ICONS

LEGO ICONS 11378 DC-3 Pan American Airliner

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A LEGO model of a DC-3 Pan American airliner, displayed on a stand with a plaque, featuring blue and white colours, alongside LEGO minifigures in pilot and passenger attire.

LEGO ICONs appears to be on a roll with its collection of large-scale aircraft. In 2023 we saw the 10318 Concorde, and last year we gained the 10360 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft – a combination 747 and Space Shuttle. This April, athe 11378 DC-3 Pan American Airliner is being released. Introduced in the 1930s, the DC-3 was the first airliner to be able to cross the continental United States in only 18 hours, with 3 stops. Carrying up to 36 passengers, it had a top speed of 333km/h. The DC-3 was in production until 1942. While around 600 DC-3’s were built, its military equivalent, the C-47 Skytrain, was produced in the thousands.

The LEGO Group sent this set over for an early look, ahead of it’s April release – but all opinions are my own. Let’s take a look at the pieces, the minifigures, and the final build, and then consider reasons that might exist behind some of the design choices with this set.

Let’s take a closer look:

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Project Hail Mary: coming in March 2025

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A detailed model of the '11389 Project Hail Mary' showcased on a wooden surface, surrounded by books. The model features a spacecraft design with multiple components, set against a backdrop of a concrete wall and decorative plants.

I love a good spaceship. I love LEGO Spaceships more. With the first manned Artemis ship set to fly to the moon any day now [Update: delayed until March 2026] we are entering a new era of manned spaceflight, bound to spark imaginations around the world, looking outward with an enthusiasm unseen since the shuttle program. And in the background, sciece fiction continues to reach for the stars.

Author Andy Weir includes enough plausible science in his work to make you feel that what you are reading isn’t ‘What?’ so much as “When?” The Martian was a compelling story of Survival in a harsh, alien environment. His latest book, 2021’s Project Hail Mary was released to much acclaim and is due for release as a Motion Picture starring Ryan Gosling in March 2024.

Some how, it seems to be inevitable that would be a LEGO Set to go along with it.

Packaging of the LEGO set 'Project Hail Mary' featuring a model of a spacecraft with three rocket boosters, two mini-figures, and detailed elements, designed for ages 18 and up.
LEGO set box for Project Hail Mary, featuring a detailed spacecraft model with astronaut mini-figures and illustrations of the build.

Set 11389 LEGO ICONS: Project Hail Mary has 830 pieces and one minifigure. It will go on sale on the first of March 2026, priced at 179.99 AUD/ 99,99 USD / 109,99 EUR / 99,99 GBP.

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Go Off the Grid with LEGO ICONS 11371 Shopping Street. [Review]

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I have to admit, I have a rather soft spot for the annual modular set. When our family discovered that Adult Fans were a thing, back in 2009, we may well have picked up the modulars sets that were available at the time. Things have certainly changed over the years: faces have changed, flowers have changed, colours have exploded, and printed elements are more likely to replace a brick-built font on the building’s facade.

I was quite excited when the LEGO Group sent 11371 Shopping Street over for review, ahead of its January 1 2026 release. The set has 7 minifigures, 3456 pieces and will be priced at AUD 399.99/
£229.99/US$249.99/€249.99.

This new Shopping Street – incorporating a musical instrument store and a furniture store/carpenter – brings a few features that left me feeling nostalgic for the early days of modular buildings, while at the same time, feeling fresh and innovative. Let’s take a closer look.

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11371 Shopping Street is our Next Modular Building – January 1 2026 for LEGO® Insiders

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It’s an annual highlight in the LEGO Fan’s calendar: the reveal of the Modular Building. Once part of Creator Expert, and now ICONS, Modular buildings were my gateway drug, deranging me down a slippery slope into accepting life as an Adult Fan of a Children’s toy, over 15 years ago.

This year’s model does not disappoint me.

We have two buildings-!- music shop and a furniture store (with an upstairs workshop), separated by an angled alleyway. They are joined by connecting walkways at the first and second floors.

