Holiday gift guide: $25-$50
Posted by Huw,
In today's instalment of our holiday gift guide we turn our attention to sets retailing between $25 and $50.
There are 134 sets in the price range, including some of the lowest-priced Icon sets, and many awesome play sets perfect for gifting to kids.
Find out what we've selected after the break, then let us know your own picks in the comments.
Poshhammer
77049 Isabelle's House Visit ($39.99, £34.99, €39.99)
Whether you are a fan of Animal Crossing or not, this is a lovely LEGO house with nice interior detail and options for customisation.
The nature of the model encourages you to make your own furniture and modifications/expansions which is wild to think about since it is a 3rd party IP.
The minifigures, again whether a fan of the IP or not, look really cute and for the recommended age of 6+ I think this is a real winner for introducing children to the LEGO brand and the concept of rebuilding, more so than modern Creator 3 in 1.
Huw
42167 Mack LR Electric Garbage Truck ($32.99, £29.99, €34.99)
There are no less than nine Technic sets in this price bracket, the majority of which are cars that offer little in the way of functionality.
42168 John Deere 9700 Forage Harvester is an exception, as is 42167 Mack LR Electric Garbage Truck, which not only looks great but has a fantastic mechanism built in to pick up and empty the bins, making it both the perfect introduction to the theme and also something that seasoned Technic builders will appreciate, despite its relatively small size.
MeganL
42602 Space Research Rover ($49.99, £44.99, €49.99)
Really, I'm not sure what else I need to say other that this is a monster truck in space! It features one of the original Friends, and we finally have Friends in Space!
The modules in this set connect not only with 42605 Space Base and Rocket, but also with space sets from other themes, which is a great crossover.
Even though it's located in space, the set still manages to work in cute Friends animals. Not only is there is a space dog (Apollo, which is a nice name but admittedly not as cool as the Jones the space cat in 42605), but the aliens included are also adorable. And, it's a monster truck in space!
benbacardi
31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox ($49.99, £44.99, €49.99)
As usual, I've opted for another Creator 3-in-1, as even at this price point they offer exceptional value for money. This time I've chosen 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox, which can be built into either a fox, owl, or squirrel.
As I noted back in my review, all three animals are excellent, both in terms of fun to build and great to pose and display. It would make a perfect gift for the wildlife lover in your life, or yourself!
CapnRex101
76923 Lamborghini Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo ($26.99, £20.99, €26.99)
Almost every Speed Champions set released this year appear in this category and I could happily select either 76921 Audi S1 e-tron quattro or 76924 Mercedes-AMG G 63 & Mercedes-AMG SL 63. 76919 2023 McLaren Formula 1 Car is an outstanding model too, but maybe it is worth waiting for the Formula 1 range coming in 2025.
With that in mind, I have chosen the spectacular 76923 Lamborghini Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo. This is one of the most intricate Speed Champions cars ever produced and includes some incredible building techniques to create a really distinctive vehicle. In fact, this is probably the most interesting building experience I have had in 2024!
I must also mention 60431 Space Explorer Rover and Alien Life, which offers great functions and unmatched value for money.
TheBrickPal
75681 Glinda, Elphaba & Nessarose at Shiz University ($29.99, £24.99, €29.99)
Wicked is now playing in movie theaters, and should prove to be quite popular this holiday season. What better gift for a musical or fantasy fan than 75681 Glinda, Elphaba & Nessarose at Shiz University? You'll be defying expectations with this cute set that will take much less than one short day to build!
Despite being the smallest set in the LEGO Wicked range, it packs in three desirable minidolls and an ideal model for play, depicting when Elphaba and Galinda first meet at dear old Shiz. Additionally, the architecture is wonderful, even if it's mostly a facade, and the parts selection is fantastic. In fact, I can't even think of something bad about this set...
But maybe your recipient isn't an Oz enthusiast. In that case, 71431 Bowser's Muscle Car, 77049 Isabelle's House Visit, or 77071 Supply Llama may do the trick for a gamer. And any nostalgic LEGO Star Wars fan would enjoy 75388 Jedi Bob's Starfighter, featuring the legendary Bobarian Afol! I also really like 75372 Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack.
SetToBuild
77071 Supply Llama ($39.99, £34.99, €39.99)
The LEGO and Fortnite collaboration has been a win for all ages! These models are faithful to their source material, sturdily constructed for play and display, and their prices are perfect for any budget. At $40, you can score the iconic 77071 Supply Llama in all its epic glory.
This loveably gormless creature is instantly recognisable as one of the game’s many mascots and includes a subtle action feature that drops LEGO Fortnite loot. Plus, the Llama’s epic colour scheme is flawlessly represented in bricks. Putting this set under the tree will be a victory for your favourite gamer.
FlagsNZ
60407 Double-Decker Sightseeing Bus ($29.99, £24.99, €29.99)
2024 has seen a range of well-designed City-themed vehicles. My favourite set in the $25-$50 range is 60407 Double-Decker Sightseeing Bus. This set captures a modern city tour bus with an open air viewing deck. With four minifigures and a baby in a unique pram (in Dark Azure - my favourite LEGO colour!) there are plenty of play options with this set.
