The holiday shopping season has started and surprisingly, a lot of readers have emailed in the past couple of weeks asking me to do a holiday shopping recommendations on what LEGO sets to get for presents. For my guide, I’ll be picking out five sets that I feel would be worth their price and give a short explanation on why I chose that particular set.

Under $25

LEGO Star Wars Galactic Empire Battle Pack (75134) – $12.99

For those who like to expand their Stormtrooper army, this Battle Pack is perfect for it as it includes two Imperial Stormtroopers and an Imperial Shock Trooper as well as an Imperial Technician. The build isn’t as exciting but people mainly tend to get these sets for the minifigures.

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LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Spider-Man: Ghost Rider Team-Up (76058) – $19.99

One of the more anticipated Super Heroes sets for summer 2016 was the Spider-Man: Ghost Rider Team-up (76058). Not only does it include two exclusive minifigures with Ghost Rider and Hobgoblin, the Hell Cycle itself is a pretty good build itself. The main draw of the set is obviously the Ghost Rider minifigure as fans have been waiting for him for a long time and he doesn’t disappoint. You can check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO City Van & Caravan (60117) – $19.99

The van has some good proportions to it with a nice blue color. The main feature is the caravan itself as I do like the design of it. LEGO has thrown in some little details into the set like a coffee maker and a barbecue grill to complete the whole camping setup. The whole set itself compliments other LEGO City sets and it fits in nicely into your city.

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LEGO Nexo Knights Lance’s Mecha Horse (70312) – $19.99

Lance’s Mecha Horse is actually a two-in-one set with the main build of the horse can transform into the Turbo Jouster in only a few steps. Both modes look very nice and it can introduce kids to Technic parts if they haven’t experienced them before.

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LEGO Friends Amusement Park Space Ride (41128) – $19.99

The LEGO Friends summer wave introduced the amusement park subtheme to the line and one of the sets that caught my eye when images of the set came out was this set. As with the real ride, the faster you go, the further out the seats go and that’s exactly what the Space Ride offers. The color schemes look nice and the stickers do enhance the look more.

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$25-$50

There are some really good sets in this price range and it was pretty difficult to pick out just five sets.

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes Kryptonite Interception (76045) – $29.99

One of the LEGO sets that was released for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was the Kryptonite Interception. The main selling point of the set is the new Batman minifigure as well as the new Batmobile for the movie. The overall design of it is spot on and it does resemble the vehicle from the movie very nicely. You can check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum (76060) – $29.99

One of the newer sets for summer 2016 is Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum based on the current hit movie. The overall set is interesting with some good details and play features. The main draw is obviously the minifigures especially Doctor Strange as he hasn’t appeared in a LEGO set before this one. If you’ve watched the movie already, there are some slight differences from that and in the set which you’ll easily figure out. You can check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO Friends Amusement Park Hot Dog Van (41129) – $29.99

Another Friends set that stood out to me when the summer 2016 images came out was the Hot Dog Van. The van itself is pretty neat with the design based on a hot dog. The set also comes with a hot dog costume for one of the minidolls as well as new hot dog bun pieces which were released earlier this year.

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LEGO Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75153) – $39.99

Even though Star Wars: A Rogue One Story hasn’t been released in theaters yet, we do see a glimpse of the AT-ST Walker in the trailers and LEGO has produced a set based on it. In my opinion, the AT-ST is one of the most accurate representations of walker that LEGO has released to date. Plus, this is the first AT-ST that has been released in many years so now is a great time to pick it up if you don’t have one of the previous walkers.

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LEGO Creator Corner Deli (31050) – $39.99

The Creator line continues to crank out some really good sets for this fairly low price range with the Corner Deli. The amount of detail it has combined with the color scheme makes it one of the sets I had to include on the list at this price range. Although it is a little small, it does fit into City layouts with some modifications.

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Honorable Mention: LEGO City Fun in the Park – City People Pack (60134) – $39.99

One of the more talked about sets from earlier this year at the Toy Fairs was this set because it introduces a new wheelchair for a minifigure as well as a baby minifigure. Although the pricing is a little high, you are basically paying for the minifigures themselves and this set is a decent buy if you’re looking to add to your City.

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$$50-$75

This price range is pretty mediocre in terms of number of sets to choose from.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Avenjet Space Mission (76049) – $59.99

The Avenjet is a nicely designed jet that is both solid and the amount of playability is decent. The minifigure selection is random but awesome especially Captain Marvel and the Thanos bigfig. Check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO Ideas The Beatles Yellow Submarine (21306) – $59.99

One of the more popular LEGO announcements this year was the Yellow Submarine based on the movie of the same name. Both the set and minifigures are spot-on and is a definite buy for Beatles fans. You can check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO Ghostbusters Ecto-1 & 2 (75828) – $59.99

Earlier this year LEGO released the new Ghostbusters Ecto-1 & 2 for the reboot movie. Whether you love or hate the movie, the set itself is appealing and the design of the vehicle is pretty much perfect. The minifigure selection is great as you get a lot of new pieces and they can all fit inside the Ecto-1 unlike the previous version. Check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO Ideas Maze (21305) – $69.99

Although there was a mixed reaction to the announcement of the Maze, the set itself isn’t as bad as I thought. The nostalgia factor was definitely there after I played with it a few times harking to the times when I played with the original game. Plus there’s also unlimited possibilities of ways you can play the game and is only limited by your imagination.

