Inspired by the excitement of living in a big city, Lego City is a range of building kits designed for ages 3 to 12+, but it is also loved by many adults. There are packs that depict construction work taking place, emergency services, freight transport and much more. Each pack comes with a series of numbered bags containing the Lego bricks, along with complete instructions on how to fit the pieces together.
Since 2005 Lego packs that relate to town life have been released under the City title. Although at first the action centred around the emergency services and industry, more diverse themes like Deep Sea Exploration and Arctic were soon added. The success of these construction kits has inspired a video title based on Lego City game, which can be played on all major consoles.
Lego is a learning toy that is also incredibly fun and rewarding to play with. In a world where many children enjoy gaming, Lego is a tactile alternative that gives them a range of building materials to stir their imagination, rather than just bricks. Kids learn to construct buildings with windows and doors, or attach wheels to cars that they can then move around. There are also many playable elements in complex builds like the Police Station and the Lego City Fire Station, which has a replica cherry picker crane. With a crop of TV series and films, Lego has now crossed over to other platforms and continues to be a popular choice for kids of all ages.
Lego has included many familiar buildings, vehicles and scenes to populate its city, here are a few of the best known and enduring packs.
Lego City Police Station – The Lego City Police Station is a generous pack that is aimed at the 6-12 age group. The main build is on three levels and the facility is complete inside with toilets, desks, and a jail cell with an exploding wall for criminal escapes. To provide extra action, there are vehicles like a cherry picker, motorbike, pursuit car and helicopter, as well as mini figures and a police dog. There are also smaller packs in the police range, these include Mountain Arrest and the High-Speed Chase sets. The Mountain Arrest features a crook’s hideout and a police Chinook helicopter, and the High-Speed Chase set includes a police pursuit car, stolen sports car (packed with loot), and a barrier. For kids who prefer more rugged vehicles, there is a Dirt Road Pursuit pack that has an off-road 4x4 police truck, along with a 4x4 crooks' truck, a net shooter and a rock slide function.
Lego City Train – Made up of two key packs, this part of the Lego City transport collection offers a passenger version and a cargo version, both of which are motorised and run on the same type of track. Aimed at 6 to 12-year-olds, the passenger model has a driver’s cabin that can be accessed through a nose cone. The two cars can be customised with tables and chairs to make a café. Once the train has been constructed, the track can be set up in various formations, there are four straight and 16 curved rails, along with a platform. The motorised engine is controlled using Bluetooth can be set to 10 different speed levels. The cargo model, also has a track and a 10-speed Bluetooth remote control function. Here the action is more geared toward industry, with a moveable crane wagon, container trucks, and forklift truck with working forks. The wagon pallets can be filled with gold bars or the snow scooter and there are six mini-figures to bring everything to life. If you want to extend the track you can find a range of different curved and straight sections at the Lego Store, all compatible with the basic rail collection.
Lego City Jungle – Lego City enthusiasts have been on a quite a few out of town adventures over the years, with arctic and volcanic backdrops to explore. The Lego Jungle packs were introduced in 2017 and there are now several to collect. They range from larger kits like the Mobile Lab, to smaller versions like the Starter Pack. The more sizable packs have lots of animals, including an articulated leopard and an alligator to create the action-packed play. It’s not just the animals that pose a threat however, as quirky elements like a giant Venus flytrap with a huge spider in its mouth make up part of the scenery. The vehicles include amphibious trucks, helicopters, motorbikes and canoes to traverse the rapids.
Lego City Airport – There have been a number of Lego City air travel kits released since the theme was introduced in 2005. One of the largest and most complex packs is the Passenger Terminal that features a large control tower, a service car to take care of luggage and a passenger plane complete with mobile staircase. Another sizable pack is the Lego City Airport, which is designed for the 4-7 age group. This includes a terminal, a control tower, a conveyor belt for luggage, along with two aeroplanes, and a fuelling truck. You can also opt to buy a range of individual planes to go with either set, along with the Mountain River Heist pack which has a police aeroplane. Alternatively, the Cargo Terminal, with its transport trucks, movable barriers and pallet storage can add an extra dimension to the air terminal. Most planes and scenery in the Lego City air range come with mini figures which represent ground crew or pilots.
Lego City Superpacks – Lego began referring to some of its kits as a superpack back in 2008. In most cases, they are made up of three or four Lego packs in one, but they can contain up to seven individual kits. The benefit of buying three or more kits in one is that you have a mini-world all ready to go. These packs tend to be grouped into themes like trucks, smaller vehicles or air transport. If you are looking for more than one kit, buying in bulk with these superpacks offers an excellent way of saving money compared to purchasing each item individually.
There have been three Lego City themed advent calendars released since 2005, these are sold online and at high street retailers during the Christmas period. The Lego City Advent Calendar is produced with a flap to the front, this opens out to become a mat which can be used to create scenes as the toys are taken out. Behind each of the twenty-four doors, there are different buildable gifts. These include robots, trucks, spacecraft and some mini figures. You will also find animals like huskies and other seasonally inspired items, like cookies and even a Santa. This calendar is sold for the 8-12 age group and the gifts can be added on to other packs.
Lego has a history of creating great games to go with their themed collections, these include titles based on Lego Star Wars, Lego Harry Potter, and Lego Lord of the Rings. To accompany the Lego City range, they have produced Lego City: Undercover for the Nintendo Switch, Wii U, PS4, and the Xbox One. Although it is not linked to any larger franchise, this is an excellent romp with plenty of the company’s trademark comedy notes. The premise borrows heavily from Grand Theft Auto, with nods to kung fu, gangster and police films, but with a PEGI 7 rating, the action is all child-friendly. You play as Chase McCain, a cop with numerous disguises who works his way around Lego City hunting for master criminal, Rex Fury. The large open world has plenty of vehicles for players to test out, side quests and endless potential for exploration. It also packs in familiar Lego gameplay elements, like puzzles and collectables.
There is a huge amount of Lego City packs to choose from, some are affordable and some are quite expensive. Selecting the right one can be a challenge, but here are a few ideas to help you narrow a search.
Age – Lego City sets are aimed at a range of ages from 3 up to 12+, you can use this as a guide when buying to make sure you get a kit that is appropriate for the recipient. In all, there are four age groups for Lego City, 3-5, 6-8, 9-11 and 12+, but you can also make a selection based on the individual. If you are buying for a 10-year-old who has plenty of Lego and enjoys a challenge, then it is likely that a more complicated kit would be ideal. The kits for younger children tend to have models which are smaller, mini figures and some pre-assembled parts. As the age range increases more extras are included, these might have moving parts or motorised engines like the railway packs.
Interests – There are Lego City kits to fit in with the interests of any child and even most adults! If you are buying for someone with a sense of adventure, the Arctic Mobile Exploration Base could be a good choice, while transport fans will enjoy the vehicles, and animal lovers will appreciate the exploration packs. This small world can suit their real-life interests, but it can also provide inspiration for new hobbies.
Price Range – When you search for Lego City online, you will find packs that cost around £200 and others costing as little as £2.99, so there really is something for every budget. That means if you have a price range in mind, you will not have any difficulty sticking with it. You can go big with an epic Capital City pack or choose small vehicles and street accessories which cost very little. The advantage of buying any type of Lego is you don’t need to commit to a big spend immediately. You can start small, then add to a collection at birthdays and Christmas. And always check out the hotukdeals listings for the best prices on Lego City Sets.
Although Lego is an exceptional toy that has stood the test of time, there are a few advantages and disadvantages you might consider before purchasing a Lego City set.
Advantages
Lego encourages creativity in a builder and there are no limits to what can be made.
Children can feel proud of their various creations, which boosts their self-esteem.
Lego nurtures a range of problem-solving and planning skills.
Disadvantages
Some of the more advanced kits can be extremely difficult to assemble and some children may need assistance.
Pieces of the same kit often become separated from each other and attached to other projects.
Small pieces are often lost entirely making it impossible to recreate the model without purchasing replacements.
There are a range of less expensive construction kits that offer a similar experience to Lego City. Some of the most popular are Mega Bloks and Block Tech, along with a range of own-brand Lego clones. These kits provide hours of fun for kids, but they are not produced with the same build quality or complexity and are unlikely to last as long as genuine Lego. Furthermore, cheaper versions do not provide the degree of variation that Lego does and they have little or no resale value.
The complete Lego City collection is available at the Lego store, along with a selection of accessories to enhance each kit. As a perennial favourite, Lego City items are usually stocked at supermarkets and toy stores. You can shop the range online at John Lewis, Asda, and Smyths Toys, amongst many other retailers. From time to time Lego creates new packs and retires older models if you are looking for a retired kit they are often in stock at eBay, but you can also check in at the Retired Products page at Lego.
In order to bag a reduced Lego City kit, you can shop in the sales at Christmas or during the Black Friday and January Sale events. During these times, Amazon and Argos, amongst others, both take part in these sales with huge reductions across their Lego department, including the City range. In past years, reductions of up to 30% have been laid on by Debenhams and Hamleys, but there are also good deals to be found online in the regular bank holiday, spring and summer sales.
Lego City are themed Lego Sets that allow fans can create their own thriving metropolis. The hotukdeals community discovers all the best Lego City buys from across the internet and high street, then publish them together in a regularly updated tag page. You can find the best deals and offers on Lego City Sets on the hotukdeals listings.
Gingerdan
Thought that said "Lego City Communist Town Centre" for a second.