Five possibilities for the next giant LEGO landmark – and the most likely one

LEGO Icons 10307 Eiffel Tower crosses another giant LEGO landmark off the list – but what could follow in 2023 and beyond? Here’s what we reckon is most likely to come next…

While the traditional LEGO Architecture theme withers under a single landmark set per year, the LEGO Icons range – formerly known as Creator Expert – has arguably co-opted that theme’s subject matter at dizzying new scales. 10276 Colosseum set the ball rolling properly in 2020, although 10256 Taj Mahal (and before it 10189 Taj Mahal) could technically sit within the same subtheme of supersized landmarks.

The latest addition has now arrived in the form of 10307 Eiffel Tower, a set that literally takes the LEGO Group to new heights. (It’s the tallest set of all time at 149cm.) But the question now is: where does the LEGO Icons theme go from here? Which world landmark is iconic enough to follow the Eiffel Tower? We’ve narrowed it down to five possibilities, plus the one we think is a dead cert for 2023 (or 2024).

The Great Pyramid of Giza

An ancient wonder of the world that’s just been turned into a LEGO Architecture set (with surprisingly impressive results), the Great Pyramid of Giza seems primed for an even bigger and more complete LEGO Icons rendition one day. Until you realise just how monotonous an even bigger pyramid would actually be. There’s a reason the Architecture team sliced away half the main structure for 21058 Great Pyramid of Giza, and focused heavily on the River Nile and surrounding terrain…

lego

Verdict: Too boring

Tower Bridge

Image: Diego Delso, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

This British landmark is certainly iconic enough to warrant inclusion in the LEGO Icons range, but it already has a Creator Expert set in 10214 Tower Bridge. The 4,287-piece set was available for almost nine years, from 2010 to 2019, so everyone who wants one presumably already has it. Plus, it’s difficult to imagine a set with twice the budget really doing much better justice to Tower Bridge than the original set, so this one feels a bit superfluous.

Verdict: Not necessary

Sagrada Família

Image: Bernard Gagnon, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Barcelona’s biggest Catholic church – and the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world – is an architectural masterpiece, and would easily make for a stunning LEGO Icons set. But it’s tricky territory for the LEGO Group, given religious services are still held there daily, and religion is famously a topic the company has tried to avoid across its sets to date. As much as we’d like it, we just can’t see this one happening.

Verdict: Too religious

Big Ben

Image: Pedro Szekely, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Already the subject of a LEGO Creator Expert set, Big Ben – or Elizabeth Tower – is arguably a prime candidate for a makeover at 10307 Eiffel Tower’s price point, offering a more detailed and expansive version of 10253 Big Ben. (The base alone would benefit from some love.) But two factors currently count against it: the last version retired only three years ago, and we’ve now had two Euro-centric landmarks in a row, so it could be time to look elsewhere.

Verdict: Potentially, but not now

Empire State Building

If the LEGO Group does want to broaden its horizons next year, it may choose to look to New York, a haven of cultural and architectural icons. Near the top of that list is the Empire State Building, another set that – like the Eiffel Tower – could easily make the leap from the budget-friendly Architecture range to the wallet-conquering LEGO Icons theme. We fully expect it to happen at some stage, but a second towering structure so soon after 10307 Eiffel Tower might be a stretch.

Verdict: Definitely, one day

What it will actually be: The Statue of Liberty

That leaves us with just one option that ticks every box for the next LEGO Icons landmark, and it’s another New York staple: the Statue of Liberty. It pulls focus away from Europe, but is still a global icon; it has a LEGO Architecture set that excels at its price point, but can still be readily improved with a bigger budget; and it even has a link with 10307 Eiffel Tower, as the man responsible for designing its metal framework was none other than Gustave Eiffel himself.

It might not happen in 2023 – we’ve had two years between the Colosseum and Eiffel Tower, with a Titanic sandwiched in between – but we reckon this is a dead cert for the next LEGO Icons landmark, whenever it hits shelves.

10307 Eiffel Tower launches on November 25 at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores, for £554.99 / $629.99 / €629.99. Click here for more on the supersized new set.

Featured image: Sam Valadi, licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

2 thoughts on “Five possibilities for the next giant LEGO landmark – and the most likely one

  • 17/06/2023 at 02:02
    Permalink

    i like this take. ever considered 1. Hagia Sofia in Istanbul or maybe 2. Buckingham Palace(especially after recent events). As someone who has built the colliseum, titanic, and Eiffel Tower, I also personally believe the next large display piece will be Statue of Liberty

    Reply
  • 19/11/2022 at 00:09
    Permalink

    How about Mount Rushmore for a challange ?

    Reply

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