Pikachu, Eevee, Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise are amongst the first Pokémon to be turned into Lego, along with some neat bonus sets.
Fans knew it was coming, with the first tease as long ago as last March, and now the first wave of Lego Pokémon sets have been officially unveiled and they look great… and very expensive.
It’s the 30th anniversary of Pokémon this year and while there has been a line of Pokémon toys from Lego knock-off Mega for the last few years, this is the first time there’s ever been official Lego sets.
It’s the fourth Lego theme to be based on a Nintendo franchise, after Super Mario, The Legend Of Zelda, and Animal Crossing and it’s almost certainly going to be massive… and leave an equally large hole in your bank account.
The unspoken theme behind this first wave of sets is that they’re aimed solely at adult collectors, as they’re all rated 18+ for difficulty and they’re all a lot more expensive than you might expect.
Obviously, Pikachu is the first thing you think of when it comes to Pokémon, but his set is arguably the worst, even if it’s true that his shape and features are not something that naturally work well in Lego. He comes with a stand and a pokéball, which together costs £179.99.
Perhaps it looks better in person, and it does seem very posable, since it can be shown either running or sitting up, but it doesn’t really matter because the set went up for pre-order on the Lego website less than an hour ago, from when we started writing this, and it’s already sold out.
When are the Lego Pokémon sets out?
The sets aren’t due to be released until February 27, so hopefully the Pikachu one will become available again for pre-order before that. If nothing else, this will signal to Lego that these are going to sell like hotcakes, so they’ll no doubt ramp up production as much as they can.
The cheapest set, relatively speaking, is Evee, which looks really good. It goes for £54.99 and they’ve done a really good job recreating the shape of the real thing, while maintaining lots of poseability. It also probably means that there’s a whole bunch of Eevee evolutions waiting in the wings, for those that have gotta build ‘em all.
By far the most expensive set is Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise, which looks fantastic but costs an eyewatering £579.99. There’s no way to buy them separately and we’re not aware that Lego has ever broken down sets like that before, so at the moment at least this is the only way to get these three characters.
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So far, there’s no sign of any Pokémon minifigures, but then there wasn’t for the Super Mario line either. If you’re still having trouble getting your head round those prices though, remember these are very much adult sets, that Lego does not expect kids to have or build.
Rumours suggest that the second wave of Lego Pokémon will be aimed much more squarely at younger fans, with talk of around a dozen lower cost (and lower difficulty) sets to come this summer.
Lego rumours are much like video rumours, in that they’re almost always true when reliable insiders are involved, and it’s also suggested that many of the summer sets will use Lego’s new Smart Brick tech that features interactive elements like lights and sound, that react to motion and the proximity of special Lego titles.
Lego has already made an oblique reference to ‘three new Lego Pokémon sets’, as part of a prize for spotting special clues on ‘digital channels’, that will allow you to win various prizes, including a trip to the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco. More information about the Scavenger Hunt is due to be revealed on the official Lego website.
In the meantime, there’s also a couple of very nice sets that are only available by special means. The Pokémon Kanto Region Badge Collection is a gift with purchase when you by the Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise set, and won’t be available any other way.
Meanwhile, the Mini Pokémon Center is something that will be available via the Lego Insiders Rewards scheme, which you pay for via points you earn buying things from the official Lego website and stores. Although that won’t be available until February 27 either.
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