*LEGO Black Friday ❯* bit.ly/3GeU0hC The Endurance will be up for grabs and a bunch of offers and discounts will be available! Check the page for all of the details!
My absolute personal favorite set this year was 100% the Lego Dungeons and Dragons: Red Dragons Tale. Being a Lego and DND fan it really was a joy to put together with all the references and details. Especially the fact that it is a playable one shot campaign as well it has been one of the first time I’ve actually PLAYED with a Lego set since I was a kid. Getting to DM it with my friends has made it really my favorite of the year by far and the build looks amazing to display too
That’s an amazing story. I think that’s the cool thing about LEGO, there’s always a particular set that speaks to any of us individually in ways other people won’t be able to experience it. Cool stuff!!
@@TiagoCatarino exactly! Lego is such an incredible system that allows for anyone to find something to love about it! Great to see the perspective of a former Lego designer with everything too! (Was definitely a dream job as a kid to design sets) thanks for all the great reviews and commentary!
That's a great pick. I got that set too, but haven't had a chance to put it together yet since I'm in the middle of moving. I'm super excited to put it together and run a one-shot on it with some buddies! I hope they do some more sets, or at least some more of those super cool mini figures!
It's definitely a contender for the set of the year. It is very well made, looks amazing, and has great play- (and D&D playing-) features built in. Though I still haven't tried the campaign yet.
I built it once with the intention of dming the one shot having never done it before. I looked at it and realized how much more work it was and took it apart. Still a beautiful set. Top 30 for me for sure. I had some friends coming into town a month or two later and built it again and learned the campaign this time and I had SO much fun playing that it is now not even close! My number 1 favorite set. I want to get the books and learn to DM proper. I always really cherish anything that fosters togetherness and this DnD LEGO did that so well. I now want every castle set to hang on to that friendship feeling.
People need to have more respect for the Titan Dragon mech from this year. Not only the biggest Lego mech of all time, but it also has so much articulation thanks to the insane building techniques... Oh who am I kidding, most Lego fans will just see it as "another Ninjago set"...
I love this video, waiting for it every year. But I was missing a bit two categories: best €300+ set, and best €50- sets (or other threshold, just zxpensive and cheap category, or the other way around: more than X pieces, and less than Y pieces). And I liked what you did a few years ago, with us voting before for each category, it's nice to see the community opinion! Thanks again for your overall quality work! You're awarded for my fav chanel of the year 😉
The Ornithopter looks so nice if you swap out the red parts for black, it looks sick for display and is packed with features, as a lego model should be.
I am surprised the Creator 3-in-1 line was not referenced more in the video. The whole theme was great this year with at least 4 that standouts. The Retro Camera, Forrest Animals: Red Fox, the Wild Safari Animals, and the Space Astronaut were all amazing.
I’m not surprised. Tiago has been criticizing that theme for a while now for its lack of play value. I do agree that some of them deserved a nomination for the best display set category though.
Love your videos, Tiago. No padding, just straight to the point while still being super informative and expanding where necessary. So easy to watch. Thanks and all the best!
It's clear from your picks that you actually care about the building experience and creativity involved. I’m sure most lists (including mine!) will have all the big popular IP sets, but it's always nice to see your perspective on Lego :)
I know it got a lot of hate (rightfully) for its outrageous price, but the Zelda Deku Tree really is fantastic imo. It was a ton of fun to build and it's just so full of cute and fun little details.
That cat is actually so charming. It has a quality to it that no other Lego set has. I don’t know why it’s left such an impression on me but I absolutely love it.
After it was released, I went to my local store with the intention to pick up that set. But when I looked at the display model they had, I somehow felt that it didn't look quite right.
The Tuxedo Cat is a 100% must buy for me, because we used to have a cat that looks exactly like that. Sadly she passed away early this year, so I'm getting the Tuxedo Cat and placing it next to her urn.
Absolutely, I wanted to post this too. It inherits the best titan knees from Zane's legacy titan mech, has an awesome weapon, and the shoulder and head are pretty customizable if you want to add/remove embellishments. Also, Cole is the least popular ninja so it is such a treat when he gets a set this cool.
The retro radio also takes the award of “only owned by LAN members”. Always enjoy these yearly videos thanks. 2024 was also the year of when you open a bag all you get is spares and 2*1 bricks…. Or the exact opposite.
This year marked the first time I've ever gotten a set more than $100, and it was the Great Deku Tree. I have been thoroughly satisfied with it, and the nostalgia, building experience, and display value of it for me have been totally worth it. I knew when it was revealed I was going to save up for it, and I was not disappointed.
@@TiagoCatarino not yet. Saw it in a Lego store, excellent set for sure, but I'm of those (apparently) few who prefer the vibe and vertical presentation of the tower.
The polaroid camera was my fave lego set of this year, building it with my fiancée and trying to guess how the mechanisms come together was a lovely time :)
It's good to see a best of 2024 set without any of the biggest and most expensive sets. Beauty and building pleasure can be found in smaller more affordable sets. Unfortunately, none of these sets are in my collection...
Couldn't agree more! Over the years I’ve seen myself appreciate more and more the smaller ones which is great! I really start lacking the space to display it all
Why? I will have the roses on display on my entrance hall for months to come, years maybe, the Endurance would never fit, even with the bookshelves I have on the background of my videos doesn’t fit without removing shelves to make space for the masts. Display value for me is measured on the looks and how easy to display it anywhere.
No way the radio is the best set of 2024...Bro missed Barad-Dur, Tie Interceptor, Artemis Space Launch, Milky Way Galaxy, Jabba's Sail Barge. Maybe an another category for 18+ sets or big sets.
By functionality alone, Royal Ornithopter becomes the overall No.1 LEGO set of 2024 for me. The top picks in other categories could easily be rivaled or superseded with new products next year, but Ornithopter is just a whole new level that is unlikely to see its peers anytime soon.
