Blocks is ringing in the New Year with five great LEGO sets to add to your collection in 2024.
The start of a new year is more than just a time to make resolutions for LEGO fans — New Year’s Day is always accompanied by the release of tons of new sets from all sorts of different themes. The lure of purchasing a shiny new LEGO set is always tempting, but with so many releasing on the same day, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of new sets to choose from. And that’s not to mention all the fantastic sets from years past that are still begging to be added to your collection.
There’s been extra focus on homegrown themes in recent years, with lines such as Icons, Ideas, Creator and DREAMZzz getting plenty of new sets every release season. To help you sort through all of these great sets new and old, Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, has picked out five of the best non-licensed LEGO sets that will make great additions to any LEGO collection.
21343 Viking Village
LEGO Vikings have been making a bit of a comeback in recent years, first with 31132 Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent and now with 21343 Viking Village. 21343 is an excellent addition to the world of LEGO Vikings, with three stunning buildings along the waterfront. The village includes a blacksmith, great hall and guard tower, along with a few hidden details to make the building experience even better. Four minifigures are included, and while more would have certainly been welcome, each is perfectly detailed and look great displayed in the village.
31147 Retro Camera
31147 Retro Camera may not be a functioning camera, but it’s still a great little model at an affordable price. The main camera build is fantastic — especially considering it only uses just a little more than 200 pieces. It even includes a strap and rolls of brick-built film to complete the build. The rolls of film feature images of other Creator sets; it’s a simple but fun little easter egg. The set is also a 3-in-1, with options to rebuild it into a video camera and small television set, also in a retro style.
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10281 Bonsai Tree
If you’re looking for something a little more sophisticated, 10281 Bonsai Tree is a great choice. The set features an elegant stand and pot alongside an already incredible build for the tree itself. A variety of slopes, plates and tiles are put to good use to create the trunk of the tree, and a nice combination of leaf elements completes the beautiful tree. While taking a trimmer to the leaves isn’t recommended, you can remove the green leaves and replace them with whites and pinks to brighten up the display. This set has been out for a while, so be sure to buy it before it retires.
71471 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon
It’s always fun to see a new and original LEGO theme like DREAMZzz hit shelves, but jumping right in with one of the more expensive sets can be stressful. That’s where sets like 71471 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon come in. 71471 is an affordable first set for fans looking to try out DREAMZzz while still packing in everything that makes the theme unique — a great hero minifigure, two other fun characters and a wacky main build. If you’ve been on the fence about trying LEGO DREAMZzz, 71471 is a great place to start in 2024.
The Blocks Book of Retro LEGO Sets is available now and features classic themes; Space, Castle Pirates! Order your copy today.
21332 The Globe
21332 The Globe might not be quite as affordable as 71471 Izzie’s Narwhal Hot-Air Balloon, but it’s still worth adding it to your collection this year. Curves and circles are notoriously difficult to capture with LEGO bricks, but 21332 manages to effectively create an entire globe. Equally impressive as the sphere is the map itself. The world map isn’t exactly designed to fit into the LEGO System, but the model does a great job of capturing it in the brick. A few islands and peninsulas look a bit rough — Italy especially — but these details are mere niggles in comparison to how the globe looks as a whole. 21332 makes for a fantastic display piece that’s sure to spark some conversation.
All the listed sets are available now on LEGO.com and ready to join your collection in 2024.