The Brickset 2016 Holiday Gift Guide, part 4
Posted by Huw,
In the final part of our gift guide we make our recommendations from sets costing over $100, of which there were 21 released this year.
Read on to find out what we have picked from the year's direct-to-consumer sets -- which have been something of a mixed bag this year -- and flagship sets from normal retail ranges.
CapnRex101
71040 Disney Castle (£289.99 / $349.99 / 349.99€)
Many larger sets have divided opinion throughout 2016 but one stands out above all the others in my opinion. 71040 Disney Castle is a spectacular model. It offers a terrific building experience and the completed castle is an excellent display piece as well as a splendid play set. Furthermore, I love the furnishings and features which reference films from 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to modern movies such as The Princess and the Frog and Brave.
The inclusion of just five minifigures is perhaps the weakest aspect of the set, although Tinkerbell's exclusivity is pleasing and the alternate versions of Mickey and Minnie look splendid. If I could recommend just one set from the entire 2016 range, 71040 Disney Castle would be it.
However, 10251 Brick Bank and 75827 Firehouse Headquarters are worthy of mention too. Both sets are exceptionally detailed and they each contain some great pieces as well as an ample selection of minifigures. The larger Technic sets are also very impressive and should be taken into consideration for older builders, with my favourites being 42053 Volvo EW160E and 42054 CLAAS XERION 5000 TRAC VC due to their exceptional display value and functionality.
TheBrickPal
70596 Samurai X Cave Chaos (£99.99 / $119.99 / 119.99€)
The LEGO Group has had a fair showing of gigantic, over $100 sets in 2016. I cannot ignore the sheer quality of most of the direct-to-consumer sets this year - both 71040 Disney Castle and 75827 Firehouse Headquarters are strong runner-ups for my pick today.
But Ninjago has been the most impressive theme on the whole for me. Ahead of the film next fall, LEGO expanded the theme quite successfully with the Skybound and Day of the Departed subthemes. However, if there is only one set I can recommend, it would be 70596 Samurai X Cave Chaos.
Of course, with it being a playset there are tons of design choices made with kids in mind: the opened up nature of the cave, many small vehicles and tons of minifigures from opposing sides make this clear. However dismissal of the set due to that would be foolish! Each minifigure is exceptionally detailed, with Sensei Wu's outfit being a direct callback to his 2011 robes, and Lloyd and Nya in suits reminiscent of the ones their fellow four original ninja wore in the same year. Furthermore, the villains are fantastic with an example from most eras of the storyline included: Pythor (ever elusive), Cryptor, Kozu and a Stone Warrior! The majority of the minifigures are exclusive as well, which increases their appeal.
The cave itself is brilliant. The forming of the outer walls look rocky and organic, the skull entrance is great and an almost-perfect likeness to its TV counterpart, the vehicle-assembling gimmick is unique and innovative, the armory and mech are awesome... I could go on! Plus, it is essentially a tan, red and sand blue parts pack. Get this set for a kid or adult LEGO fan this holiday season; you will not regret it... but be aware that it is a shop.LEGO.com/Toys R Us exclusive.
Other options could be 10253 Big Ben (great price-per-piece ratio and a big, satisfying model), 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (a superb Technic offering I would even buy, and I am not a fan), 60124 Volcano Exploration Base (for the kiddies), 70323 Jestro's Volcano Lair (the flagship set for Nexo's debut summer), 75159 Death Star (a quality product despite being a release, but beware the price) and 76052 Batman Classic TV Series - Batcave. And one thing is for certain: I cannot recommend 75098 Assault on Hoth. ;-)
MeganL
71040 Disney Castle (£289.99 / $349.99 / 349.99€)
As much as I love modulars and I enjoyed 10251 Brick Bank, for me this was an easy choice - 71040 Disney Castle. At over 4000 pieces, it is an incredible build. I really enjoyed discovering not only all the building techniques used to build the castle, but also all the references to different Disney movies.
The minifigures that come with the set are on point, the colours are spot on, and the final product is something that is very impressive to display. The parts that come with the set can be very versatile, and it would not at all surprise me to hear of people getting these sets as (rather expensive) parts packs. Yes, it is a major hit to the budget, but worth it.
FlagsNZ
75827 Firehouse Headquarters (£274.99 / $349.99 / 349.99€)
This is a big set and comes in a huge box. There is a fantastic selection of parts and this set could either be built as the firehouse or it could form the basis of your own brick styled building.
