LEGO

LEGO

LEGO is easiest to shop by theme, because the theme tells you the age it is pitched at and the kind of building involved. Licensed themes such as Star Wars, Minecraft, Disney, Harry Potter and Jurassic World are bought for the characters and vehicles, and battle packs and microfighters are the small entry point into them. City is the everyday range, with police, fire and rescue vehicles built around play rather than display. Technic sits at the other end, using gears, pistons and axles rather than plain bricks, and the Formula 1 and machinery models are aimed at older teenagers and adults. Classic is the open-ended box of bricks that keeps every other theme going. The age guide printed on the box reflects both dexterity and piece count and is worth reading rather than assuming, and every set is compatible with every other regardless of theme or decade.

Set numbers are the reliable way to track a collection, since the range moves constantly as sets retire and new ones arrive, and the number stays with a set for life. The themes stocked include LEGO Star Wars, LEGO City, LEGO Technic, LEGO Classic, LEGO Friends, LEGO DUPLO and LEGO Botanicals, with the wider Toys department covering construction toys and games from other brands.