Bulding the ornithopter made me really happy, beyond the joy of clever mechanisms and novel techniques, and it took me a little while to realize why: This set triggered "Technic nostalgia" in me - with modern Technic sets having diverged substantially from good, old stud-based building, this set brought me right back to my childhood Technic sets when the Technic elements were *additions* to the building experience, with much of the set still being "brick-built". Adding that to the clever (and compact!) mechanisms, as well as Model Team/Creator Expert/Icons-like detailed looks and a sturdyness rivalled by few other sets the ornithopter is easily among my all-time favourites. PS: Building the Perseverance Rover later, I found it a bit boring - thinking it could have been much better if done like the ornithopter, i.e. largely brick-built, with Technic elements where needed. Building a mostly empty box out of Technic panels was pretty uninspiring, and for me the clever steering mechanism didn't make up for it...
I’m excited for this! I just got it yesterday as a birthday gift from my girlfriend and built the Guardians Ship and Quinjet this month. I’ve heard the Milano is somehow better!!!
Couldn't agree more with your final choice - the radio was without a doubt one of my favourite ever builds. I was constantly stopping in awe to show my wife progress during construction.
Surprised the Family Reunion celebration wasn't mentioned at all. Display-piece type sets crowd a lot of the best lego sets list but I think that set deserves a lot of credit for just being a really fun and detailed minifig-scale building
My favorite set of 2024 is the big buildable Simba. Some nice parts and building techniques and its based on the one of the best animated movies ever made. And its definitely a fun build for sure.
I don’t have a lot of the sets mentioned, but my top sets this year have been The Plum Blossom, I think the botanical sets have all been brilliant, and Notre Dame. I loved the history lesson that went alongside the build and that made the building experience really good for me.
I just built the Lego Tuxedo black Cat and absolutely loved it. Haven't touched lego in years and I took a leap of faith. Very enjoyable build. Also you forgot to mention there is a optional "closed mouth" you can put on the cats lower jaw. Cheers
Best display set is the new Christmas Wreath, and you can't change my mind. Best building experience was the new Sith Infiltrator for this year. It was a great balance of new pieces and techniques, and moments where I felt like I was just building classically with classic pieces. Most underwhelming set - the new Technic Supercar, the McLaren. Big old snooze right there. Runner up is the new TIE Interceptor - it has to be one of the more fragile sets I've seen in a long time- pieces would break off soooo easily, even sometimes with just the slightest touch. Best Technic Set: the Garbage Truck. Finally something that they don't do to death, and only very slightly trying to copy a real thing!
Just ordered the Zelda set on double VIP! Cant wait to build it. Still loved the build experience for Peely. His brain looks pretty unsettling though 🤣
Great video, I love hearing your takes on these because you've built so many! I don't agree with all of the choices but a lot of it comes down to preference, especially the display value one. For me, Barad Dur is one of my favourite sets of the year because it looks amazing, but I love the source material it's based on and it's quite accurate to that. So many amazing sets came out that it feels like so many were missed! Good list though!
My absolute favorite was the Lego spaceship city interstellar, awesome looking ship. Simple and effective building techniques, with a very neat boosting feature with the purple battery. All for $20?? I could not stop playing with it. So sharp, so clean, so cheap, so swooshable!
Personally for me, the best set of this year is a crafting table from Minecraft, it looks very good and I just really love micro scale in Lego, also you can take every part of this set like the village or ice spikes, so it’s my winner🏆
For me it's the Guardians of the Galaxy Milano. It's got the full team of minifigs with our first accurate Drax since 2017, and fixed my only problem with the 2021 Benetar, finally giving us a spacious interior. It also just looks stunning and was really fun to build. Not only the best set of 2024 but also the best Marvel or DC superhero set imo.
Wholly agree on all your love for the retro radio set. After watching your review, I ended up purchasing it at a brand new lego store opening in my city. Some of my favorite sets released this year include the construction excavator, delivery truck, interstellar spaceship, bowser's muscle car, and family reunion celebration.
Great selection but for me its still the Milano! Love the build itself and the display value is amazing, all guardians included and for me who owned the original Milano as a kid hits my sweet spot!
dune ornithopter was my favourite set of they year, not only because i love dune but the build was far more complex and unique than expected. Great to see you value the building experience with your picks here.
A lot of great sets mentioned and but for me I’d say it’s the jaws set. It has very fun build and to also put jaws herself on display is a fun touch. I also really enjoyed building the D&D set but I do think it lacked fine detailing and the price was crazy( Hasbro sticks). I also think the most enjoyable build for me this year was the medieval town square. I get a lot of people were disappointed in it, especially the box, but nonetheless it’s still was very fun to build and adds to your castle experience
My favorite of the year has to be the Endurance. Everything about it is great, but it's had to understand the "display impact" of it unless it's right in front of you. I can praise Notre Dame all day for it's insane level of detail, but the IMPACT of it sitting in the room is nothing compared to the Endurance. Plus, a couple of my friends have told me that seeing the pics I put on my socials inspired them to learn all about Endurance and Shackleton's expedition, and hearing that was pretty cool all by itself.
thank you for your reviews! I like choosing sets that will be fun for me to build, display, take apart, and rebuild. The functional details on the radio are so unexpected, I'm glad you highlight this as well!
I understand the pick you made, because at the end of the day, build fun is pretty much end all be all. But for myself personally, id go with the other set you had it with at the very end. I found the build highly enjoyable, the source material basically is perfection, and how many people it pulled back into building Lego. I have gone to so many friends houses this year and was shocked to see it Staring back at me. And this is in houses of people who would never in the past consider spending a single $1 on a lego set.
It doesn't seem like most people agree with these nominations, but your tastes really align with mine. I just got into Lego this year, and the radio was the set that really made me feel like it was more than just an idle hobby and I could really make things I enjoyed a ton.
The best LEGO creator of the year is you. Your reviews came out of nowhere within the past year or two and seemed to immediately be top quality, definitely helped by being a former designer. Thanks for all you do and keep going. We love your insight!
