The largest LEGO Pokémon set is well-crafted and fun to assemble, but feels bloated with extraneous material that gets in the way of what we really want.
The biggest problem with
72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise
Release: Feb 27, 2026
Retiring: Dec 31, 2027
Price: £579.99 / $649.99 / €649.99
Pieces: 6,838
Minifigures: 0
Buy now at LEGO.com
There’s no denying that LEGO Pokémon
The unfortunate question that must be asked, then, is not whether the LEGO designers responsible for the set have achieved their goal, but rather, whether that goal was the best possible use of this intellectual property. As gorgeous as
Right from the start, it’s clear that this set doesn’t align well with the entire premise of Pokémon, and one of the core gameplay aspects within the games. When starting most mainline Pokémon games (and many spin-off titles), the player is given the choice of three ‘starter’ companions to join them on their adventure. Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise are the final evolutionary forms of these initial starters, but with the exception of outlying cases such as Pokémon Yellow, it’s not possible to acquire all three of these Pokémon over the course of a single game.
As such, most fans have a sentimental attachment to either Charizard, Blastoise or Venusaur, and will be excited to build one of these LEGO characters over the other two that are in the box. Put simply: one of the fundamental rules of Pokémon is that the player gets to choose, but this set doesn’t give LEGO fans that choice. It’s either all or nothing; buy a giant, eye-wateringly expensive LEGO set and get all three starters, or buy none at all.
Naturally, this has led to consternation for commenters online, but when building the set, this frustration at a lack of choice feels all the more pronounced. Each of the three starters are segmented out within their own Poké Ball-themed boxes inside the main box, with their own instruction manuals. Each Pokémon comes with its own detailed base for display, and while these bases can be slotted together through the use of Technic elements, they don’t attach permanently. There’s not even so much as a Technic pin to temporarily connect each chunk of the build together; they merely sit loosely next to each other on display.
This being the case, it feels like
Frankly, it almost feels like
Whether intentional or not, it feels like the option to sell this enormous build as three separate sets was right there, and yet the LEGO Group chose an approach that meant pricing a large portion of their prospective audience out of the set.
It feels like such a shame because, as individual builds, these work incredibly well. No, the bases don’t look quite complete with large awkward gaps on their sides, but given the lack of real connectivity between each of the three bases, it’s clear that the LEGO Group anticipates that a lot of people who buy the set will end up splitting the build up regardless.
It should be said that these bases are impressively detailed. The slightest of the three comes with Venusaur; it’s relatively flat save for a small amount of raised terrain, and it’s sprinkled with eye-catching plastic foliage. The base that comes with Blastoise is a sight to behold with a huge wave cresting against a rock, while Charizard flies high above the other two builds thanks to a waterfall of lava which almost looks crane-like.
Alas, as fun as these bases may be, they ultimately feel like distractions. The big draw here are the three Pokémon themselves, but the incredibly high piece count within the box is split approximately half-and-half between the brick-built characters and the terrain beneath their feet and wings.
It’s downright frustrating to start the build, only to discover that before each Pocket Monster can be constructed, there are first bags and bags of set dressing to be put together. The majority of the bags within Charizard’s box are devoted to building the large volcano, while the Fire/Flying Pokémon is only built after everything else is finished.
The result is a set that’s mostly about waiting. Slog through the construction of a base first, then finally (and rather quickly) put together the set’s main selling points. It’s not that the bases aren’t interesting, fun, engaging builds in their own right – it’s just that they’re not the big draw here. No matter how good the warm-up act might be, crowds will still be checking their watches to find out how long until the headliner will be on stage.
This imbalanced, overly padded experience is all the more frustrating because the Pokémon builds themselves are so well-designed. It’s tremendous fun to put together each of the set’s three monsters. Even sold as a trio rather than individually, if these builds weren’t weighed down by their bases, it would be a lot easier to recommend this set.
Charizard looks absolutely perfect, its large wings created with canvas elements that are exactly the right colour and look like something right out of the Pokémon anime.
Blastoise has one weakness – its back toe claws aren’t particularly sturdy and can easily ping off and get lost – but aside from this, the build feels satisfying in the hand and is tremendous fun to heft.
Venusaur is the largest of the three builds, and features impressive articulation in its legs. The shape and form of this Pokémon, perhaps more so than the other two, tends to vary depending on the game or cartoon in question; sometimes Venusaur is a little more graceful and frog-like with powerful back legs, while in other media it will lumber around like a dinosaur. This build feels a bit more froggy in its design, which feels appropriate given that frogs have a special relationship with LEGO in general.
The set comes with printed elements rather than stickers (a very welcome inclusion) but these are primarily reserved for eyes and snouts. For the most part, this entire set is focused on bricks over adding details through supplementary means – although it should be noted that at times the set does feel quite advanced, and Blastoise in particular doesn’t exactly feel beginner-friendly to put together.
Thus, this entire set feels like the best possible version of a bad idea. There are fundamental flaws in the way that these three brick-built Pokémon are being sold which compromises the entire experience – the bases, while certainly pretty, end up inflating the set’s piece count (and therefore its price) to the point that a lot of LEGO fans simply will not be able to justify its cost. Meanwhile, the decision to sell these three literally disconnected builds as a single unit makes it hard to justify recommending the set to any but the most dedicated of Pokémaniacs.
Our honest opinion: 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise is a set containing three beautiful, well-designed builds that literally don’t click together, and as such what could have otherwise been an incredible trio of modular products ends up feeling cynical and toxic to consumers.
This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.
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Is LEGO Pokémon 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise a good investment?
Many people have been drawn to 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise in the hopes that this LEGO set will appreciate in value over the coming months and years due to scarcity. It’s important to note that this is not a limited edition product; the LEGO Group intends to sell the set in stores and online until December 31 2027.
While stock levels may fluctuate, especially around high interest moments such as the set’s initial launch and times when the LEGO Group offers bonus rewards, this set will be made available as widely as possible for the foreseeable future, and as such, anyone who buys this set in the hopes of reselling it later for more money will almost certainly not see an immediate return on that investment.
How long does it take to build LEGO Pokémon 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise?
72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise takes around 15 hours to build. Each of the three models takes around five hours to build.
How many pieces are in LEGO Pokémon 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise?
72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise contains 6,838 pieces in total. These pieces are split approximately equally between each of the three included Pokémon and their display stands.
How much does LEGO Pokémon 72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise cost?
72153 Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise costs £579.99 in the UK, $649.99 in the US and €649.99 in parts of the EU.
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