What's the best set released this millennium?
Posted by Huw,
As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we asked you to nominate sets that you felt were the best that have been made since the site was launched.
8791 nominations were made by over 2,000 people, so thank you all for taking the time to do so.
The results are in: the top 16 sets that will go forward to the knockout stage of the competition are as follows...
The top 16, in alphabetical order, are:
- 79003 An Unexpected Gathering (2012)
- 10255 Assembly Square (2017)
- 70618 Destiny's Bounty (2017)
- 71040 Disney Castle (2016)
- 10194 Emerald Night (2009)
- 71043 Hogwarts Castle (2018)
- 10193 Medieval Market Village (2009)
- 75192 Millennium Falcon (2017)
- 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V (2017)
- 70620 NINJAGO City (2017)
- 21310 Old Fishing Store (2017)
- 10243 Parisian Restaurant (2014)
- 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay (2020)
- 10261 Roller Coaster (2018)
- 75060 Slave I (2015)
- 21318 Tree House (2019)
Alice and I held a draw to determine which set goes against which in the first round using the time-honoured method of pulling numbers out of a bag.
So, the first round of the knockout stage will be as follows:
- 75060 Slave I vs 10193 Medieval Market Village
- 10243 Parisian Restaurant vs 10255 Assembly Square
- 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay vs 70620 NINJAGO City
- 71040 Disney Castle vs 79003 An Unexpected Gathering
- 21318 Tree House vs 21310 Old Fishing Store
- 71043 Hogwarts Castle vs 10261 Roller Coaster
- 75192 Millennium Falcon vs 10194 Emerald Night
- 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V vs 70618 Destiny's Bounty
The winners of bout 1 will meet the winners of bout 2 in the quarter-final, and so on.
What happens next? I will contact someone at random from those that offered to advocate for their chosen sets to write a couple of paragraphs about them which will be used in the bouts in an attempt to persuade people to vote for their set. The set with the most votes will go through to the next round.
If all goes to plan, the first four bouts will be held on Monday.
Sets that were outside the top16, in number of votes order, are as follows:
- 10237 Tower of Orthanc (2013)
- 10228 Haunted House (2012)
- 10188 Death Star (2008)
- 10210 Imperial Flagship (2010)
- 21303 WALL-E (2015)
- 10182 Cafe Corner (2007)
- 75827 Firehouse Headquarters (2016)
- 10265 Ford Mustang (2019)
- 10236 Ewok Village (2013)
- 70816 Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! (2014)
- 10185 Green Grocer (2008)
- 70751 Temple of Airjitzu (2015)
- 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van (2011)
- 75810 The Upside Down (2019)
- 10246 Detective's Office (2015)
- 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg! (2019)
- 76139 1989 Batmobile (2019)
- 10179 Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon (2007)
- 10212 Imperial Shuttle (2010)
- 21311 Voltron (2018)
- 70810 MetalBeard's Sea Cow (2014)
- 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 (2015)
- 42083 Bugatti Chiron (2018)
- 71006 The Simpsons House (2014)
- 10196 Grand Carousel (2009)
- 9474 The Battle of Helm's Deep (2012)
- 10260 Downtown Diner (2018)
- 21108 Ghostbusters Ecto-1 (2014)
- 70841 Benny's Space Squad (2019)
- 75159 Death Star (2016)
- 10247 Ferris Wheel (2015)
- 10266 NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander (2019)
- 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall (2018)
- 75021 Republic Gunship (2013)
- 75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers (2020)
- 21313 Ship in a Bottle (2018)
- 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer (2019)
- 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (2016)
- 7662 Trade Federation MTT (2007)
- 10189 Taj Mahal (2008)
- 76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle (2016)
- 10195 Republic Dropship with AT-OT Walker (2009)
- 21304 Doctor Who (2015)
- 10197 Fire Brigade (2009)
- 10214 Tower Bridge (2010)
- 70657 NINJAGO City Docks (2018)
- 75936 Jurassic Park: T. rex Rampage (2019)
- 8043 Motorized Excavator (2010)
- 10211 Grand Emporium (2010)
- 10199 Winter Village Toy Shop (2009)
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122 comments on this article
1. 10193
2. 10255
3. 70620
4. 71040
5. 21318
6. 10261
7. 75192
8. 70618
Interesting with the 08 Death star and 2016 Death star both on the runner up list despite being practically the same set. Wonder how high it would be if there votes were combined.
Besides Tower Bridge (10214) my other four (Millennium Falcon, Slave 1, Disney Castle and Saturn V) and my just missed out (Parisian Restaurant) made the top 16.
Of the remainder of the top 16 we also own Assembly Square.
We are very keen to pick up the Tree House (will it ever be in stock again ?).
Looking at the top 16 and of the sets we don’t own, the one I would love to be able to have a chance to buy is 10194 - Emerald Night, it looks magnificent and I would certainly be very keen for Lego to re-release this set.
The list of those outside of the top 16 provides some gems that I wish I had bought after my Dark Ages ended (2014) and some that appeared before it ended. I have hope that the UCS Imperial Shuttle (10212) will some day be re-rereleased in all its magnificence.
