LEGO BrickLink Series 7 finalists divide opinions thanks to ‘niche’ choices
The community is split on the five LEGO sets selected for Series 7 of the BrickLink Designer Program, with initial reactions ranging from ‘must have’ to ‘disappointed’.
BrickLink yesterday revealed the five new sets that will be available to crowdfund in February 2026 for Series 7 of the BrickLink Designer Program, including W.A.L.T. The Little Robot, Antique Collection, Alchemist’s Shop, Privateer Frigate Fortuna and Sushi Restaurant. It’s another diverse mix of builds that crucially also serves up something a little different for the program’s seventh series.
That’s a change that’s been received well in some corners of the community. “Finally, some really different ones,” wrote Anne-Marie Tigra De Smedt on Brick Fanatics’ Facebook page, while Geoff Buls added: “About time there’s a ship!” BrickPerfection’s Privateer Frigate Fortuna isn’t the first BrickLink Designer Program hooked to LEGO Pirates, but it is the first to venture offshore and on to the open seas.
Reactions to Brickproject’s Sushi Restaurant are positive on the whole too, and redditor Move-your-bananas predicts that it will ‘sell out fast (before the end of day one)’. It’s perhaps the two most left-field choices that are dividing opinions, however: Leewan’s W.A.L.T. The Little Robot and terauma’s Antique Collection. They both have their supporters, with plenty of commenters singling them out as their top picks this round.
“I can’t believe I’m finally taking the dive on BrickLink sets!” said DragonShiryu2. “I need that cute lil robot and the curio cabinet!” Fellow redditor atatassault47 also welcomed the change in approach, adding: “The boat and robot look nice. I hate how most sets in this program end up being buildings, or building-adjacent (furniture or single rooms, etc).”
That said, not everyone is as optimistic about those finalists. Move-your-bananas predicts that they ‘likely won’t cross 10,000 orders’ because they ‘seem very niche’, while Gskinny said there were ‘so many better other sets’ in this round than W.A.L.T., the Antique Collection and even Shram’s Alchemist Shop, which is designed to sit happily alongside (and in scale with) 21325 Medieval Blacksmith.
As you’d imagine, though, the reception to Series 7’s only castle-adjacent set is also mostly positive, especially over on the legocastles subreddit. “Great set, castle series lacks village buildings overall!” said 9thHellCircle. “I wonder about the price. Hope it won’t be higher than $150 but that may be too optimistic.”
But even in that concentrated community, not everyone is happy. Redditor land_of_lincoln dismissed the Alchemist Shop as ‘just a Blacksmith re-skin’, while Sir_Ligulf added: “It’s not a bad set but I don’t feel like I need it, especially when so many other sets I would have preferred were submitted.”
It’s probably not surprising to hear that a group of LEGO fans with a vested interest in LEGO Castle were hoping for more from Series 7, but Move-your-bananas has a theory: “I wonder if the fact that there were so many castles in Series 7 is what ultimately caused this – maybe it divided the castle block up to where not enough of us were voting love it on the same sets?
“There were just so many other incredible castles like the Scarlet Bastion, Fishing Village, Medieval Town Hall, and many others that I have a hard time believing received less votes than the random robot and furniture set.”
Beyond additional (or alternative) LEGO Castle-themed sets, there’s one other big omission from Series 7 that a couple of people have picked up on, and it again speaks to another blind spot in the LEGO Group’s wider portfolio. “I’m disappointed that they didn’t pick a single train project,” said Redditor YodasChick-O-Stick. “This round had like over 50 of them. Train fans rely on BDP because [the LEGO Group] is really lacking on train sets.”
The Sushi Restaurant includes a tram, which ProfessorCagan highlighted as further evidence that there’s an appetite out there for more locomotives. “Notice how trains always seem to find their way into these BrickLink sets?” they wrote. “When is [the LEGO Group] gonna realise we like train sets and will buy them if they just make them?”
Trains have been well-represented across the BrickLink Designer Program so far, including Series 1’s The Old Engine Train Shed, Series 2’s Logging Railway and Brick Cross Train Station and Series 4’s Wild West Train. We’ll have to wait for Series 8 at the earliest for our next full LEGO train fix in this program, though. For an official LEGO loco, check out 21344 The Orient Express Train, which is currently slated to retire in 2025.
Browse all five BrickLink Designer Program Series 7 finalists in the table below, and click here for a closer look at each one.
BrickLink Designer Program Series 7 finalists
| BDP Series 6 set | Pieces | Stickers | Designer |
|---|---|---|---|
| W.A.L.T. The Little Robot | 663 | 0 | Leewan |
| Antique Collection | 1,471 | 0 | terauma |
| Alchemist’s Shop | 2,126 | 1 | Shram |
| Privateer Frigate Fortuna | 4,000 | 1 | BrickPerfection |
| Sushi Restaurant | 3,409 | 25 | Brickproject |
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