Holiday gift guide: under $25
Posted by Huw,
Black Friday and Christmas are fast approaching, so our annual Holiday Gift Guide has returned, helping you find perfect LEGO gifts for friends and family. We have divided the entire product range into five separate categories, beginning with sets costing below $25.
There have been 119 eligible items released during 2024 in that price bracket, which equates to about £22 and €25.
This year the Brickset team is joined by ex-LEGO designer James May (poshhammer) in making selections. Find out what we've chosen after the break, then let us know what you'd choose to gift in the comments.
Poshhammer
76276 Venom Mech Armour vs. Miles Morales ($14.99, £12.99, €14.99)
Out of the many, many mechs made, this is one of the better ones. It comes with two minifigures which is great for enacting conflict play, but it's the bad guy who has the big vehicle here, so the hero has to overcome more of an obstacle to prevail.
This makes a change from the likes of a lot of LEGO Ninjago where there will be a massive mech stomping on a tiny enemy vehicle (like 71765 Ninja Ultra Combo Mech). Also, the character of Venom lends itself to this either being Venom in a mech, or just seen as a super mutated Venom who became hench, so you don't need to think of the logic of how he got his hands on a mech to begin with.
Buy at LEGO.com, or at Amazon.co.uk for just £9.99.
Huw
40725 Cherry Blossoms ($14.99, £12.99, €14.99)
There is no doubt that botanical sets are one of LEGO's recent success stories, attracting people to the product who would otherwise not have taken an interest.
This stocking-filler priced set would make a wonderful and appreciated gift to any green-fingered friends or family, be they 9 or 99.
It's currently just £9.99 at Amazon.co.uk, or you can of course get it at LEGO.com.
MeganL
31157 Exotic Peacock ($19.99, £17.99, €19.99)
I typically choose Friends sets for the lower cost price ranges, but there weren't many that stood out to me this year. 42623 Beach Water Scooter is a fun little set with plenty of play value, but for my gift-giving money, you can't beat 31157 Exotic Peacock.
You really can't beat Creator 3 in 1 sets for value. Exotic Peacock has some nice alternate builds, and I have recommended this set to many new fans just starting out in the hobby.
benbacardi
31147 Retro Camera ($19.99, £17.99, €19.99)
I am a sucker for 3-in-1 sets, and believe they offer exceptional value, particularly at this lower price point. My son clearly takes after me, as they are by far his favourite—he loves being able to choose between three models, and continuously builds and rebuilds the ones he owns.
As Megan picked 31157 Exotic Peacock above (which would have been my first choice too!) I've plumped for another excellent example: 31147 Retro Camera. The three retro models are great, and fun details like the roll of negatives really set this apart.
CapnRex101
60430 Interstellar Spaceship ($19.99, £17.99, €19.99)
2024 has been the year of LEGO Space and various excellent sets have been released in the range this year, covering multiple price points. 60430 Interstellar Spaceship is among the best though, thanks to its distinctive angular shape and attractive livery. The engine transformation function is clever as well, so this little spacecraft has a lot to offer.
Furthermore, the set provides outstanding value, which has been quite a rare quality in 2024!
I would also highlight 76424 Flying Ford Anglia is a fun small gift, also representing good value and potentially complementing many other Harry Potter sets.
TheBrickPal
76995 Shadow's Escape ($19.99, £18.99, €20.99)
There were many great small sets this year that could be perfect picks for the LEGO builder in your life. From BrickHeadz like 40674 Stitch and 40671 Potted Groot, to fun licensed sets such as 43243 Simba the Lion King Cub and 75391 Captain Rex Y-wing Microfighter, you're spoiled for choice here.
However, my favorite is undoubtedly 76995 Shadow's Escape. You get a fantastic minifigure of the titular Ultimate Lifeform, his sick Dark Rider motorcycle, a cool RhinoBot enemy, and a unique lab model with some fun play features. With Shadow set to play a key role in December's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film, that also makes it an extremely relevant gift for any Sonic fan. What more could they ask for? The answer is... nothing! It's perfection.
As for another gaming-related pick, Fortnite's 77070 Durrr Burger makes a fantastically bizarre little set for fans of the battle royale or the LEGO mode. 21281 Baby Pig's Birthday Celebration is also a must-have for any Minecraft fans who love adorable animals.
SetToBuild
77047 Bunnie's Outdoor Activities ($19.99, £17.99, €19.99)
It’s hard to believe that it was just March this year that Nintendo and LEGO finally came together with the Animal Crossing theme. It’s the perfect match!
77047 Bunnie's Outdoor Activities is a charming introduction to the theme, capturing the essence of early-game island life for young and old fans alike. Fans can be chopping trees and catching bees in no time with Bunnie’s help, and the generous two action features allow her to smash a rock and jump a river.
Alternatively, while 77046 Julian's Birthday Party is very accessory-heavy, you can’t pass up the chance to have Julian and his fabulous hoodie on your island! The only downside is that, given the devotion of Animal Crossing fans and abundant discounts on these sets, the gamer in your life might already have got them long before Christmas…
What would you pick from the 119 eligible items?