The two modular buildings are drawn against each other, and two of the Ideas sets are drawn against each other. Is this Lego or the FA cup draw?
@bnic99 said:
"Interesting with the 08 Death star and 2016 Death star both on the runner up list despite being practically the same set. Wonder how high it would be if there votes were combined."
When I was voting for the UCS MF I was thinking the same thing, will it miss out due to if being a re-release.
Would it be interesting to know the vote count for those outside the 16 and how many votes were needed to make the top 16.
@eureka1947 said:
"The two modular buildings are drawn against each other, and two of the Ideas sets are drawn against each other. Is this Lego or the FA cup draw?"
That's the way they came out of the hat!
Not surprising that many of the sets are 'modern' builds comming out in the last few years with how technology and building techniques etc have improved.
Looks like we got alot of 'popularity votes' rather then actual best builds though. Love them or not, you can't really say that battle packs that are just minifigures are great builds for instance.
@Huw said:
"That's the way they came out of the hat!"
Hmm, difficult. Very difficult...
Better be... Gryffindor.
:-)
A very expected top 16 I must say. All large sets with the possible exception of An Unexpected Gathering at 650 parts. And no older set than 2009, with no less than 11 out of 16 from the last 5 years - 6 sets from 2017! Also to be noted is that 14 out of 16 are minifig scale while the other 2 are sort of nanofig scale - no set without figures.
Will there be another draw for the semi-finals?
@GrizBe said:
"Not surprising that many of the sets are 'modern' builds comming out in the last few years with how technology and building techniques etc have improved.
Looks like we got alot of 'popularity votes' rather then actual best builds though. Love them or not, you can't really say that battle packs that are just minifigures are great builds for instance."
The term "Best" was defined loosely and therefore not necessarily "biggest and most detailed build". I nominated the space squad as I feel it is a great call-back to classic space at a very affordable price.
Only 1 of mine got anywhere, and that was the Republic Gunship. It’s to be expected because I put two Star Wars sets on the list that weren’t very popular 5 years ago, so it didn’t sell amazingly. I don’t know how people can vote for 501st Legion Clone Troopers, seeing as it hasn’t been released to the public.
Damn, hadn't realised the deadline for nominating sets was so short! No lockdown for me so I was going to have a look at sets over the weekend....
So my first nomination, the Mustang, didn't make it into the top 16 :-(
Disappointed to see not a single Technic set in the top 16 but not at all surprised that they're all big sets. Unexpected gathering is the only set below 1000 pieces and more than half are 2000+.
And they say size doesn't matter...
@Slobrojoe said:
"Only 1 of mine got anywhere, and that was the Republic Gunship. It’s to be expected because I put two Star Wars sets on the list that weren’t very popular 5 years ago, so it didn’t sell amazingly. I don’t know how people can vote for 501st Legion Clone Troopers, seeing as it hasn’t been released to the public."
True! :)
Aw man, there goes my BIONICLE nomination... kind of expected, but I had still hoped for more out of it.
It would be interesting to do a vote on all 16 sets prior to the knockout (but hide the results) then compare the order of the nomination votes against votes on all 16 against the knockout tournament results when everything is complete.
Seeds 3 and 8 are brutal!
1. 10193
2. 10243
3. 70620
4. 71040
5. 21318
6. 10261
7. 75192
8. 70618
Nice to see less than half are licensed products with only two from Star Wars! Also surprising to see I own 3 of the final 16! Must be spending wisely ;)
I think the results say more about the type of fan than the actual quality of the product, which is fair enough, but perhaps not a true reflection of the sets themselves.
For example, 10188 Death Star is undoubtedly one of the best play and display sets LEGO has ever produced, in just about every regard; play features, functions, likeness, minifigures, even value. The fact that 79003 An Unexpected Gathering (a product which was regularly on sale when I worked for TLG) beat out Death Star is bewildering.
But hey-ho, just my thoughts.
My votes or nominations, in no particular order, were:
4483 AT-AT
75060 Slave I
4504 Millennium Falcon
21309 Saturn V
31058 Mighty Dinosaurs
I picked sets where I'd had a strong emotional reaction, or if I'd gushed to my wife "that's a great set", or if it got displayed for more than a month, or I had a special connection with the set.
The older SW sets really did bring me into the hobby quite strongly and gave me many "Wow" moments.
Mighty Dinos was a bit of a curve ball, but my son and I have built that set a lot together, each dino is excellent and it's so great because it's a pretty versatile set for mocs of other dinos.
I did think about Benny's Space Squad, it's a lovely set and great value too - I have bought a few of them too but if I compare that to what I would have really liked, it just lacked something, perhaps as simple as another different printed slope.
So, two of my choices on the final list, I'd be hard pressed to choose between them tbh. Gut feel is probably... nah, can't decide.
So many great sets, but the one surprise for me is Unexpected Gathering, was it really so good? I didn’t buy it. I did have 3 of Helms Deep though and the extra wall set, now that was awesome, and you can create a great battle scene with the Uruk Hai attacking the walls
Really pleased Medieval Market made it on the list, it’s not just the combination of great parts and fun build, it was such a turning point in the type of sets offered to castle fans
“If all goes to plan, the first four bouts will be held on Monday.”
I feel each bout should be held 24 hours apart since some users only visit once per day. Or at least publish the times that each bout will be posted so there is adequate time to cast your votes during each bout.
Did nobody vote for the SSD? I sense a glitch in the matrix.
^ I'll run them concurrently for 24 hours, 4 on Monday and 4 on Tuesday, assuming those I've invited to advocate reply in time.
10228 Haunted House missing the cut is painful.
Kind of making blind votes since I don't own any of the sets, it's all purely off what I can see in images, prices per piece, what pieces are there, suspected playability and such.
1. 10193 Medieval Market Village
2. 10255 Assembly Square
3. 70620 Ninjago City
4. 79003 An Unexpected Gathering
5. 21318 Tree House
6. 71043 Hogwarts Castle
7. 75192 Millennium Falcon
8. 70618 Destiny's Bounty
1. 75060 Slave I
2. 10243 Parisian Restaurant
3. 21322 Pirates of Baraccuda Bay
4. 71040 Disney Castle
5. 21318 Tree House
6. 71043 Hogwarts Castle
7. 75192 Millennium Falcon
8. 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V
If the results went this way then the second week would be very hard for me, 7 v 8 of me my favourite v the set which I think is best.
Some of those top 16 surprised me, but hey... different people like different things, and as pointed out above, they probably reflect the opinions of a very specific subset of LEGO fans.
I would be curious to know how these rankings correlate with actual sales.
Good to see that I have every one of the non-licensed sets in the top 16. Really happy to see medieval market village. Such an under-rated set!! Kingdoms ended up being the best Castle series ever. The colours, the variety!
Ideas sets 3/16 - relatively strong performance, obviously a reflection of the kind of demographic who would be voting in such a poll. But I agree 100% with these choices.
Prediction for final: Ninjago City vs Emerald Night. There's never been a set like Ninjago city - it captures the wacky and colourful heart of LEGO
@Boiiinng said:
"Did nobody vote for the SSD? I sense a glitch in the matrix. "
Why? The build is nothing special. What makes it worth a spot on the list?
All my 5 votes have made it into top 16. Guess I'm a really generic guy
@JintaiZ said:
"No 75252 in the top 16???"
No 75252 in the top 50. It came 53rd. Which kinda explains how I've managed to resist purchasing it for so long. Well... that and the £650 price tag.
Sooo, I guess the 42056 is better than the 42043.... for some reason..
I hope the Millennium Falcon won't win. I am somewhat of a Star Wars fan, and I think the set is impressive, but just because it's the biggest doesn't mean it's the all-time greatest.
I'm surprised the Camper Van didn't make the cut. Everyone I know who's bought one has built it once and left it on display ever since. And it's still on general release 11 years after we first caught sight of it.
I'd like the Emerald Night to win. The Falcon will undoubtedly beat it in round one, but that speaks I think for the volume of SW fans.
Thankfully i have almost all the sets on the list and most of those on the list that didn't quite make it.....
unexpected gathering is definitely worthy to be here. it's one of the smallest nominees but absolutely wonderful as a display set AND a play set. very detailed, a lot of nice minifigs (dwarfs especially) and so cosy to look at.
btw, i voted for this one, 5 stars in my brickset collection
also glad to see destiny's bounty here, one of the other 4 i voted for.
my millennium falcon of 2015 got beaten out by the 'bigger' one of 2017 of course
the snubs for temple of airjitzu and helm's deep are a shame. also tower of orthanc should have been IN the top 16
nevertheless a great selection of sets, i love the parisian restaurant as one of the best modular buildings ever released. curious to see what happens in the next round,
You could have seeded the draw with 1st playing 16th and the top 4 being kept apart until the semi.
1. 10193
2. 10255
3. 70620
4. 71040
5. 21318
6. 10261
7. 10194
8. 21309
75060 Slave I
10243 Parisian Restaurant
70620 Ninjago City
71040 Disney Castle
21310 Old Fishing Store
10261 Roller Coaster
10194 Emerald Night
70618 Destiny's Bounty
Just curious but for a set like the Taj Mahal where it was rerelease in 2017 and near identical - did that split the votes or were they all taken into account?
Some tough battles ie some of my favourites will be out in the first round as they are head to head.