This set has a great price per part due to its size.
Huw
42054 CLAAS XERION 5000 TRAC VC (£119.99 / $179.99 / 149.99€)
2016 has been exceptional year for Technic sets and any one of those over $100 (42053 Volvo EW160E, 42054 CLAAS XERION 5000 TRAC VC, 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator and 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS) would make an excellent gift for a technically-minded recipient.
Those I have not picked are all very impressive in their own way: the Volvo's pneumatics and aesthetics, the Bucket Wheel Excavator's sheer size and the Porsche's realism and colour scheme, but ultimately I feel that the Claas tractor is the best all-rounder. Not only does it look just like the real vehicle but it packs in a huge amount of impressive functionality into a relatively small package. You can read my review here.
It takes a good few hours to build; enough to keep the recipient busy all of Christmas day. :-)
That concludes our gift guides for this year. We hope you found them entertaining, and perhaps useful for when you hit the shops on Black Friday. We have certainly enjoyed reading your comments.
If you would like to see all of our picks in one place, see this BrickList.
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24 comments on this article
If someone would like to buy me the fire house as a Christmas gift I'd be a very happy boy. I say boy I'm 34 :-D
I'm not surprised with the results although I am somewhat shocked at the amount of negativity surrounding the rather large selection of the largest sets;
10253 - Repetitive building techniques
42055 - Doesn't actually pickup pieces, clunky slow movement
75098 - Collection of previous sets
75151 - Smaller and more expensive of older versions
75158 - Same size as 75155 but 50% more cost (at least in Canada)
75159 - Rerelease and more expensive
76052 - Sections look unfinished
60124/60125 - To similar to 60093/Arctic Theme
I'm surprised there was nothing for Friends or Elves. I'm almost tempted to give 70323 a try.
In general, I love the Disney Castle... but the big wedges on the towers just bother me. I guess I'm the only one who feels this way considering how popular the set is.
Disney Castle for sure and will be buying one of these next year.
Big Ben would be my number 2
This list is a terrible reminder of how UCS went missing in 2016.
We saw Insult on Hoth and the Death $tar take the labels, hopefully UCS will return in 2017 for the 40th anniversary of A New Hope.
There is no buildable figures? Bionicle?
Nice recommendations! The Disney Castle and Firehouse Headquarters are definitely very impressive sets both in terms of their size and level of detail, but for me, the most exciting sets in this price range were http://brickset.com/sets/70596-1/Samurai-X-Cave-Chaos , http://brickset.com/sets/70323-1/Jestro-s-Volcano-Lair , and http://brickset.com/sets/42055-1/Bucket-Wheel-Excavator .
Samurai X Cave Chaos is a better rendition of that location than I could have ever dreamed of seeing as a set, and has an amazing minifigure selection. It was on my wish list as soon as I first learned about it. The vehicle assembly function is brilliant, the colors are striking, and on the whole it's a very fun playset. The strangest thing about it is that despite being a Day of the Departed set, it didn't actually end up appearing in the Day of the Departed TV special.
Jestro's Volcano Lair is a fantastic evil castle, with a fantastic layout and a lot of the same livability I loved about http://brickset.com/sets/41180-1/Ragana-s-Magic-Shadow-Castle ! It has a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen in addition to a throne for Jestro, a pretty impressive dungeon, and a whole host of traps. Considering how long it's been since we've had a big evil castle in a set, it's pretty great that this year we were treated to not one but TWO!
The Bucket Wheel Excavator is striking not just in terms of its size but also in terms of its sheer amount of functionality. It has gorgeous colors and lots of great details. I love its yellow railings. I haven't yet built the B-model of that set, but it looks impressive from what I've seen as well. I was less excited by the Claas tractor, but maybe that's just because I'm not much of a tractor person.
@shaase: Yeah, it's kind of surprising that Friends didn't have a set above the $100 mark this year, since the Heartlake Grand Hotel was such a popular item last year, and the Shopping Mall the year before that. Elves is less surprising to me since it's a smaller theme and its biggest set this year, the Shadow Castle, is already at a higher price point than last year's Sky Castle. Next year seems like it might be an even bigger year for LEGO Elves than this year was, so perhaps it might break the $100 barrier then.
