Brickset Awards 2016
Posted by CapnRex101,
2016 has been an interesting year for LEGO, offering a range of 828 sets and 754 minifigures from over 30 themes. The sheer breadth of different products makes it almost impossible to select a favourite in each category.
Nevertheless, the Brickset team has been challenged to do just that and, after much deliberation, we have made the following selections.
CapnRex101:
- Set - 2016 has yielded three of my absolute favourite sets to date and it is incredibly difficult to choose between them. 75152 Imperial Assault Hovertank is a marvellous Star Wars offering at a perfect price and 76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle is equally impressive but these are just about surpassed by 71040 Disney Castle. The sheer size of the model is extraordinary and it is very highly detailed as well, offering great display value as well as lots of interior space to explore.
- Minifigure - Green Goblin from 76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle is my favourite minifigure of this year. I adore the character and the figure simply cannot be improved upon in my view. Many of the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story minifigures are also worthy of mention, with Bistan and the Imperial Death Trooper standing out in particular.
- Theme - Technic offered an exceptional selection of sets in 2016, with excellent models ranging in size from the 113-piece 42044 Display Team Jet to 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator. However, Marvel Super Heroes excelled to an even greater extent in my opinion, yielding by far its best year to date. There have been plenty of extraordinary sets released as part of the theme including 76048 Iron Skull Sub Attack, 76051 Super Hero Airport Battle and 76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle.
- Most anticipated set - Several of the sets based on The LEGO Batman Movie have me very excited, most notable of which is perhaps 70904 Clayface Splat Attack. I also look forward to seeing what sets Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming will bring us, as well as Star Wars Episode VIII, of course.
FlagsNZ:
- Set - 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a favourite for me as I was privileged to receive a complimentary set to review and the finished model looks spectacular, although I am still confused about the gearbox fault and LEGO’s response.
- Minifigure - The baby in 60134 Fun in the Park - City People Pack is undoubtedly my favourite figure of the year.
- Theme - Technic, of course. I am a huge Technic fan and 2016 proved to be one of the best years for the theme in a long time.
- Most anticipated set - I am looking forward to a really great celebratory Technic set during the second half of 2017. Perhaps a set based on one of the original 1977 sets re-engineered using modern parts. Otherwise a new Creator train would be great.
GothamConstructionCo:
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Set - 2016 marked a turning point for me and my approach to collecting LEGO. 2016 brought us some great sets including 76052 Batman Classic TV Series Batcave and 10251 Brick Bank but what really caught my attention and changed me from a set collector into a parts aficionado in 2016 was the introduction of so many new elements that offered new inspiration and opportunities for MOCing. This brings me nicely to 21307 Caterham Seven 620R. Talented builder and Caterham fan Carl Greatrix submitted his creation to LEGO Ideas and reached the required 10,000 votes before passing the scrutiny of The LEGO Ideas team. Without the introduction of new elements Carl's fabulous creation may never have been realised as an official product.
- Minifigure - 2016 saw the release of 76056 Batman: Rescue from Ra's al Ghul and after four years of waiting gave us a Ra's al Ghul minifigure, ending speculation that he may only ever be seen as a Comic-Con minifig.
- Theme - Technic has been the stand out theme for me in 2016. This year we've seen the boundaries pushed in terms of scale with sets like 42054 CLAAS XERION 5000 TRAC VC and 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator both providing us with interesting details while still being packed full of new and creative features along with a host of new recoloured parts. 2016 was also the year that gave us a true LEGO flagship set, 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, that is likely to be unparalleled for a long time to come.
- Most anticipated set - Ever since news first leaked about the release of The LEGO Batman Movie I've been eagerly anticipating the impending images of the sets and characters that will be appearing in stores at the beginning of 2017.