Amazing video My favorite sets of the year were: The Zelda Great Deku (waiting for a zelda set for years and it delivered, except for the price) Retro Camera (Underrated and only $20) Super Mario & Yoshi (the functions and display of this set are amazing) The Earth and Moon in Orbit, VTOL Heavy Cargo Spaceship, Dune Ornithopter, Polaroid Camera are all awesome sets, especially for the functions The Botanical Garden and Roses are beautiful sets I would add the retro camera to the nostalgia list for being a retro camera and an amazing set There should be a best set for each price range category, and categories for the best IP set and best non IP set
"It's good for the astronauts and good for your family. Ham Salad!" Retro Radio 😄 I absolutely loved that set, by far one of my favourites of the year. The MiDi Falcon was Number 2. The Ornithopter was a phenomenal build but such a pain to display.
Great video! Glad to see the solar system getting some love. I think it would be cool if you replaced the value category with a budget category for sets under $40.
My Top Twenty-Four for '24 Lego... - The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr (incredible looking fantasy build with great details). - Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale (having a playable, game play throughout the build is fantastic). - Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City (excellent relief sculpture with lots of fun hidden easter eggs). - NASA Artemis Space Launch System - Medieval Town Square - Notre-Dame de Paris - The Milky Way Galaxy (a beautiful pleasant surprise, with so many unusual elements and colors coming together to form an interesting relief sculpture). - Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter - Cole's Elemental Earth Mech (cool chunky looking mech at a great price). - Modular Space Station - Tuxedo Cat (sculpting and shaping just excellent). - LEGO Delivery Truck - The Avengers Assemble: Age of Ultron (all the Avengers in one nice battle playset). - Millennium Falcon (midi-scaled and a beautifully detailed desktop model. Top notch!). - Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit (great build orrery - science, learning, engineering all in one!). - Team Spidey Web Spinner Headquarters (fun for the little ones). - Construction Excavator - Snow White's Jewellery Box - Imperial Dropship vs. Rebel Scout Speeder - Baby Dinosaur Rescue Centre - The Batcave with Batman, Batgirl and The Joker (great Batman set for the wee-ones!). - Space Explorers Pack (excellent 3 model kit starter pack). - Plum Blossom (just beautiful shaping, vase and base). - Tropical Ukulele Honorable Mentions... - War Machine Mech Armor - Micro Rocket Launchpad (just TOO cute!) - Batman vs. The Joker Gift Set (GREAT price and set of Batman models).
I bought so many 100, 200 and $300+ sets this year. and yet, the one that stood out the most to me in how impressive it was. has to be the Source Dragon from Ninjago. 2nd place would be the D&D castle and 3rd place . . . well too many contenders for 3rd place.
I haven't really thought about picking a favorite set of the year yet, but I think you're picks are really good (though I personally definitely wouldn't have chosen the radio) I love that even a Technic set made it into the nominations😁Excited to see what sets 2025 holds, keep up the amazing work Tiago!
I really enjoy all your videos. Thank you for all the great content this year. I haven’t bought any Lego this year, but can live vicariously through these videos. Cheers to one of my favorite TH-camrs!
Yes, but it being a full technic set i understand Tiago not being to fond of the idea of building it. I must say i did like the functions and look, but the build was so many stickers and so many side to side mirrored steps that i really want Lego to learn to make a sign to show experienced builders they can comfortably build the mirror along the current steps.
While I have gotten a lot of sets this year, and we still have a month to go, my favorites as of now are (in order I got the set) - Shadow's Escape - Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter - Dragon Stone Shrine - Forest Animals: Red Fox - Wolf Mask Shadow Dojo - Bumblebee - Source Dragon of Motion - Wild Safari Animals - Lord of the Rings: Barad-dur - Imperial Star Destroyer
....you and I want very different things out of our LEGO 😆not throwing shade, happy for your preferences to vary from mine. But with the exception of the Jaws set, I don't really want any of the sets you have mentioned in this video.
@@TiagoCatarino while definitely a plus, it's not my top priority. I prefer sets that immerse me in a location or story. For instance, one of my top LEGO experiences was building the Lion Knights Castle while watching Shakespeare movies with my wife. While I'm sure I would appreciate the ingenuity of the retro radio, it would do little to take me on an imaginative journey. And then also from a purely pragmatic perspective....I like a set that would be useful or fun to animate. On that front, retro radio ranks a solid 0.
I feel like this year these categories weren't faithful to the variety of sets that Lego produced in 2024. For example, since we are talking about toys at it's core, one category should be "Best play features". Inside this topic, you could have like "Best Building" and "Best Vehicle". I understand that you are not a fan of very expensive sets, but I think that another category should be something like "Best Big Set" or "Best Details" to award the big and highly detail sets like the Barad'Ur, Gotham City, D&D Castle and Ninjago Temple ones (that for me were amongst the best of the year). Two other topic I thought about were "Best Adult Set" (probably similar to ones I just talked about) and "Best Minifigure". For last, I think it would be fun for you to try to award a "Best Technic" set. Or, if not, invite someone to help you with that one (I'm available by the way 👀 ). I hope you find this comment helpful in any way and once again thank you for another great video!
here are my picks. best buidling experience: imperial star destroyer best functions: ornithopter best value: owlery display value:tournament arena. winner: ornithopter
Didn't realize the retro radio had so many cool features and good building techniques, thanks for pointing it out - It made it interesting for me again. (Based only on the looks, it was still good but not enough for me to buy it.)
Love this wrap up video- I’m hope you keep doing them! I’ve restricted myself to just Harry Potter sets (to protect my bank account as much as possible), but I love seeing the functions/building techniques of other sets! I’m still torn about getting Rivendell (last year’s top set)…
The best thing about these award videos is the similar selection preferences we share. I love real life big objects reproduced in LEGO, and most of your picks were in this same segment. Not something that everyone understands.
