10 Best LEGO Ideas: Ranked

Ben Jackson

5 years ago

LEGO is a way of life. Honestly. I’ve decided one of my main goals in 2020 is to spend way too much time reading about, writing about, and thinking about LEGO builds. Yes, I’m an adult. I don’t care. Maybe you think of LEGO as a toy for children, but I’m here to set the record straight. The sets you can buy are without a doubt, designed for human beings of all ages. You could argue that they’re actually making a lot of LEGO sets aimed at adults. Thank goodness.

Perhaps one of the coolest things that LEGO came up with was a crowd-sourcing concept for new product ideas. Way back in 2008, LEGO Cuuso was a Japanese website run by The LEGO Group, which gave users the ability to submit cool ideas for new LEGO builds. And so it was — LEGO Ideas was born. Through a combination of activities, contests, and product ideas, LEGO enthusiasts across the world can now submit incredible concepts that one day, could turn into a real LEGO set.

If you’re interested, click here to learn about submitting your own idea. But fair warning, the competition is… quite strong. According to my sources though, you could earn a 1% royalty for all product net sales if your set actually made it into production. Wouldn’t that be something? LEGO royalty money would perhaps be the single coolest wealth generation story ever told.

As of today, 29 LEGO Ideas have been brought to life, with an additional 5 that have been formally announced. Because I’m just a genuinely helpful person, I made a list of the Top 10 Best LEGO Ideas sets, according to myself. You’re welcome!

1. LEGO IDEAS NASA APOLLO SATURN V 21309

Take it back to perhaps a better time in America, when Kennedy was leading us to the final frontier.

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” – John F. Kennedy

Funny, that’s the same exact reason I bought the Apollo Saturn V LEGO last year. Not because it was easy, but because it was hard. Also, and more importantly, because the LEGO team understands me well. If you slap NASA logo on anything, or even mention space, I’m buying that LEGO set. That being said, the NASA Apollo Saturn V is perhaps one of the greatest LEGO builds of all time. Coming in at a cool 1,969 pieces, it’s honestly a great bargain for the size alone. For awhile, websites like Zoolert had alert systems in place to notify people when one of these sets became available… at which point they’d quickly sell out again.

Luckily for you, the Saturn V 21309 has been sufficiently stocked on Amazon, and you can confidently pull the trigger on this amazing little toy. Tell your wife it’s for the kids if you want, but we both know who this is for.

2. LEGO IDEAS TREE HOUSE 21318

At some point in a guy’s life, he dreams about constructing a tree house. When you’re a kid, it’s the ultimate escape from your parents; the perfect hangout for you and your crew, to scheme up all sorts of nonsense. When you become a dad,, it’s more about cementing your status as the most legendary dad in the world by building your kid a treehouse.

Let’s be completely honest for a second here. Despite all your detailed daydreaming, chances are, you won’t ever actually build one. But it’s okay. Some genius developed the LEGO Tree House, which your kids will appreciate nonetheless. Just north of 3,036 pieces, this set is a truly impressive build. One of the coolest LEGO Idea sets ever dreamed up. Of course it has an epic wood ladder.

3. LEGO IDEAS INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 21321

Without doing any additional research to confirm, I’m pretty certain this is the most recent LEGO Idea to make it into production. The LEGO International Space Station is only 864 pieces, but it’s absolutely incredible.

With the LEGO Space Station, you can have your Astronaut minifig perform a space walk, deploy a satellite, and even dock with the LEGO Space Shuttle. No word on whether they’ve included a socially adrift Russian minifig who’s way too excited to see another real person for the first time in 3 years. Boris, you have company.

4. LEGO IDEAS SHIP IN A BOTTLE 21313

Let’s all just admit it once and for all. We have no idea what type of black magic is required to put ship in a bottle. Good thing our good friends have given us the LEGO Ship in a Bottle so that we can finally unlock the mystery behind this black magic.

The Ship in a Bottle LEGO is part of the Expert Builder set, featuring 962 pieces. This one is only $69.99 and seems like a solid investment. Could be an excellent display piece in a kid’s bedroom, or even your office.

5. LEGO IDEAS VOLTRON 21311

There’s few people that would tell you that the LEGO Voltron is one of the greatest LEGO builds ever made. When you actually break it down, they might have an argument. The LEGO Voltron is a modular build, and like the real Voltron, can transform into five different lions collectively known as the Paladins. When you combine them all together, they form Voltron, Defender of the Universe.

This set has 2,321 pieces and stands over a foot tall. Did I mention the sword and shield? Of course it has the sword. It wouldn’t be a Voltron set without it.

