Introducing a new monthly feature on Jay’s Brick Blog – monthly power rankings!
At the end of each month, I’ll re-assess this Top 10 list of the best LEGO sets of 2021, and re-rank them as new LEGO sets get launched/my opinions change.
What are Power Rankings?
Essentially, they’re commonly used in sports leagues like the NBA to track and compare the best/worst performing teams, often changing weekly based on results and how teams play.
I often get asked via email or on social media what the best sets of the (insert current) year/month are, and I usually rattle off what I personally like, so to start 2021, I’ve decided to start a regular series where I track and rank what the best 10 LEGO sets are at the end of each month.
This isn’t meant to be scientific or data-driven (some of these I haven’t personally built/own yet) – just my personal opinion of what I think are the best LEGO sets of 2021!
Of course, for a more comprehensive evaluation of LEGO sets, you can read my LEGO reviews for more detailed opinions. For sets that I’ve reviewed, I’ll also include the scores next to the power rankings, but it’s quite unlikely that I’ll get to review every amazing set of 2021 – I sometimes build and miss out reviewing due to time/scheduling issues.
January 2021 LEGO Power Rankings
Top 10 LEGO sets of 2021
- 10281 Bonsai Tree
- 80107 Spring Lantern Festival [Review] [Rating: 5/5 ★★★★★]
- 10278 Modular Police Station [Review] [Rating: 4/5 ★★★★✰]
- 71741 Ninjago City Gardens
- 71738 Zane’s Titan Mech Battle
- Series 21 Minifigures [Review] [Rating: 4/5 ★★★★✰]
- 10280 Flower Bouquet
- Harry Potter Moments Books
- 75299 Trouble on Tatooine
- 76171 Miles Morales Mech
It’s only January, and already the list is packed with some heavy hitters. For me, the Bonsai Tree easily takes the top spot, beating out the Spring Lantern Festival (which I loved), as the best LEGO set of 2021 so far.
It’s an incredible set, that packs so much enjoyment, value and promise into a fairly inexpensive set. No wonder it’s sold out everywhere. Expect a full review soon!
That’s my Top 10 for January 2021 – check in on 28 February for an updated list – we should see some new entrants such as the Medieval Blacksmith, or the recently announced Porsche 911 Turbo!
Don’t forget, the Medieval Blacksmith is released on 1 February 2021, and should be available just after midnight AEDT.
Other interesting LEGO finds from around the web you should read from January 2021
- What if they introduced a new Technic pin, and nobody noticed? by the Rambling Brick
- Destiny’s Bounty (71705) Review by True North Bricks
- LEGO Ninjago City Gardens designer interview by New Elementary
- Minifigures Series 21 review by Tips and Bricks
- LEGO Ideas: Original Projects vs. Final Sets by Brickset
- Mastering the Art of Bonsai – by BrickNerd
- LEGO 31111 Cyber Drone references by LEGO designer George Gilliatt
- LEGO Ideas 90th anniversary survey: Bionicle wins 1st round, but nearly half the users want a castle by Stonewars.de
Read January 2021 reviews
It’s been a busy month for reviews! In case you missed anything, check out all sets I’ve reviewed in January 2021 below!
Thanks again to everyone who has participated in the conversation, on the blog, Facebook or Instagram. This has been THE biggest January on the blog in terms of traffic numbers, so I’m excited to see what the rest of the year brings!
Let me know in the comments what your favourite sets or builds from January 2021 were!
What a cool concept, I like it! Though I think it might make for some heated discussions… For instance, how is Ninjago Gardens not number 1?!? 😆
Also, sharing interesting articles is such an awesome idea, thanks! There is so much Lego news/reviews that comes out constantly, I’ve unsubscribed from almost all of it, so having someone share the good stuff is golden. And that first link, about the new Technic pin, I knew something was going on there!
I’ve only seen photos, so maybe my mind will be changed when I get up close and personal with it…
Haha yeah, there’s just SO much going on now, and I myself find it hard to keep up, so it’s a great opportunity to highlight some of the cooler articles from around the web!
Hi thanks for another great article. Its absolutely Ninjago City Gardens for me. I’m half way through and the details and build elements are amazing. I would say even though I love my modular buildings the Ninjago sets have more detail than anything else. I thought the Ninjago City was going to be the best, and then along came the gardens.
You’re welcome! I was umming and ahhing about it, but I haven’t really seen it in the flesh yet, so maybe once I get up close and personal, it might shoot up next month’s rankings 🙂
Great post and thanks also for the tidbits around the web section, some interesting reads there. I hadn’t realised the 90th anniversary model survey had generated so much, umm, interest ;). All I can add to a lot of the tirades floating around about various themes is that if you don’t like the chosen set, don’t buy it ;).
For me Ninjago City Gardens is the pick of the month. Looks awesome and if the build is half as good as Ninjago City it’ll be a hoot. They kept the same price point too which was a nice touch. I’d like to get the Bouquet as well, but it’s been perennially out of stock.
Thanks Andrew! I think I’m most thankful for the focus back on Vintage LEGO, which I personally love, as well as an increased spotlight on Bionicle, and the passionate community behind it.
There are a few good sets out, I am lucky as my partner and my mum have bought the majority for me, the Chinese New Year sets, Ninjago city gardens, Harry Potter books. Number one for me is definitely Ninjago city gardens, I have yet to build it, my partner built Ninjago city, when he was off work and had a lot of free time, so this one is mine to build.
Oh nice! I’m still weighing up on getting Ninjago City Gardens, as it’s a big purchase, and I have no space to display it. If I had the Docks and City on display already, it would be a no-brainer purchase, but I’m likely to just wait for a good discount.
I recently purchased the Bonsai Tree (together with Trouble on Tatooine, Mandalorian and Child brickheadz double pack, a little Easter bunny set and little monster truck set for my son- this gave me the free 50s sports car).
The delivery took way longer than normal- three weeks or so. I think Lego are/were currently inundated with orders.
Anyway, although I think the Bonsai is really good I was hoping it would be better if I’m honest, I was hoping for it to be ‘fuller’ in the foliage, if that makes sense, I think the marketing team have done a real good job in their clever angles of the press pictures and on the box. The pictures make the tree look more leafy than it is in real life. I went with the green leaves. It’s really cool how they give you all the cherry blossom bits to change the tree if you wish.
Are you in the UK? Our deliveries were bad due to various lockdowns, but things have definitely calmed down on our end.
Definitely right on the fullness of the foliage, but I think it’s a great opportunity for you to customise and add to it to truly make it your own.
Do you know if they’ll be restocking the bonsai tree? I’ve just decided I’ll allow myself to get it and of course it’s sold out everywhere 😭😭
Hey Catherine, just saw this pop up, it’s now available on the Mr Toys website: https://www.mrtoys.com.au/lego/lego-creator-expert/lego-creator-expert-tbd-lifestyle-2-2021-10281-47622.html