Huw:
- Set - Picking a favourite set of the year would normally involve looking at the D2C exclusives and picking one but many in 2016 have been disappointing or not appealing to me. I’m therefore looking further afield and choosing 42054 CLAAS XERION 5000 TRAC VC. It packs in so much functionality and aesthetically the designers have done a terrific job in nailing the look of the real vehicle. The logging arm is superfluous but remove it and you’re left with a model that’s a great build, fun to operate and a joy to behold, everything a good Technic set should be.
- Minifigure - I bought few sets containing minifigures this year but the Banana Suit Guy from Series 15 of the Collectable Minifigures is excellent and proves that the design team is still innovating even after so many series. Hopefully these interesting ideas will continue in 2017 and beyond.
- Theme - Technic impressed once again. The selection of sets was extremely strong, raising the benchmark for complexity, realism and size. I have high expectations that the 40th anniversary will be appropriately celebrated by an even better range.
- Most anticipated set - The Old Fishing House from LEGO Ideas interests me a great deal. It will be fascinating to see which of the techniques used to make the original submission look ramshackle appear in the final set.
MeganL:
- Set - Wow, what a tough choice! Since I'm giving lots of love to Elves later, I'll go with 31052 Vacation Getaways. When I was in the LEGO store two days before Christmas (because of course I was) a lot of the shelves were pretty wiped out, but the Creator shelves were still somewhat stocked including this set, which made me a little sad. This is a terrific model and was one of my favourite builds throughout the year.
- Minifigure - All the Beatles in Yellow Submarine are fantastic, but a single favourite minifigure (ahem, minidoll) is Ragana Shadowflame from 41180 Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle. The printed detailing on her dress is terrific, but what really sells me is her hair and headdress.
- Theme - Elves, hands down. There are so many fantastic sets for this theme this year. Having the dragons was a brilliant plot add - both the buildable adults and the adorable baby dragons with their eggs. The storyline has girls getting out taking care of things themselves and being wonderfully proactive.
- Most anticipated set - Of course I'll be getting 10255 Assembly Square on January 1st but I can't wait to see what direction the Elves theme goes this year!
TheBrickPal:
- Set - 21306 The Beatles Yellow Submarine is an iconic addition to Ideas, and the two largest Ninjago summer wave sets are big wins. 71040 Disney Castle is pretty self-explanatory, and I shamelessly adore 75824 Pig City Teardown. Out of everything I own this year (and there's a lot), though, I must pick 76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle; it is just about a perfect set, with wonderful minifigs and a well-priced, heavily-detailed wrecked bridge scene.
- Minifigure - What to choose! The Civil War variant of Spider-Man is hands-down the best incarnation of the character we have ever gotten as a minifig. This year's Dimensions lineup was strong with its character selection and Stripe the Gremlin is thoroughly impressive, as well as the other 80s-inspired ones. Finally, I would also choose the baby, if it counts, and also find myself loving a majority of The Disney Series equally.
- Theme - Marvel Super Heroes has really shined this year on the whole. Both Mixels and BIONICLE had a fantastic final year, and will be missed. However, I have to give it to Star Wars in the end - simply for the fact that I find myself buying more of it compared to recent years. As well, the variety is hard to dismiss, with sets based on the Original Trilogy, Prequels, Rebels, The Force Awakens, Rogue One and more; even the Constraction and Microfighters are superb!
- Most anticipated set - The LEGO Batman Movie is undoubtedly my most anticipated new theme in the New Year, and I am very much looking forward to securing 70912 Arkham Asylum the most out of the extensive first wave.
Please let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree with our views. What has been your favourite minifigure, set and theme of 2016 and what are you most looking forward to next year?
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27 comments on this article
I'm disappointed none of you nominated "Assault On Hoth" :P
^There should be a "worst set of the year" category. Then Assault On Hoth might have won an uncontested nomination from all the judges.
Assault on Hoth isn't the worst play set, it's just not UCS worthy in most people's eyes.
At least Star Wars got 1 award.
And the Assault on Hoth as worst set of 2016 ....
No love for Friends? :( :P
Nobody excited for the Ideas Saturn V?!
Best minifig this year.... the baby. No doubt at all.
I agree with MeganL on Elves being the best theme of the year! Last year it was one of the most consistently strong themes IMO, and I was not sure whether it could maintain that inertia in its second year. But I think this year's Elves sets not only met but perhaps even surpassed the expectations the theme's first year had established. The only disappointment I had with this year's Elves sets was that they didn't offer much in the way of vehicles, but the brilliant dragon designs mostly made up for that. :)
My favorite set was either 41179 Queen Dragon's Rescue or 41180 Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle — hard to choose between them, though I've probably spent more time playing with Queen Dragon's Rescue. My favorite minifigure of the year was either Airjitzu Nya (http://brickset.com/minifigs/njo252) or Nadakhan (http://brickset.com/minifigs/njo195/). And my most anticipated set, without a doubt, is 70627 Dragon's Forge!
My most anticipated set must be UCS Snowspeeder. Is it still coming?
2016 picks...
SET: Definitely the DISNEY CASTLE
http://brickset.com/sets/71040-1/Disney-Castle
Beautifully designed, great display model and love all those mini-scene nods to past Disney classics throughout! Just wanted more/better fig selection(minor quibble??).
MINIFIG: The TRIBAL WOMAN
http://brickset.com/sets/71011-5/Tribal-Woman
Great detail and color on this beautiful squaw plus the adorable baby in papoose.
THEME: Combining Medieval Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery/Sci-Fi NEXO-KNIGHTS http://brickset.com/sets/theme-Nexo-Knights/year-2016
was the king of the hill with fun, creative sets and designs with uber playability!
MOST ANTICIPATED: In general for me ALL the LEGO BATMAN MOVIE sets are tops on my list (especially their Collectable Figs)...BUT I'm choppin' at the bit for that UCS Snowspeeder with Vader's Transformation high in my list for 2017!
***HAPPY NEW YEAR BRICKSET!!!
Nice! I agree with basically all of these choices. Can't wait for Assembly Square and Arkham Asylum.
Yes, the Old Fishing House and Saturn V from Ideas should be great and, for me, a must buy. We had an Airfix model Saturn V when I grew up until some 'friends' tried to fly it.
The Assembly Square is also on the must but list.
My List:
Set: Beatles Yellow Submarine
Minifigure: Civil War Spiderman
Theme: Marvel Super Heroes
Most Anticipated: Riddler's Riddle Racer, Old Fishing Store, or Iron Man: Detroit Steel
Happy New Year!!
I think I agree with all the mentions in the nominations, as all the themes and sets mentioned deserve some recognition, particularly the themes that are consistently innovating like Elves and Technic, albeit in different ways.
I would personally have chosen (spoiler alert)...
...my minifigure of the year as 'Old' Ahsoka from Rebels. Great characterisation, leg printing, fab hair piece and even unusually coloured lightsabers.
My favourite minifig this year was Sonic the Hedgehog. For me, everyone else came in second (and that includes all the really cool superhero minifigs. Yes, they were all awesome, but still. Sonic the Hedgehog).
I really loved Elves this year (with the kick-butt dragons), and thought they were amazing.
As for individual sets, I loved the park people pack, and I really enjoyed the Fire and Music-themed Mixel tribes. I bought the 60121 Volcano Exploration Truck on a whim, and *loved* it. Oh, and the Ghost Rider set, that was just freaking awesome.
I am surprised that the Big Ben set wasn't even mentioned. That was a great set.
Great list everyone. Even though I'm no staff member, here is my list
Set: in my very small collection of sets I got this year, I have to say I like the Raid Zeppelin quite a bit. I'll say the Kryptonnite Interception is another one
Minifigure: Hmm, how interesting. I will say a lot of great minifigures came out this year, so it's hard to pick one. I liked the rogue one minifgures, ninjago minifigures, some dimensions and superheroes minifigures. If I had to pick one, I would pick the Scarlet Witch minifigure
Theme: Theme is very hard to be honest. There were many strong themes. I thought Ninjago and Star Wars had a very strong year. I also do agree that Mixels had a promising end. I can't really pick one though.
