I have finally gotten my hands on a copy of the January 2019 LEGO® catalog. In the past, I have taken a detailed look at these catalogs, and analysed the numbers to come up with stats on the average costs of sets and bricks, among other things. I have to admit that in 2018, I was rather remiss in my analyses. Part of that was because I moved, and stopped getting catalogs for a while. But, now I am getting back on track. This year, I am still going to look at some stats, but I am also going to combine this post with my top 10 picks from the catalog, just for fun.
The January 2019 catalog advertises 125 different sets, for a total of 101,945 bricks. The average cost of one of those bricks this time around is $0.15. My first thought about that was “holy crap”. Thinking back a year, when I last did a catalog review, the average cost of a brick was $0.12. Now, it is important to take this information with a grain of salt. The price of a brick can fluctuate widely from catalog to catalog for no other reason than set selection. Just displaying a bunch of sets with a high cost per brick will skew the average. So, it is better to look at trends over several catalogs. But, $0.15? The average cost per brick for all of 2017 was $0.13, and the highest it went in any of the catalogs that year was $0.14. I guess only time will tell if this is an upward spike, or a fluke of advertising…
As usual, the City theme is up there in terms of cost per brick. But, it is not the most expensive this time around. The priciest was actually the Disney theme, followed by DC Comics Super Heroes. However, DC Comics is a prime example of what I mentioned before concerning set selection. The catalog advertises the App Controlled Batmobile. The cost of a brick in that set is $0.37 due to the expense of the motorized components, which really hikes the average. As usual, Classic remains the best value. As for my top 10 picks this time around, keep reading!
10. Roller Coaster (10261)
I’m just going to get this one done right off the bat. I really want this set… Will I actually get it? Probably not. The price tag is a little high. But, it certainly looks awesome, and would probably teach me a few new building techniques. If I got this, it would probably remain exactly as it is on display in my LEGO® room. It gets the #10 spot because of the inhibitive price tag and the unlikelihood of me actually getting it…
- Price: $479.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 4124
- Price/Brick: $0.12 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 11
09. Burger Bar Fire Rescue (60214)
I am not 100% sure that I like the look of that new “pump with water jet” function that is being advertised with this set. It looks overly large and unrealistic. But, I like the burger bar and the signage that comes with it. The sliding window looks like a neat design too. This set gets the #9 spot because it doesn’t look like there is much substance to it, other than the neat signage and window. I’ll probably wait for a sale.
- Price: $49.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 327
- Price/Brick: $0.15 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 3
08. Ultrakitty & Warrior Lucy (70827)
This set just looks like fun. I don’t have much use for it, but I like the design of Ultrakitty, and it would probably be fun to build.
- Price: $39.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 348
- Price/Brick: $0.11 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 2 + Unikitty
07. Pop-Up Party Bus (70828)
I don’t actually want this set for the set itself. It looks like it comes with loads of awesome, re-usable parts and mini-builds (like the turntable and speakers inside). The design looks like it might incorporate some neat building techniques that could make this set quite fun to assemble. I probably wouldn’t keep it built as is though.
- Price: $99.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 1024
- Price/Brick: $0.10 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 2 + Unikitty
06. Sweet Mayhem’s Systar Starship (70830)
Again, not a set that I particularly have a use for. But, it looks like a pretty sweet design (see what I did there? You can stop rolling your eyes now). I can see a lot of great, re-usable parts in this kit too. I don’t know if I would keep it built forever, but I could see myself displaying this one for a little while. Sadly, this set suffers from a bad price-per-brick.
- Price: $89.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 502
- Price/Brick: $0.18 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 3
05. Fire Station (60215)
I have never actually bought a LEGO® fire station before (unless you count the Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters). My city is probably in need of one. While I would have to modify this one quite a bit, I do like the look of it. I also don’t feel the price tag is as inhibitive as some other fire stations we have seen in the past. Unlike other stations, this one also does not come with the token helicopter that I don’t need. The set doesn’t have a very good value overall though, but that is common for City theme sets.
- Price: $89.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 509
- Price/Brick: $0.18 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 4
04. Hanzo vs. Genji (75971)
I know nothing about Overwatch, let’s just get that out of the way. My interest in this set is based on its look. As I am writing this, I am also working on a MOC expansion of my Ninjago City. I have been scouring Pinterest for design ideas, and then the LEGO® Group dropped this one in my lap. I really like the look of this, and it comes with that hanging scroll that I can re-use. I may be wrong but it also looks like one of the characters has a new hair piece.
- Price: $24.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 197
- Price/Brick: $0.13 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 3
03. Vestas Wind Turbine (10268)
My LEGO® city needs a method to generate to power. It is one of those realistic details that I would really like to have. This set also looks cool, and I am keen to see how the power functions work. This is probably the worst value set on my list in terms of price per brick though. I would imagine that results from the motorized components.
- Price: $249.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 826
- Price/Brick: $0.30 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 3
02. Monastery of Spinjitzu (70670)
Again, I am pretty caught up in building up my Ninjago City. I really like the oriental style of Ninjago, so my city is gradually getting its own “China Town” as a result. While I would probably modify this set considerably to incorporate it into my city, I would try to preserve the overall feel of this set. It also looks like it has some fun building techniques, and it comes at an excellent value even at full price.
- Price: $99.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 1070
- Price/Brick: $0.09 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 8
01. Corner Garage (10264)
This is my must have set from the January 2019 catalog. There are no questions here, I will acquire this set. However, I will probably wait for double VIP points before I pick it up. In the past, that has meant that I wait until March to buy the yearly modular… here’s hoping the trend continues. I am really quite excited for this one. I love that it has a vet’s clinic, but it is a bit more pricey than the modulars that have come before it in terms of price per brick.
- Price: $269.99 CAD
- Number of bricks: 2569
- Price/Brick: $0.11 CAD
- # of Minifigures: 6
That’s it for my picks from the January 2019 LEGO® catalog. I would love to hear about your selections as well, so feel free to leave a comment below! Also, if you like the content at True North Bricks, I would love it if you followed me here on WordPress (click the “follow” option in the menu to your right), Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter for regular updates.
Until next time,
-Tom
I don’t know much about Overwatch either, but the mini figures look interesting, and one of the sets has a lot of parts in pink. I could definitely use more stuff in pink.
Color selection is important, and it drives some of my purchase choices too!