Best LEGO sets for adults in 2023
LEGOYou’ll never lose your passion for building with the best LEGO sets for adults.
The best LEGO sets for adults are ideal if you’re someone older who still enjoys the hobby. Whether you’re after more intricate designs or more mature themes than the typical child-focused playsets of certain brands, we’re rounding up all the top kits and display pieces for an older crowd down below.
We’ve made our choices based on the value for money, the quality of construction kits, and the overall aesthetics. In this list, you’ll find artwork, display pieces, and finely detailed LEGO Icons and Ideas. What’s more, for an encompassing view, we’re also rounding up the best LEGO sets overall, as well as the best gaming LEGO sets and the best LEGO Technic sets.
1. LEGO Star Wars – Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder
LEGOThe best LEGO Star Wars set for adults
The Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder set takes the top spot as the best LEGO Star Wars set for adults. This is due to its intricate build experience, its highly detailed display model status, its size, and value for money. Made up of 1890 pieces, and measuring 20 inches wide and 4 inches tall, this is an excellent set for fans of the original Star Wars trilogy.
Also included in the package is a collectors’ display stand complete with information on not only the build but the source material behind it. There are even minifigs of Luke himself and C-3PO which add a little extra personality to the set. Depending on your building experience, this will take anywhere from five to seven hours to construct, so that’s a fair amount of challenge ahead.
2. LEGO Icons – The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell
LEGOThe best LEGO Lord of the Rings set for adults
Few locations are as fundamental to the overarching story of The Lord of the Rings as Rivendell and now you can get the iconic area in charming LEGO form. This Elvish valley is forged of 6167 pieces being one of the larger sets in our roundup, and that’s for a good reason. Instead of being a model or an art piece, this set comprises many essential characters from the books and movies all in one place.
Not only do you get 15 minifigs of Frodo, Sam, Bilbo Baggins, Gormir, Legolas, and Gandalf, but you’re also getting many locales to scale as well. As expected given the number of pieces and the granular nature of the construction itself, you can expect to finish the whole set in around 15-25 build hours. This is likely an entire weekend project or something chipped away at over more than a couple of days.
3. LEGO Harry Potter – Hogwarts Castle and Grounds
LEGOThe best LEGO Harry Potter set for adults
Whether you grew up reading the books or watching the movies, Hogwarts is about as essential to Harry Potter as a franchise as they come. The magical school of witchcraft and wizardry has been in established fiction for over 20 years and it’s now been recreated in LEGO form as the ultimate collectors’ piece for fans of the series.
Made up of 2660 pieces, the LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle and Grounds is a sizeable build. As the name would suggest, it’s not just the castle itself, but also the surrounding area complete with rocky terrain, the sea, and boats on the water. It all comes together to create a stellar display piece that will look great on the shelf next to the Harry Potter books and Blu-rays.
4. LEGO Architecture – Himeji Castle
LEGOThe best LEGO architectural set for adults
Himeji Castle is one of the most recognizable structures in the entirety of Japan made during a time period where Japanese architecture had reached then-peak sophistication. Originally built in the 1300s, it was later expanded upon in the 1600s. This stunning display piece includes not only the castle in its entirety but also the immediate surrounding area in its current form as found in Himeji in the Kansai region of Japan.
One of the more granular sets in our list, the LEGO Architecture – Himeji Castle set is made up of 2125 pieces and is relatively small scale, making for a compact and classy build for your desk or bookshelf. What’s particularly cute is how you can choose the season of spring with the cherry blossoms or more of an Evergreen environment, too.
5. LEGO Art Hokusai – The Great Wave
LEGOThe best LEGO wall art for adults
While there are several stunning LEGO art pieces available, Katsushika Hokusa’s The Great Wave takes pole position over its competitors for its stunning representation. Not only has The Great Wave off Kanagawa from 1831 been lovingly remade in LEGO form, but this build includes extra depth with a 3D effect coming out of the frame.
What’s more, you get the artwork and then a full frame to build inside of as well. That means that hanging up The LEGO Great Wave is easy to do and looks the part in your home as a unique piece of artwork. You also have the enjoyment of building the full picture as well. It doesn’t take a terribly long time to build at around four to five hours total, so would be a fun after-work or weekend build.
6. LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster
LEGOThe best LEGO music set for adults
If you’re in the market for something special for the guitarist in your life, or a player yourself, then the LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster could be perfect. This small-scale set comes with not only the to-scale Stratocaster but also a 65 Princeton Reverb amplifier with extras, too.
What are these extras? Only things that no guitar player should be without. That means a guitar strap, an assortment of picks, a display stand, pedals, and an instrument lead. What’s more, you can choose from a red or black body for the Strat in question, and the whammy bar and tuning heads work as well. This set is made up of 1074 pieces which should only take around three hours to complete.
7. LEGO Icons Orchid
LEGOThe best LEGO set for mature adults
There’s no reason why the older crowd should be excluded from building LEGO sets and that’s where the LEGO Icons Orchid set comes in. Unlike some other models in our roundup, this one features just 608 pieces with larger pieces ideal for those with more limited visibility and mobility who still want a good experience.
The LEGO Icons Orchid looks the part, too. The buildable model stands at 15 inches high and 12 inches wide including the pot and plants which is comparable to a real orchid. There’s great attention to detail as there are splints holding up the budding flowers which is something needed for real orchids which further adds to the authenticity.
8. LEGO Super Mario Nintendo Entertainment System
LEGOThe best gaming LEGO set for adults
If you’re an older gamer then you’ll no doubt have fond memories of the Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES) which was released all the way back in 1985. There are several construction kits aimed at retro gamers such as the LEGO Atari 2600, but the LEGO NES wins out with its included CRT TV and Super Mario Bros. integration in the full package.
It’s a beautiful set that pulls on those nostalgia strings while offering an immaculate level of detail in its own right. The old-school TV itself measures eight inches high and nine inches wide and plugs into the console for that added level of immersion. The LEGO NES itself is picture-perfect, with the blocky, angular edges perfect for the LEGO treatment. Made of 2646 pieces, you can expect to finish this model in around eight to 10 hours depending on your experience.
9. LEGO Disney Castle
LEGOThe best adult LEGO set for Disney fans
With Disney recently celebrating its 100th anniversary, what better way to commemorate the occasion than by getting a model of the castle in LEGO form? The set is truly immense for fans of the classic animation studio, standing at 32 inches high and 23 inches wide, there’s so much detail packed into what usually is the centerpiece of the park.
The build isn’t the sleekest at 4837 pieces, but the granular nature of its construction shouldn’t be too surprising. There are fireworks and a whole host of towers as well as the interiors which all culminate in the finer details. What’s more, there’s a total of eight minifigs that should be instantly recognizable to fans of Disney’s animation like Snow White, Prince Florian, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Tiana, Price Naveen, Rapunzel, and Flynn Rider. Everyone’s accounted for from all eras of the movies.
Best LEGO sets for adults – FAQs
We’re answering all the further questions you need to know about the best LEGO sets for adults.
Are there LEGO sets for adults?
Yes, there are many LEGO sets that carry an 18+ adult rating on the box and this is due to the level of technicality and smaller pieces you’ll find in these sets compared to the play sets that are aimed at children.
Is adult LEGO hard?
LEGO which carries an 18+ rating can be much more challenging than standard LEGO for their more complicated builds that use smaller pieces for models and display pieces instead of toys or play sets.
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