1 - 75060 (I own the smaller 20th anniversary set from past year and I find it just as amazing as the 2015 UCS set)
2 - 10255
3 - 70620 (The Pirates set is amazing? Yes, definitely. But the Ninjago one is even more. Nostalgia can't be used as a decisive factor)
4 - 79003 (Size and piece count isn't everything. The Disney Castle is great but the Hobbit set is very ingenious for its size)
5 - 21318
6 - 10261 (Another case where the size and piece count weren't decisive factors. Roller Coaster was a long wanted kind of set and the result was fantastic)
7 - 75192
8 - 21309 (I'd rather go with the smaller 70738 Destiny's Bounty from 2015)
Oh no, one of the knockout stages is Saturn V vs. Destiny's bounty. I own and love both of these sets so I can't choose! Although all sets on this list are amazing in their own right
I own 13 of the top 16 sets (I don’t own Emerald night but would love to. I owned and sold Slave I. The millennium falcon is too expensive for me). I love so many of them so it’s a really difficult choice for an overall winner. Two of my favourites are battling each other - Pirate bay and Ninjago city. I love the Treehouse as well. I think I would go for Pirates bay - I bought two of this set and so many happy memories for me plus an amazing display piece as well.
I'm really surprised the Darth Maul Bust 10018 didn't make it, especially with Star Wars being a popular theme. Its one of the few sets thats 20 years old and could still be put on a shelf today without any changes and sell well. Its an impressive set that has stood the test of time.
1 - 10193 Medieval Market Village
2 - 10243 Parisian Restaurant
3 - 70620 NINJAGO City
4 - 79003 An Unexpected Gathering
5 - 21318 Tree House
6 - 71043 Hogwarts Castle
7 - 75192 Millennium Falcon
8 - 70618 Destiny's Bounty
Impossible to choose. Too many great sets. I have all but 1 of the top 16 (no emerald train) and all but 11 of the next set of highest vote getters (missing all the clone wars stuff and a few others).
@gylman said:
"I would be curious to know how these rankings correlate with actual sales."
That made me curious too, and my finding were actually kinda surprising. If we take Bricksets 'owned by' numbers as a rough indicator of sales, so going from most to least, we get this:
10243-1: Parisian Restaurant 23819
21309-1: NASA Apollo Saturn V 17627
75060-1: Slave I 15368
10255-1: Assembly Square 14266
21310-1: Old Fishing Store 11304
79003-1: An Unexpected Gathering 11017
75192-1: Millennium Falcon 10222
10193-1: Medieval Market Village 9653
70618-1: Destiny's Bounty 8220
71040-1: Disney Castle 7841
70620-1: NINJAGO City 7705
10194-1: Emerald Night 5453
10261-1: Roller Coaster 5427
71043-1: Hogwarts Castle 5280
21318-1: Tree House 4850
21322-1: Pirates of Barracuda Bay 2707
Now if anything, this shows that a set being popular and in this vote, doesn't necessarily equate to sales. The Doctor Who set for instance which missed out on the top 16 is owned by over 10000 bricksetters. So if we were going to go by that alone as an indication, it'd bump off a huge part of this ranking.
Also it asks did people vote for sets that they actually owned, or just that they thought we're good? If it was actually ownership numbers, these rankings would be a heck of alot different as pointed out by my example of the Doctor Who set would beat out alot of the final 16.
Does make you wonder if this is influenced by 'popularity' or nostalgia over something actually being someones 'best' set. Admittedly, you've got to love a set personally for yourself to include it. However, as mentioned in my previous post, can a something like a battle pack that just minifigures really be classed as best when it doesn't include a interesting or influential build?
I mean, theres alot of expensive and rare polybags that didn't even make the top 100 for instance. And even something like Darth Revan which goes for hundreds of pounds... I'd certainly not say its the best designed minifigure ever.
@appelstroop said:
"Aw man, there goes my BIONICLE nomination... kind of expected, but I had still hoped for more out of it."
I guess nominating Tahu Nuva was a bit of a long shot...
Forgot to vote, but a few of my favorites are in the top 16. However Big Ben and Joker Manor weren't even close it seems, which is especially surprising for Big Ben.
10193 Medieval Market Village
10243 Parisian Restaurant
70620 NINJAGO City
71040 Disney Castle
21310 Old Fishing Store
10261 Roller Coaster
75192 Millennium Falcon
21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V
I’ve never built it but An Unexpected Gathering made it to the top 16?! That’s very....unexpected.
Unfortunately I don’t fancy it’s chances against the Disney Castle.
What’s surprising is there’s no Technic, and no Winter Village.
It does bug me that all of the sets are high price points, shame that the best small sets will get zero attention.
Wow, when I voted for An Unexpected Gathering I didn't expect it to make the cut.
But it did! Awesome set.
I feel that Parisian Restaurant vs Assembly Square will be a very hard decision, as they are both excellent sets from the Modular Buildings line. Being from the same theme, they relate to Tree House vs Old Fishing store, which are Ideas sets going against each other. However, as Ideas sets differ from each other more than the Modulars, it will be interesting to see the results.
I'm not liking Ninjago City's chances against Barracuda Bay, but maybe it'll pull through (it's definitely my favorite on the list).
75060 Slave I
10243 Parisian Restaurant
21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay
79003 An Unexpected Gathering
21310 Old Fishing Store
71043 Hogwarts Castle
10194 Emerald Night
21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V
These are the sets I hope make it to the next round.
@Boiiinng said:
"Did nobody vote for the SSD? I sense a glitch in the matrix. "
Not a glitch, it's just that the UCS SSD is a very mediocre UCS set and not a very accurate model, especially as a UCS model. Probably one of the worst UCS sets for me.