75 likes
35 comments on this article
He's back!!... Poshhammer
When I read Megan's review, all I can think is:
We got the beat
Everybody get on your feet
We got the beat
We know you can dance to the beat
I’d go for Johnny Thunder 60424, or alternatively for 40716.
Not the best year for under $25 sets, but I'd definitely go with CapnRex101's choice of 60430
- I believe 31157 Peacock is a good choice because you probably would buy something else for yourself.
- You can't do wrong with the 60430 Spaceship but this could be already owned.
- As a playset the 40714 Carousel Ride looks nice. (It is currenly discounted by 30% at LEGO).
There are - besides the not shown Polybags - only two Technic sets below 25 $:
42163 doesn't offer much besides a good parts pack
42164 has an unusual steering and an fake engine for little more money.
My favourite in the under £19.95 range was the 60404 Burger Truck. Great to accompany various Pizza, Slushy and Ice Cream vans for a fully balanced diet.
For me the best under $25 sets would be these
- Friends - 42606 (great little cute build perfect for cities)
- Disney - 43243 (perfect little set, ideal for the Disney fans) - currently 2 for £20 at Argos in the UK
- City - 60424 (build okay but the Johnny Thunder and red panda makes a good set for the LEGO fan)
- Gaming - 77070 (Fornite is very popular, so this would be a easy one for players, who not necessarily are LEGO fans)
- Adults - Any of the 2 / 4pk flowers sets (all fairly easy to find for about £8 - £10 each)
60429
Cherry Blossoms is a great parts pack. I got two on sale to build trees for my medieval village.
@SetToBuild has EXCELLENT taste in low PP sets... ;)
Great picks here, not least because we've had some great sets in this price range.
I just built the Venom Mech the other day, and it's a lot of fun. Venom's face print is just perfect here, he looks like he's having the time of his life being gigantic.
I actually got 76995 as a surprise Christmas/December-birthday gift for my best friend, when we go to watch Sonic the Hedgehog 3!
71810 and 40725 are the two I would pick.
My pick would definitely go to 42164: Off-Road Race Buggy, this set is really fun for only $20, has a very amazing building experience, and makes you wonder “how’d they do that?” This is a great introduction to Lego technic and makes a great stocking stuffer!
@poshhammer said:
" @SetToBuild has EXCELLENT taste in low PP sets... ;)"
Can we hope for any more "Former Lego Designer Insights" in the future? Or did you not get enough subscribers?
My favorites are probably 60424 or 60430, but there were a respectable number of excellent sets in this price range. I also really appreciate some of the polybags, particularly Ninjago's duel polybags for $5. Getting two detailed Minifigures and a little build is a great deal!
My set of the year in that price bracket has got to be 60430.
@Crasha said:
" @poshhammer said:
" @SetToBuild has EXCELLENT taste in low PP sets... ;)"
Can we hope for any more "Former Lego Designer Insights" in the future? Or did you not get enough subscribers?"
I probably lost more subscribers than I gained, but I am nothing if not committed to the bit.
I still would like to write more articles, I just haven't found inspiration for one yet, unless people want to give me suggestions. :)
@poshhammer - how do LEGO designers feel about fan designed sets such as the BLDP? Have all of the sets you worked on finally come out or are there still more in the hopper? How far out do designers work on things? What do you like that’s recently come out and why (from both a fan and design perspective)? Is anything a Day 1 purchase for you? Give us 5 “controversial LEGO takes”. If you owned LEGO, what would you do differently? Do you ever consider alternative brands or does that feel sacrilegious? Is there anything in BLDP you really liked and if so, why? If you could redo any of your sets, which, what, and why? On a side note, Andrea’s theater still gets the most play in our house out of any set.
@poshhammer said:
" @Crasha said:
"
Can we hope for any more "Former Lego Designer Insights" in the future? Or did you not get enough subscribers?"
I probably lost more subscribers than I gained, but I am nothing if not committed to the bit.
I still would like to write more articles, I just haven't found inspiration for one yet, unless people want to give me suggestions. :)
"
That's great to hear! Well maybe except for the unfortunate part, here I'm sorry ._.
To extend the list started by the previous comment:
- How and when are new parts developed? And how "difficult" is it to push them?
- When do you recolor parts? Again how hard is it to execute such an idea?
- When (and why) are new colors introduced?
- How much saying does the designer have in the Minifigure roster of a set?
+ How much influence does a designer have on the design, print, etc.?
- How are new (sub)themes developed? Do the higher ups just say "We want 3 sets for this cool new show called Spider-Wizard of Trek Wars: a cave, a rocket and an UCS axe" or do designers brainstorm, create many prototypes and only the few accepted see the daylight?
@Crasha said:
" @poshhammer said:
" @Crasha said:
"
Can we hope for any more "Former Lego Designer Insights" in the future? Or did you not get enough subscribers?"
I probably lost more subscribers than I gained, but I am nothing if not committed to the bit.