The intricate build, which includes an internal stairway to the upper level of the bus, has wide opening doors for the tourists and a smaller door for the driver. The upper level is easily detached and there is a cute revolving destination sign, which also references several other LEGO sets released this year.
What would you have chosen from the 134 sets in scope?
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20 comments on this article
I'd choose 60420 if it wasn't for the fact that the RRP is slightly over the price limit. But since the actual price in store or online is typically more like 40 Euro (I paid less than 34 Euro for mine), the set imho is one of the best City sets not only of recent times but ever.
Depending on who it was a gift for, any of the botanicals or any of the speed champs are excellent.
But as a stand out individual set, it would have to be the 31156 Tropical Ukulele.
60441, 3-in-1 Space sets!
All good choices I guess, except... Lamborghini Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo. Personal opinion of course, but this is my least favourite off the 20 or so 8-wides I own. It's too fiddly and taking it apart can be done by crushing it with one hand. For a kid you'd be better off with a more sturdy one. So any of the other ones...
My absolute favourite is 71818 . Then 71475 or 71483 from Dreamzzz, 42603 or 42618 from Friends, 76964 and 42178 .
My favourites from the technic line are 42168 Harvester and 42167 Mack.
I can only partially recommend the harvester:
+ nice functions: rear wheel steering, raise/lower cutting bar, moving blades
+ far less stickers than 42136
- there is a beam underneath the cutting bar that gets stuck on any non-polished surface if in the "cutting" position. This takes out the fun.
I do not own or ahve build the Garbage Truck. It is not in a scale that I like for model trucks. At a width of 7..8L it could fit your Minifig town. There are three function: steering, grabbing and emptying the bin and tilt of the dump hold.
If you are looking for something different: Check out 31158 . It's not complicated, it's colourful and it's 3-in-1.
I'm just looking at all the stickers on that Mack Technic truck and the thought of applying them is giving me anxiety.
Bought 75372 and 60431
I also like 60439 but that never got an decent discount
My favorite in this catagory is the speed champions ford mustang.
Sw rocks with the paz/moff set figure-wise, but lacks build-wise.
As a space fan, I love megans choice as well,but…minidolls
My pick would definitely be 10331 Kingfisher, one of the most fun building experiences I’ve had this year
I love the number of Wicked song titles managed to be worked into TheBrickPal's recommendation! Gave me a good laugh to read!
Out of the sets in this price bracket, 31154 for sure looks the most attractive to me, although that's just personal preference on my part because I love both foxes and that colour scheme. Still, looks like a very cool build even apart from that ^^
You can't go wrong with 60407 or 31154, but 75388 is also a worthy contender.
My favorite is probably 31154, but city space has some great sets as well in this price range.
I would recommend the 76934 Ferrari F40
60431 all the way. Set of the year for me.
I might get the Wicked set and use Glinda’s head for my Minidoll-sona. I’m pale with brown eyes so her face is the only in circulation that looks that much like me (aside from a few Asian ones but I’m not Asian so representing myself as one could be controversial). I have prominent eyelashes and red lips, too, so it works well enough despite me being male-presenting. Just plop on Anakin or Sirius’ hair and masculine clothes and I’m sure I’ll have a recognizable doll.
My Top Twenty $25 - $50 Nifty Gifty's...
- 10369 Plum Blossom (nice shaping, vase and base excellent).
- 10421 Alphabet Truck (great for the wee-ones).
- 11037 Creative Space Planets (another great kit for the little ones).
- 31154 Forest Animals: Red Fox (all 3could be 'A' models. Nice shaping/sculpting throughout).
- 31156 Tropical Ukulele (nice desktop model).
- 40720: Mini Disney Sleeping Beauty Castle (such a well detailed mini Princess castle).
- 40755: Imperial Dropship vs. Rebel Scout Speeder (top notch upgrade from previous design).
- 42167 Mack LR Electric Garbage Truck (nice functions).
- 42602: Space Research Rover
- 43276: Snow White's Jewellery Box (hidden well detailed compartments).
- 60412: 4x4 Fire Truck with Rescue Boat
- 60439: Space Science Lab
- 71808: Kai's Elemental Fire Mech (another great looking fire-mech at a good price).
- 75372: Clone Trooper & Battle Droid Battle Pack (want to army build? This is THE set to get).
- 76272: The Batcave with Batman, Batgirl and The Joker (great starter for the young superhero).
- 76279: Spider-Man Race Car & Venom Green Goblin
- 76290: The Avengers vs. The Leviathan (rare EVEN match up hero vs. villain + nice Leviathan).
- 76431: Hogwarts Castle: Potions Class (so well detailed).
- 76924: Mercedes-AMG G 63 & Mercedes-AMG SL 63 (nice car builds).
- 76963: Baby Dinosaur Rescue Centre
As wonderful as I think LEGO has been in 2024, an unfortunate few of the great sets have been under $50. My choices are:
60439 Space Lab
10331 Kingfisher
71431 Bowsers Muscle Car
75372 Clones/Battle Droids
31154 Red Fox
76964 Fossils
76963 for being a great small dinosaur battlepack!
Many interesting sets in this area, my favourites are 60407 , 60439 and 76924.
Very good 76934 and 76964 too.