Surprised The Tumbler (76023) didn’t even make the extra list
3 of my top 5 picks made it (An Unexpected Gathering, Medieval Market Village, and Pirates of Barracuda Bay). One of my picks was Tower of Orthanc which finished on the bubble at 16. My 5th was completely off the board.
Most of them are 2015+. I don't understand it, maybe people remember only the newest sets. Not Cafe Corner or Green Grocer in top 16. It's list of 2000+ sets, not 2010+ sets. I remember the poll created by Lego group in 2018. Top 10 of all time sets was:
10. 10184 Town Plan
9. 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer
8. 5571 Black Cat / Giant Truck
7. 6399 Airport Shuttle
6. 375 Castle
5. 6285 Black Seas Barracuda
4. 928 / 497 Galaxy Explorer
3. 10020 Santa Fe Super Chief
2. 10185 Green Grocer
1. 10182 Cafe Corner
In this poll took part many thousands of AFOL-s.
Nominated:
1. 10193 (hard choice, I decised due to original idea and price)
2. 10243
3. 21322 (probably, but I'm not sure)
4. 79003 (I'm LoTR fan, not Disney fan)
5. 21310
6. 71043
7. 75192 (amazing, it has a huge amount of detail, it's a pity I can't vote for 10194 in any category, because I very like this set)
8. 21309
Where is Luke's Landspeeder?
There are very few sets from the first decade - I wonder if this is because LEGO produced few good sets in those years, or is it because of peoples ages and short memories?
^ I think it's a combination. 2000-2005 were particularly bad years for most themes and, naturally, set design improves as time goes by, so newer ones are likely to be perceived as better than old ones.
It doesn't much matter now, but I was narrowing down my list over the last few days and sort of made it my own. Hence the list including older sets. It was fun to pick them even though they didn't necessarily apply here. I made a few arbitrary rules for myself:
1. Must be Lego IP.
2. Must feel like a unique contribution Lego has made, not something like Taj Mahal, which is amazing but not unique to Lego.
My list:
70620 Ninjago City
70810 MetalBeards Sea Cow
10243 Parisian Restaurant
70618 Destiny’s Bounty
10193 Medieval Market Village
70654 Dieselnaut
6090 Royal Nights Castle
5988 The temple of Anubis
6097 Night Lord’s Castle
6991 Monorail Transport Base
6079 Dark Forest Fortress
6984 Galactic Mediator
6973 Deep Freeze Defender
6279 Skull Island
6705 Space Explorers
Why no Bionicle? Did the votes spread among the many characters?
The problem with small sets vs expensive sets: there are thousands of small to medium sets and 100-200 expensive and huge sets. For example all the votes Bionicle got are spread among all of the colours and series. Also bigger sets are the jewels of each collection because you need to spend so much money. It's a big decision and stick in your mind.
Benny's Space Squad being in the runner up must be the smallest set in the list :)
@Squicman said:
"The problem with small sets vs expensive sets: there are thousands of small to medium sets and 100-200 expensive and huge sets. For example all the votes Bionicle got are spread among all of the colours and series. Also bigger sets are the jewels of each collection because you need to spend so much money. It's a big decision and stick in your mind."
————————
Yeah it will always sort out to be “best” meets “popular crowd-pleaser”. For example on my personal favorite list is 6705 Space Explorers which to me has some of the most iconic minifgs, but it would never make a “best sets ever” list.
I’ve got my fingers crossed for 79003, in a kinda David vs Goliath way.
74060
10243
70620
71040
21310
71043
75192
70618
@MusiMus said:
"Most of them are 2015+. I don't understand it, maybe people remember only the newest sets. Not Cafe Corner or Green Grocer in top 16. It's list of 2000+ sets, not 2010+ sets. I remember the poll created by Lego group in 2018. Top 10 of all time sets was:
10. 10184 Town Plan
9. 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer
8. 5571 Black Cat / Giant Truck
7. 6399 Airport Shuttle
6. 375 Castle
5. 6285 Black Seas Barracuda
4. 928 / 497 Galaxy Explorer
3. 10020 Santa Fe Super Chief
2. 10185 Green Grocer
1. 10182 Cafe Corner
In this poll took part many thousands of AFOL-s."
This is cool, I must have missed the poll. Where can I find more info about this?
I'm surprised no small set made it at all. I was expecting at least one or two, like a minifig collection (the monster one was so popular), or a creator 3-in-1 set, like Red Creatures, who proved really popular.
Otherwise, it's quite a shame that Parisian Restaurant and Assembly Square fight on the very first round, they were my top 2...
I'd like the Ideas tree house to be the one that wins, honestly. I don't own it - I don't own ANY on the top-16, I have no budget for Lego until I get out of the job-hunting void - but it's right at the top of my wanted list, and I'd love to see it come in first place.
Hogwarts Castle and Disney Castle are also high on said wanted list - though being even more expensive, I don't anticipate ever owning them! - so I'd not be too disappointed if they won either. Though I kinda like the idea of the winning set being not a licensed one.
I guess we'll see!
Can this contest be a double-elimination tournament? That way each set will have a second chance to still be the best.
1) 75060
2) 10243
3) 70620
4) 71040
5) 21318
6) 71043
7) 75192
8) 70618
My picks...
- 75060 Slave I vs 10193 Medieval Market Village
MEDIEVAL MARKET wins
- 10243 Parisian Restaurant vs 10255 Assembly Square
ASSEMBLY SQUARE (just edges out Parisian)
- 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay vs 70620 NINJAGO City
NINJAGO CITY wins
- 71040 Disney Castle vs 79003 An Unexpected Gathering
DISNEY CASTLE wins
- 21318 Tree House vs 21310 Old Fishing Store
OLD FISHING STORE for the win
- 71043 Hogwarts Castle vs 10261 Roller Coaster
HOGWARTS CASTLE wins big
- 75192 Millennium Falcon vs 10194 Emerald Night
MILLENNIUM FALCON big win over the Emerald Night
- 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V vs 70618 Destiny's Bounty
NASA APOLLO SATURN V wins
If you are wondering why "An Unexpected Gathering" made the cut:
https://brickset.com/article/4902/mini-review-79003-an-unexpected-gathering
You might also want to check out JANG's review where he describes all the positive feelings this set evokes.
It's regarded as one of the best Lego sets ever made, and in my opinion (looking at it now) rightfully so. :-)
The unexpected gathering pulled me out of my dark age and with that release, lego has since made thousands of subsequent dollars off me.
I think I’ll go rebuild it again again again.
RIP An Unexpected Gathering. A fantastic set you are but it has a snowball's chance in hell of beating the Disney Castle.
I voted for Unexpected Gathering, Perisian restaurant, Medieval market village, Treehouse, Emerald night, Saturn Five, and last but not least the Rolloer coaster.
Ps I wanted the 2012 haunted house or the tower of orthanc to win
Having built almost all of the sets in the top 16 and the majority of sets from the 50 runner-ups, I must say I couldn't decide on one favorite :) And, it's really really hard to guess the winners of most (if not all) draws.
Still, I'll give it a try (sets that will make it to the quarter-final):
75060 Slave I (will knockout 10193 Medieval Market Village)
10255 Assembly Square (will knockout 10243 Parisian Restaurant)
70620 NINJAGO City (will knockout 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay)
71040 Disney Castle (will knockout 79003 An Unexpected Gathering)
21318 Tree House (will knockout 21310 Old Fishing Store)
10261 Roller Coaster (will knockout 71043 Hogwarts Castle)
75192 Millennium Falcon (will knockout 10194 Emerald Night)
21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V (will knockout 70618 Destiny's Bounty)
And for the quarter finals, my guesses would be:
10255 Assembly Square (will eliminate 75060 Slave I)
70620 NINJAGO City (will eliminate 71040 Disney Castle)
10261 Roller Coaster (will eliminate 21318 Tree House)
21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V (will eliminate 75192 Millennium Falcon)
While we're at it, my semifinals guesses would be:
10255 Assembly Square (will eliminate 70620 NINJAGO City)
21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V (will eliminate 10261 Roller Coaster)
So, the winner will be:
21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V (against 10255 Assembly Square)
1: no vote
2:10243
3: 21322
4: 71040
5: 21310
6: 10261
7: 10194
8: 70618
1. 75060 Slave I
2. 10255 Assembly Square
3. 70620 NINJAGO City
4. 79003 An Unexpected Gathering
5. 21318 Tree House
6. 71043 Hogwarts Castle
7. 75192 Millennium Falcon
8. 70618 Destiny's Bounty
Tbf its a shame no bionicle sets made it onto this list though.
My list: 2017 Millennium Falcon, Old Fishing Store, Ninjago City, Mediaval Market Village, Pirates of Barracuda Bay.
Well, the Parisian Restaurant is the only one that I own, so some bias might be included. Quite surprised the MTT (2007) didn’t make it!
Surprising how easy it was to choose:
75060 Slave I
10243 Parisian Restaurant
21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay
79003 An Unexpected Gathering - please more LOTR sets
21318 Tree House - please restock before Xmas
10261 Roller Coaster
10194 Emerald Night - please re-release
70618 Destiny's Bounty
1. Slave I
2. Parisian Restaurant
3. Pirates of Barracuda Bay
4. An Unexpected Gathering == Plz more LotR sets
5. Old Fishing Store
6. Hogwarts Castle
7. Millennium Falcon
8. Destiny's Bounty
@Nesquik said:
"I think the results say more about the type of fan than the actual quality of the product, which is fair enough, but perhaps not a true reflection of the sets themselves.
For example, 10188 Death Star is undoubtedly one of the best play and display sets LEGO has ever produced, in just about every regard; play features, functions, likeness, minifigures, even value. The fact that 79003 An Unexpected Gathering (a product which was regularly on sale when I worked for TLG) beat out Death Star is bewildering.
But hey-ho, just my thoughts."