6. LEGO IDEAS DINOSAUR FOSSILS 21320

“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they shouldn’t stop to think if they should!” – words of wisdom, from the immortal Jeff Goldblum.

While this isn’t a Jurassic Park themed set, it might as well be. The LEGO Ideas Dinosaur Fossils set is one of my favorites. This set has 910 pieces and features the only dinosaurs any of us care about: the Tyranneousauras Rex, Triceratops, and Pteranodon. Wait, hold on, it’s missing the Velociraptor? Seriously, not cool. Huge missed opportunity. Regardless, this is a LEGO set you absolutely should own.

Just like Jeff Goldblum, you’ll feel like a paleontologist and can debate the age-old philosophical question: should we genetically re-engineer dinosaurs if we can? Assuming of course, that ancient mosquito DNA pristinely preserved is within our reach. A dinosaur theme park, who’s in? Seriously, what could go wrong?

7. LEGO IDEAS TRON LEGACY LIGHT CYCLES 21314

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Tron Legacy is a 5 star film. I’ve heard the lies about it not being that good. Until the day I die, I’ll defend this movie and Garret Hedlund’s performance. It’s a shame we haven’t yet gotten a sequel to it.

Can I just remind you that at one point in Tron Legacy, Garrett Hedlund rides a motorcycle at night leading to his disappeared father’s company’s skyscraper where he hacks the mainframe and jumps off the roof? And you’re doubting the merits of this particular movie? Well, what if I told you that Jeff Bridges is in the movie and at one point says, “Biodigital Jazz Man” entirely unironically? That’s a movie worth seeing. Regardless, one of the coolest scenes in this amazing cinematic achievement is when Sam Flynn is rescued by this hot chick cruising around in a lightcycle. The lightcycle is essential to Tron. Without the lightcycle, Tron ceases to exist.

Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, this LEGO set. The LEGO Tron Lightcycle set only has 230 pieces, but it’s still worth getting. Step 1: Watch TRON Legacy. Possibly more than once. Step 2: Buy the LEGO Ideas Tron Legacy lightcycle set. You can repeat these steps as often as necessary. Did I mention that Tron Legacy is an underrated film that hasn’t received the critical acclaim it deserved? Garret Hedlund and Jeff Bridges are both in this movie. Okay I’ll stop.

8. LEGO IDEAS STEAMBOAT WILLIE 21317

Who doesn’t love Steamboat Willie? If we’re being honest for second, I actually heard about this LEGO and had to look up what exactly Steamboat Willie was. I’m happy to report that Steamboat Willie first appeared in the 1928 cartoon named, you guessed it: Steamboat Willie. It just so happened to be Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in a cartoon. So I guess, Disney thinks it was pretty significant and worth making its own LEGO out of.

Personally, I would have rather seen a bunch more LEGO Tron Legacy sets made, but we got this Steamboat instead. 751 pieces, and nothing to do with TRON Legacy. I’m feeling disappointed, but it’s also a pretty sweet set in its own right.

9. LEGO IDEAS POP-UP BOOK 21315

File this one down in the crazy, but sort of cool category of LEGO. The LEGO we didn’t know we needed, and maybe didn’t even want — but kind of glad they made it. It’s a book, that opens into a pop-up display.

The book is of course, none other than the Little Red Riding Hood. It’s actually the first LEGO pop-up book ever made, so that’s pretty cool, right? Coming in hot at 859 pieces, it’s not a huge build but then again, it’s one-of-a-kind. If you’re into kids books and something different, this one is worth checking out for sure.

10. LEGO IDEAS THE FLINTSTONES 21316

Flintstones, Meet the Flintstones – or at least very own Flintstones LEGO Ideas set. This one is a throwback, with the family car aka Fred’s footmobile in all its glory. Boomers will love this set, even though it’s only 748 pieces. I was never huge into The Flintstones myself, but did dabble occasionally with the cartoon a bit as a youngster. If you’re looking for a set under $75 that will hit you with a whiff of the good ol’ days, this just might be the one. Just let the record show that Barney is a backstabbing SOB.

It goes without saying that you’ll have a yabba dabba doo time putting this together, right? If you’re a fan of the Flintstones, this LEGO Ideas Flintstones-themed set is a must-have. Fred and the gang are all here. From the, town of bedrock… okay you get the idea.

That’s it, that’s all folks. These are the 10 best LEGO idea sets worth owning. I think it’s pretty obvious that I want to buy every single one of them. Seriously though, isn’t it a shame that we don’t have more Tron movies with Garrett Hedlund?

CAN’T GET ENOUGH LEGO IN YOUR LIFE?

The fun doesn’t have to end just now. Check out a few of other LEGO articles while you’re here: