Every person had a favorite toy when they were young. Some of us cherished our bicycles and skateboards. Some of us got down with basketball, football, or soccer. Others were video games nerds. But here at Cool Material, we’re in unanimous agreement—our favorite childhood toys of all time were our LEGO sets. We look back fondly on the hours spent building castles, engineering bridges, and even laying the foundation for entire small towns. They were a blast. But as we got older, our grand LEGO sets slowly disappeared from the picture, and instead were replaced by other, more “adult” things: automobiles, girls, and jobs.
Well, today, we’re taking a stand. You think LEGOs are just for kids? We think that’s bullshit! Here are 8 LEGO sets for every guy who clicking Danish blocks together as a kid.
LEGO Technic Mercedes-Benz Arocs
What makes this kit awesome, aside from its impeccable detail and 2,793 individual pieces, is that it comes with a full pneumatic system, which allows you to control the outriggers, crane arm, claw, and bed. It also features a fully independent suspension, a detailed engine with moving pistons, a detailed and complete driver cab and dashboard, and all the other small details you’d expect from a kit as advanced as this. $226
LEGO Taj Mahal Model
The Taj Mahal is one of the greatest monuments mankind’s ever built. Not only is it a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it is, for all intents and purposes, a priceless piece of world history, and all of it just to entomb an emperor’s favorite wife. Most of us only get one wife, and we still wouldn’t do that for her. Also, how shitty would it be to be any of his other wives?
LEGO did the architectural wonder total justice with their rendition. With 5,922 pieces that come together and fill in the details of the base, minarets, domes, finials, arches, and stairs of the grand Taj Mahal, it is far and away one of the most difficult kits to assemble. And with a price tag of at least three grand (no, seriously), it’s also one of the spendiest. $3000
Red Fox Kit by MOC Nation
If you’re involved in the LEGO building community at all, you’ll know that it’s one that celebrates innovation and beautiful design. Self-made kits are called My Own Creations, or MOCs for short. MOC Nation is a website dedicated to bringing the best MOCs in the world to the mainstream. We’ve covered them before, so here’s that if you missed it. This Red Fox, created by Felix Jaensch is a 638-piece kit that’s challenging enough to take time and patience, but beautiful (and small) enough to look good as a presentation piece in an office, home, or studio. $149
The Cyclone-LEGO Compatible Roller Coaster Construction Toy
We absolutely love watching things like this come to fruition, and not just because we’re always trolling Kickstarter for the latest and greatest projects. The Cyclone Roller Coaster is fun, educational, and complex, but not too complicated. It’s compatible with regular LEGOS, and the more kits you buy, the more you can build. The mechanism is simple and is exactly how regular roller coasters work: A chain lift carries the coaster to its peak, where it drops and coasts through the course. You can add hills or bumps, create ledges and plateaus, and see what works versus what doesn’t. $99
LEGO Creator Expert Ferrari F40 Kit
When people think “Ferrari,” a rigid, boxy LEGO kit is probably the last thing that comes to mind. Ferraris are some of the most beautifully engineered cars on the entire planet, and the F40 is special because it was not only a celebration of the Italian super car manufacturer’s 40th birthday, but also the very last Ferrari model approved by the one and only Enzo Ferrari. This LEGO kit is superbly detailed and although it’s just 3 inches high, 10 inches long, and 5 inches wide, it is made of more than 1,150 pieces that help detail everything from its legendary 478-bhp turbocharged v8, to its detailed, authentic interior. $100
LEGO Creator MINI Cooper
Another discontinued gem from the LEGO Creator series, this scale retro MINI Cooper features everything from a detailed engine compartment, to opening doors, hood, and trunk, and even houses a spare wheel in a separate compartment—just like the original MINI Cooper it emulates. It also comes complete with a little picnic set, a pop-off roof, fold-down seats, and an impeccably detailed interior section. We’re super impressed with this one, and we think you will be, too. $86
LEGO Creator Volkswagen T1 Camper Van
And since we’re on a car kick right now, why not finish it off with the crème de la crème of detailed replicas—LEGO’s Volkswagen T1 Camper Van. This thing comes with the works. The iconic hubcap wheels and V-shape front color split, the rounded pop-up roof, the classic “splittie” safari windshield, roof rack, side air intake vents, real textile curtains, authentic VW air-cooled flat four, and a detailed interior like nothing we’ve ever seen—INCLUDING A FUCKING LAVA LAMP AND T-SHIRT THAT SAYS, “MAKE LEGOS NOT WAR.” So good! You’ll have a smile on your face for all 1,334 pieces of this iconic retro classic. $120
The Citizen Brick Center for the Performing Arts
Oh, this? This thing right here? This thing right here, ladies and gentlemen, is a goddamn LEGO strip club. No, that’s not a misprint, and you didn’t misread us—it’s a strip club, complete with a full color printed box, working LED lights, hologram foil-stamped wall pieces, four exclusive mini LEGO figures, bundles of LEGO money, and a stripper pole for your sexy yellow brick people. Welcome to the Foxy Blox! $250
*BONUS*
1950’s Diner LEGO Ideas
What’s perhaps most cool about the LEGO scene is that the LEGO company wholeheartedly supports its community of creators. LEGO Ideas is a section on the LEGO website where people can show off build plans for their own LEGO masterpieces, and then people vote to support them. If they gain enough support, the team at LEGO actually manufactures them and puts them in stores for a limited time. You can view all the cool LEGO ideas here, but we chose this 1950’s diner because it really does look awesome, and we can’t resist a slice of good old-fashioned Americana. Link