@makushima: There's NEVER been a buildable figure set priced above $100! Even the biggest Bionicle sets were priced at just $90, and there haven't even been any buildable figure sets priced as high as $50 since 2010.
I'm thinking of blowing a bunch of VIP points this weekend to get the Disney Castle, but I've never been a fan of facades - a problem I have with a lot of the Friends and Disney sets. Conversly, the GBHQ seems such a substantial (and complete) set and great value for money so that would have to get my nod for big set of the year.
@Aanchir and makushima
Maybe the lester minifig is in this category : )
^ No, that would be in a > $1000 category all on its own :)
Is there going to be a review of the Disney Castle? I seem to remember it being mentioned a while back, unless I missed it!
Yes, soon!
I can see why no Star Wars sets made it on this time. :(
Mid-range Star Wars, particularly Rogue One, has been strongest this year. If the Death Star had never been made before and was brand new it would probably be a pick for this list, but the fact that it's a minor edit and a large price increase have probably let it down. Then of course there's always that much loved other set...
The Ghostbusters HQ is a great set, but at a price not far from £300 I don't think my fandom of the films is strong enough to merit buying it! Much more likely to experiment with the Bucket Wheel Excavator.
Not surprised that batcave wasn't included. The piece was always a sore spot, although it is the set I would kick myself hardest for missing since the figures go for so much. Thankfully VIP points will make it palatable.
It's hard not to go with the Disney Castle on this one, it is just so iconic and grand. I do think that Technic sets took the show this year tho, in terms of overall big sets offered. I only own 3 of the 21 sets in this category, Brink Bank being the biggest, so that is my favorite. I'd have the Disney Castle if I could afford it.
I've just noticed the sanctum sanctorum was never picked (in the 25 - 50 bracket of course).
I thought it was an impressive set.
I am treating myself to The Disney Castle for Christmas. I've also just sold my 10188 Death Star for £340 so am now going to get 75159. The VIP points from these 2 and also the £40 worth I've got saved now will be going towards Assembly Square on Jan 1st. Going to the Lego store on New Year's Day seems to be an annual tradition now, this year it was to get The Brick Bank and Ghostbusters HQ, the year before it was The Detectives Office.
I picked up 42053, 42054, 42055, 42056, 10253 and 76052 during the year. Assault on hoth or insult on hoth will have to wait until it's reduced.
who let hoth in there Huw !
Just a shame the article is entitled "Holiday Gift Guide" rather than the more accurate and common (at least in every day spoken language outside the USA) "Christmas Gift Guide"? Huw, you're from the UK, so I don't think you're writing with a USA perspective, even though you refer to prices in dollars!
For me without hesitation, the BWE excavator 42055 is THE set of the year.
So huge, very pleasant to build and that's fresh to see an uncommon vehicle, a new model like this one is a change which can be very attractive for the new fans...
I don't have the Disney castle so i can't speak about this one.
I was disapointed by the HQ Ghostbusters because the build was boring. And the interior detailed is ok but there are to many stickers...
Anyway the BWE is a great model and more generaly the Technic theme is the best theme of 2016.
^^^ Good call. We've traditionally celled it the holiday gift guide but we'll rename it next year :-)
I'm not sure how it's inaccurate to call it the Holiday Gift Guide - Christmas is definitely not the only winter holiday people are buying gifts for!
As for the sets, it's a tough call between the Disney castle and the firehouse, but the latter is just so beautifully detailed inside and makes me go, "Oh my god, my childhood!!!!" in a way that the Disney set doesn't. I grew up with both Disney and Ghostbusters, but I guess the latter has more of a claim on my heart. I've had to resign myself to the vast unlikelihood of getting either, but in third place is Jestro's Volcanic Lair, and that might theoretically happen next year with the right discount; it looks like a really fun set too!
I agree with catwrangler. Plenty of my friends and colleagues don't celebrate Christmas and I feel the "Holiday Gift Guide" is more inclusive.
I agree with @catwrangler and @Zac. The term "Holiday gift guide" is obviously better than "Christmas gift guide" for a site that is not specifically aimed at Christians. Not only is Christmas far from the only holiday this time of year, it's also not the only gift-giving holiday. And even if in the UK it's more common to say "Christmas" than "holiday", that doesn't mean there aren't any people on your side of the pond who celebrate Hanukkah or Yule!