My favorite set of the year was 40716 Alien Planet Habitat, a cheap, almost throwaway product currenty on sale for clearance. No no, hear me out: At the start of the year, I got the whole new City Space series. It was awesome, I had a new job, and cash to start healing my inner child. So I got the whole series. Later on I got the Galaxy Painting which I had a great time with (my index finger didn't), and some other huge sets like the D&D official set with its awesome dragon build and even the mountain snow fortress from bricklink. But it wasn't until I got a pair of those Habitats on clearance last month, and put them next to my City Space sets, that the whole thing just... *clicked*. The scale of City Space instantly made sense, it created much-needed contrast with the sterile white-and-orange colour scheme of the base playsets, and it reinvigorated my love for the building of dioramas and the desire to build a whole desert planet for display. It was the capstone to a series I felt was missing something, and I love 40716 Alien Planet Habitat for that *so much*.
Glad Zelda got nominated in at least one category. I absolutely love that set. It's gotten me so excited about LEGO again. Hoping to get the Jaws set soon!
For me it’s Jabba’s Sail Barge, it was genuinely fun to build. Lots of cool ways to watch the ship come together. I’m biased towards Star Wars and Harry Potter so that’s fine lol. I think the new Ninjago dragon someone mentioned earlier has potential to take that spot. In the middle of building it now, the end product looks amazing though 👌
Owning 3 of the 4 you nominated for best of the year made that hard for me. While I don't have the radio it's definitely on my list of ones I want. And while I mostly agree with you on the cat I personally have to give it to Mario and Yoshi. It's probably my age and nostalgia playing a large part of it but the Lego Mario and Yoshi hit every note for me. The building, the mechanics of the motion and the Lego Mario playing in game music when connected were simply next level in my mind. It being my favorite Mario game ever also plays a part but once I finished it I just kept playing with it thinking that my 8 year old self would have lost his mind over this. The cat is a definite second place for me however for the reasons you said. Build experience is next level. And my sister 3d printed some extra pieces to give it some whiskers as well. My 2 pet cats reacting and freaking out upon seeing it was also a huge bonus
Also gotta say when I started watching your channel and discovering you were the designer of the Lego ship in a bottle I knew I'd found the right guy for my Lego reviews. I got the set as a surprise Christmas gift. I wasn't even aware it was a thing and it's still one of my favorite models of all time. My dad is really good at picking random Lego sets for me for Christmas no matter how old I get and this one is still a major Christmas memory highlight
I like the 1966 batmobile even if it has no functions but it s a great display set. I like also the Milano ship. And of course the jaws set, one of my favourite of 2024. The new set Endurance also looks great.
*LEGO Black Friday ❯* bit.ly/3GeU0hC
The Endurance will be up for grabs and a bunch of offers and discounts will be available!
Check the page for all of the details!
Amazing video as always
The tuxedo cat is awesome! Who’s with me?
👇
My absolute personal favorite set this year was 100% the Lego Dungeons and Dragons: Red Dragons Tale. Being a Lego and DND fan it really was a joy to put together with all the references and details. Especially the fact that it is a playable one shot campaign as well it has been one of the first time I’ve actually PLAYED with a Lego set since I was a kid. Getting to DM it with my friends has made it really my favorite of the year by far and the build looks amazing to display too
That’s an amazing story. I think that’s the cool thing about LEGO, there’s always a particular set that speaks to any of us individually in ways other people won’t be able to experience it. Cool stuff!!
@@TiagoCatarino exactly! Lego is such an incredible system that allows for anyone to find something to love about it! Great to see the perspective of a former Lego designer with everything too! (Was definitely a dream job as a kid to design sets) thanks for all the great reviews and commentary!
That's a great pick. I got that set too, but haven't had a chance to put it together yet since I'm in the middle of moving. I'm super excited to put it together and run a one-shot on it with some buddies! I hope they do some more sets, or at least some more of those super cool mini figures!
It's definitely a contender for the set of the year. It is very well made, looks amazing, and has great play- (and D&D playing-) features built in. Though I still haven't tried the campaign yet.
I built it once with the intention of dming the one shot having never done it before. I looked at it and realized how much more work it was and took it apart. Still a beautiful set. Top 30 for me for sure. I had some friends coming into town a month or two later and built it again and learned the campaign this time and I had SO much fun playing that it is now not even close! My number 1 favorite set. I want to get the books and learn to DM proper. I always really cherish anything that fosters togetherness and this DnD LEGO did that so well. I now want every castle set to hang on to that friendship feeling.
People need to have more respect for the Titan Dragon mech from this year. Not only the biggest Lego mech of all time, but it also has so much articulation thanks to the insane building techniques...
Oh who am I kidding, most Lego fans will just see it as "another Ninjago set"...
Maybe I should give it a look!
Real
@@TiagoCatarinoyou most definitely should, it is the best mech ever, utilising super cool hinges and joints, having tons of posability, etc
exactly I! I was surprised he did not mention the Coles titan dragon mech or Source dragon of motion.
@@TiagoCatarinoit’s incredible. Completely changes the game for buildable characters and a must see for you
one set to rule them all,
one set to find them,
one set to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.
I love this video, waiting for it every year. But I was missing a bit two categories: best €300+ set, and best €50- sets (or other threshold, just zxpensive and cheap category, or the other way around: more than X pieces, and less than Y pieces).
And I liked what you did a few years ago, with us voting before for each category, it's nice to see the community opinion!
Thanks again for your overall quality work! You're awarded for my fav chanel of the year 😉
Didn’t have time for the fan vote, but I should totally go back to doing that next year!
Yeah I second this, the sub-$50 category was a lot of fun and often had some hidden gems in it.
The Ornithopter looks so nice if you swap out the red parts for black, it looks sick for display and is packed with features, as a lego model should be.
And upgrade some of the figures with dual molded legs and better hairpieces. Also, more sandy capes!
Agreed, I replaced the most prominently visible red parts for black ones (had to order a few extra parts) and it made it look even better!