LEGO ICONS SET 11371 Shopping Street will be priced at $AUD399.99/ $USD249.99 / 249,99 EUR / £229.99 The set will be released on January 1 2026 has 3456 pieces and seven minifigures- two of whom are twins.

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LEGO® Art, Icons and Architecture are aiming to decorate your home in 2026

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A collage image featuring three LEGO sets: a Japanese Cherry Blossom landscape scene on the left, an Autumn Cottage Garden in the center, and a Paris architectural model on the right. Text overlay reads 'Art, Icons and Architecture: Dominating Your Home Decor in 2026'.
LEGO Art set featuring a Japanese Cherry Blossom Landscape with Mount Fuji, a teahouse, a bridge, and waterfalls crafted from colorful bricks, framed in a black lacquer shadow box.
LEGO Art set depicting the Eiffel Tower and iconic Parisian architecture against a dark blue background, labeled 'City of Love'.
A colorful LEGO set featuring a quaint cottage surrounded by autumn trees, a river, and garden elements. The scene includes a weeping willow, orange and yellow trees, flowers, and decorative details like a cart and a garden gnome.

LEGO® Art, Icons and Architecture are themes that are transforming LEGO Bricks from a construction toy to a decorative medium, and each theme has just revealed a new piece for January 2026. Let’s take a wander around these upcoming sets, set for a January 2026 release:

Read On for More

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LEGO® ICONS Prepares to Boldly Go. 10365

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A large model of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701D from LEGO, showcased in space with a starry background and text promoting the set.

Normally a picture release of a large grey spaceship heralds the arrival of something from the LEGO Star Wars team. But this is much more exciting. After moving around a series of alternative toy brick companies over the years, the Star Trek License has finally come to rest with the LEGO Group, and I have to admit I am just a little bit excited.

Box art of the LEGO Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D set highlighting its detailed design and features.
LEGO Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D set box featuring the starship model and included mini figures against a dark background.

The 10356 USS Enterprise NCC-1701 D has 3600 pieces and will be released in time for Black Friday, on 28th November 2025 at LEGO.com/Star-Trek and LEGO Stores priced at $AUD599.99 /€379.99 / £349.99 / $USD399.99. The set comes with nine mini figures, and the line up is just about perfect.

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10366 LEGO® ICONS Tropical Aquarium 3: Customisation

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Colorful display of the 10366 Tropical Aquarium with LEGO elements including a yellow submarine, a treasure chest, and various sea plants and coral.

We have been taking a look at the 10366 Tropical Aquarium, coming out in mid November 2025. This is a large, expensive set, quite unlike anything that the LEGO Group has produced at this scale before. It’s not based on a renowned piece of Architecture, it doesn’t tie in with any preconceived cinematic universes, and neither does it follow up with one of the regular ICONs subthemes. It’s a 52 litre fish tank, filled with corals, plants, and fish of unrealistic provenance. However, I must admit, it looks quite neat. Impressive even.

A colorful LEGO diorama of a tropical aquarium filled with various coral, plants, and fish, showcasing a vibrant underwater scene.

Fish tanks often feature decorative elements within them. The Tropical Aquarium features a treasure chest, tucked away in the back corner, serving as a bubbler, along with a rock cave and shelf. However, beyond that, it is comprised of all plants, coral, and anemones.

In fact, it’s beginning to look like one of those colourful underwater layouts you often see at LEGO Conventions, with lots of hidey holes and scope for exploration and storytelling. This left me thinking about the broad range of underwater exploration themes that have cropped up over the years, and more importantly, made their way into my collection. And how they could add life to this set.

Let’s start with a quick look at some of the sets which I own (and some that I don’t), which feel as though they might serve as aquarium decorations .

