I haven’t built either cat myself, so consider this a researched buying guide pulled from LEGO’s own product pages and hands-on reviews from other builders, not a personal hands-on test.

What you actually get in each set

The Tuxedo Cat came first, launching in June 2024 as LEGO Ideas set #57, built from a fan project simply called “Cat.” It has 1,710 pieces, comes with a swap between yellow or blue eyes, and lets you rebuild the mouth open or closed by switching out a lower-lip piece. The head spins a full 360 degrees, and the ears, paws, and tail all move enough to change the pose.

The Orange Cat followed in March 2026, and it’s less a new set than a deliberate recolour. It has 1,755 pieces — 45 more than the original — built mostly in warm nougat tones instead of black and white. LEGO also refined the mouth mechanism here: instead of swapping a piece, you can open and close it directly, which is a small but real upgrade if you plan to display the cat with different expressions over time. Eye colour swaps between green and brown. The build is mirrored from the Tuxedo Cat, so the tail sits on the opposite side.

Each set has more than 1,700 pieces for right around $100, which is a solid piece count for the price if you compare it to other LEGO display models — and unlike sets padded out with small filler pieces, most of what’s in the box here are substantial, useful elements.

Comparison at a glance

Is the Orange Cat worth buying if you already have the Tuxedo Cat?

If you’re a completist or a cat owner who wants a colour match, yes — the Orange Cat is different enough in colour and mouth mechanism to feel like its own build, not a repaint you’ve already done. If you already own a Tuxedo Cat and aren’t especially attached to owning every colour LEGO releases, it’s a nicer-to-have than a must-have.

I like that LEGO went back to an Ideas theme set for a colour variant at all. Recolours have shown up elsewhere in the LEGO catalogue before, but this is the first time an Ideas set — a model chosen by fan vote — has received a second official colourway. That’s a neat nod to how much the community clearly wanted an orange cat after the first one sold well.

Who should buy one (or both)

• Cat owners: Especially if your own cat happens to be black-and-white or orange — the interchangeable eyes allow you to match your pet’s look closely.
• Adult LEGO collectors (AFOLs): Builders who appreciate clever SNOT techniques and organic shaping in display models.
• Gift shoppers: Note that these are 18+ static display pieces with limited play value, making them best suited for home/office décor rather than kids’ play.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the LEGO Orange Cat a completely new set or just a recoloured Tuxedo Cat?

It’s mostly a recolour with real design refinements: 45 additional pieces, warm nougat-toned bricks, mirrored tail positioning, and a redesigned mouth that opens and closes directly without rebuilding parts.

Do the eyes on 21349 and 21376 fit into each other’s cat?

Yes. LEGO officially designed the eye modules to be fully cross-compatible, meaning you can swap the yellow, blue, green, and brown eyes freely between both cats.

How many pieces does the LEGO Tuxedo Cat have compared to the Orange Cat?

The Tuxedo Cat contains 1,710 pieces, while the Orange Cat contains 1,755 pieces.

Are these sets good value for money?

At approximately $100 / €100 for over 1,700 pieces (around 5.7¢ per piece), both sets offer exceptional value compared to typical licensed adult LEGO sets.

Verdict

Both cats are well-built, high-value display models. Choose the Tuxedo Cat if you prefer classic monochrome styling, or the Orange Cat if you want the upgraded direct-mouth mechanism and warmer tones. If you are a dedicated fan or have multiple cats, displaying them as a pair looks fantastic on any shelf.

Which one fits your shelf (or your actual cat) better — the classic tuxedo look or the new orange colourway?

What’s in the Box

60511 gives you three build sections: the locomotive and coal tender, a single passenger coach with magnetic couplings, and a compact station platform. The station includes a canopy, a bench, a lamppost, a boarding ramp, and a semaphore signal arm that actually raises and lowers.

The engine itself is the highlight. It leans into a rounded, old-world silhouette rather than the boxier modern engines LEGO City has favored in recent years. The passenger coach isn’t just for show, either — it opens up, and there’s enough interior space to seat minifigures inside rather than just perching them on top.

Five minifigures come with the set, including a conductor figure and additional passengers, plus small props like a thermos and cookies for the platform scene.

Is 60511 Vintage Steam Train Worth Buying?

For anyone drawn to classic-style engines, yes. It’s a genuine change of pace from LEGO City’s usual sleek, modern trains, and at under $90 it’s one of the more affordable train sets LEGO currently sells. The compromise is track and motorization: you get almost no rail included, and if you want it to run under power, that’s an extra purchase on top of the set itself.

