The best Lego sets for hardcore brick fans

How could you possibly turn down the opportunity to build the legendary Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars movies? This is an iconic set from an iconic franchise. It's super cool and highly collectible.

As with many of the larger construction sets, there are quite a few features to consider. This set is made up of a two-minifigure cockpit with detachable canopy, two spring-loaded shooters, sensor dish, ramp, rotating laser turrets with minifigure seats, opening hull plates, and more.

There are also some little bonuses included in the box, such as Han Solo, Chewbacca, Qi'ra, Lando Calrissian, and Quay Tolsite figures, with Kessel and DD-BD droids.

If you are looking for more Star Wars sets (and you should be), we have your back. We would recommend checking out the Star Destroyer, X-Wing Starfighter, and TIE Fighter as alternatives. Or, why not get all of them?

This challenging set is the ultimate addition to any LEGO car lover’s collection. 

The LEGO Technic 42083 Bugatti Chiron enhanced building set has actually been developed in partnership with Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S to capture the true essence of the sports car. It comes with aerodynamic bodywork, logoed spoked rims, and detailed brake discs. What we're saying is this set is not for kids. It's a serious set for serious builders.

The set features a Technic 8-speed gearbox with movable paddle gearshift, a steering wheel bearing the Bugatti emblem, and a detailed W16 engine with moving pistons. It comes in at over 3,500 pieces, meaning this probably won't be a quick construction project.

If you're looking for a slightly cheaper option, that is still as challenging, we would recommend the Technic Porsche 911 RSR or Technic Mack Anthem construction kits.

This highly detailed LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle Building Kit has over 6,000 pieces and offers a truly rewarding building experience for any fan of the movies or books. 

There's a lot to take in when considering this set, with towers, turrets, chambers, classrooms, creatures, the Whomping Willow, Hagrid´s hut, and many more iconic features. There are also four minifigures, 27 microfigures, and five Dementors included. It might cost more than £300 but you get an awful lot for your money.

This advanced building set makes the ideal gift for any Harry Potter fan. It's also pretty collectible too, especially considering how many devoted fans are out there.

If this Hogwarts set seems a little too pricey, then there is an alternative. The Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall set is aimed at a slightly younger audience, and is much cheaper.

If you want a LEGO set that will encourage STEM development, the Boost Creative Toolbox Robot Building Kit should be something to consider.

Kids can build five models from one set, and each educational toy is progressively more challenging. That's not all though, because each creation is programmable with a free app on your tablet. Your kids can code behaviours into whatever they build, with distance, colour, and tilt sensor technologies doing the work.

The tablet app is free to download to your device and easy to use. You just need to follow the step-by-step instructions and this STEM toy comes to life.

There are a few other options out there for LEGO STEM sets, and we would recommend checking out the MINDSTORMS EV3 Robot Building Kit as an alternative choice.

Suitable for anyone aged 12 and up, the London Skyline Building Set features the National Gallery, Nelson's Column, London Eye, Big Ben, and Tower Bridge. It's the ideal set for anyone that left their heart in London, or lives there now.

This detailed model of the London skyline includes a collectible booklet containing information about the design, architecture, and history of the buildings, and is made up of 468 pieces in total.

All LEGO Architecture models are compatible with all LEGO construction sets, so you can mix and match if you choose, but these models are really about recreating your favourite places, and displaying them as a reminder of the good times you spent there.

If London doesn't do it for you, there are a lot of other options. For example, you can pick up Paris and San Francisco sets at very similar prices.

Sometimes you really don't want or need any instructions. You just want to freestyle it. 

The Classic Creative Brick Box construction set allows your kids to construct their own buildings and more with a collection of LEGO bricks in 33 different colours. This is perhaps the best set if uninhibited creativity is your priority.

This construction set contains 790 pieces, including eight different types of windows and doors with eight different frames. There are also special pieces like two different sized green baseplates, three sets of eyes, six tires, and six wheel rims. Some reviewers have commented that the box could do with more wheels, but we're not convinced.

If you are looking for a slightly smaller, and cheaper option, then check out the Classic Creative Suitcase.

Some people want to construct a LEGO set, then tear it apart and start again. Other people want to build and admire. This set is for the second group.

The NASA Apollo 11 Saturn-V set is perfect for displaying and role-playing the manned Apollo Moon missions. The spacecraft features the lunar lander and the lunar orbiter, as well as removable rocket stages.

This impressive set includes a removable S-II second rocket stage with engine details, a removable S-IVB third rocket stage with the Apollo spacecraft and rescue rocket, and three stands to display the model horizontally, so that all your mates can admire it (without touching).

This collectible building set also includes a booklet about the manned Apollo Moon missions and the fan designers of the set, so you can really get to grips with what you're making.

There are alternatives out there for science enthusiasts, including a Women in Science Research Institute set and a Space Shuttle Explorer construction toy, that are cheaper too.

Here we were thinking that you couldn't possibly improve on LEGO, but it seems like we were wrong. Once you throw in app-connectivity and Bluetooth, it opens up a whole new world.

This superb app-controlled Batmobile has four-wheel drive and comes equipped with dual stud shooters. It also features two motors powered by a Bluetooth-controlled battery hub with opening minifigure cockpit. There's a Batman minifigure to place in said cockpit, too.

The prospect of controlling the Batmobile via the app on your smartphone or tablet should be enough to pursuade even those of you who aren't Batman fans. If you are a fan, we've probably said enough already.

If you're looking for an alternative Bluetooth controlled LEGO set, we recommend checking out the City Passenger RC train toy. It's a little more pricey but has extremely favourable reviews.

There aren't many fandoms as passionate as the Avengers bunch, and this set is perfect for every single one of them, whatever age.

The Avengers Compound set features a multi-level office building, helipad, garage, helicopter, and offroader for creative play. That means the fun isn't over once you have completed the construction. You can relive all the action of the franchise, or create your own adventures.

The office building includes a rooftop spring-loaded shooter, dual stud shooters, and rotating radar. The helicopter has an opening minifigure cockpit, two spinning rotors, and a six-stud rapid shooter. You also have four minifigures to play with: Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Nebula, and a 4-armed Outrider, plus Hulk and Thanos as big figures, and an Ant-Man microfigure.

The problem with being a devoted Avengers fan is that one set is inevitably not going to be enough. If you need more options, you should check out Captain America’s motorcycle toy and the Iron Man Hall of Armor set.

The problem that arises with certain LEGO sets is that once you've built them, they are kind of obsolete. This is the case for smaller sets and not the display models obviously, that can take centre stage in your living room for years.

This is where LEGO has been clever, with the introduction of 3-in-1 sets like the Sunshine Surfer Van.

You can build a toy camper van with kitchenette, surfboard, parasol, BBQ, and camping furniture, but then switch it up once you're done. The 3-in-1 construction toy can be rebuilt into a lifeguard tower with quad bike or beach buggy, meaning you get three times the fun from one set.

The set includes two LEGO minifigures, ready for whatever you thrown at them.

There is a wide range of great 3-in-1 LEGO sets to choose from, but if we had to pick another, we would opt for the Deep Sea Creatures building kit.