It’s New Year’s Eve and as the final moments of 2023 come close, the clock ticks down to another year and the BricksFanz Awards are back. I’ve taken a look back over the past 12 months and picked some of my favourite LEGO-related things to occur in the year gone by. For my look back over the past 12 months I’ll be focusing on some of my favourite builds from some of the biggest themes and other LEGO-related things to happen in 2023.
Surprise of the Year
LEGO VIP was rebranded earlier this year and previous to the arrival of LEGO Insiders, a survey suggested where the LEGO Group’s loyalty program could go. Plenty of great ideas were floated, including unique GWP sets, free gifts with every order and free delivery for members. However, LEGO Insiders brought nothing new apart from the name. Nothing about LEGO VIP/Insiders has changed beyond the ability to gain extra points from scanning instructions. The surprise is that the rebranding had the opportunity to provide a great loyalty program instead we got just the same old VIP experience with a new logo.
LEGO City Set of the Year
The LEGO City theme has been on a roll lately, instead of endless remakes focused on firefighters or the police, LEGO City has tapped into wider city life. The shift in focus for the long-running theme was evident throughout 2023 but my pick on the best LEGO City set of 2023, goes to one of the smallest to be released this year. The ATV & Otter Habitat set offers a very simple build, but it’s the introduction of the new Otter element. The set features two of them and kick-started a new trend of small, cheaper sets with new animal elements in them.
LEGO Friends Set of the Year
This is an easy one, in 2023 the LEGO Friends theme was rebooted and introduced a new gang of characters. New faces weren’t the only change for Friends, the 2023 sets saw the theme kick things up a notch. For my best LEGO Friends set pick, the award goes to the amazing Botanical Garden. This incredible set is packed with detail and makes amazing use of LEGO elements to create not only one of the best Friends sets of 2023 but the best Friends set ever.
LEGO Star Wars Set of the Year
As LEGO Star Wars prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2024, this past year hasn’t seen the theme at its greatest. With no new film and limited new content on Disney+, the theme has relied on the original films and past spin-off content. But it’s something completely new which takes the top spot for me. The Mandalorian has inspired quite a few sets and one of them, inspired by an episode from season 3, offered something completely new. The Spider Tank is briefly shown during Chapter 18 of the Disney+ series and offers both a nice build experience and something new for Star Wars.
LEGO Marvel Set of the Year
Similar to Star Wars, the Marvel theme has had an interesting year. Not only did we get another series for Marvel minifigures, plus we also got one of the theme’s largest sets to date. Plus, thanks to The Marvels, we also got one of the most overpriced Marvel sets ever. But for the set of the year we head back to the conclusion of the Infinity Saga and the Endgame Final Battle set. It’s one of few sets based on the Avengers film to actually capture a moment from the film. It’s also an interesting display piece. Proving the Marvel theme can revisit past MCU moments and create displayable sets which aren’t massive props.
LEGO Ideas Set of the Year
LEGO Ideas has had another impressive year but for me, the set which stood out the most was the Insect Collection. Firstly, it was an original idea meaning it wasn’t restricted by an IP and secondly, it was fun to build. The result is an incredible set, which makes an amazing display piece. Each insect is expertly crafted and uses elements in impressive ways to bring each creature to life. Hopefully, it will inspire similar sets, possibly in the new Fauna Collection.
LEGO ICONS Set of the Year
The LEGO Group have been increasingly seeking inspiration from the world of gaming. The results have given use LEGO Mario, LEGO Sonic and next year, LEGO Animal Crossing. But it’s a set inspired by the early days of gaming which takes the top stop. PAC-MAN is an iconic piece of gaming history and this Icons set was inspired by the Namco classic. Not only does it look similar to the tabletop versions of the game, but the working functions elevated the set to another level.
LEGO Interactive Content of the Year
It’s been extremely quiet on the LEGO Games front but now the LEGO Group has chosen to work with multiple developers, allowing LEGO content to appear across gaming platforms. 2023 has seen the release of the first LEGO title from 2K, LEGO DLC added to Sonic Superstars and even a VR version of Brick Tales for Meta Quest. But it’s the LEGO Group’s partnership with Epic which has proven the most exciting. LEGO Fortnite has proven popular with gamers and the future of this new addition to Fortnite holds endless possibilities. Hopefully, the partnership will also result in LEGO Fortnite sets at some point.
LEGO Book of the Year
This year saw the LEGO Books imprint welcome a new publisher to the ranks. Dark Horse released its first-ever LEGO title and it was all about LEGO Space. The offers an amazing insight into how the bygone theme was created and offers a glimpse into why is still loved today. The book also features some impressive archive material.
Set(s) of the Year
I’m going to cheat a little here as there are two sets which I loved this year and I can’t decide between them. So my sets of the year go to both the Friends Botanical Garden and the Ideas Insects Collection sets. Both offered enjoyable build experiences and both sets look amazing, plus they each showcase the endless possibilities of what can be achieved with LEGO bricks.
