5 LEGO Sets to Buy in 2023 Before They Retire

Hundreds of LEGO sets will start selling out for good in just a few months. Whether you're wanting to add a new set to your collection, or someone looking to buy some sets as an investment, now is the time to start planning those all important purchases.

In this article, we pick out five LEGO sets that we think could see their value increase once they retire and that you might want to prioritise buying now.

75309 Republic Gunship

It's hard to not recommend buying a UCS Star Wars set before it retires, as they typically see their value skyrocket on the secondary market. They're also impressive display models, and the Republic Gunship is no exception.

It was the first UCS set to be decided by a fan vote and is one of a small number of Clone Wars ships to be given the LEGO treatment. Given the popularity of Star Wars, and in particular the Clone Wars, we don't expect this set to sell for any less than its RRP on the aftermarket.

10497 Galaxy Explorer

Somewhat surprisingly, the commemorative Galaxy Explorer is due to leave us in just a few short months. We expected it to retire alongside the other 90th Anniversary set, the Lion Knights' Castle, which is not currently scheduled to leave shelves until 2025.

Maybe poor sales are the reason LEGO have decided to axe the Galaxy Explorer, but regardless, it's a cracking set and one of our favourites from last year. For anyone with a love of classic LEGO Space, this is a must-have as it's a perfect tribute to the original Galaxy Explorer.

With such a short shelf life (< 18 months), and being a LEGO exclusive, it's possible that far fewer copies of this set will have sold than sets more widely available. This means supply on the aftermarket could be low, which typically pushes up prices.

76956 T. rex Breakout

The T. rex Breakout was another of our favourite sets from last year. It captures a memorable scene from the first Jurassic Park movie at a comfortable scale and price tag. It's a great example of a well thought out display model that targets LEGO's growing adult audience.

The set features a nice brick-built T. rex and gives us a fully built Ford Explorer, which is a vehicle many Jurassic Park fans have been wanting for some time. This acts as a handy accessory for other sets from the franchise, such as the 75936 T. rex Rampage, although can now also get this vehicle in the 76959 Triceratops Research.

The collectible value of this set is also helped by the inclusion of four unique minifigures, which excellently display the rain and mud on their clothing. All in all, this is a fine set from a franchise that still holds some strong nostalgia for many AFOLs.

76255 The New Guardians' Ship

Another shock exit is the New Guardians' Ship, which feels like it's only just arrived in stores. And in relative terms it has, as it was only released in April this year, giving it a shelf life of a mere 9 months.

This set doesn't suffer from the terrible overpricing of some recent Marvel sets, and represents pretty reasonable value for money. The ship itself looks cool, but the minifigures are the main reason to buy this set.

Adam Warlock looks fantastic and is built entirely from exclusive parts, so I can see him rising steadily in value in the years ahead. Nebula also has some uniqueness, with a new head piece and an interesting torso with one silver arm. While the identical MCU costumes across the four Guardians is a disappointment, all of them are good looking minifigures.

76832 XL-15 Spaceship

The XL-15 Spaceship has flown under the radar somewhat, but this isn't a reflection of its quality. It's by far and away the most interesting of the three Lightyear sets that were released last year and is a visually appealing and cleverly designed spaceship with great accuracy to its source material.

It's not a set that will interest too many adult collectors, but it contains a decent selection of parts that could widen its appeal to MOC builders. Also, like most of the other sets in our list, it has been around for less than two years.

To see the full list of sets retiring in 2023 and beyond, check out our retirement tracker.

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