Five fun new LEGO sets you shouldn’t overlook in January 2023
More than 100 brand new LEGO sets are now available to buy – but with so much to sift through, there’s a good chance you’ve probably overlooked at least one of these five fun sets.
From Star Wars and Speed Champions to The Lord of the Rings and Marvel, this year’s first batch of new releases is headlined (and perhaps overshadowed) by licensed themes. Yet squirrelled away within the 115-plus new sets that arrived at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores on January 1 are plenty of builds that deserve your attention – but otherwise risk being overlooked among the sea of new stuff to take in.
That’s why we’ve done the hard work for you, and carefully perused the entire list of new sets to pick out five you shouldn’t miss out on during your January shopping spree. Dive in below, and don’t forget that 40580 Blacktron Cruiser is currently free with all purchases above £170 / $190 / €190 at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores.
5 – 40646 Daffodils
Theme: Botanical Collection Price: £10.99 / $12.99 / €12.99 Pieces: 216 Release date: January 1, 2023
Now officially part of the LEGO Botanical Collection, 40646 Daffodils is this year’s successor to 40460 Roses and 40461 Tulips. That means an affordable way to build up your stash of plastic plants, and the perfect set to bulk out any orders that fall just short of a gift-with-purchase threshold – such as 40580 Blacktron Cruiser, or later this month, 40583 Houses of the World 1.
4 – 60386 Recycling Truck
Theme: City Price: £29.99 / $29.99 / €34.99 Pieces: 261 Release date: January 1, 2023
LEGO City’s bold new direction – under the guiding hand of LEGO NINJAGO co-creator Simon Lucas – is off to a flying start in 2023, and while we’re totally up for novelties like otters, a video game truck and a Total Wipeout course, there are a few staple sets worth your attention in January too. Top of that list is 60386 Recycling Truck, notable for its recycling point, which is built on green LEGO City road plate elements.
3 – 80043 Yellow Tusk Elephant
Theme: Monkie Kid Price: £59.99 / $79.99 / €69.99 Pieces: 844 Release date: January 1, 2023
It’s no secret that LEGO Monkie Kid is one of the sleeper hits of the entire LEGO portfolio – a status leveraged in part through its narrow availability. You’ll only find the Journey to the West-inspired sets at LEGO.com, which makes it easy to miss them while working through your wish list. Sets like 80044 Monkie Kid’s Team Hideout will rightly claim most headlines around January’s wave, but don’t pass up 80043 Yellow Tusk Elephant: it’s a great set, and one ready for reappropriating for a Horizon Forbidden West build…
2 – 75577 Mako Submarine
Theme: Avatar Price: £49.99 / $59.99 / €54.99 Pieces: 553 Release date: January 1, 2023
Next to Marvel, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, it’s fair to say that the entire wave of LEGO Avatar: The Way of Water sets risks being overlooked. But our pick from the five-strong range is definitely 75577 Mako Submarine, a sand-green military vehicle that leans into the display potential of the theme, all within a price point that makes it an easy purchase even at full price. Just ignore the completely lethal canopies…
1 – 41729 Organic Grocery Store
Theme: Friends Price: £79.99 / $89.99 / €89.99 Pieces: 830 Release date: January 1, 2023
LEGO City’s short-lived 60347 Grocery Store has already retired (having only launched in August 2022), but no matter: an even better LEGO supermarket is already here in 41729 Organic Grocery Store, one of 20 new LEGO Friends sets that have ushered in the theme’s fresh reboot. With a bigger and more fleshed-out build, decorated in colours that wouldn’t look out of place in LEGO City, it’s one of the mini-doll theme’s stand-out 2023 models.
Five new LEGO sets you shouldn’t overlook in January 2023
| LEGO theme | LEGO set | Price | Pieces | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botanical Collection | 40646 Daffodils | £10.99 / $12.99 / €12.99 | 216 | January 1, 2023 |
| City | 60386 Recycling Truck | £29.99 / $29.99 / €34.99 | 261 | January 1, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80043 Yellow Tusk Elephant | £59.99 / $79.99 / €69.99 | 844 | January 1, 2023 |
| Avatar | 75577 Mako Submarine | £49.99 / $59.99 / €54.99 | 553 | January 1, 2023 |
| Friends | 41729 Organic Grocery Store | £79.99 / $89.99 / €89.99 | 830 | January 1, 2023 |
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I think Yellow Tusk Elephant is a warm up for a LOTR Mumak set.
hi im 53 just live collecting lego for 30 years for my children thanks