Unexpected gathering being LOTR has a huge following. It was also a fan favorite if you look at online reviews. I remember it was 50% off for a short while and people rushed to buy multiple. It sells well in after market. Really is a terrible shame LOTR wasn't made into a AFOL oriented theme with larger sets as we missed out on soo many possible scenes and sets. Also could have had more battle packs to army build.
Interesting... I own 14 of these top 16 sets, and the Tree House is on my buy list (don't have it yet due to availability).
@Huw, I propose that we try something different with this poll and rerun it again after the final results are in whereby the first round is contested again with another set of random draws - I'm curious to see what the outcome would be when starting with completely different first round pairings. Or in lieu, seeing the results for Markyman20's suggestion of a double-elimination round would be intriguing.
Hmm, more like "Best Set Released that is Remembered by Those with Short-Term Memories". Or perhaps just newbies to the world of LEGO, I suppose. I'm glad an Unexpected Gathering and NINJAGO City made the list, though, as well as Emerald Night (though I had no doubts that it would, so distinct and amazing as it was in its time as it still is now). But in spite of owning the lion's share of that top 16, I wouldn't have nominated perhaps half of them. The absence of Technic, particularly from the great year of 2016, is abhorrent. The absence of a BIONICLE set is perhaps doubly so (though I concede the truth of the matter is that too many BIONICLE fans are divided in their personal favoritism for characters over set design). How in the heck did a set that hasn't even been officially released yet make even the runner-up list (501st Battlepack)!?!? That one should have been purged from the nominations. My nomination to replace it? The IDEAS Exo-Suit. Now THERE is a great set! It even came out in 2014, for the plurality that can't seem to remember from before that year.
Surprised Ford Mustang didn't make the top 16. It's a great build and I know a lot of people really like it.
Nice to see Destiny's Bounty make the top 16. Haven't built it but it's one that I'll probably pay the premium for a retired set at some point.
The absence of Technic is a reminder how TLG has failed to meaningfully expand that line beyond transportation and vehicles. Seems like there is still so much potential to do more with Technic and broaden the appeal of building with it.
I see Saturn V and Ninjago City as the favorites. Saturn's toughest challenge to get to the final is probably a quarterfinal against UCS Falcon. Ninjago City's toughest challenge may be first round against Barracuda Bay. Lots of Pirates theme fans, lots of nostalgia, it's very recent, etc. I haven't built Barracuda Bay but still doesn't strike me as having the overall wow factor of Ninjago City.
Predictions to advance:
Slave I
Parisian Restaurant
Ninjago City
Gathering (I think LOTR fans pull through over the Disney fans)
Fishing Store
Coaster
UCS Falcon
Saturn V
I may adjust my votes based on the advocacy articles, but these are my likely votes for the first round:
1: 10193 Medieval Market Village
2: 10243 Parisian Restaurant
3: 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay
4: 79003 An Unexpected Gathering
5: 21310 Old Fishing Store
6: 10261 Roller Coaster
7: 10194 Emerald Night
8: 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V
Oh man, Barracuda Bay vs Ninjago City, that's a tough one. Most of the others I either don't care or there's a clear winner in my eyes, but that's a tough one. Right now, I'm leaning Barracuda, despite the fact I have NC and not it.
Agree completely with ^bnic99; having 2 Death Stars probably did split their votes. And very disappointed The Simpsons House didn't make the final 16. That being said:
Regional Semifinals
10193 Medieval Market Village beats 75060 Slave I
10255 Assembly Square beats 10243 Parisian Restaurant
21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay beats 70620 NINJAGO City (Temple of Airjitzu was my nominee)
79003 An Unexpected Gathering (my nominee) beats 71040 Disney Castle
21318 Tree House beats 21310 Old Fishing Store
10261 Roller Coaster (my nominee) beats 71043 Hogwarts Castle
75192 Millennium Falcon beats 10194 Emerald Night
21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V beats 70618 Destiny's Bounty
Elite Eight
10193 Medieval Market Village beats 10255 Assembly Square (weakest game of this round)
21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay beats 79003 An Unexpected Gathering (toughest one to choose personally, as 79003 was my 1st nominee and is still probably my favorite set, but I think the Pirates set, which is awesome as well, will get both new and OG Pirates votes.)
10261 Roller Coaster beats 21318 Tree House (Easy choice. 10261 maybe most playability of any set.)
75192 Millennium Falcon beats 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V (Ugh, so tough to call. These must have been two of the highest volume nominees. But luck of the draw forces the big boy to flex his muscles.)
Final Four
21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay beats 10193 Medieval Market Village
75192 Millennium Falcon beats 10261 Roller Coaster (This would not be my vote, but I think this would be carried by the remaining Star Wars vote.)
Final
In an upset, 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay beats 75192 Millennium Falcon. (And then BOTH Death Stars return and blow up the trophy presentation.)
About what I expected, UCS and Modulars, though I few I'd forgotten about. They're all great sets, but I'd still have to give it to the Saturn V.
I’m curious, are people listing set numbers for others to look up later, or is everyone that much smarter than me and can visualize the sets without a name?
