LEGO has the power to transcend time. It doesn’t matter if you’re eight years old or 88 years old—there’s much fun to be had, and every year brings even cooler LEGO sets to build and enjoy. Whether you’re already an avid LEGO fan, or you want to rekindle that childhood sense of wonder, or maybe you never had the opportunity to build a proper LEGO set from scratch… Here are some of the best nerdy LEGO sets for adults who want a challenge, who want to impress with their creations.
TV Show LEGO Sets
The Office (The Office)
The Office is one of the most popular TV sitcoms of all time, and you can bring the show to life with this bustling LEGO set that’s crowded with details and complete with all the characters from the show. Completed Size: 3 inches tall, 12 inches wide, 10 inches deep LEGO Item #: 21336 After assembling the 1,164-piece set, you’ll notice the most iconic gags from the series, including the stapler in Jell-O, a Golden Ticket, a Dundie trophy, and the “World’s Best Boss” mug from the intro.
The Apartments (Friends)
What better way to commemorate your love of Friends than by building the LEGO versions of the two iconic apartment units that sit across the hall from each other? Completed Size: 4 inches tall, 26 inches wide, 13 inches deep LEGO Item #: 10292 This two-apartment set fits all together and replicates the show’s most nostalgic locations, complete with all the little details that make it come to life—like Chandler and Joey’s La-Z-Boy recliners. Better yet, the kit also comes with seven minifigures modeled after the Friends main cast plus Janice!
Gaming LEGO Sets
Green Hill Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog)
If you’re a retro gaming enthusiast—especially of the Sega variety—then you’ll love this LEGO set that recreates the iconic Green Hill Zone level of Sonic the Hedgehog. It nails the spirit of it so perfectly! Completed Size: 7 inches tall, 15 inches long, 3 inches wide LEGO Item #: 21331 The 1,125-piece set comes with a Sonic minifigure, and you’ll also build a brick-based Dr. Robotnik (also known as Dr. Eggman) complete with his Eggmobile. It’s a lovely display piece for nostalgia.
Tallneck (Horizon Forbidden West)
Who would’ve thought LEGO would ever team up with Guerrilla Games for Horizon Forbidden West? As a post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure game, it’s not exactly in LEGO’s wheelhouse—but it works! Completed Size: 14 inches tall, 9 inches wide, 7 inches deep LEGO Item #: 76989 This 1,222-piece set will have you building a Tallneck, which are non-hostile communication machines that walk around in circles. The disc-shaped head is what makes it stand out and catch eyes.
Question Mark Block (Super Mario 64)
The Question Mark Block is one of the very first things we saw when Super Mario debuted, and it’s still so iconic that it represents the series. Why not build one for yourself? Completed Size: 7 inches tall, 7 inches wide, 7 inches deep LEGO Item #: 71395 This 2,064-piece set is more than just the block—it opens up to reveal four fan-favorite levels from Super Mario 64: Peach’s Castle, Bob-omb Battlefield, Cool Mountain, and Lethal Lava Trouble. It also comes with 10 LEGO minifigures, including Mario, Yoshi, Princess Peach, King Bob-omb, Chain Chomp, and more.
The Mighty Bowser (Super Mario)
The Mighty Bowser is one of the most recent LEGO sets on this list, and it has several nifty features that make it stand out against older LEGO sets—as if its awesome design wasn’t enough of a draw. Completed Size: 13 inches tall, 16 inches wide, 11 inches deep LEGO Item #: 71411 Using over 2,800 pieces, you’ll construct a full-blown model of Bowser that stands over a foot tall. He also has articulating limbs, so you can create various poses by moving his head, arms, legs, and tail.
Harry Potter LEGO Sets
Hogwarts Icons (Collector’s Edition)
The most impressive thing about this LEGO set is the full-blown replica of Hedwig that immediately catches the eye. But that’s far from the only impressive thing. The more you look, the better it gets. Completed Size: 18 inches tall, 20 inches wide, 13 inches deep LEGO Item #: 76391 After putting together over 3,000 pieces, you’ll have an entire collection of Harry Potter mementos—and three exclusive golden LEGO minifigures of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Rubeus Hagrid. The mementos include Harry’s glasses, Tom Riddle’s diary, the Golden Snitch, various potion bottles and ingredients, and more.
