20 Best LEGO Sets for Older Kids

The LEGO Technic Off-Road Buggy couples the love for and joy of building a LEGO set with the pride of automating the vehicle with a remote control kit. Older kids will be both challenged and have fun building their new RC vehicle, but beyond that, the fun will continue for ages as builders race their buggy both on and off-road.

The Off-Road Buggy’s body is a colorful combination of turquoise, Fuschia, and black. In fact, the 1980s color scheme coupled with the wild graphic decals makes for an outrageous aesthetic. Once the buggy’s body is built, teens can use a downloadable app to operate and steer the vehicle over obstacles and down straightaways.

This LEGO Star Wars Slave 1 celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the movie franchise. When shopping for older children who love Star Wars, this LEGO set is sure to be a hit. Geared toward teenage builders, the Star Wars Slave 1 LEGO set comes with more than 1,000 pieces. Although this model will be a challenging build for older kids, it will fill many hours of focused fun. 

The Slave 1 model is well-detailed; it has rotating guns and even a handy storage compartment that stores some of the small included accessories. Slave 1 features a hatch that opens to a cockpit, a pilot’s seat, wings, and mounted shooters.

Your favorite Harry Potter fan will delight in building this beautiful model of Harry’s pet owl, Hedwig. This 630-piece set is just the right level of difficulty for older teens. This LEGO model is a near-exact replication of Hedwig with astounding details such as her big golden eyes and intricate feathers. Best of all, she’s carrying a letter under her beak to deliver to her best guy. One of this set’s coolest features is that with the crank of a handle, Hedwig’s wings actually flap.

An impressive display piece, Hedwig comes with a stand and nameplate; when finished, she measures approximately eight by eight inches beak to tail with a 13-inch wingspan. Your Harry Potter fan will undoubtedly be wowed by this LEGO Hedwig model.

This robotic LEGO build is great for tech-minded kids. The Mindstorms Robot Kit comprises 601 pieces; it’s a challenging and fun build that enhances their engineering skills. This LEGO Robot employs intelligent EV3 bricks, motors, and color/touch sensors. Best of all, after the robot is built, kids can program it to move with the remote control operated from a smart device. 

With the quick and free download of a coordinating app, builders can program and operate the robot. In fact, the set comes with handy instructions that delineate 17 programming functions. Essentially, the robot can be programmed to walk, talk, shoot, and more. This LEGO set is the perfect gift for older STEM-minded kids.

The perfect gift for motorcycle enthusiasts, this awesome LEGO set is an authentic replication of the Ducati Panigale. A dream bike for exotic motorcycle lovers, it’s highly detailed. The set comes with approximately 650 pieces and is intended for detail-oriented teens. The body of the bike is the iconic Ducati red finish; it has a two-speed gearbox and two working wheels that enable kids to race the Ducati around their home. 

This stellar motorcycle has a genuine-looking front and rear suspension as well as other moving operations. Other life-like elements include a working kickstand, silver exhaust pipe, transparent windshield, and intricate gear work.

The LEGO Architecture series is perfect for older children. This 468-piece set builds a beautiful replication of London’s Skyline. Featured in the finished skyline are Big Ben, The London Eye, The National Gallery, Nelson’s Column, and Tower Bridge. Each piece represents authentic cityscape colors. Notably, the London Eye Ferris Wheel is a working piece that actually spins. 

The completed scene measures approximately 10 by seven by two inches, making it a perfect display set for dressers, desks, and bookshelves. Best of all, when finished with the scene, builders can adorn the base with a decorative nameplate. Perfect for older teens, this set is a wonderful gift for kids interested in history, architecture, culture, and design.

This beautiful Winter Village is a 1,490-piece set that’s lovely to display any time of year, but especially around the holidays. The gorgeous village scene consists of a series of small builds surrounding a bigger cottage house. Covered with snow-capped roofs, each of the buildings conjures all of your favorite wintertime memories. The main chalet is outfitted in twinkly Christmas lights and warm, inviting sconces that actually light up. 

