Is the LEGO Architecture Tokyo (21051) a Good Investment Set?

12th October 2022

At the end of 2022, we'll be waving goodbye to a large number of LEGO sets, one of which is the architecture set of Tokyo's skyline. It's now the time of year that many collectors will be prioritising which sets to buy to try and make some profit with on the secondary market. Therefore, in this article we review Tokyo's investment potential to see if this is one you should be adding to your basket in the coming months.

The set

Tokyo was one of the 2020 instalments in the Architecture Skylines range of sets, alongside Dubai (21052). Tokyo is an excellent choice for a skyline set, due to its abundance of interesting skyscrapers and other architectural landmarks. The build features micro-scale representations of Tokyo Tower, Cocoon Tower, Mount Fuji, the Skytree, Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Big Sight, and Chidorigafuchi Park. In my opinion, LEGO has picked the best collection of buildings and attractions the city has to offer, and the variations in colour and form make this one of the best-looking Skyline sets. The set design also makes use of a variety of building techniques that make its construction very enjoyable.

Tokyo retails for £54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 and has a piece count of 547. This equates to a price per piece of 10.1p / 11.0c, which is one of the highest for a Skylines set. However, it is one of the highest quality sets in this subtheme.

Unique Parts

Architecture sets have always had a premium quality to them, with printed pieces preferred over stickers. This is also sensible given the small-scale nature of the build and the fiddliness of applying stickers to such tiny surfaces. This means that there are several unique and rare parts, such as those used to construct the Cocoon Tower. The collection of unusual parts is likely to be very handy for MOC builders, which could help push up the price of this set once it retires.

Looking to the future

The Architecture theme has a universal appeal as anyone who has ever travelled, or enjoys architecture, design, or culture, will enjoy displaying a conveniently sized model of their favourite city. The high-quality elements and sophisticated subject matter means that these sets appeal strongly to an older audience, which is good news from an investment perspective, as serious LEGO collectors tend to be adults. Thus, sets that appeal to them are more likely to be desirable in the future and increase in value.

Conclusion

Investment opportunity: FAIR / GOOD

The early releases under the Skylines subtheme now sell for several times their original RRP, although the two most recently retired sets have performed less well. Dubai is now selling for slightly less than its RRP, while San Francisco is selling for a small profit.

Although they both only left shelves less than a year ago, some better price growth would have been a more encouraging sign for Tokyo's investment potential. However, this set is a better model and display piece than Dubai and San Francisco, and the Japanese capital is a more appealing destination to have in LEGO form.

One negative point is that Tokyo has been around for three years, which is longer than average, so this needs to be factored in. Overall, the set's merits make this a decent investment bet, but it's more likely it will see a small initial increase in value, rather than huge profit margins.

Disclaimer: This article or any others on brickranker.com should not be considered financial advice and investing in LEGO is risky.

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