We at the Brothers Brick got through quite a lot of LEGO this year. We had 81 reviews penned by both in-house and guest writers, and that’s not even counting the sets we bought of our own volition! As you know, we’re an opinionated bunch. We all have our favourites: LEGO kits that wowed us with new parts, interesting techniques, or just downright charm. On the other hand, you can’t win them all, and there were a fair few duds this year too. We’ve listed some of our picks for both categories below. Agree or disagree? Tell us in the comments! What were your most and least favourite sets from 2025?
Let’s get the bad out the way first, shall we?
Star Wars 75406 Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle
The best thing about Kylo Ren’s shuttle was Jake’s sub-heading for his review. (I thought it was funny, anyway!) And while not necessarily a bad model in and of itself – it does look more or less like the source material, albeit without the functionality – there was an overwhelming feeling of ‘is this pair of wings really worth $70’?
And speaking of overpriced Star Wars sets…
Star Wars 75413 Republic Juggernaut
The Juggernaut has become the poster child for the exorbitant prices present in the Star Wars theme – and rightly so. In our review, we even went through some numbers to try and determine scientifically if it’s overpriced. The data doesn’t lie, but even without it, we found absolutely nothing to justify the $160 price tag. Not even the long-awaited Galactic Marines minifigures could save it.
43010 Nike Slam Dunk
LEGO’s sports partnerships have resulted in some fun play functions (and bizarre minifig heads) in the past, but we’re not sure what LEGO is thinking with this particular entry in the Nike line. As Garret pointed out in our review, the centerpiece figure lacks articulation below the arms to make it playable, and as a display piece the character leaves much to be desired – especially with 59 stickers. We love the customization angle and seeing more diversity in brick-built characters, but this set needed to choose a lane.
Marvel 76314 Captain America: Civil War Action Battle
Going way back to January 1st, Marvel opened 2025 with this $100 clunker. Another set that can’t choose a lane, Civil War Action Battle tries to work as both a display and playset and fails at both, as Kyle pointed out in our review. It’s easy to understand why LEGO keeps returning to the well of past Avengers movies for new Marvel sets as none of the post-Endgame films have caught fire, but this lackluster playset, sub-par minifig lineup, and pathetically small Quinjet aren’t doing the MCU any favors.
Icons 10351 Sherlock Holmes Book Nook & 10367 Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook
We’re lumping the two book nooks we reviewed (Sherlock Holmes and Lord of the Rings) together, as our sentiments on them were rather the same. Conceptually? Great idea! Book nooks have been all the rage with crafters and book overs, and LEGO ones seemed like a great addition to the company’s adult-focused portfolio. But in practice, we found them to be pretty disappointing, especially the Balrog. Despite having OK price-to-piece ratios for licensed sets (not that Holmes needed a license, ahem), they were worth less than the sum of their parts in our view. Certainly not the worst design-wise (and the Holmes minifigs are quite good), but for the book-loving builders at TBB, contenders for most disappointing.
Thankfully, though, there was plenty more that LEGO offered this year that kept us happy. Speaking of which – where better to start than with one of the internet’s favourite sets?
Botanicals 10349 Happy Plants
Their simple, adorable design has resonated well both within and outside of the LEGO community. Our guest reviewer Davide Sacramati was very complimentary in his review, and even took to re-potting the plants.
And that perhaps speaks to how well-received this set has been: Managing Editor Jake Forbes was especially of the creativity it sparked within the community. There aren’t many sets that get their own archives on our site, and that’s barely scratching the surface! The only downside is they’ve been so popular, I haven’t been able to pick up a second copy…
Speed Champions 77242-77251 F1 Collection
The Speed Champions theme is well-liked here on the Brothers Brick. They have interesting techniques at affordable prices, and often contain new moulds or re-colours. The collection of F1 cars released in March scored highly on all fronts, making them some of the best sets in the theme! Did we really need all 10 (soon to be 11, with the upcoming APX GP car)? Possibly not – but it can’t be denied they look great together.
Jurassic World 76968 Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus Rex
Who would’ve thought the Jurassic World skulls would spawn an entire skeleton behind them? Not us – but boy are we glad they did! Bre built it ahead of its March release, and declared it “one of [her] favourite sets of all time” in her excellent review. That’s still the case now: apparently, it will continue to be displayed indefinitely if possible. That in itself is no mean feat. This is one long set, so careful consideration will need to be made regarding how it’s displayed. But you certainly won’t regret it!
Mario 72037 Mario & Standard Kart
LEGO’s tie-up with Nintendo has gone from strength to strength, and this year, the beloved Mario Kart series made its way into our collections. Many will have had fellow Nintendo set 72046 Game Boy on their best-of lists, but for guest contributor Davide Sacramati, the Super Nintendo nostalgia won out with Mario’s standard kart! Perfectly scaled, instantly recognisable, plenty of new moulds and printed parts, and a really interesting, all for a reasonable price. And really, what more could you want from a LEGO set?
One Piece 75639 Going Merry Pirate Ship
No doubt there were plenty of puns made when LEGO announced a slew of One Piece sets. Pirate sets are always popular with the AFOL community; how did they take to these unusual sets? Well, guest reviewer Jacob Manahan was very fond of the protagonists’ ship, the Going Merry, ranking it even higher than the excellent Black Pearl. The theme as a whole features plenty of bright colours that match the fun factor present in the builds, and no set does that better than the Merry (although the Baratie floating restaurant does get an honourable mention). More than anything, the minifigures are superb – again, not just in this set but across the whole One Piece grand line. Another of our guest reviewers, Captain Dark Shark, can certainly attest to that!
77037 Aloy & Varl vs Shell-walker & Sawtooth
A set that’s flown somewhat under the radar? Not so for guest writer Brennen (brickbot_studio), who picked this out as their favourite set of the year. Both robots feature some cool parts used in interesting ways, making for great likenesses of the in-game ones. Ditto for the minifigures; Varl’s new bow accessory was singled out as being very useful for castle and fantasy builders. And with 768 parts for a little over $40, it’s a steal in terms of price-per-piece!
Honourable Mentions
- Icons 10350 Tudor Corner – A top shelf addition to the Modular line
- Icons 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship – A majestic upgrade to an iconic ship
- Ideas 21358 Minifig Vending Machine – Pure fun with great figs
- 72046 Game Boy – A perfect replica, packed with nostalgia
- 10356 Star Trek Enterprise D – Technically impressive, great display presence, amazing figs.