I am surprised the Creator 3-in-1 line was not referenced more in the video. The whole theme was great this year with at least 4 that standouts. The Retro Camera, Forrest Animals: Red Fox, the Wild Safari Animals, and the Space Astronaut were all amazing.
I’m not surprised. Tiago has been criticizing that theme for a while now for its lack of play value. I do agree that some of them deserved a nomination for the best display set category though.
I argee: Safari animala is a good display about what lego is
Love your videos, Tiago. No padding, just straight to the point while still being super informative and expanding where necessary. So easy to watch. Thanks and all the best!
For me, the nostalgia award is taken away by the Batman the animated series wall display, hands down.
Fr, this single set made me rewatch the series
You didn't even mention neither Barad Dur nor Dungeons & Dragons... :O
dude is a boomer if he likes literal radio
@@Cortesevasive Yeah, totally impossible for a "boomer" to be into lord of the rings and DnD, those totally new IPs..
Both my wins for 2024 ! 🎉
Yeah, dude had a massive opportunity to interview the creator of the D&D set but just “didn't get it”. Kind of set expectations for Barad Dur review 😅
Boomers are 60+ yo
It's clear from your picks that you actually care about the building experience and creativity involved. I’m sure most lists (including mine!) will have all the big popular IP sets, but it's always nice to see your perspective on Lego :)
For sure! When building hundreds of sets per year, it gets old pretty fast. The building experience is the differentiation aspect!
not mentioning The Transformers Bumblebee for "Best Functions" is mad crazy, it can literally transform into a car
I know it got a lot of hate (rightfully) for its outrageous price, but the Zelda Deku Tree really is fantastic imo. It was a ton of fun to build and it's just so full of cute and fun little details.
That cat is actually so charming. It has a quality to it that no other Lego set has. I don’t know why it’s left such an impression on me but I absolutely love it.
Rightfully so!
After it was released, I went to my local store with the intention to pick up that set. But when I looked at the display model they had, I somehow felt that it didn't look quite right.
The Tuxedo Cat is a 100% must buy for me, because we used to have a cat that looks exactly like that. Sadly she passed away early this year, so I'm getting the Tuxedo Cat and placing it next to her urn.
Coles Titan Mech definitely deserves to be on this list imo
Absolutely, I wanted to post this too. It inherits the best titan knees from Zane's legacy titan mech, has an awesome weapon, and the shoulder and head are pretty customizable if you want to add/remove embellishments. Also, Cole is the least popular ninja so it is such a treat when he gets a set this cool.
ninjago fans have no power here.
@@samsufy8945 what do i want with a mech i am no 10 year old
@samsufy8945 an 48 year old playing with lego ninjago mechs doesnt seem very bright
Tuxedo Cat sitting inside his own box was a great detail!
I doubt you get this a lot but thanks for including AUD with the other currencies, it is certainly useful! Great video, love your content.
The retro radio also takes the award of “only owned by LAN members”. Always enjoy these yearly videos thanks. 2024 was also the year of when you open a bag all you get is spares and 2*1 bricks…. Or the exact opposite.
This year marked the first time I've ever gotten a set more than $100, and it was the Great Deku Tree. I have been thoroughly satisfied with it, and the nostalgia, building experience, and display value of it for me have been totally worth it. I knew when it was revealed I was going to save up for it, and I was not disappointed.
Ornithopter and Barad Dur were my personal favorites so far.
I have been waiting for this video all year.I love these yearly reviews
Love making them!
No barad dur nominee is crazy, in my opinion it’s the best set of the year and probably even the best set on store shelves today
Far from it. But we’re entitled to have our own opinions of course!
Barad Dur brought me back to Lego after like 25 years?😅 Easily my number one ever.
Have you built Rivendell yet?! Now THAT’s a good LOTR set
@@TiagoCatarinoI would second this. The Rivendell Lego set got my mom interested in Lego again after 25 years.
@@TiagoCatarino not yet. Saw it in a Lego store, excellent set for sure, but I'm of those (apparently) few who prefer the vibe and vertical presentation of the tower.
You built 200 sets this year??
No wonder you value building experience so much 😅
Yeah... After you build so much you end up seeing the same stuff over and over again. The ones with the cool building experience standout!
Unemployed?
@@straycats6being a content creator is a full time job
The polaroid camera was my fave lego set of this year, building it with my fiancée and trying to guess how the mechanisms come together was a lovely time :)
A very underrated social activity! Building LEGO together with someone is the best!
It's good to see a best of 2024 set without any of the biggest and most expensive sets.
Beauty and building pleasure can be found in smaller more affordable sets.
Unfortunately, none of these sets are in my collection...
Couldn't agree more! Over the years I’ve seen myself appreciate more and more the smaller ones which is great! I really start lacking the space to display it all
The roses winning over the endurance ship is actually insane... lol
Why? I will have the roses on display on my entrance hall for months to come, years maybe, the Endurance would never fit, even with the bookshelves I have on the background of my videos doesn’t fit without removing shelves to make space for the masts.
Display value for me is measured on the looks and how easy to display it anywhere.
I find it incredible that you didn't even mention Barad Dur
No way the radio is the best set of 2024...Bro missed Barad-Dur, Tie Interceptor, Artemis Space Launch, Milky Way Galaxy, Jabba's Sail Barge. Maybe an another category for 18+ sets or big sets.
By functionality alone, Royal Ornithopter becomes the overall No.1 LEGO set of 2024 for me.
The top picks in other categories could easily be rivaled or superseded with new products next year, but Ornithopter is just a whole new level that is unlikely to see its peers anytime soon.