The Most aniticpated set: I think that the Lego Batman movie has some promising sets. However, the one set I'm dying for is the Battle on Scarif.
Happy New Year everyone
I agree with mike978 about his comment on Big Ben. Why no mention on this set? I'm surprised Architecture wasn't awarded anything.
I agree that Ra's al Ghul is the best minifig of the year. Although, that baby is a very close runner-up.
2016 was a spectacular year for LEGO (with the exception of the Assault on Hoth, which we all know should have its UCS branding revoked).
Here's my list:
Set: 10252 Volkswagen Beetle
Admittedly, I haven't built the Big Ben or Disney Castle sets, which are strong contenders, but this set really surprised me. It's such a joy to build and finally see put together. The color is fantastic, and the all the curves make it hard to believe it's made of LEGO.
Minifigure: Boba Fett (from 75137 Carbon Freezing Chamber)
I know, I know. He's been done a million times, but getting such a detailed minifig in such a great playset at an affordable price point is a win-win.
Theme: Creator
From the 10252 VW Beetle mentioned previously, to the promotional 40220 London Bus, to those cute little reindeer in 30474, Creator really stole the show. I'd really been into Batman, Star Wars, Ideas, and Dimensions, but this year I shifted my focus to the Creator and related Modular sets.
Most Anticipated: Saturn V
I can't wait to see this thing in person... and then build it!
My picks are more or less the same as Huw's. 42054 is the best designed model, but vacation getaways is also an excellent set that I wish more people knew about. Props to MeganL for mentioning it.
Happy new year, everyone!
2016 has been a somewhat strange Lego year for me. I bought quite a few sets, but for various reasons have hardly built any of them.
Vacation Getaways was a to of fun to build, and is also nice display set. As are the Architecture skyline models.
I am looking forward to the new Ideas sets, maybe the fishing house more so than the rocket. And I'm curious as of whether there'll be another Creator Expert car and what that might be.
My picks:
Set: Krennic's imperial shuttle. This thing is fantastic. Looks epic, is huge and menacing, has brilliant minifigs and is a decent price.
Minifig: Toss up between Silver Centurion, the Death Troopers from Krennic's shuttle and Wedge Antilles. There have been many fantastic minifigs this year.
Theme: Ninjago. I rarely buy Ninjago sets thanks to budget but I might start to get more, they get more fantastic every year.
Most anticipated set: Ferrari FXX K Development Center. Car and center both look amazing, can't wait.
Set: Lance's Mecha Horse. Lots of interesting parts, a cool transformation, and it set the tone for a year of Nexo Knights obsession.
Minifigure: The faun CMF. One of those awesome things TLG sometimes come up with that it never even occurred to me to want, and a gift to fantasy/mythology fans everywhere.
Theme: Nexo Knights. So inventive and so much sheer fun! I wouldn't have guessed that mashing up two of my favourite themes would work so well.
Most anticipated set: The Old Fishing House. It's the sort of thing I've been hoping we'd get from Ideas and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they realise it. In a year when I'll have to economise on Lego, this is still a must-buy.
best set : well, Big Ben looks most attractive but I don't have it yet.
best fig : this time I bought it, but it's still in the box. Wonder Woman from sky high battle. I hope it lives up to expectations. otherwise I really like the Ancient one from sanctum sanctorum.
best theme : possibly Marvel. Elves and Nexo knights are strong too
most anticipated : Ninjago
@ChocolateCrisps and @Matt89180
Why are people loving the Discovery Channel theme remakes. LEGO Ideas needs to be original. Now we have Saturn 5 to go with the remake of the Mars Rover. These are not things to look forward to.
@horde prime FYI the Ideas Curiosity rover is not a remake - the Discovery models were of Sprit and Opportunity.