Design Details Worth Knowing

The locomotive uses a black flower-pot piece as its chimney, a small but distinctive touch, and red running boards along the sides give it a period-correct look. It’s compact rather than sprawling, which actually works in its favor on a shelf — it doesn’t need a huge display footprint to look complete.

I keep coming back to how much this set reminds me of LEGO Classic’s Emerald Night (10194) from years ago. That set had the same idea: take a vintage-style steam engine and make it the star, rather than burying it under gadgets and printed branding. 60511 doesn’t copy that set, but it clearly draws from the same well, and for LEGO train collectors that’s a welcome direction after a run of more modern-looking releases.

The set is Powered Up compatible, meaning it’s built to accept LEGO’s motorized train system. But the Hub (88009) and Train Motor (88011) are not included — you’ll need to buy them separately if you want the train to move under its own power rather than by hand.

Who It Suits — and Who May Want an Alternative

60511 suits collectors who want an attractive steam engine to display or add to an existing layout, and adult fans who liked the Emerald Night approach of prioritizing looks over play features. It also works as a gift for a 7-and-up train enthusiast who already owns other City train sets and doesn’t need a second full circuit of track.

It’s a weaker fit if you’re buying a first train set and expect it to run out of the box. The included track is minimal — a single straight section and a ramp piece, not a loop — so you’ll need to buy additional rails separately to build any kind of usable circuit. That’s a real difference from sets like the LEGO City Police Train Heist (60508) or the Explorers’ Arctic Polar Express Train (60470), both of which ship with a full oval of track and, in 60470’s case, a working motor. If a complete, run-it-tonight train set matters more to you than vintage styling, one of those is the safer buy.

One small gripe: the station only includes a platform, not a second wagon. Given how strong the locomotive and passenger car turned out, I’d have traded the station extras for an additional wagon instead.

Specifications

FAQ

How many pieces does the LEGO 60511 Vintage Steam Train have? It has 575 pieces, covering the locomotive, tender, one passenger car, and a small station platform.

Does 60511 Vintage Steam Train come with enough track to run it? No. It includes only a short straight section and a ramp piece, not a full loop, so you’ll need additional LEGO track to build a working circuit.

Can I motorize this train? Yes, it’s Powered Up compatible, but the Hub (88009) and Train Motor (88011) are sold separately and aren’t in the box. Some buyers report these individual components can be harder to find in stock than full train sets that bundle them in, so it’s worth checking availability before counting on same-day motorization.

Is this a good first LEGO train set for a kid? It can be, but sets like 60508 Police Train Heist or 60470 Arctic Polar Express Train are better first-set choices since they include a full track loop and, in 60470’s case, motorization out of the box.

Verdict

60511 Vintage Steam Train earns its spot for the design alone — it’s one of the more distinctive LEGO City trains in years, and the price is reasonable for what’s included. Go in knowing you’re buying a display piece and a starting point, not a complete running layout, and budget for track (and motor parts, if you want them) separately.

What’s in each set

10349 Happy Plants (217 pieces, ages 9+) builds two small plants — a dracaena that stands upright and a pilea that sits low and rounded — each about 7–12 cm tall. They sit in yellow and blue pots with painted-on smiley faces, and the pots are interchangeable, so you can mix which plant goes in which color.

11506 Rocking Plants (253 pieces, ages 9+) builds a delosperma (ice plant) named Lumi with purple buds and an echeveria named Ellie with a coral-tipped stem. Its pale green and pale pink pots have rounded bottoms instead of flat ones, so nudging them makes the green pot rock back and forth and the pink one rock side to side — a small play feature the first set doesn’t have.

Both sets launched at the same price point, $22.99 in the US (£17.99 / €19.99), and neither includes a minifigure — these are pure display builds, not scenes.

Do the two sets actually work together?

I didn’t expect LEGO to add a second set to this particular Botanicals subline so soon after the first, but here we are, and the pairing works. The box dimensions on the shelf are different, yet once built, the pots land in a very similar footprint and the same soft pastel palette — yellow, blue, green, pink — so a shelf with both sets doesn’t look mismatched.

LEGO markets the plants and pots across both sets as interchangeable, and for the most part that holds up. One independent reviewer did note the swap isn’t flawless without some minor adjustment, so treat “fully compatible” as “mostly compatible” rather than a guarantee. If you like fiddling with builds, this is a minor point; if you want a plug-and-play swap every time, keep expectations modest.

Who should buy these — and who might skip them

These are nice-looking, cheap sets, which is really the whole pitch. At under $25 each, they’re an easy add-on gift or a low-commitment way to try the LEGO Botanicals line before buying the pricier bonsai or bouquet sets.