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LEGO Creator Vacation Getaways (31052) – $69.99

The Vacation Getaways is a 3-in-1 set in which you can also rebuild the the camper into a summer home or a yacht although most people would prefer to leave it as the camper. The design of it looks very good and it also inlcudes an awning on the side. If you’re a fan of some AMC shows, the RV camper is great to those types of MOCs.

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$75-$100

Next up, we’re to the more higher end of the pricing spectrum which includes some of the larger themed sets as well some direct-to-consumer sets.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Super Hero Airport Battle (76051) – $79.99

One of the main battles in Captain America: civil War took place at the airport and this set truly a great representation of the scene. We do get another Quinjet but this version is slightly different from previous versions. One of the main attractions is the Giant Man build as well as the Ant-Man microfigure along with some of the exclusive characters included in the set.

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LEGO Ideas Caterham Seven 620R (21307) – $79.99

In my opinion, the Caterham Seven 620R has redefined what a higher quality LEGO Ideas set is about. The amount of detail it has from the printed brake discs to the printed bricks and tiles is exquisite. It makes a very nice display piece if you collect vehicle sets. Check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO City Prison Island (60130) – $89.99

Although we may get tired of see LEGO City Police themed sets, the Prison Island set isn’t that bad of a set and would be a good addition to your City. The prison is actually pretty large and the amount of vehicles included is great especially the police boat and the hot air balloon.

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LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle (10252) – $99.99

The LEGO Creator line of vehicles continue to grow with the Volkswagen Beetle for 2016. The build is very fun and it’s not as repetitive as you may think. I do like the color choice with the dark azure throughout the car. Check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO Creator Winter Holiday Train (10254) – $99.99

Unlike last year when LEGO re-released the Winter Toy Shop, the Winter Holiday Train isn’t an exact duplicate of the previous version of the train. You can even add Power Functions to it if you desire although it does not include it to keep the price down.

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LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge (76057) – $99.99

One of the largest Super Heroes sets to be released, the Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge is a great looking set at a very reasonable price. The minifigure selection is awesome espcially with Spider-Woman and Scarlet Spider and some villains like Kraven the Hunter and Scorpion. I would go as far to say purchase two of these sets and sell the minifigures of the second set to get your money back and you can create a full bridge.

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$100+

Finally we are up to the sets that are $100 or more which may or may not be in your price range but these are some of the best sets from 2016 on the list.

LEGO Star Wars Captain Rex’s AT-TE (75157) – $119.99

For Star Wars Rebels fans, the modified AT-TE is is a nice sight to see in LEGO form. The mixture of colors gives it a rugged appearance similar to the one in the show. Plus you get a slew of exclusive minifigures as well as a good amount of Stormtroopers.

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LEGO Creator Brick Bank (10251) – $169.99

This year’s modular building adds another corner building to the lineup. The design of the building is impressive and there’s some nice play features inside as well.

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LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes Batman Classic TV Series – Batcave (76052) – $269.99

Earlier this year, LEGO gave fans a nostalgic set with the Batcave which includes lots of the classic characters in minifigure form as well as builds that stand out like the classic Batmobile and Batcopter. The Batcave and Wayne Manor are good enough at this price point although they could be a little better. You can check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS (42056) – $299.99

Car enthusiasts fawned over the Porsche 911 GT3 RS (42056) which was released earlier this year. There are lots of details with the whole set including the packaging that gave it a premium feel that you would expect at this price point. Check out my review of the set here.

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LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters (75827) – $349.99

The quintessential set for the hardcore Ghostbusters fan is the Firehouse Headquarters. The amount of detail put in the set is nothing short of perfect from builds like Egon’s lab to the dark room where there are pictures of Vigo on the wall. There are some little things that may bug some fans about it but the pros outweigh the cons. You can check out my review of the set here.

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Honorable Mention: LEGO Disney The Disney Castle (71040) – $349.99

Of all the direct-to-consumer sets that have been released this year, the Disney Castle could be the one that shines above the rest. At over 4,000 pieces, the castle gives a great building experience along with it having lots of little details from various classic Disney movies. Although it is one of the most expensive sets on the whole list, I feel that it is absolutely worth it.

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