The final month of 2023 is here, and with it, one more batch of Lego sets to tempt your wallet (or get stuck under the Christmas tree). From big hits in the Modular Buildings line to Shadow the Hedgehog’s Lego debut, there’s something for everyone, even if there’s not all that many new kits.
After November was a—probably much-needed for our wallets—relatively spartan month for Lego releases, with just the Mario Piranha Plant and the late surprise drop of the Avengers Tower for Black Friday, December at least has a little more on offer. Six new sets are dropping in time for last-minute holiday shopping shinies, but the good news is that they run quite the gamut: from big sets for adult collectors like the Natural History Museum, to fun new little kits perfect for kids into Minecraft or Sonic, there’s definitely something for a broad spectrum of Lego fans across ages and interests.
Scroll down for some of December’s (and January’s) best new Lego sets!
Lego Botanical Collection Tiny Plants
Set to release the week before Christmas on December 21, Lego’s latest “why buy plants when you can just build one forever” set gives you bunch of small succulents, tropical flowers, and exotic plants in tiny pots of their own for you to mix, match, and display. $99, available here (temporarily out of stock at the time of writing).
Lego Icons Natural History Museum
The next Modular Building entry breaks the mould quite literally with a double-sized history museum to bring a bit of culture and learning to your city streets. The two-floored museum has a bunch of display opportunities with different exhibits inside, including a buildable brontosaurus skeleton! $450, available here.
Lego Ideas The Orient Express Train
The legendary French train is the latest to join Lego’s railways, and it’s doing so in style with the train itself and its coal cart, as well as two cars to store the eight included minifigures—a dining car and a sleeping car. If you’re already a Lego train collector, the Orient Express is designed to fit Lego’s L Gauge railway tracks, so you can slot it into your collections easily. $470, available here.
Lego Minecraft The Armory
There are two Minecraft sets releasing in December, and the first is ready to kit out your characters in the finest (and slightly less finest) gear you can get your crafty blocky hands on. With two minifigures and a bunch of gear to create in the buildable forge, there’s a lot to play with in this small package. $35, available here from January 1.
Lego Minecraft The Animal Sanctuary
The other set is a bit more peaceful: a menagerie of animals to care for in their very own sanctuary. This 206-piece set comes with one minifigure and a host of buildable creatures, and is, of course, compatible with prior Minecraft animal sets to grow your collection. $30, available here from January 1.
Lego Sonic the Hedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog Escape
Sonic’s edgy opposite Shadow makes his debut in the Sonic line with this cute little set, perfectly timed for those recent teases of Shadow’s arrival in the third live-action Sonic movie. Plus, what more can you want than Shadow on his own sick motorbike? $30, available here.