to go somewhere around 20% off sooner or later, and at that price, they're a good value, too.
@ra226 said:
"I would give the general answer "anything I got at Costco" because they usually pick good stuff with broad appeal, and it's always about 20% below retail.
The Gameboy, several botanicals, and the more popular F1 teams for Speed Champions were all such purchases over the last few years. Most Speed Champions seem to go somewhere around 20% off sooner or later, and at that price, they're a good value, too."
Yup, that's really my answer as well. Apparently I own 6 sets from 2025, and 3 of them I bought on discount from Costco (the other 3 are a polybag, a VIP reward, and a small set needed to get the VIP reward). At this point I'm hesitant to buy anything from LEGO until I know Costco won't get it - which means I'll buy most of my wanted 2025 sets in 2026.
As far as this poll goes, though, I can step back and look at 2025's selection as if I wasn't a broke graduate student. I see no reason why we should limit ourselves to picking sets we've already bought - even if a set *is* good value at full price, that doesn't mean we won't find it on discount in a few months (making it even better value), so a lot of people wouldn't necessarily have already bought all the sets they consider "good value." I'm sure there are 5 sets from this year I consider good value but just can't afford (or haven't seen at Costco...) yet.
Love this idea! There's a lot of smaller sets imo that are great value.
Edit: I didn't enter any Star Wars sets, I stuck with City and Creator.
I looked at my 2025 sets and there is only one (other than CMFs) where I paid full price (from Lego). But I most likely bought it during double points and I also surely got some sort of (not very desirable) GWP as well at the time. The set in question is 10350 - and it was in the last survey/competition.
I also got 10365 from Lego and while it is a fantastic set, it was seriously expensive - even with the Lego points and GWP.
The one set I believe I got good value was 42201 because I got it at 50% off.
Otherwise, I would say 71048-2 is it for me - it is a nice minifig (cape, shield, sword, hood) with a new animal which is very fitting for the faction.
This is a great idea. I review the sets I have purchased this year to submit my votes - I can not find a single set released this year that I have purchased that I would consider good value. So I will have to not vote I guess.
@AlfredHitchcock said:
" @BelgianBricker said:
"who buys LEGO at full price!?"
People in the US, who don't get the constant huge retail discounts that the UK is always offering. I buy full price from LEGO for the combination of GWP, Insiders points, and free shipping, and sometimes availability. "
Does Costco not have frequent sales and bundle free sets with expensive sets in the US? That's where I usually buy stuff like Rivendell and UCS Star Wars sets. I got 71821 with Rivendell, which is way better than any GWP I've ever seen.
For me, one of the best value sets of the year is the 43279 Wall-e & Eve, £60 for 811 pieces plus being a licensed set (Disney as well) £60 is such a good price for it, when first revealed fully expected it to be £70 - £75.
Creator, Classic sets always good value for me, 31163 for £20 is a fair price, 31165 for £35 with over 600 pieces is very good value
Large set wise the 10350 Tudor Corner is very good value £200 for 3266 pieces is not bad
Value for money means different things to different people. For me, how well a set is designed, and therefore how much I like it, governs its ultimate value to me far more than its ppp, weight, minifigure count or whatever.
@AhsokaTrooper08 said:
"Love this idea! There's a lot of smaller sets imo that are great value.
Edit: I didn't enter any Star Wars sets, I stuck with City and Creator. "
Yeah, I really hope that especially both 20-in-1 Dreamzzz sets will get some recognition, not only just Rivendells and UCS Star Destroyers for 300$+.
They hold an amazing value and it's a real shame they are already planned to be retired after only 1 year. We need more of sets like these!
Great value
I was very excited to complete this poll but then realized that all the candidate sets I had been considering were from 2024...
After exhaustive review and consideration, and after excluding BLDP and a couple great GWP, I ended up with a list of ONLY 6 sets that I felt could qualify as a great set AND great value. Then I looked at the list of 2025 sets (excluding BLDP and GWP) that I own and realized how few I had actually gotten. I'm happy with my 5 and feel bad for 40818 Italy Post Card but am shocked that I could only come up with 6 total sets.
Now I'm depressed.
Blacktron Renegade was decently valued I think. My favourite set of the year, it obliterated this year’s Star Wars offerings.
But best value must go to 40805 which is an almost perfect set for the price. I loathe stickers but I don’t have any issue with them in a set costing £35. Amidst all the negativity it’s sets like this (and Blacktron Renegade) that remind you to stick with Lego
Yeah, there are 2 or 3 this year I own and I consider good value - as the number of sets I actually bought this year is low, and not all of them qualify as good value, especially not at initial price, there are not that many to fully fill the form.
As for the sets i did NOT buy this year: there are several I'd love to get, but they are exclusive and their price therefore is far too high to actually buy them. This frustrates me so much that I don't buy any of them, as it would prefer one over the others that immediately is a black sheep as it was so expensive and actually not better than the others. So Lego is losing me here completely, I'm not selective and keep the total sum stable from earlier years, but turn away (and build old sets from the archive). (So much for negativity spiral.)
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
"I won’t say which sets I nominated, but I will say that 10350 and 76974 narrowly missed. 31165 missed as well, but I really do need to pick that one up. Thanks for the reminder Brickset!"
76974 was great, best value of any set that I’ve built myself this year
@cfenton said:
" @AlfredHitchcock said:
" @BelgianBricker said:
"who buys LEGO at full price!?"
People in the US, who don't get the constant huge retail discounts that the UK is always offering. I buy full price from LEGO for the combination of GWP, Insiders points, and free shipping, and sometimes availability. "
Does Costco not have frequent sales and bundle free sets with expensive sets in the US? That's where I usually buy stuff like Rivendell and UCS Star Wars sets. I got 71821 with Rivendell, which is way better than any GWP I've ever seen."
Don't we wish.
My top 3 (that I own) are:
77053 Stargazing with Celeste
- A cheap set, licensed with a great exclusive minifig and a recognisable and theme appropriate build.
10355 Blacktron Renegade
- It's expensive but I consider it good value because it had great rebuildability; the B-model is fantastic and not a gimmicky afterthought.
10349 Happy Plants
- Just a happy somewhat affordable surprise
I would say the Creator and Botanical sets top the best value for me this year. I'll be interested to see what other people select.
@cfenton said:
" @AlfredHitchcock said:
" @BelgianBricker said:
"who buys LEGO at full price!?"
People in the US, who don't get the constant huge retail discounts that the UK is always offering. I buy full price from LEGO for the combination of GWP, Insiders points, and free shipping, and sometimes availability. "
Does Costco not have frequent sales and bundle free sets with expensive sets in the US? That's where I usually buy stuff like Rivendell and UCS Star Wars sets. I got 71821 with Rivendell, which is way better than any GWP I've ever seen."
At Costco I think better buy in store, get a better deal. Online they bundle, but like 75403 was $49 think on clearance if find it or less... think jumped to $69 some places.
@konbinifriedchicken said:
"My top 3 (that I own) are:
77053 Stargazing with Celeste
- A cheap set, licensed with a great exclusive minifig and a recognisable and theme appropriate build.
10355 Blacktron Renegade
- It's expensive but I consider it good value because it had great rebuildability; the B-model is fantastic and not a gimmicky afterthought.
10349 Happy Plants
- Just a happy somewhat affordable surprise"
I'd love to get all three of those, but there's no way I have space for the Renegade, especially with the backlog I already have.