I still would like to write more articles, I just haven't found inspiration for one yet, unless people want to give me suggestions. :)
"
That's great to hear! Well maybe except for the unfortunate part, here I'm sorry ._.
To extend the list started by the previous comment:
- How and when are new parts developed? And how "difficult" is it to push them?
- When do you recolor parts? Again how hard is it to execute such an idea?
- When (and why) are new colors introduced?
- How much saying does the designer have in the Minifigure roster of a set?
+ How much influence does a designer have on the design, print, etc.?
- How are new (sub)themes developed? Do the higher ups just say "We want 3 sets for this cool new show called Spider-Wizard of Trek Wars: a cave, a rocket and an UCS axe" or do designers brainstorm, create many prototypes and only the few accepted see the daylight?"
Man, I wanna watch Spider-Wizard of Trek Wars. And buy the cave, rocket, and most importantly, the UCS axe!
60430 gets my vote!
As a classic space fan, this is as close as it gets.
This sub-theme of city is the first space one that feels like classic space and this vehicle is awesome!
76434 the best spider for your Botanicals ;)
MeganL didn’t choose a Friends set???
I might actually ask for a $15 Friends set tbh, the Archery Camp one.
I think 60425 was my personal favorite in this bracket.
Just from what I've purchased, 71472 Izzie's Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon is my favorite low-priced set of the year.
Yay, the holiday gift guides are back!
I love the camera set--I don't normally grab the Creator 3-in-1 sets, but that one really spoke to me. That said, I'm not sure retro camera is for everyone. And the Interstellar Spaceship is a fantastic set--best $20 I've spent on Lego in a -long- time. And unlike the camera, it obviously has universal appeal because who doesn't like Space??
My Top Twenty $25 and Under...
- 71806 Cole's Elemental Earth Mech (great looking chunky mech at a good price!)
- 60430 Interstellar Spaceship
- 10793 Spidey vs. Green Goblin
- 31146 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter
- 40714 Carousel Ride
- 43243 Simba the Lion King Cub
- 60404 Burger Truck
- 60415 Police Car and Muscle Car Chase
- 75373 Ambush on Mandalore Battle Pack
- 76270 Batman Mech Armor
- 76275 Motorcycle Chase: Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock
- 76277 War Machine Mech Armor (another excellent looking mech at a great price.)
- 76288 Iron Man & Iron Legion vs. Hydra Soldier
- 76434 Aragog in the Forbidden Forest
- 76424 Flying Ford Anglia
- 31147: Retro Camera
- 31157 Exotic Peacock
- 40746 Santa's Delivery Truck
- 60429 Spaceship and Asteroid Discovery
- 71479 Zoey's Cat Motorcycle
@crasha @yellowcastle
I would say these are more questions for a q&a rather than a full article.
Yellowcastle:
- I cant speak for other designers, and you dont want to know what I think ;)
- Maybe some sketch models but all major sets have been released
- Depends
- I basically answer that in this gift guide series :P
- Not these days, hard to go back to not having an employee discount
- okay maybe that will make a good article just to annoy brickset commenters
- Sell it to Disney or Epic and buy a lighthouse island in the North Sea
- I think some competitors are catching up to The LEGO Group, gone are the days of gross sub-par bricks and the real difference is in set design now, so if the model is cool enough I'd get it.
- Mushroom house!
- Nope, they're all bangers
- Im so happy, thanks for I love hearing about sets i designed being played with
Crasha:
Basically all of your questions can be answered with "the designers can ask, but its ultimately management that decides based on budgets and manufacturing capacity"
I personally would've chosen 21281, since it just has a lot of playable big-figs in it for just $20. Definitely great value set for a lot of play, even when compared to Minecraft's amazing $10 sets.
@poshhammer said:
" @crasha @yellowcastle
I would say these are more questions for a q&a rather than a full article.
Yellowcastle:
- I cant speak for other designers, and you dont want to know what I think ;)
- Maybe some sketch models but all major sets have been released
- Depends
- I basically answer that in this gift guide series :P
- Not these days, hard to go back to not having an employee discount
- okay maybe that will make a good article just to annoy brickset commenters
- Sell it to Disney or Epic and buy a lighthouse island in the North Sea
- I think some competitors are catching up to The LEGO Group, gone are the days of gross sub-par bricks and the real difference is in set design now, so if the model is cool enough I'd get it.
- Mushroom house!
- Nope, they're all bangers
- Im so happy, thanks for I love hearing about sets i designed being played with"
Damn! That's fantastic. Way to go boys!!!
If you have a nostalgic Disney fan to buy for, and don't want to spend as much at the large version demands, I can highly recommend 43243 Young Simba; I received him for my birthday last month and found him a very fun build and equally appealing end result! ^^
Sorry but Interstellar Spaceship is worse version when 60429 exists and its cheaper.
Great to see that you're still onboard the site @poshhammer , I was vaguely worried that you might've been kicked from the Brickset team for making your articles maybe a bit too combative but I'm glad to see that's not the case. Your articles are always an entertaining read!
60430 for me, followed by 31147
Very desired 40714 too.
Among licensed set, 76424 and 76434 are worth buying.