One day on from the reveal of the first three LEGO Pokémon sets, here's what LEGO fans, Pokémon fans, and everyone else have to say.
LEGO Pokémon is finally here, and fans have had plenty to say over the last 24 hours, ranging across the good, the bad, and the frustrated. The initial range of revealed sets includes three retail models, as well as a GWP and an Insiders Reward. Pre-orders opened yesterday, but have already been paused for the largest of the lot, 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise.
Read on for a round-up of some of the varied opinions on the LEGO Group's first official stab at Pokémon below.
The prices are at the front of everyone's minds
With the sets ranging from £54.99 for 72151 Eevee to £579.99 for 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise, the very first takeaway for most was a resounding 'ouch' when it came to the price. That's not just among those new to LEGO who might be surprised by the high cost of sets, but also from LEGO fans in LEGO-specific subreddits who find the cost of 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise in particular hard to swallow.
"I can see this becoming LEGO's downfall," wrote one TikTok commenter. "The price tags are reaching a point where they feel more like a barrier than an invitation to build."
"72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise is a joke at $650, could easily be half the price if they removed the stupid base or just split it into three sets," commented FelixMumuHex on reddit. "Eevee looks great, but $60 is not worth it."
That said, judging from the fact that pre-orders on the biggest and most expensive set have sold out in multiple regions, the prices don't seem to be stopping everyone...
Is the base needed?
While the focus of 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise is the Pokémon themselves, there's a substantial amount of pieces and detail going into the base itself. The creatures can be removed from the buildable base, with each section fashioned after the Type of each starter Pokémon and Charizard's featuring a stand to make it appear as though it's flying.
It certainly helps the three Pokémon pop on display, but for many, the choice between a base or a lower price is an easy one.
"Can't help but feel like they should have just released the Kanto Starters as individual sets and/or without the bases," wrote Queeberschaircompany on reddit. "Not sure how many of the pieces are the Pokémon versus the bases, but I'd probably throw down $120-$150 for Blastoise and maybe pick up the other two later. As is, there's no way. That Eevee will be sold out for months though."
Indeed, the nature of these three Pokémon means that, in the games at least, players would pick between the Fire, Water, and Grass Type creatures. Here, you get all three – and a price tag to match.
"The trio set would have been better off being spaced out as three separate sets that could link together," a YouTube commenter wrote on our most recent video, echoing a similar sentiment. "Don't get me wrong, it looks gorgeous, but at that price point, I won't be picking it up. I'm sure in the future some downscaled versions will release at more affordable price points."
LEGO vs MEGA
The design of 72152 Pikachu and Poké Ball has led to some inevitable comparisons with MEGA's Pokémon sets, with a very similar style of build available for around half the price from the competitor.
"LEGO Pokémon is bad, MEGA Sets Pokémon is cheaper and looks 100% good," as one TikTok commenter pretty succinctly summed up the general feeling around the LEGO Pikachu.
In a thread of comments also comparing the LEGO sets to Mega, redditor insane_steve_ballmer added: "Pikachu is arguably the most important character for them to get right and they really flunked it, the face looks terrible."
However, there are also some fair points being raised about LEGO sets inevitably looking blocky – seeing as they're made from mostly block-shaped bricks.
Gen-1 or nothing
The LEGO Group has started off with some pretty predictable first Pokémon, sticking to the fan favourites. That's not a bad thing, nor is it really surprising: you'd expect them to go for the most reliably popular creatures of the lot.
However, some fans are frustrated that there's a focus only on Gen-1 Pokémon, with one TikTok commenter writing: "And of course it’s just Gen-1, at least there is eevee instead of just Pikachu and the Kanto starters."
One eye on the future
Building on that criticism of being too Gen-1 focused, however, it's worth noting that LEGO Pokémon is not expected to be limited to these three sets. There are pretty extensive further rumours for more models, and the LEGO Group has been known to reveal sets in groups before.
That means we could easily get more generations of Pokémon and sets that focus on locations outside of the Kanto region down the line, especially if these sets sell well and the LEGO Group invests further in the theme.
Some fans are already thinking about the future, reserving too much judgment about the first trio of sets to instead hope for later sets that are closer to what they expected.
"These are very cool, but I’m hoping we’ll see some smaller-scale builds," wrote Sudden-Ad5555 on reddit. "My son is very excited for this line, but as it stands the only one I could justify getting for him is 72151 Eevee. I don’t even dislike the larger builds, and my son is capable of building them, we just only have so much room to display sets. I also wouldn’t mind something more playable vs displayable. All in all, a very cool start to the line."
Indeed, appreciation for 72151 Eevee is almost universal, often being the caveat for complaints about the design or the price.
"I preordered 72151 Eevee,' commented redditor Tigerzombie. "I’m fine going without the other sets, way too expensive. If they release more sets around the Eevee price range, I would definitely buy."
72151 Eevee and 72152 Pikachu and Poké Ball are both available to pre-order now, while 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise will be available to buy from February 27 for £579.99 / $649.99 / €649.99.
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