The 2024 LEGO House exclusive set is an ode to LEGO’s Building Systems

March 1, 2024 | 2

The LEGO House has unveiled the 5th LEGO House exclusive, paying tribute to 3 different LEGO Building Systems that make LEGO what it is today!

40505 LEGO Building Systems will go on sale on 1 March 2024 for 699 DKK, and will only be available exclusively from the LEGO Store at the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark.

The set focuses on the three System in Play platforms: LEGO System, LEGO Technic and LEGO DUPLO, which underpin the LEGO Brand as we know it today.

There’s a distinct historical element to the 2024 LEGO House exclusive, as it pays tribute to the LEGO House History collection, a mini-museum archiving the LEGO Group’s products and history. If you’ve visited the LEGO House, you’ll immediately recognise the the grey colour scheme (and gold accents) that make up the background.

The set celebrates three milestone moments – one for each system, featuring Town Plan No. 1 from 1955, the DUPLO train sets from the 1980s, and the Technic product, 853 Car Chassis from 1977.

The first System in Play product, Town Plan No.1, launched in 1955 and immediately established the LEGO System in Play Idea as the cornerstone of the LEGO brand. The innovative System in Play concept originated from the second-generation owner, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, who aspired to ‘create toys that prepare a child for life – appealing to its imagination and developing the creative urge and joy of creation that are the driving forces in every human being’.

The set’s design lead is Stuart Harris, Master Builder of the LEGO House, and was the final model was finished by Markus Rollbühler (who you may know from his work on LEGO Ninjago, most recently with 71799 NINJAGO City Markets).

“This year’s brief was ‘focus on the three core LEGO building systems’. With that in mind, I visited the History Collection in LEGO House and mentally noted the sets that caught my eye. The models we celebrate in a LEGO House Exclusive needs to be significant milestones in LEGO history, so after discussing my favourites with our in-house historians, I go hands-on in the workshop and start building,” says Stuart and continues:

“LEGO Town Plan was always a favourite of mine, so including it in this year’s exclusive set was a no-brainer. I had more options for which Technic and DUPLO models to feature, but I ended up choosing the classic car chassis and the DUPLO train. All three models are LEGO fan favourites and are an integral part of the activities at LEGO House.” said Stuart Harris.

But wait, the set is also a celebration of the History Collection at the LEGO House, and in the back, is a brilliant timeline of nano-scale models, featuring iconic milestones in LEGO history, including The Wooden Duck, DUPLO set 511 that comprised both DUPLO and LEGO System bricks, Technic Space Shuttle set 8480, Bionicle Tahu set 40581 and many others.

In total, there are 19 nano-builds to discover, with an additional empty space for you to fill with your own LEGO build of personal significance. Because after all, LEGO play is about crafting your own memories through creativity and imagination.

Congrats Bionicle fans – you made it into the historical tribute, canister and all! Also love that 70751 Temple of Airjitzu is featured.

How many sets can you recognise here?

40505 LEGO Building Systems joins four previous LEGO House exclusives, including 40501 The Wooden Duck, 40502 The Brick Moulding Machine (retired), 40503 Dagny Holm Master Builder, and last year’s 40504 A Minifigure Tribute.

If you’re lucky enough to be around Billund, Denmark, there’s also an opportunity to meet the designers Stuart Harris and Markus Rollbühler as well as get a copy of your set signed on 1, 8, and 15 March, 2024 from 3.30-5.00pm in LEGO Square!

I’ll be checking out and reviewing the set soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for it soon! It’s definitely a more niche set than say, 40504 A Minifigure Tribute, but I really like the ode to the History Collection, which was my favourite part of the LEGO House as I’m a tragic for LEGO History and vintage-era sets.

What do you think of 40505 LEGO Building Systems?

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