Holiday gift guide: over $200
Posted by Huw,
In the last of our holiday gift guides we take our pick from sets costing more than $200, of which 20 were released this year, two more than in 2021. Some are excellent and others duds, but most of them will be on someone's wish list: they are, after all, the ultimate LEGO sets.
Find out what the Brickset team recommend after the break then let us know which one you'd like to give, or receive, in the comments.
Huw
42143 Ferrari Daytona SP3 ($449.99, £389.99, 449.99€ )
The biannual release of a Technic supercar is always something to look forward to, and they keep getting better and better.
This year's addition to the range is the ultimate gift for both Ferrari and Technic fans, one that will give them hours of building enjoyment resulting in a large, detailed, realistic and beautiful model.
MeganL
10297 Boutique Hotel (£199.99 / $229.99 / 229.99€)
I'm an unabashed modular fan - it's tradition for me to be at the LEGO store on January 1 so I can get my hands on that year's modular. This year did not disappoint, and I genuinely enjoyed 10297 Boutique Hotel.
It's the 15th in the series, and another corner building. I really liked the angles of the build, as well as the colour scheme. The sand green dome is very eye-catching, making it a prominent feature of the corner. The adjoining art gallery and rooftop tiki bar is quite charming, and quite architecturally different from the hotel.
Throughout the build there are stories referencing characters from previous years, linking them to the hotel. Details are a feature of modular buildings and there are plenty here. Basically, this is everything I like a modular to be, and makes a worthy addition to anyone's modular display.
CapnRex101
10305 Lion Knights' Castle (£344.99 / $399.99 / 399.99€)
75331 The Razor Crest is among my favourite sets produced this year and I would undoubtedly recommend the Razor Crest to Star Wars fans, given its quality nears that of 75192 Millennium Falcon and 75313 AT-AT.
However, I cannot ignore 10305 Lion Knights' Castle! This model is the perfect celebration of the Castle theme and features amazing detail, both inside and out. There are secrets to discover and some great functions too, while the minifigure selection pays homage to various classic Castle factions.
The price is perhaps off-putting, especially beside the exceptional 10497 Galaxy Explorer, but I think the castle is worth it.
TheBrickPal
71411 The Mighty Bowser (£229.99 / $269.99 / 269.99€)
You're spoiled for choice if you want to give the ultimate LEGO set this year - there are many amazing options! Fortunately for me, it's an easy decision: for a fan of pop culture who wants a prominent display piece, I'm giving 71411 The Mighty Bowser!
The level of detail present in the King of the Koopas is hard to beat, and the puppetry feature is executed quite well. I especially enjoy the hidden launching fireball! I love the castle base as well, though it does feel somewhat superfluous. I think most LEGO fans would enjoy this model, but especially Nintendo fans who want a cool piece of memorabilia for their gaming room. This is the best Super Mario set yet, and until we finally get minifigures from the line, it just doesn't get much better than this.
An older gamer might get more out of 10306 Atari 2600 - especially if they already have 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System, which it makes a great companion to. And almost anyone would appreciate the absolute beauty and incomparable scale of 10307 Eiffel Tower, though its price tag may put people off! I'd also like to mention 75331 The Razor Crest, 76218 Sanctum Sanctorum and 76405 Hogwarts Express - Collectors' Edition; licensed sets that are similarly well designed and depict other popular subject matter.
Alice
21332 The Globe (£199.99 / $229.99 / 229.99€)
There are many great sets in this category, but I like to choose sets that would make a great gift for someone who is not necessarily a collector of LEGO. I think 21332 The Globe is a good set for that.
It is a very impressive display model that could sit proudly on someone’s desk, shelf or bookcase etc. It spins on its axis as you would expect and looks remarkably realistic. Perhaps it would make a great gift for a keen traveller, geography lover or of course an AFOL, or maybe just someone who appreciates a nice display piece!
benbacardi
21335 Motorised Lighthouse (£259.99 / $299.99 / 299.99€)
Once again, LEGO IDEAS has produced a stunning set in 21335 Motorised Lighthouse. A fun to build, incredibly detailed, and actually working lighthouse! It's not the cheapest of the bunch, but it makes a brilliant display piece, along with 21332 The Globe, chosen by Alice above.
This is another model that would be a great gift for somebody who is not necessarily a LEGO fan. Lighthouses are fascinating buildings, evoking a life very different to that led by the majority of us, and the set captures that very well.
That concludes this year's holiday gift guides. I hope you enjoyed them, even if you didn't always agree with our recommendations.
Happy Thanksgiving for Thursday to those that celebrate it. Once the hectic weekend that follows it is over we'll be into December, when we'll begin our Advent countdown and reviews of 2023 sets. It's going to be a busy month!
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23 comments on this article
I am fully agree with each of the sets stated above. Lego has released exceptional sets this year even if the price is impressive too...
The prices are way more impressive than the sets themselves.
Surprised the Black Panther and Hulkbuster didn’t make the list. They are the stars of 2022.
With the ever-growing number of offerings of higher priced sets, will it soon be time to consider a new price category? Either way, thanks so much for these annual gift guides. I enjoy seeing the preferences of the various Brickset team members and reading the rationale for their choices. This is one more of the many examples of the quality work that makes Brickset a go-to site for LEGO enthusiasts.
