LEGO X ‘Pokémon’ Stirs In The Tall Grass

Welcome to the table,

Pokémon has revealed four of its upcoming LEGO sets, and they sure are something.

First up is the Eevee. This adorable little friend is a 587-piece build and stands over 7 ½ inches (19 cm) tall. It has a price point of $59.99 and seems fairly reasonable for the size and number of pieces in the build. I think from what I can tell from the photos, this works really well as a Pokémon toy.

It also feels like industrious LEGO builders are going to build some Eeveelutions fairly quickly once this set drops. All things told, I think this is the kind of set that is going to really serve the community.

Next up is the Pikachu build. This one is a 2,050-piece build with a Pokéball and base. It stands over 13 ½ inches (35 cm) tall, 10 ½ inches (26 cm) wide, and 15 ½ inches (39 cm) deep.

I love Pokémon so, so much, but this thing is so weird to me. I don’t think it translates well into brick form. I am sure there will be collectors who are totally into this. If one kid gets excited seeing it on the shelf, then that is totally rad, but the thing has a $199.99 price point. For that much coin, I expect a better Pikachu from official channels. MEGA has a few builds of Pikachu, and those all translate better than the photos and renders we have seen so far.

I could be wrong, I want to be wrong, but this just looks off to me, and it makes me kind of sad.

Next up is the big set. Coming in at a whopping $649.99, this build is 6,838-piece and includes Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise figures that stand over 9 inches (23 cm), 8 inches (20 cm), and 7 inches (18 cm) tall, respectively.

I’m kind of flabbergasted by the price of this one, not because it’s not of value (the cost of the Death Star was way more), but because it just feels so unattainable for kids. In the current market, this is going to be one of those big sets that influencers and major collectors go after.

It’s really impressive when you consider you are getting the final evolutions of the Kanto starters, and each comes with a little base that speaks to their moves, and all those bases connect to make a big display piece. On that front, it’s cool. I just know that as a kid, I would struggle to get a little set with a handful of knights and a horse for $8, so a set that costs almost as much as a cell phone is kind of mindboggling to me.

My favorite build by far, though, is the Kanto Badge Collection. This one is a “Gift With Purchase,” so you have to pre-order a set to even get it. The build is 312 pieces and contains the display box and the Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Rainbow, Soul, Marsh, Volcano, and Earth Kanto region gym badges, secured with a catch inspired by a Poké Ball.

I dig the badges a lot and think this is a really fun little case and collectible. I would actually think about buying it on its own if it were not locked behind a pre-order.

All in all, I was kind of hopeful this was going to be grander somehow. Playsets with multiple minifigure Pokémon and then ways to build a Poké Center or Gyms where you can use the new LEGO smart brick they were showing off to battle your Pokémon.

This just feels … lackluster to me. If you dig it, I’m super happy for you and hope you can collect and build to your heart’s content. These are probably going to be some bricks, though, that I’m not catching all of … if any truth be told.

Until next time, see you in the tall grass!