None of the sets I posted in the form were in either list... Heh.
Curious how this would have looked with regards to price ranges...say, the top x amount in a $0.00 to $19.99 range, $20.00 to $39.99, etc...may have given smaller builds a better chance.
Completely not shocked the list is dominated by very large, expensive sets.
I will give special mention to the two Ninjago sets on the list. I don't even like Ninjago and I bought them. That's how good they are.
1. 10193 Medieval Market Village
2. 10255 Assembly Square
3. 70620 NINJAGO City
4. 71040 Disney Castle
5. 21310 Old Fishing Store
6. 10261 Roller Coaster
7. 10194 Emerald Night
8. 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V
@B_Space_Man said:
"I’m curious, are people listing set numbers for others to look up later, or is everyone that much smarter than me and can visualize the sets without a name?"
I was wondering about the same thing.
75060 Slave I
10243 Parisian Restaurant
70620 NINJAGO City
71040 Disney Castle
21310 Old Fishing Store
10261 Roller Coaster
10194 Emerald Night
70618 Destiny's Bounty
I'm just surprised Joker's Manor (or any of the fine sets from the Lego Batman Movie) is not even listed anywhere. It's a beautiful set that looks spectacular once it's fully-built and the picture on the box does not do it any justice. On the other hand, the Roller Coaster looks rather plain in comparison.
1: 75060
2: 10243
3: 70620
4: 7903
5: 21310
6: 10261
7: 10194
8: 70618
Wow..I have multiple Sealed copies of 11out of the 16 on the top 16 list! And 3 I don’t have are on my list to get this season. I must have a good eye! Lol. Makes me wonder how many people have all 16?
@Mlf0927 said:
"Wow..I have multiple Sealed copies of 11out of the 16 on the top 16 list! And 3 I don’t have are on my list to get this season. I must have a good eye! Lol. Makes me wonder how many people have all 16? "
Personally I only buy one time the sets I like. If there were less people speculating, the Lego world would be a better place...
1 10193 Medieval Market Village
2 10255 Assembly Square
3 70620 NINJAGO City
4 71040 Disney Castle
5 21318 21310 Old Fishing Store
6 71043 Hogwarts Castle
7 10194 Emerald Night
8 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V
21322
All of the sets are formidable, but I'm surprised that T1 Camper didn't make the first 16.
1 10193 Medieval Market Village; It is a castle set which went way beyond in quality compared to the other sets released that wave. Although the slave I looks good as well I had to make a choice in favor of 10193
2 10243 Parisian Restaurant; This is in my opinion the best looking modular thus far. I really like the European building style. Although assembly square is a nice build, the rooms feel way to cramped and the design all over the place (taking elements from all previous modulars).
3 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay; Just a brilliant re-invention of a classic set.
4 79003 An Unexpected Gathering; It's a very nice little build.
5 21310 Old Fishing Store; It was a hard choice between the Old Fishing Store and the Tree House, but if I could only display 1 it would be the Old fishing Store, so that one took my choice.
6 10261 Roller Coaster; A LEGO Roller Coaster. Need I say more
7 75192 Millenium Falcon; This is just a massive set and very good looking.
8 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V; Very nice building techniques and a great display model to look at.
@Octopie11 said:
"1: 75060
2: 10243
3: 70620
4: 7903
5: 21310
6: 10261
7: 10194
8: 70618
"
79003, not 7903, right?
7903 is Rescue Helicopter from famous commercial "A MAN HAS FALLEN INTO THE RIVER IN LEGO CITY..."
79003 is An Unexpected Gathering
@MissJaneJetson said:
"10228 Haunted House missing the cut is painful. "
I didn't nominate anything that's come out since March because they've been impossible to buy in most places and haven't had any inventory for web purchases. Hard to brag about a picture you know.
@Rimefang said:
" @MissJaneJetson said:
"10228 Haunted House missing the cut is painful. "
I didn't nominate anything that's come out since March because they've been impossible to buy in most places and haven't had any inventory for web purchases. Hard to brag about a picture you know."
It's not 10273 released last month, it's the Haunted House from 2012.
@MusiMus
Wait, how did 7903 not make it to the top 16? It's clearly the best set of the millennium!
On a more serious note, it really warms my heart to see the 2017 Destiny's Bounty in the top 16.
@Altair1970 said:
" @Mlf0927 said:
"Wow..I have multiple Sealed copies of 11out of the 16 on the top 16 list! And 3 I don’t have are on my list to get this season. I must have a good eye! Lol. Makes me wonder how many people have all 16? "
Personally I only buy one time the sets I like. If there were less people speculating, the Lego world would be a better place..."
Altair, I respectfully disagree. I believe it’s a great service to offer someone the opportunity to buy an old set that they either missed or were unable to purchase at the time. And the market dictates the price for the set. No one is forced to buy retired sets. Thanks for your reply.
Four of my five made it. Voting's going to be tough!
In case anyone's still reading these comments and wants to order a Treehouse set, they're now on back order on the LEGO website