Yeah. Should fit right in with the best ones of the decade. Or ever for that matter
I agree that, and the 2nd position for the dragon stone shrine of ninjago
My proposals of 2024:
1; Royal ornithopter of Dune
2; Dragon Stone Shrine of Ninjago
3; Chateau Bed & Breakfast of Friends
Bulding the ornithopter made me really happy, beyond the joy of clever mechanisms and novel techniques, and it took me a little while to realize why: This set triggered "Technic nostalgia" in me - with modern Technic sets having diverged substantially from good, old stud-based building, this set brought me right back to my childhood Technic sets when the Technic elements were *additions* to the building experience, with much of the set still being "brick-built". Adding that to the clever (and compact!) mechanisms, as well as Model Team/Creator Expert/Icons-like detailed looks and a sturdyness rivalled by few other sets the ornithopter is easily among my all-time favourites.
PS: Building the Perseverance Rover later, I found it a bit boring - thinking it could have been much better if done like the ornithopter, i.e. largely brick-built, with Technic elements where needed. Building a mostly empty box out of Technic panels was pretty uninspiring, and for me the clever steering mechanism didn't make up for it...
The Milano set is remarkable...do it justice!
I just built the Milano yesterday. It's amazing!
Like seriously for the Marvel theme its one of the best and even surpasses other lines for the year!
I’m excited for this! I just got it yesterday as a birthday gift from my girlfriend and built the Guardians Ship and Quinjet this month. I’ve heard the Milano is somehow better!!!
@RampantPuppy I bought 3 of the new Lego Space figures from Lego store build a figure section. So all 3 are in the cockpit of the Milano.
Couldn't agree more with your final choice - the radio was without a doubt one of my favourite ever builds. I was constantly stopping in awe to show my wife progress during construction.
Do you go into hibernation when building
Happy to see some Mario & Yoshi representation! Underrated set imo.
Creator 3-1 Fox set definitely deserves an honorable mention 🦊
Surprised the Family Reunion celebration wasn't mentioned at all. Display-piece type sets crowd a lot of the best lego sets list but I think that set deserves a lot of credit for just being a really fun and detailed minifig-scale building
My favorite set of 2024 is the big buildable Simba. Some nice parts and building techniques and its based on the one of the best animated movies ever made. And its definitely a fun build for sure.
Definitely a good one!
I don’t have a lot of the sets mentioned, but my top sets this year have been The Plum Blossom, I think the botanical sets have all been brilliant, and Notre Dame. I loved the history lesson that went alongside the build and that made the building experience really good for me.
Notre Dame was my favorite set of the year.
I just built the Lego Tuxedo black Cat and absolutely loved it. Haven't touched lego in years and I took a leap of faith. Very enjoyable build. Also you forgot to mention there is a optional "closed mouth" you can put on the cats lower jaw. Cheers
I’m surprised for the nostalgia category the City ATV 60424 wasn’t mentioned. It’s a $10 set with Johnny Thunder. Can’t beat that!
You're right! Completely missed that one 😂
Best display set is the new Christmas Wreath, and you can't change my mind.
Best building experience was the new Sith Infiltrator for this year. It was a great balance of new pieces and techniques, and moments where I felt like I was just building classically with classic pieces.
Most underwhelming set - the new Technic Supercar, the McLaren. Big old snooze right there. Runner up is the new TIE Interceptor - it has to be one of the more fragile sets I've seen in a long time- pieces would break off soooo easily, even sometimes with just the slightest touch.
Best Technic Set: the Garbage Truck. Finally something that they don't do to death, and only very slightly trying to copy a real thing!
I just took apart my Retro Radio for pieces.... 😅
My Barad-dur is about to be taken apart as well… 👀
You make the best lego reviews
Just ordered the Zelda set on double VIP! Cant wait to build it.
Still loved the build experience for Peely. His brain looks pretty unsettling though 🤣
Right?!
Great video, I love hearing your takes on these because you've built so many! I don't agree with all of the choices but a lot of it comes down to preference, especially the display value one. For me, Barad Dur is one of my favourite sets of the year because it looks amazing, but I love the source material it's based on and it's quite accurate to that. So many amazing sets came out that it feels like so many were missed! Good list though!
My absolute favorite was the Lego spaceship city interstellar, awesome looking ship. Simple and effective building techniques, with a very neat boosting feature with the purple battery. All for $20?? I could not stop playing with it. So sharp, so clean, so cheap, so swooshable!
Personally for me, the best set of this year is a crafting table from Minecraft, it looks very good and I just really love micro scale in Lego, also you can take every part of this set like the village or ice spikes, so it’s my winner🏆
For me it's the Guardians of the Galaxy Milano. It's got the full team of minifigs with our first accurate Drax since 2017, and fixed my only problem with the 2021 Benetar, finally giving us a spacious interior. It also just looks stunning and was really fun to build.
Not only the best set of 2024 but also the best Marvel or DC superhero set imo.
Wholly agree on all your love for the retro radio set. After watching your review, I ended up purchasing it at a brand new lego store opening in my city. Some of my favorite sets released this year include the construction excavator, delivery truck, interstellar spaceship, bowser's muscle car, and family reunion celebration.
The source dragon of motion not being here is really upsetting
Great selection but for me its still the Milano!
Love the build itself and the display value is amazing, all guardians included and for me who owned the original Milano as a kid hits my sweet spot!
dune ornithopter was my favourite set of they year, not only because i love dune but the build was far more complex and unique than expected. Great to see you value the building experience with your picks here.
A lot of great sets mentioned and but for me I’d say it’s the jaws set. It has very fun build and to also put jaws herself on display is a fun touch. I also really enjoyed building the D&D set but I do think it lacked fine detailing and the price was crazy( Hasbro sticks). I also think the most enjoyable build for me this year was the medieval town square. I get a lot of people were disappointed in it, especially the box, but nonetheless it’s still was very fun to build and adds to your castle experience
My favorite of the year has to be the Endurance. Everything about it is great, but it's had to understand the "display impact" of it unless it's right in front of you. I can praise Notre Dame all day for it's insane level of detail, but the IMPACT of it sitting in the room is nothing compared to the Endurance. Plus, a couple of my friends have told me that seeing the pics I put on my socials inspired them to learn all about Endurance and Shackleton's expedition, and hearing that was pretty cool all by itself.
thank you for your reviews! I like choosing sets that will be fun for me to build, display, take apart, and rebuild. The functional details on the radio are so unexpected, I'm glad you highlight this as well!
