Brick Fanatics’ top LEGO sets of 2025: honourable mentions

Discover Brick Fanatics’ personal favourite LEGO sets that didn’t make our collective top 10 for 2025, from NINJAGO and Speed Champions to Jurassic World and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Not every LEGO set makes it into our top 10 of the year (because, you know, there are more than 10 sets released per year), but every year we give space to each member of the Brick Fanatics team to talk about their personal favourite sets that didn’t make the cut. If you haven’t seen it already, you can check out our collective top 10, which is calculated using weighted scores across all nominations, by heading here.

Otherwise, dive in below for the best of the rest from this year’s LEGO sets, and let us know your favourites from 2025 in the comments.

Jack – 71847 The Guardian Dragon

LEGO NINJAGO 71847 The Guardian Dragon is one of the theme’s standouts this year. After a brief experiment in 2024, 71847 The Guardian Dragon targets NINJAGO’s older audience, steering away from the theme’s usual play-forward thinking. It favours looks more than anything else, and it’s all the better for it.

From the advanced techniques and sturdy build to the high display value and distinct lack of play features, the set aims at NINJAGO fans with disposable income. Even the box, instructions, and the included poster have a higher display value than most other NINJAGO sets.

Rachael – 77242 Ferrari SF-24

Of all the LEGO waves of the year, my Speed Champions Formula 1 collection brings me the most joy, and of all of those cars, 77242 Ferrari SF-24 reigns supreme. That's not just because Ferrari is my number one on the real-life grid; it's just a pleasure from start to finish.

It's the most buildable of all the F1 Speed Champions cars, leaning into tiny plates and sloped elements rather than larger pieces to make up the bodywork. When viewed from above, that lays out the silhouette of the car clearly, while also angling the flanks of the car low for a race-forward look from every angle. There's no bad side in 77242 Ferrari SF-24, and that's earned it a permanent place in my top LEGO sets.

Rob – 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship

There’s really only one thing wrong with 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship, and that’s its clunky name. That aside, the latest LEGO Black Pearl is a jewel in LEGO Icons’ crown in so many ways, from a wide number of interesting and clever techniques that help shape the hull and bodywork of the ship, to the sheer size that the final model comes in at.

But there are two particular highlights to 10365 that make it one of the best (albeit not top 10) sets for 2025 – the play feature that opens up the cannons on either side, and the ability to split the hull at water level. They’re simple ideas executed in such an impressive way that adds new dimensions to both play and display.

Chris – 76968 Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus rex

I’d argue 76968 Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus rex is not only one of the very best LEGO sets of 2025, but it’s also one of the most underrated. At face value it just looks like last year’s skull turned up to 11, but the build is far more interesting than you’d expect – and the finished model is the sort of thing I’ll be happy to have on display for years to come.

For me it sits in the same echelon as things like 21335 Motorised Lighthouse, the Botanical Collection and the LEGO Art range: it’s a genuine LEGO model for adults that could sit quite happily as a piece of décor in any room (as long as you’ve got enough space, because it’s pretty long). An easy one to get past the rest of the family, then.

Matt – 10356 USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Long-awaited and highly-anticipated, the first-ever LEGO Star Trek sets began exploring the brick-built final frontier in 2025. As a big fan of the sci-fi franchise, I was lucky enough to get my hands on 10356 USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D and its accompanying 40768 Type-15 Shuttlepod GWP, and was thoroughly impressed with both models.

The larger LEGO Icons vessel manages to craft a stunning version of the Federation’s iconic flagship, complete with detachable saucer section and a spot-on selection of nine minifigures. The only issue now is that we need even more LEGO Star Trek builds going forward and they can’t warp into view fast enough for me.

Head here for more of our reflections on 2025 in LEGO, including our top 10 sets and top 10 minifigures of the year.

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