Besides the sweet buildings, it includes a flatbed truck with an affixed snow plow, a snowblower, and a sled. The set also comes with eight mini-figures, members of a big family, who can articulate to roleplay with the fun winter accessories. This is a super fun LEGO set to do to get you in the holiday spirit.

The LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle is a super cool build that hobbyists will love. Suitable for older teens, this set comes with 962 pieces that quite literally make a ship in a bottle. The schooner within the bottle features all the elements of a pirate ship such as full-mast sails, captain’s quarters, a cannon, a crow’s nest, a flag, and more. The sails have decal markings that give them a more genuine aesthetic and the ship is flanked by authentic-looking planks.

What’s more, the clear plastic bottle is even a buildable structure. On the floor of the bottle, small bubble-like bricks make the water upon which the schooner “floats.” A beautiful display piece, the LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle is highly recommended.

This amazing LEGO Technic set is designed with teenage builders in mind; it contains 1,127 pieces and comes together to build a working Motorized Excavator. Measuring approximately 23 by four by 19 inches, the excavator is a respectable size for roleplaying. Whether they are into construction vehicles or just a LEGO Technic enthusiast, older kids are sure to be wowed by this set. 

Not only does the motorized excavator support a teen’s love for building but also engineering. The motorized excavator is fully operational by use of intuitive remote controls. The excavator can also be made to move in 360° rotations and the double controls can cause it to move back and forth on its track wheels.

The Wall-E LEGO set is the perfect gift for Disney fans; suitable for teens and adults alike, the set contains 676 pieces and is challenging and fun to build. This set comes together to build the Disney movie’s “last robot left on Earth.” Designed by a real Disney animator, the Wall-E LEGO set has perfect realism and excellent details. 

Some of this model’s most realistic elements include a poseable neck as well as an adjustable head and arms. The maneuverability of the model makes it super fun for roleplaying games. What’s more, the Wall-E model has gripping hands and moveable track wheels. Lastly, the sweet Wall-E model has a real trunk that opens and closes.

The LEGO Creator Winter Holiday Train is a whimsical build that older kids will marvel at. Suitable for teenage builders, the train set includes 734 colorful pieces. Included with this set are a locomotive, caboose, and plenty of train tracks. Additionally, it comes with a family of mini-figures that includes a grandmother, boy, and girl; there is also a locomotive driver and a ticket collector, both of which add to the authenticity of the scene. 

Beautiful decorative pieces such as holiday wreaths, Christmas lights, and buildable toys/presents make for fun add-ons. Some of the cute toys include a micro-robot, walkie-talkies, and a firetruck. Finally, an upgraded kit can be purchased separately to motorize the train.

The LEGO Taj Mahal is an intricate architectural build consisting of nearly 6,000 pieces. Intended for children 16 and older, this set is both fun and challenging. With highly detailed and minute features, this LEGO build is not for the faint of heart. A perfect gift for LEGO lovers, travelers, and history buffs, this set will surely delight builders.

Just like the real thing, this Taj Mahal LEGO set features sinuous arches, ornamental domes, high-reaching towers, and ornate finials. Not a single detail is spared with this impressive LEGO set.

This massive yet very impressive set is the answer to the pressing question of what to buy your LEGO-loving Harry Potter fan. An amazing construction set for kids 16 years old and up, this set replicates Harry Potter’s wizarding school, Hogwarts Castle. This epic LEGO set features many recognizable Hogwarts settings and elements such as the Whomping Willow, the Chamber of Secrets, and other iconic settings. 

The Great Hall, Hagrid’s Hut, classrooms, towers, and beyond are all featured within the castle with many moving elements such as secret staircases as well as lovely details like stained glass windows. Finally, the Hogwarts Castle comes with a complete set of characters represented as LEGO micro-figures.