Right?! I should make a list of: "Sets I would take apart to build again"
I understand the pick you made, because at the end of the day, build fun is pretty much end all be all. But for myself personally, id go with the other set you had it with at the very end. I found the build highly enjoyable, the source material basically is perfection, and how many people it pulled back into building Lego. I have gone to so many friends houses this year and was shocked to see it Staring back at me. And this is in houses of people who would never in the past consider spending a single $1 on a lego set.
It doesn't seem like most people agree with these nominations, but your tastes really align with mine. I just got into Lego this year, and the radio was the set that really made me feel like it was more than just an idle hobby and I could really make things I enjoyed a ton.
Some people still buy sets for their kids, so it could be nice to get a “most playable” or “best playable” set category.
The best LEGO creator of the year is you. Your reviews came out of nowhere within the past year or two and seemed to immediately be top quality, definitely helped by being a former designer. Thanks for all you do and keep going. We love your insight!
I do hate your upload schedule, though. It's 5:00 a.m. lil bro
"In your home or in your car. You are never really far from L-E-G-O Radio."
Amazing video
My favorite sets of the year were:
The Zelda Great Deku (waiting for a zelda set for years and it delivered, except for the price)
Retro Camera (Underrated and only $20)
Super Mario & Yoshi (the functions and display of this set are amazing)
The Earth and Moon in Orbit, VTOL Heavy Cargo Spaceship, Dune Ornithopter, Polaroid Camera are all awesome sets, especially for the functions
The Botanical Garden and Roses are beautiful sets
I would add the retro camera to the nostalgia list for being a retro camera and an amazing set
There should be a best set for each price range category, and categories for the best IP set and best non IP set
Prices aside, 2024 was a great year for Lego enthusiasts.
No lmao. For me it was one of worst lego years.
Agreed
If I could afford it and had space, I would have bought tons of 2024 sets
"It's good for the astronauts and good for your family. Ham Salad!" Retro Radio 😄
I absolutely loved that set, by far one of my favourites of the year. The MiDi Falcon was Number 2. The Ornithopter was a phenomenal build but such a pain to display.
Crazy how far lego has come to become this complicated and impressive.
Great video! Glad to see the solar system getting some love. I think it would be cool if you replaced the value category with a budget category for sets under $40.
I feel like a below 100$ would be a nice category to add.
@Tiago Catarino
Definitely the Gotham City Skyline from Batman The Animated Series, very nostalgic
I like the different categories, nice video!
My Top Twenty-Four for '24 Lego...
- The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr (incredible looking fantasy build with great details).
- Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale (having a playable, game play throughout the build is fantastic).
- Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City (excellent relief sculpture with lots of fun hidden easter eggs).
- NASA Artemis Space Launch System
- Medieval Town Square
- Notre-Dame de Paris
- The Milky Way Galaxy (a beautiful pleasant surprise, with so many unusual elements and colors coming together to form an interesting relief sculpture).
- Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter
- Cole's Elemental Earth Mech (cool chunky looking mech at a great price).
- Modular Space Station
- Tuxedo Cat (sculpting and shaping just excellent).
- LEGO Delivery Truck
- The Avengers Assemble: Age of Ultron (all the Avengers in one nice battle playset).
- Millennium Falcon (midi-scaled and a beautifully detailed desktop model. Top notch!).
- Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit (great build orrery - science, learning, engineering all in one!).
- Team Spidey Web Spinner Headquarters (fun for the little ones).
- Construction Excavator
- Snow White's Jewellery Box
- Imperial Dropship vs. Rebel Scout Speeder
- Baby Dinosaur Rescue Centre
- The Batcave with Batman, Batgirl and The Joker (great Batman set for the wee-ones!).
- Space Explorers Pack (excellent 3 model kit starter pack).
- Plum Blossom (just beautiful shaping, vase and base).
- Tropical Ukulele
Honorable Mentions...
- War Machine Mech Armor
- Micro Rocket Launchpad (just TOO cute!)
- Batman vs. The Joker Gift Set (GREAT price and set of Batman models).
Some great picks in there!
@@TiagoCatarino You're the BEST Tiago. Thx!
I bought so many 100, 200 and $300+ sets this year. and yet, the one that stood out the most to me in how impressive it was. has to be the Source Dragon from Ninjago. 2nd place would be the D&D castle and 3rd place . . . well too many contenders for 3rd place.
I haven't really thought about picking a favorite set of the year yet, but I think you're picks are really good (though I personally definitely wouldn't have chosen the radio) I love that even a Technic set made it into the nominations😁Excited to see what sets 2025 holds, keep up the amazing work Tiago!
Yay, thank you!
Honestly these videos are soooo good Tiago! Thank you very much for being so awesome!!
I really enjoy all your videos. Thank you for all the great content this year. I haven’t bought any Lego this year, but can live vicariously through these videos. Cheers to one of my favorite TH-camrs!
Dungeons and dragons castle bro!! Its such an awesome display set, and the build has so many hidden trinkets
Completely agree! But I think the dark falcon is pretty sick
This is gonna be perfect for remembering great sets that came out this year when im making my christmas list
Lego really hit it hard this year with these sets. Can’t wait to see what next year looks like!
Thanks for a wonderful year of videos!
More to come!
I’d have added to the honorable mentions of the function category also the America’s cup boat. Deplorable foils and functional boom and jib
Yes, but it being a full technic set i understand Tiago not being to fond of the idea of building it.
I must say i did like the functions and look, but the build was so many stickers and so many side to side mirrored steps that i really want Lego to learn to make a sign to show experienced builders they can comfortably build the mirror along the current steps.
