LEGO Ideas: The five largest sets

It is 10 years since the first LEGO Ideas set was launched and since then the releases have got significantly bigger – Brick Fanatics counts down the five largest sets so far

The LEGO Group has announced another enormous LEGO Ideas set, with 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay joining the theme. It is now 10 years since 21100 Shinkai 6500 Submarine launched the series in what was then called LEGO CUUSOO. Each set is based on a fan design that has gathered 10,000 votes online and then been carefully vetted by the LEGO review panel.

To acknowledge just how impressively large some of the LEGO Ideas sets are today, Brick Fanatics is counting down the five largest sets released in the theme so far.

5. 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V
Piece count: 1,969
Year of release: 2017

Fans were delighted when this set busted through the glass ceiling that LEGO Ideas sets seemed to have. Up until this point, there were no models troubling the 1,000 piece count, let alone almost touching 2,000. It is no coincidence that this model uses 1,969 pieces, as 1969 is the year that Saturn V launched.

Not only is this set impressive due to its piece count, 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V is one metre tall. Thankfully, it includes a display base so the set can also be displayed horizontally.

4. 21310 Old Fishing Store
Piece count: 2,049
Year of release: 2017

Capturing all of the rustic charm that the original fan design included, 21310 Old Fishing Store is a detailed model that creates a lovely fishing supply store. Rather than offering carefully aligned elements for a uniform look, the set works thanks to offsetting bricks and misaligning elements to make it look like an old building in need of a few touch-ups.

3. 21311 Voltron
Piece count: 2,321
Year of release: 2018

While the animated television series, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, was a success in the 1980s, it was not necessarily an obvious choice for a LEGO set. What it lacks in mainstream popularity though, it makes up for in visual style.

The show saw pilots each piloting a lion robot to defend their futuristic world, with the five machines combining to form Voltron. Incredibly, the LEGO Ideas team managed to design a model that splits into the five separate mechs but can also be combined, with no rebuilding, to form a 40cm tall Voltron.

Brick Fanatics counts down the five largest LEGO sets ever released

2. 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay
Piece count: 2,545
Year of release: 2020

What more could a LEGO Pirates fan ask for? This incredibly detailed shipwreck island is more than just a shipwreck, it actually transforms into a modern version of the beloved LEGO model 6285 Black Seas Barracuda. Some fans will even be tempted to buy the set twice so that they can display both.

As well as that signature feature, the model is packed with references to the classic LEGO Pirates theme, including the minifigures. Captain Redbeard is included with updated details, as are many of his original crew from 1989.

1. 21318 Tree House
Piece count: 3,026
Year of release: 2019

One set that needs a decent piece count is a treehouse. The tree itself needs to epic in scale to justify a home among the branches, and 21318 Tree House delivers just that. With wonderful winding steps leading up the first building and a rope bridge connecting two of the rooms, it captures the spirit of adventure that treehouses embody.

A clever construction as well as dozens of little, intricate details, the largest LEGO Ideas set so far demonstrates beautifully how this theme works for the adult fan, bringing the absolute best of LEGO design to a theme that is by the fans – and clearly for the fans.

To continue to support the work of Brick Fanatics, please buy your LEGO sets from LEGO.com and Amazon using our affiliate links.