This LEGO Creator set equips builders to engineer a classic 1960s Ford Mustang. With nearly 1,500 LEGO pieces, the Ford Mustang is intended for kids 16 and older or expert-level LEGO builders. The body on the finished Mustang GT is a gorgeous dark blue with white racing stripes. It’s loaded with iconic Mustang features such as five-spoke rims, rugged tires, and a V-8 engine. 

The Mustang has a super detailed interior with two-tone bucket seats, a gray steering wheel, a rearview mirror, and more. The finished model has the iconic Mustang hood ornament, license plates, and an authentic hood scoop. Speaking of the hood, beneath it is a LEGO-built motor replica that adds to the model’s authenticity.

This super unique LEGO Architecture kit depicts the eclectic and colorful Tokyo skyline featuring iconic Japanese landmarks: the Tokyo Tower, Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, Tokyo Big Sight, TOKYO SKYTREE, Chidorigafuchi Park, and Shibuya Crossing among others. This 547-piece set makes a beautiful coffee table or bookshelf ornament.

Although each of the buildings is an individual build, they all come together on a cohesive baseplate that can be easily moved and displayed. Each of the buildings is constructed of bricks that perfectly represent its iconic color scheme. As such, this is a bright and colorful LEGO set.

This astounding LEGO kit includes the popular Netflix series’ two settings as one cohesive build. This LEGO set comes with 2,300 bricks and is perfect for “Stranger Things” fans who want to bring the show to life. The set features the Byers’ home, a primary locale in “Stranger Things” which is juxtaposed by the show’s secondary setting: The Upside Down. 

One of the set’s coolest features is that when the build is complete, it can be flipped upside down to display one or the other of the two settings. Best of all, it will stand upright on either side. What’s more, the set comes with eight “Stranger Things” mini-figures such as Eleven, Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, and Chief Jim Hopkins among others.

The LEGO Dinosaur Fossil Kit is a delicate and intricate build intended to be displayed and not really played with. As such, this set is most suitable for children 16 and older. Older kids will adore roleplaying as a paleontologist while they build these excellent models. This set comes with all the pieces to build a poseable Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, and Pteranodon. Each can be perfectly displayed on the included stands. 

Additionally, the set comes with paleontologist and Sapien skeleton mini-figures. It also comes with a small kit of paleontologist tools. The collectible fossils set comes with a whopping 910 pieces and will provide dinosaur enthusiasts or natural history buffs with hours of unabated fun.

In a time where vintage is cool, kids will adore this faithful set that pays homage to the classic NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System LEGO set replicates the old-school game console, complete with the tethered game controller and game cartridge. Moreover, a secondary build produces a realistic-looking 80s tube television set atop a piece of brown furniture. 

Depicted on the television is an image of Mario, mid-action, in his first NES outing. Best of all the action of the game can be scrolled through by using a hand lever on the television. If they are a fan of Nintendo, this display model of the NES is a must-have.

This LEGO building kit creates a super cool Stormtrooper Helmet that measures approximately 7 x 14 x 5 inches when finished. Star Wars fans will delight in building and displaying this cool piece that will show their allegiance to the Empire. The set comes with 647 pieces in mostly black and white with accents of gray in just the right places. 

The Stormtrooper Helmet also comes with a display stand and plaque perfect for LEGO enthusiasts and Star Wars fans. Best of all, the Stormtrooper Helmet is one in a series of collectible LEGO Star Wars sets including a Boba Fett Helmet.

The 1,323-piece LEGO Sesame Street is an amazing model set and interactive toy. After the joy of building Sesame Street from the ground up, teens will delight in roleplaying show scenes and creating all new ones. Perfect for roleplaying are the many included mini-figures such as Big Bird, Elmo, Oscar, Cookie Monster, Bert & Ernie, and others. The Sesame Street buildings include the 1-2-3 Sesame Street Building, Elmo’s bedroom, and Bert & Ernie’s apartment. 

Each of the settings showcases iconic Sesame Street details such as portraits, pets, and toys like Rubber Ducky and Radar the Teddy Bear. The authentic details in this set are astounding; it even features the iconic Sesame Street street sign on the corner.