They suit:

• Gift buyers who want a small, inexpensive present for a plant lover, teen, or LEGO-curious adult
• Desk or shelf decorators who want low-maintenance “plants” for a home office
• Collectors building out the full Botanicals range piece by piece

They’re a weaker fit for:

• Builders chasing complex engineering or large piece counts — both sets are quick, straightforward builds
• Anyone who specifically wants a scene with minifigures, since neither set includes one
• Buyers hoping for guaranteed, tool-free interchangeability between the two lines, given the mixed reviewer experience noted above

Is LEGO Botanicals 10349 and 11506 worth buying for gift-giving?

Yes, for most casual gift scenarios. Both sets are inexpensive, quick to build, and double as ready-made decor, which makes them safer gifts than larger, pricier LEGO sets where taste matters more.

FAQ

How many pieces does each set have? 10349 Happy Plants has 217 pieces; 11506 Rocking Plants has 253 pieces.

Can I combine 10349 and 11506 into one display? Yes, largely — LEGO designed the plants and pots to be interchangeable across both sets, though at least one independent review found the fit isn’t perfectly seamless without minor tweaking.

Do either of these sets include minifigures? No. Both are plant-and-pot display builds with no minifigures included.

Are these sets good for beginners or kids? Both are rated for ages 9 and up and are simpler, faster builds than most other LEGO Botanicals sets, making them approachable for newer builders.

The verdict

Neither 10349 nor 11506 is a showpiece set on its own, and that’s fine — they’re not trying to be. What they do well is offer cheap, cheerful, low-risk LEGO gifts that happen to match each other on a shelf. If you only want one, pick based on whether you prefer the standing dracaena/pilea pair or the rocking succulent pair. If you want a fuller little garden, buying both gives you four plants and four pots in a coordinated pastel set for under $50 combined.

Note up front: this set hasn’t shipped yet, so this is a researched overview based on LEGO’s official announcement, not a hands-on build report. Pre-orders open before general availability, so there’s still time to decide.

Key Features and Design

The set is built from 1,701 pieces — a nice touch, since it matches the ship’s registry number, NCC-1701. It’s rated for ages 18 and up and sits in the LEGO Icons line, priced at $199.99 / £159.99 / €179.99, with a release date of September 1, 2026 (pre-orders started July 23, 2026).

The model is split into two connected spaces: the command bridge, with computer stations and a viewscreen showing a Klingon warrior, and the transporter room. Both sections are modular, so once built, you can rearrange them for display rather than being locked into one layout.

There are a few play features baked in too, which is worth calling out even for an adult-focused set. The captain’s chair rocks side to side to mimic space turbulence, a dial activates the transporter pads, and a lever swings the turbo-lift doors open. These little interactions are simple, but they’re a nice bonus, and they’re likely to catch the attention of younger Star Trek fans in the house even though the box itself is aimed squarely at collectors.

One thing I’d flag as a personal opinion rather than a confirmed fact: photos of the model suggest the bridge doesn’t include a floor section, which can make the display feel a little open or unfinished depending on your angle. My guess is this was a deliberate way to keep the part count — and the price — in check, since a full floor across a set this size would add real cost. It doesn’t ruin the model, but it’s worth knowing before you commit.

The minifigure lineup is, in my opinion, the real headline here. The set includes eight crew figures: James T. Kirk, Spock, Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu, Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Pavel Chekov, Christine Chapel, and Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, plus four tribbles and accessories including Spock’s harp, two Vulcan lirpas, and a Trident Scanner. For a franchise with this much history, getting the full original bridge crew in one box is a strong selling point, and it’s easily the set’s biggest draw for anyone collecting Star Trek minifigures specifically.

On the build side, one recurring theme with detailed Icons-style sets is stickers, and this one leans on them for the control panels and decorated wall sections. In my experience, that’s usually the trade-off for keeping a set like this affordable — printed parts cost more — but stickers on flat panels like these can be genuinely fiddly to apply straight, and a slightly crooked one is hard to fix once it’s down. If you’re picky about a clean finish, budget some extra patience for that part of the build.

Who It Suits — and Who May Want an Alternative

This set makes the most sense for adult LEGO fans who already collect Star Trek memorabilia, for AFOLs building out an Icons shelf, and for anyone shopping for a Star Trek fan who’d appreciate a display piece over a play set. It also lands as a strong 60th-anniversary gift, since the release date was deliberately timed to that milestone.

If you’re shopping for a younger builder, or you want a bigger, more traditional “spaceship” model rather than an interior diorama, this probably isn’t the right pick. It’s also worth remembering this is LEGO’s second Star Trek Icons release — the first set recreated the exterior of the Enterprise-D from The Next Generation and was well received by fans, which is part of why LEGO has continued the theme rather than treating it as a one-off.