  1. A Brief History of Underwater Themes
    1. Aquazone
    2. 1997-2012: Divers, Alpha Team, Aqua Raiders and Atlantis
    3. LEGO City Deep Sea/ Polar Explorers
    4. LEGO IDEAS
    5. SpongeBob SquarePants
    6. The Little Mermaid
  2. Let’s consider the space that we are planning to customise.
  3. Filling the Aquarium
    1. SpongeBob Square Pants
    2. Yellow Submarine
    3. Fantasy Underwater Layout: Enter the Aquazone
      1. Action Stations
  4. In conclusion
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What did I learn from 10366 LEGO ICONS Tropical Aquarium?

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Display of the 10366 LEGO Icons Tropical Aquarium set featuring colorful marine life and coral structures, set against a bright blue background inside a glass enclosure.

The 10366 Tropical Aquarium will be released in mid November. In our previous article, we looked at the overall build experience. The set is the most expensive LEGO® Set that is not based on an external IP, such as a movie, or large piece of architecture. The final model is also quite large. I suspect this will be a model that has its ardent fans, but a lot of people will, quite rightly, be put off simply by the $AUD699.99/USD379.99/ €449.99 / £399.99 price tag.

Despite the pricing, this set is not without its merits. Today, I want to show you some of my favorite learnings from the set, which can be translated into models of your own. If you think they are interesting things, download the manual, or look up the relevant parts of construction in the LEGO BUILDER App. In my next installment, I’ll look at some other ideas for customising the model, while I intend examine the value in fourth of my review series. I am grateful that the LEGO Group sent a copy of this set over for review: all opinions and thoughts in here are my own.

A colorful LEGO® model of a tropical aquarium, showcasing various coral structures in vibrant colors, including purple, orange, and green elements, arranged on a rocky base against a textured blue background.

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10366 Tropical Aquarium: Build Experience

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A LEGO® set featuring a tropical aquarium with colorful fish, coral, and aquatic plants, presented in a clear tank design.

The Tropical aquarium is a premium LEGO® set, which at first glance seeks to tie the neat parts usage that characterises the Botanicals range, with the less official ‘Life Size Objects’ sub-theme that we have seen in recent years across LEGO ICONS and IDEAS. This represents a landmark in LEGO Set marketing: to date, it is the most expensive set released that does not tie in with any preexisting external intellectual property. I also recognise that if you are considering whether or not you are going to spend $AUD699.99/USD379.99/ €449.99 / £399.99, you probably want to be pretty sure that this is a set for you. The set represents a significant multifactorial investment – in monetary terms, display space and the time taken to assemble. I am grateful that the LEGO Group sent a copy of this set over for review: all my opinions are my own, as much as can be possible.

A colorful LEGO® model of a tropical aquarium, showcasing various coral structures in vibrant colors, including purple, orange, and green elements, arranged on a rocky base against a textured blue background.

In this first part of a multi-post review, I will look at the set itself, including the building experience.

In our next installment, I’ll show you some of the things that I learned from building the set. In part three, we will consider some ways you mightchoose to customise the display. In our final part, we will examine whether or not there is actual value for money in the set.

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LEGO Reveals Major Festive Season Offerings for October release

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A festive scene featuring the LEGO® Icons Holiday Express Train and LEGO Family Christmas Tree Decoration, surrounded by holiday decorations.

Wondering what’s coming your way for the Winter Holiday Village this year? Wait no more. Today the LEGO Group have revealed the upcoming release of two major holiday themed sets, coming in October 2025. the first is 10361 LEGO® Icons Holiday Express Train – the third winter holiday train and the first since the LEGO Group adopted the ICONs branding (and started to use a lot of pale blue in their winter holiday sets.)

LEGO Icons Holiday Express Train box set featuring a festive train with minifigures, a steam locomotive, and holiday decorations set against a starry background.
Box design of the LEGO Icons Holiday Express Train set, featuring a colorful train with festive decorations, including minifigures and a circular track.

There is also the massive 41843 LEGO Family Christmas Tree Decoration, with 3171 pieces. This Christmas Tree opens up to reveal a diorama stacked with minifigures.

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