It’s New Year’s Eve and 2022 is coming to a close as 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. It’s certainly been another eventful year, with the LEGO Group celebrating 90 Years of Play. In fact, it has been a year of LEGO milestones with LEGO Friends reaching its 10th year along with the Superheroes themes. But 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. BricksFanz readers have also gotten involved by sharing the picks on social media. The BricksFanz Awards may not be as prestigious as the Oscars but they do involve far less physical violence.
Surprise of the Year
10302: Transformers Optimus Prime
Who would have thought there would ever be an official Transformers LEGO set? I certainly didn’t as the brand is owned by rival toy brand Hasbro and was previously used by them for their own range of building sets. So rumours of an Optimus Prime set were taken with an extremely large pinch of salt. But really it was and even now it seems impossible. Opening the box to see the Hasbro, Tomy and Tanaka logos sitting alongside the LEGO logo was certainly an odd moment. But this just goes to show how powerful the LEGO brand is, that even trivial toy makers will gladly let the LEGO Group use their properties to create construction sets. Optimus Prime isn’t the end of the partnership as the LEGO Group and Hasbro will also be working together on a set inspired by Dungeons & Dragons.
LEGO City Set of the Year
60346: Barn & Farm Animals
It’s rather well known that LEGO fans have a fondness for LEGO creatures and for many years there have cried out for LEGO City to take a trip to the farm. Earlier this year, those wishes were answered with a series of sets inspired by farming. The best of those sets was actually a 4+ release. Despite the simplistic nature of the set, the LEGO City Barn & Farm Animals set included an impressive line-up of 8 animals, many of which were brand-new moulds.
LEGO Friends Set of the Year
41708: Roller Disco Arcade
I don’t build many LEGO Friends sets, but that’s about to change as I have all the new sets to build for review. Before the theme is rebooted in 2023, there’s been a few great LEGO Friends sets released this year. They include Mia’s Wildlife Rescue, the Friendship Tree House and Andrea’s Theater School. But my favourite Friends set is the Roller Disco Arcade. This colourful set is packed with amazing elements and offers something unique for the theme.
LEGO Star Wars Set of the Year
75335: BD-1
This year saw the LEGO Star Wars theme branched out to include different sorts of sets such as dioramas and many sets inspired by new Star Wars adventures. My favourite set is actually a continuation of the buildable Droids range but one also inspired by a previously untouched part of the Star Wars universe – gaming. Jedi Fallen Order was the first new Star Wars adventure from EA and followed the story of Cal Kestis and his Droid buddy BD-1. It’s that plucky little Droid who is the focus on my favourite Star Wars set of 2022. It’s a great-looking set and basically a 1:1 brick-built replica of the popular game character. It would have been perfect if it had also included a Cal minifigure.
LEGO Marvel Set of the Year
76218: Sanctum Sanctorum
With Warner Bros. Studios’ inability to decide upon a consistent DC Comics storyline and many films created either being delayed or written off for tax purposes; it’s fallen to Marvel to inspire most of the 2022 superhero sets. Just like Star Wars, LEGO Marvel has also started to introduce some interesting new larger-scale sets. There have been a few big Marvel sets this year but only one hasn’t been universally hated and it also gave us a surprise 2nd modular building. Doctor Stranger’s Sanctum Sanctorum proved an instant hit with fans. Not only was it packed with detail and characters from various MCU movies it looked pretty cool next to any of the LEGO Icons Modular Buildings. Making it a sneaky way to up the annual modular count.
LEGO Ideas Set of the Year
21333: Vincent van Gogh – The Starry Night
LEGO Ideas continues to provide the most varied amount of LEGO builds and this year has seen the most LEGO Ideas sets released in a year if you include the LEGO Ideas sourced GWP sets. Despite a buildable globe and working lighthouse being released this year for me the most interesting of the 2022 Ideas releases has to be Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. The way it’s built and the final result is pretty interesting and it really does like like the LEGO elements have been painted in place.
LEGO ICONS Set of the Year
10306: Atari 2600
LEGO Icons has become the ultimate theme for offering great build experiences and spectacular display pieces. This year alone it’s given us the Back to the Future Time Machine, buildable plants, a huge rollercoaster and an even bigger recreation of the Eiffel Tower plus it’s brought back classic LEGO themes with the Lion Knights’ Castle and the Galaxy Explorer. But my favourite of the Icons 2022 releases has to be the Atari 2600. I have great memories of this videogame system and the set builds on that nostalgia with buildable cartridges, a hidden room within the console and even dioramas inspired by classic Atari games.
LEGO Book of the Year
The Art of the Minifigure (Chronicle Books)
Thanks to the new partnership with the LEGO Group and Ameet Books, the LEGO Books imprint has seen more books released by a number of publishers. One of my favourites took an in-depth look at the iconic LEGO Minifigure. From their origins over 40 years ago to how new elements are created, The Art of the Minifigure covers it all and provides the most comprehensive look at a much-loved part of the LEGO ecosystem.
Set of the Year
76989: Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck
When rumours began to circulate that there was a LEGO set on the way based on the popular PlayStation series, Horizon, I was wary. The game has a massive fanbase after releasing titles on PlayStation 4 and PS5, but it’s not a gaming brand as widely known as Mario or Overwatch. Plus, the LEGO Group hadn’t really worked with Sony as they had with Nintendo, SEGA or Microsoft. Once the set was released, not only was it real it was awesome. The Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck is an iconic machine found in the games and the LEGO version manages to perfectly capture its appearance. Making it an amazing display piece and so much fun to build. It even sed a unique element for the Aloy minifigure. I really hope its popularity will inspire more sets based on the Horizon games or games in general.
Theme of the Year
LEGO Monkie Kid
The LEGO Monkie Kid theme has consistently provided amazing sets but with every new wave, they just keep getting better. Considering the sets have limited availability they still provide some of the most inventive builds and excellent minifigures. It more than fills the gap once inhabited by original ‘in/out’ themes. I’ve said it before – Monkie Kid is a great showcase of how LEGO sets can benefit from not being tied to a license. Sets based on iconic movies and TV shows are great but there is an equally important place in the LEGO ecosystem for sets based on original ideas.
Readers Choice
76989: Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck
BricksFanz readers have been sharing their favourite sets of 2022 on social media and the set which picked up the most votes is Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck. As it was also my set of the year, it’s nice to see others agree. As I’ve already mentioned, I’m a fan of the game but never expected it to inspire a LEGO set. But the resulting build is so much fun, the finished set looks amazing, it has an excellent minifigure and it has a decent RRP for a licensed set. Honourable mentions go to the Galaxy Explorer, Lion Knights’ Castle, Mando Starfighter and Mia’s Wildlife Rescue.
