Seven LEGO Ideas sets are currently scheduled to retire in 2025, but which should you buy now, which should you wait for a last-minute deal on and which should you skip altogether?
A handful of LEGO Ideas sets are departing shelves by the end of the year, including some of the crowdsourced theme’s heavy hitters. But if you can’t afford or don’t have space for them all, which should you be prioritising before the year’s out? That’s the question we’re aiming to answer with this comprehensive guide to the LEGO Ideas sets retiring in 2025.
What’s worth bearing in mind here is that while LEGO sets are typically scheduled to retire by the end of the year, they will almost certainly not be available right up to December 31. Popular sets can sell out weeks or months earlier, so timing your purchases towards the end of the year can often be a fine art, balancing last-minute discounts with not missing out altogether.
For that reason, we’ve sorted the seven sets here into three different categories: those you should buy now (or as soon as makes sense within your budget, perhaps with one eye on gifts-with-purchase and double points at LEGO.com) and not risk missing out on; those you can wait for a last-minute deal on around Black Friday (and not worry about too much if you miss them); and those that are easy to pass on relative to the rest.
Check out our picks below and let us know if you agree with our choices in the comments. You can find a complete list of LEGO sets retiring in 2025 here.
21335 Motorised Lighthouse
Price: £259.99 / $299.99 / €299.99 Pieces: 2,065 Release date: Sep 1, 2022
If you only buy one LEGO Ideas set this year, make it 21335 Motorised Lighthouse. This is arguably one of the best LEGO Ideas sets out right now full stop, let alone from the shortlist of retiring sets, and is unlikely to ever be repeated to the same degree. It’s a fully-functioning lighthouse, complete with lights and motors right out the box, and looks fantastic on display to boot.
You are paying a slight premium for that functionality, but there are few sets you’ll be so inclined to interact with every time you pass them in your home. Wait for a double Insiders points event and/or gifts-with-purchase for maximum returns, but don’t hold out until the end of the year for this one – it’s a set not to miss.
Verdict: Buy now
21341 Disney Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters' Cottage
Price: £199.99 / $229.99 / €229.99 Pieces: 2,316 Release date: Jul 4, 2023
The relatively narrow focus of
If either of those factors sound like a reason to buy, this could be one to look out for in the end-of-year sales. It’s probably not top priority among the wider roster of retiring LEGO Ideas sets, though.
Verdict: Wait for a deal
21342 The Insect Collection
Price: £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 Pieces: 1,111 Release date: Sep 4, 2023
This is a tricky one. 21342 The Insect Collection is currently ranked among Brick Fanatics’ Top 20 LEGO sets list, and it is indeed a great LEGO set, realising its diminutive subject matter with colour, detail and interest. But it’s also one we’ve seen frequently discounted at John Lewis, and could therefore enjoy a tempting end-of-year discount at LEGO.com too.
Given it’s a very good LEGO set that won’t necessarily be for everyone, you might be best holding out on this one until later in the year. It’s not the most expensive LEGO Ideas set around, but every penny counts – and it’s also not quite so groundbreaking that you’ll have massive regrets if it doesn’t make its way into your collection.
Verdict: Wait for a deal
21343 Viking Village
Price: £124.99 / $129.99 / €139.99 Pieces: 2,103 Release date: Oct 1, 2023
Occasionally the LEGO Group conjures up a set that you can genuinely say is worth buying at full price, and 21343 Viking Village fits nicely into that rarest of categories. With a killer price-to-piece ratio and the substance in the build to back it up, this 2023 release is disappearing from shelves all too soon as things stand – and anyone with fond memories of the 2005 LEGO Vikings line would be remiss to miss out.
If you’ve had your eye on this one for a while or are just now realising what a great set it is, best bite the bullet in the next few months. This feels like one that could disappear way ahead of the end of the year, and is priced well enough that you don’t need to worry about waiting for a deal.
Verdict: Buy now
21344 The Orient Express Train
Price: £259.99 / $299.99 / €299.99 Pieces: 2,540 Release date: Dec 1, 2023
One factor worth weighing up when considering any retiring LEGO set is how widely available it is at retail. If it’s on sale at every shop in town, chances are it’s going to be easier to come by towards the end of the year and more likely to be heavily discounted. If it’s only available at LEGO.com, well, you’re probably going to have to suck it up and pay full price – or risk missing out altogether.
So it goes for 21344 The Orient Express Train, a set that is exclusive to LEGO.com and LEGO Stores (at least in the UK). That alone bumps it up the priority list if you’ve been considering it anyway, but add on that it’s one of the biggest, best and most detailed LEGO trains ever – while still being compatible with regular LEGO track – and anyone loco for locomotives should already have this on their radar.
Verdict: Buy now
21346 Family Tree
Price: £79.99 / $79.99 / €89.99 Pieces: 1,040 Release date: Feb 1, 2024
Not every LEGO Ideas set can be a winner, and at face value there aren’t many reasons to prioritise 21346 Family Tree over any of the others retiring in 2025. Even if this set ticks enough boxes for you personally from a design perspective, it’s available at a handful of third-party retailers – and given the general reaction to it from the community, it seems safe to say it’ll be available with discounts towards the end of its life.
If your budget is tight, though, there are better places to spend it. And at this stage, 21346 Family Tree feels unlikely to rise much in price on the aftermarket, so if you do change your mind down the line you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a copy at RRP or less. The same can’t be said for many other sets on this list.
Verdict: Skip
21347 Red London Telephone Box
Price: £99.99 / $114.99 / €114.99 Pieces: 1,460 Release date: Feb 1, 2024
Another LEGO Ideas set that’s gone rather under the radar, 21347 Red London Telephone Box is also exclusively available through official channels in the UK, so the chances of a deep discount are pretty low. But like 21346 Family Tree, the general interest level for this one suggests we may see some kind of deal around Black Friday, while missing out wouldn’t be the end of the world in terms of aftermarket pricing.
No need to rush out to buy this one, then – but if you like the look of it, you might be able to snag it for a better price towards the end of the year.
Verdict: Wait for a deal
Don’t forget to bookmark our retiring LEGO sets page for the latest rundown of when every LEGO set is due to leave production.
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