@morvit You're right, I had totally forgotten about the amazing Hulkbuster. Truly the best set of 2022. A feat like none other! Time to change my pick…
Going to give some love for the 10303 Loop Coaster. That was a save up the VIP points buy, and although due to space I need to dismantle the original roller coaster, it is worth it. Also, will still likely get the 21332 Globe during the next double VIP point event. LEGO hit it out of the park for display pieces this year.
Generally good choices, all good sets even when overpriced. Two that I would add:
* 42145 Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter: best Technic set of the year (though only at a discount that would make it drop a category...)
* 10306 Atari 2600: me showing my age again....
All other sets I feel have serious issues beyond just the price tag, even when I do like several of them.
I'll take "Gifts my wife won't buy me for $200, Alex."
The best sets in this price bracket are 3 x 10497 or 2 x 10302.
Lighthouse all the way.
@TheBrickPal said:
" @morvit You're right, I had totally forgotten about the amazing Hulkbuster. Truly the best set of 2022. A feat like none other! Time to change my pick…"
The Hulkbuster is even more amazing in person. I finally got to see it in a Lego store and say it will be challenging Galidor for most amazing set of all time!
I'm huge fun of Modulars, especially the old ones. I like 10270 and 10278 but I'm not really into 10297. Maybe it has a lot of details but there's kind of compositional chaos IMO.
Man. 20 of them this year in this price bracket.
And the previous bracket was also insanely full
I'm sad that no one will get me anything that I truly want in the upcoming holiday season :-( I was so impressed with the offerings on release that I have all of the recommended sets already.... :-)
My top 5 in this range...
- 10307 Eiffel Tower. A tremendous feat of Lego engineering, incredible highly detailed build experience. Biggest set ever at almost 5 feet tall. And the price for what you get, just can’t beat it. Stunning, striking. Rivals or overtakes the UCS Millennium Falcon as the ultimate Lego display model.
- 75331 The Razor Crest. Reminds me of the HasLab one, large big playset. Excellent details and build techniques. Interior details and exterior shaping excellent. A new Star Wars UCS classic.
- 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle. A Castle fans dream. Wow. A must get for the Castle aficionados. Tons of figs and so many little hidden rooms, details to explore throughout the castle. Love the asymmetry of the castle's footprint, unique look when all closed up. A great display.
- 76218 Sanctum Sanctorum. A superhero corner modular (can incorporate into your modular city). Another Marvel building triumph. Another one of the those builds you get to explore the entire space of the building with all its fantastic rooms packed with details. Great play features too with the Gargantos wall panels. Like the Daily Bugle, if you're a Marvel fan, a must get. A fair price on this one compared to others in this range.
- 10306 Atari 2600. A gamer and Lego fans nostalgic dream! Even though you can't play it, man it looks like the real one. They got the shaping right on this. Love the hidden kid's room. Love the side builds of the classic games. They look so good on the shelf. Got alittle pricey but still a great looking piece if you're into classic game systems.
Happy Thanksgiving to the Brickset peeps!
I had to buy my own LEGO set at this price point: 31203 During the recent double VIP points sale.
It will be built and then rebuilt to be a more detailed version of Europe and document my family's travels. Sold a modular to get it...
Glad I got the Modular Boutique Hotel before the price hike. My favorite set of the year in that price category.
But while I really like it, at the new price I would not consider recommending it any more. Same goes for the Globe by the way.
The Mighty Bowser at least can be had at a great discount from time to time (currently for about 173 Euro at Amazon), but the others mentioned above are rarely available at a significant enough discount unfortunately.
Agree with lots of you here, too many great (and big, and expensive...) sets this year!
I hesitated too long when sets went above $150, like 10228 Haunted House, and I missed out. And I'll still really consider a Modular Building before buying one. Although these sets look amazing, their size and price points make them easy No Thank Yous. I would love to build any of them just for the fun and experience of working on such cool designs, though. I'll probably still eventually get 10297 Boutique Hotel.
When it comes to this budgets, I always ask for a Lego gift card or Amazon gift card. It's the best Lego gift for me, as I can not only purchase the set I want but get the GWP/VIP points for that amount and time it for a gid promotion.
Let's be real, non Lego fans won't ask for a $250+ Lego set.
It’s really a shame that the castle had to end up in this price range. At $100 or $150 I wouldn’t have hesitated for even a second. At $200 I’d probably have one sitting on my shelf. But $400!?!?!
Luckily for me I have 6080 from my childhood, and I was lucky enough to score a 910001, plus 31120 was basically an affordable version of this set. Combine that with the LOTR line (namely Helms Deep) and I have a pretty sizable castle collection without this new one.
I’d be much more tempted to buy another copy of 31120 to build the alternative builds if I wanted to expand my castle collection than buy this one.
I can't recall an Ideas set being d2c only like the Lighthouse is. I get vouchers for various retailers through work and would love to get the Lighthouse, but can't justify it at full price at Lego.com. Same for the massive castle. I guess I'll start saving...
Absolutely staggered not to see the Hulkbuster on this list. It truly was one of the… sets of 2022.