Hogwarts Express (Collector’s Edition)
This magnificent model of the Hogwarts Express brings memories flooding back with a single glance thanks to its bold red and black. For movie fans, this authentic scale model is a must-have. Completed Size: 11 inches tall, 47 inches long, 8 inches wide LEGO Item #: 76405 This LEGO set, which involves more than 5,000 pieces, isn’t just a depiction of the iconic train passing through King’s Cross Station. Look inside and you’ll see snapshots of scenes from the movies! From the first time the trio met on the Hogwarts Express to the time Harry encountered a Dementor on board, these scenes make this one of the best nerdy LEGO sets for collectors.
Diagon Alley
Wish you could craft a scale replica of the famous Diagon Alley and its various establishments? With this set and its 5,500+ pieces, you’ll be able to do just that. Completed Size: 12 inches tall, 40 inches wide, 5 inches deep LEGO Item #: 75978 Once complete, you’ll have seven locations across four buildings: Ollivander’s Wand Shop, Scribbulus Writing Implements, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor, Flourish & Blotts, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, and the Daily Prophet.
Hogwarts Castle
Once completed, the LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle comprises over 6,000 pieces and stands 23 inches tall, 27 inches wide, and 16 inches deep. It also comes with four Harry Potter minifigures. Completed Size: 23 inches tall, 27 inches wide, 16 inches deep LEGO Item #: 71043 This set isn’t just the castle building itself but also some peripheral landmarks, like the infamous Whomping Willow, the Chamber of Secrets, and Hagrid’s Hut. From the outside, the castle looks exactly like Hogwarts—but viewed from the inside, you get an even more impressive display that reveals entire classrooms, hallways, and stairwells.
Marvel and DC LEGO Sets
The Nano Gauntlet (Avengers: Endgame)
We all wish we had the real Nano Gauntlet on a display stand, but since that’s impossible, the next best thing is this LEGO Nano Gauntlet. Completed Size: 12 inches tall, 5 inches wide, 4 inches deep LEGO Item #: 76223 The vibrant crimson of the Nano Gauntlet itself plus the brilliant colors of the Infinity Stones come together to make one of our favorite Marvel display pieces. Standing just short of a foot tall, it’s big enough to draw attention but small enough to fit almost anywhere.
The Batmobile (The Batman)
With this set, you can add the crime-fighting Batmobile to your LEGO collection. But this isn’t just any Batmobile! It’s the one from DC’s latest cinematic canon, The Batman starring Robert Pattinson. Completed Size: 4 inches tall, 17 inches long, 6 inches wide LEGO Item #: 42127 This 1,360-piece set is an authentic, true-to-life replica that comes with two light bricks—1 red and 1 yellow—that light up and incorporate glow effects, making it the perfect display piece for Batman fans.
The Benatar (Guardians of the Galaxy)
After the Milano was destroyed, the Guardians of the Galaxy got themselves a sweet new ride: The Benatar. It came in quite handy during both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Completed Size: 9 inches tall, 14 inches long, 23 inches wide LEGO Item #: 76193 With this 1,901-piece set, you can recreate the ship’s greatness and get six LEGO minifigures along with it: Star-Lord, Groot, Rocket, Mantis, Thor and a Chitauri Warrior. With a wingspan of nearly two feet, this nerdy LEGO set makes for such a cool prop in any Marvel lover’s room.
The Tumbler (The Dark Knight)
The Batmobile in The Dark Knight trilogy got a robust redesign that made it into more of a tank than a car. It can recklessly do whatever it wants, allowing Batman to perform death-defying feats. Completed Size: 6 inches tall, 17 inches long, 9 inches wide LEGO Item #: 76240 And now, if you can put together its 2,000+ pieces, you’ll have your very own Tumbler—one that isn’t just for display, but one that can also be played with. The roof even opens to driver and passenger seats. The hefty vehicle also comes with two LEGO minifigures in Christian Bale’s Batman and Heath Ledger’s Joker.