Verdict

The LEGO 11385 Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 Bridge is a solid pick if you value the minifigure lineup, the anniversary timing, and a display-friendly build over sheer size or play value — the missing floor and sticker-heavy panels are the main trade-offs to go in expecting.

A Long-Awaited Comeback

LEGO’s original SpongeBob SquarePants theme quietly wrapped up production back in 2012, meaning fans have gone roughly 14 years without a proper Bikini Bottom set.

LEGO’s first attempt at Bikini Bottom came back in 2006 with the 579-piece Adventures in Bikini Bottom (3827) — a much simpler take on the same three-house concept, built as a playset for younger kids rather than a display piece. The minifigures looked noticeably different too: Squidward didn’t have his own head mold yet, and Patrick was still flat-bellied. Compared to that, 11386’s jump to 1,794 pieces, fully detailed interiors, and updated character molds shows just how far the theme has come.

This new release slots into the LEGO Icons lineup — the same adult-focused collection behind sets like the Central Perk café or the Friends apartment — which tells you a lot about who LEGO thinks will actually buy this. At 1,794 pieces, it’s easily the most ambitious SpongeBob build LEGO has attempted. The set recreates SpongeBob’s Pineapple House with a living room and bedroom, Squidward’s Easter Island-style house with a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and rooftop lounge, and Patrick’s rock with its own small interior. A Jellyfish Fields side-build, a boatmobile, and a handful of nods to specific episodes round out the model.

Key Features and Design Details

The three houses are designed to sit side by side on a shelf or desk, mimicking Conch Street from the show. Squidward’s home is the most feature-rich of the three, while Patrick’s rock is intentionally the simplest — fitting, given the character. Little Easter eggs are scattered throughout, including references to fan-favorite episodes like “I Had an Accident” and “Lighthouse Louie.”

The set includes three minifigures — SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward — plus brick-built figures of Gary the Snail and DoodleBob. All three main minifigures use newly designed molds, and the upgrade shows. SpongeBob and Squidward in particular look noticeably closer to their cartoon selves than the 2009-era figures ever did. Patrick is more of a mixed bag; the new mold gives him a more pronounced belly shape that some longtime fans (myself included) may need a moment to get used to, even if it’s arguably more show-accurate.

I’m genuinely glad DoodleBob finally shows up in a set — it’s the character’s first appearance in LEGO form. It makes sense that his signature look relies on a sticker rather than a print, since printing crisp white detail onto a black brick is notoriously difficult to pull off cleanly. That said, stickers are a recurring gripe of mine with LEGO sets in general, and the curved sticker on Squidward’s bathroom detail looks like it’ll be one of those fussy, hard-to-align pieces that never quite sits flat.

Who It Suits — and Who May Want an Alternative

This set is built for the audience that grew up watching SpongeBob and now has the shelf space (and budget) for a display piece. If you want a nostalgic, highly detailed diorama-style build to sit alongside other LEGO Icons sets, this checks every box. It’s also a strong gift option for an adult SpongeBob fan, provided they’re the type who enjoys a slower, more meditative build rather than a fast one.

If you’re shopping for a younger child or someone who wants a simple, playable toy rather than a display model, this probably isn’t the right pick — the 18+ rating, interior detailing, and price point are squarely aimed at adult collectors. In that case, the smaller companion piece, the LEGO BrickHeadz SpongeBob SquarePants Figure (40858), releasing the same day at a much lower price, is a more approachable alternative.

Verdict

Fourteen years is a long time to wait for a proper LEGO SpongeBob set, and Bikini Bottom mostly delivers on that anticipation — better minifigures, richer interiors, and a level of detail the original theme never came close to. The sticker-heavy moments and the redesigned Patrick mold are minor points of friction, not dealbreakers. If Bikini Bottom has a permanent spot in your nostalgia, this is worth adding to your collection.

The Good: These Pokémon Look Genuinely Incredible

Let’s start with what nobody disputes: the sculpting on all three creatures is fantastic. Venusaur gets new dark azure recolors and printed (not stickered) face elements that nail its rounded, sleepy-eyed expression. Charizard is widely considered the most refined build of the trio, with the cleanest shaping and the best poseability. Blastoise’s shell construction is genuinely clever engineering, even if the arm movement is limited. Each Pokémon sits on a themed elemental base — grass, water, and fire — that can be split apart and displayed individually or combined into one massive diorama.

As a lifelong Pokémon fan, I’ll say it plainly: these are some of the best brick-built creature sculpts LEGO has ever produced. The details are there. The presence is there. That part of this set is not in question.