While I have gotten a lot of sets this year, and we still have a month to go, my favorites as of now are (in order I got the set)
- Shadow's Escape
- Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter
- Dragon Stone Shrine
- Forest Animals: Red Fox
- Wolf Mask Shadow Dojo
- Bumblebee
- Source Dragon of Motion
- Wild Safari Animals
- Lord of the Rings: Barad-dur
- Imperial Star Destroyer
Dragon stone shrine could almost be o the display value! It looks really cool. Lots of play features/functions as well
....you and I want very different things out of our LEGO 😆not throwing shade, happy for your preferences to vary from mine. But with the exception of the Jaws set, I don't really want any of the sets you have mentioned in this video.
You clearly don’t enjoy pleasurable building experiences 👀👀
@@TiagoCatarino while definitely a plus, it's not my top priority. I prefer sets that immerse me in a location or story. For instance, one of my top LEGO experiences was building the Lion Knights Castle while watching Shakespeare movies with my wife. While I'm sure I would appreciate the ingenuity of the retro radio, it would do little to take me on an imaginative journey.
And then also from a purely pragmatic perspective....I like a set that would be useful or fun to animate. On that front, retro radio ranks a solid 0.
1:Jaws 2:Barad dur 3:Stitch. My fav 3 of the year to display.
I feel like this year these categories weren't faithful to the variety of sets that Lego produced in 2024.
For example, since we are talking about toys at it's core, one category should be "Best play features". Inside this topic, you could have like "Best Building" and "Best Vehicle".
I understand that you are not a fan of very expensive sets, but I think that another category should be something like "Best Big Set" or "Best Details" to award the big and highly detail sets like the Barad'Ur, Gotham City, D&D Castle and Ninjago Temple ones (that for me were amongst the best of the year).
Two other topic I thought about were "Best Adult Set" (probably similar to ones I just talked about) and "Best Minifigure".
For last, I think it would be fun for you to try to award a "Best Technic" set. Or, if not, invite someone to help you with that one (I'm available by the way 👀 ).
I hope you find this comment helpful in any way and once again thank you for another great video!
after the first category it was already clear for me that the radio is your favorite set. Great set btw4
here are my picks. best buidling experience: imperial star destroyer best functions: ornithopter best value: owlery display value:tournament arena. winner: ornithopter
Didn't realize the retro radio had so many cool features and good building techniques, thanks for pointing it out - It made it interesting for me again. (Based only on the looks, it was still good but not enough for me to buy it.)
thank you for making this year end wrap up, as well as all your videos!
You are so welcome!
Love this wrap up video- I’m hope you keep doing them! I’ve restricted myself to just Harry Potter sets (to protect my bank account as much as possible), but I love seeing the functions/building techniques of other sets! I’m still torn about getting Rivendell (last year’s top set)…
The best thing about these award videos is the similar selection preferences we share. I love real life big objects reproduced in LEGO, and most of your picks were in this same segment. Not something that everyone understands.
yooo i love your videos best wishes to you!!!
Thank you! You too!
Finally I have been waiting for this video for sooooo long
I have a pet cat, which looks 95% exact like the LEGO Tuxedo Cat. This set is a solid 10/10 for me!
My favorite set of the year was 40716 Alien Planet Habitat, a cheap, almost throwaway product currenty on sale for clearance. No no, hear me out: At the start of the year, I got the whole new City Space series. It was awesome, I had a new job, and cash to start healing my inner child. So I got the whole series. Later on I got the Galaxy Painting which I had a great time with (my index finger didn't), and some other huge sets like the D&D official set with its awesome dragon build and even the mountain snow fortress from bricklink.
But it wasn't until I got a pair of those Habitats on clearance last month, and put them next to my City Space sets, that the whole thing just... *clicked*. The scale of City Space instantly made sense, it created much-needed contrast with the sterile white-and-orange colour scheme of the base playsets, and it reinvigorated my love for the building of dioramas and the desire to build a whole desert planet for display. It was the capstone to a series I felt was missing something, and I love 40716 Alien Planet Habitat for that *so much*.
“My index finger didn’t” 😂
Glad Zelda got nominated in at least one category. I absolutely love that set. It's gotten me so excited about LEGO again. Hoping to get the Jaws set soon!
For me it’s Jabba’s Sail Barge, it was genuinely fun to build. Lots of cool ways to watch the ship come together. I’m biased towards Star Wars and Harry Potter so that’s fine lol. I think the new Ninjago dragon someone mentioned earlier has potential to take that spot. In the middle of building it now, the end product looks amazing though 👌
Source Dragon defo would!
Great video Tiago especially for Christmas coming up. Thank ya 🎉
Lotr Barud dur set is my fave this year awesome overview 👍
I love this tradition you have!😁
Owning 3 of the 4 you nominated for best of the year made that hard for me. While I don't have the radio it's definitely on my list of ones I want. And while I mostly agree with you on the cat I personally have to give it to Mario and Yoshi. It's probably my age and nostalgia playing a large part of it but the Lego Mario and Yoshi hit every note for me. The building, the mechanics of the motion and the Lego Mario playing in game music when connected were simply next level in my mind. It being my favorite Mario game ever also plays a part but once I finished it I just kept playing with it thinking that my 8 year old self would have lost his mind over this. The cat is a definite second place for me however for the reasons you said. Build experience is next level. And my sister 3d printed some extra pieces to give it some whiskers as well. My 2 pet cats reacting and freaking out upon seeing it was also a huge bonus
Also gotta say when I started watching your channel and discovering you were the designer of the Lego ship in a bottle I knew I'd found the right guy for my Lego reviews. I got the set as a surprise Christmas gift. I wasn't even aware it was a thing and it's still one of my favorite models of all time. My dad is really good at picking random Lego sets for me for Christmas no matter how old I get and this one is still a major Christmas memory highlight
I like the 1966 batmobile even if it has no functions but it s a great display set.
I like also the Milano ship. And of course the jaws set, one of my favourite of 2024.
The new set Endurance also looks great.
This was a very enjoyable video - thanks! I built the orrery for my grandkids this year and they just love it.