Star Wars LEGO Sets
R2-D2
Despite all the other droids we’ve seen throughout Star Wars canon, R2-D2 remains a fan favorite amongst many. He was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame in 2003, and he’s still the most popular cinema robot character as of 2022. Completed Size: 13 inches tall, 8 inches wide, 6 inches deep LEGO Item #: 75308 Which means you have to have a replica of him somewhere in your house if you’re a Star Wars fan, and this 2,314-piece set—that stands over a foot tall when complete—is a great option for including him in a way that’s impressive to guests.
The Razor Crest
The Mandalorian blew fans away with its newfound approach to long-form Star Wars storytelling, and there’s no LEGO set that better captures the magic of that series than this Razor Crest build. Completed Size: 10 inches tall, 29 inches long, 20 inches wide LEGO Item #: 75331 Put together all 6,000+ pieces and you’ll get an impressively massive replica of the very ship that transported and harbored both The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda. Lift the top of the ship (including the engines) to get an inside peek at the ship’s innards. This build also comes with five LEGO minifigures—The Mandalorian, The Mythrol, Kuiil, Baby Yoda, and Blurrg—as well as an escape pod that actually has room inside for a minifigure.
AT-AT
The AT-AT has been featured in LEGO sets before, but this is the most ultimate AT-AT build of all time. It stands just over two feet tall and opens up to an interior large enough to hold 40 minifigures. Completed Size: 25 inches tall, 28 inches long, 10 inches wide LEGO Item #: 75313 Once complete, the head and the articulating legs can be posed however you want, plus the cannons can rotate and fire with realistic recoil. The cockpit opens up with space for two pilots and a bystander. If that wasn’t enough, it comes with two speeder bikes and nine LEGO minifigures: General Veers, Luke Skywalker, Snowtrooper Commander, 4 Snowtroopers, and 2 AT-AT Drivers. All combined, this is seriously one of the coolest nerdy LEGO sets for adults—and at 6,785 pieces, it’ll take a while to build!
The Millenium Falcon
The LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon is one of the most expensive and most complex LEGO sets to date. With over 7,500 pieces, this will take a while to construct—and provide an incredible building experience. Completed Size: 8 inches tall, 33 inches long, 23 inches wide LEGO Item #: 75192 This highly detailed set is spot on as far as recreating the iconic ship from Star Wars, and it even comes with four iconic minifigures: Chewbacca, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and C-3PO.
Space LEGO Sets
International Space Station
The International Space Station is up there as one of the greatest creations of mankind, bonding all geeks together as we work together to research and pursue advancements in various scientific fields. Completed Size: 8 inches tall, 20 inches long, 13 inches wide LEGO Item #: 21321 So, for anyone who’s a diehard fan of space, it only seems fitting to have a model of the ISS in LEGO form. This set is relatively inexpensive for its size, yet packs a huge punch wherever it goes. The ISS itself is less than 1,000 pieces all-in but its eight solar panels are posable, and the set comes with a mini NASA space shuttle and three mini cargo spacecrafts, plus two astronaut LEGO microfigures.
NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander
The Apollo 11 Lunar Lander is unlike any other LEGO spacecraft, making it a unique addition to any collection. Completed Size: 7 inches tall, 8 inches long, 7 inches wide LEGO Item #: 10266 More than 1,000 pieces are crammed together into this small but densely detailed spacecraft that stands about 7 inches tall. The interior has enough room to fit the two accompanying astronaut minifigures.
NASA Apollo Saturn V
If you’re a space nerd, you’ll definitely want the NASA Apollo Saturn V displayed in your home. This world-renowned rocket is famous for carrying those courageous astronauts to the first-ever moon landing. Once it’s complete, use the stands to display it upright! Completed Size: 39 inches tall, 6 inches diameter LEGO Item #: 92176
NASA Space Shuttle Discovery
NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery was in operation for over 27 years before it was finally retired, making it one of the most important vehicles in human history for how much we learned about space through it. Completed Size: 9 inches tall, 22 inches long, 14 inches wide LEGO Item #: 10283 Not only is this LEGO set impressively large at 22 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 9 inches high, but it also has retractable landing gear, a cockpit that opens up, a working space arm, and spots for 5 crew. In addition to the space shuttle, this LEGO set also comes with the Hubble Space Telescope, which sits inside and can be deployed through the payload bay, plus has movable solar panels. Read next: The Best Space-Themed LEGO Sets, Ranked