The Problem: Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Here’s where I part ways with a lot of the “it’s expensive but worth it” takes floating around. This set didn’t need to be this large — or this pricey. A huge chunk of the piece count and cost comes from the elaborate scenic bases (the wave, the volcano, the leafy platform), not the Pokémon themselves. That’s fine in theory, but it inflates an already premium price tag into “most expensive set I own” territory for a lot of collectors.

And here’s the thing: LEGO already gives you the ability to separate all three Pokémon and display them independently. That’s a genuinely great feature. But it also proves my point — if these builds are designed to stand alone, why not just sell them that way? Three smaller, more affordable individual sets that could later combine into the mega-display would have been the smarter move. Let people buy their favorite starter’s evolution without dropping $650 for two Pokémon they may not even want.

It’s also a missed opportunity that, at this price point, there’s no Pokémon Trainer minifigure or even minifig-scale versions of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise included. For a flagship release like this, that inclusion feels like it should have been a given — a small addition that would have added real value without meaningfully increasing the cost.

Who Should Actually Buy This Set

This is a display piece, full stop — not a toy, and not a quick weekend build (expect around 15 hours total). It’s best suited for:

• Dedicated Pokémon collectors who want all three Kanto starters’ final evolutions as centerpiece displays
• Adult LEGO builders who enjoy technical, SNOT-heavy construction techniques
• Gift-givers shopping for a die-hard fan who has room (and budget) for a genuine showstopper

If you only care about one specific starter, this is a much harder sell — you’re paying full flagship price for two Pokémon you may never display.

Final Verdict

72153 is a technically brilliant, visually stunning set held back by an unnecessarily inflated size and price. I love what LEGO built here — I just wish they’d trusted the modular concept enough to let fans buy in piece by piece.

This massive 2,593-piece set captures the eerie Victorian mansion that has become the epicentre of Vecna’s terror.

If you plan to buy this set, please consider using the links on this site to help support the blog, at no additional cost to you.

The most impressive feature of this set is its ability to physically transform. Designed by LEGO engineering expert Mike Psiaki, the house uses a complex mechanical function triggered by pulling the trees on either side. This action slides the base apart and rotates interior walls to reveal Vecna’s Mind Lair, complete with the ominous grandfather clock and dystopian red landscapes.

This isn’t just a static model; it’s a “pop-up” LEGO house that can shift between the boarded-up 1980s version and an “exploded” version that looks straight into the Upside Down.

LEGO didn’t hold back on the characters, including a staggering 13 minifigures. The set features:

• The Core Crew: Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Eleven.

• The Teens: Steve (with his signature hair), Robin, Nancy, and Jonathan.

• New Arrivals: Holly Wheeler and her “imaginary friend” Mr Whatsit (Henry Creel in human form)

• The Villain: A highly detailed Vecna, featuring a brand-new claw element and intricate dark red printing

Beyond the house itself, you get two (or arguably three) vehicles. Fans will love Steve Harrington’s 1983 BMW 733i, which features a “11370” registration plate as a nod to the set number. The set also includes the WSQK “The Squawk” radio station van, decorated with retro zig-zag stripes and a removable transmitter.

The interior is packed with narrative-driven details that fans of the show will immediately recognise from both Season 4 and Season 5:

• The Ground Floor: The entrance hall features a traditional phone and lamp on a side table. Nearby, the sitting room contains a highly detailed sofa and a newspaper with a headline referencing a “Local Teens Rescue Principal” story. The dining room, famously the site of the Creel family’s downfall, includes specifically designed dining chairs.

• The Bedrooms: On the first floor, you will find Alice Creel’s room, decorated with pink accents and a picture of a bunny—a dark nod to the animals that began appearing dead on the family’s lawn. Henry Creel’s room is equally detailed, featuring a drawing of the Mind Flayer and a spider-themed tile on his bed.

• The Attic: This space serves as Henry’s training ground for his telekinetic powers and is filled with candles and various eerie childhood drawings.

The most technical part of the interior is the upstairs landing. Using a complex mechanical “splat gear,” a central wall panel physically rotates during the house’s transformation. In its normal state, the wall displays standard Victorian wallpaper, but once “exploded,” it spins to reveal Vecna’s Mind Lair, complete with dystopian red landscapes and the ominous grandfather clock that haunts Max’s visions.

If you are looking to commemorate the end of an era in Hawkins, this set is a must-have. It launches on 4th January 2026, and those who buy it early may even snag the WSQK Radio Station gift-with-purchase, which includes much-needed minifigures of Joyce and Hopper.