The first Lego Pokémon sets have been announced, and of course the coolest is over $600

• Lego's first three Pokémon sets have landed
• The standout is the 6,838-piece Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise build
• The cheapest is the Lego Eevee at $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$99.99

Following that electric teaser last year, we’ve finally been shown the first three Lego Pokémon sets, and it turns out the true Champion battle at the end of the Elite Four is a gorgeous 6,838-piece behemoth that’s super-effective against my wallet.

The standout set I’m referring to is the Lego Pokémon Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise, which features all three third-stage Kanto starters on a three-part base – with a woodland clearing for Venusaur, an outcrop with waves splashing against it for Blastoise, and a volcano overflowing with lava for Charizard.

It looks stunning, but as you might imagine, the set will put you back $649.99 / £579.99 / AU$999.99 when it launches on February 27 alongside the other two (more on them down below).

If you do decide to preorder this set, however, you’ll get a bonus Kanto Region Badge Collection gift-with-purchase for free while stocks last. The case showcases Lego-ified versions of every badge, and as someone who has considered sewing Pokémon badge patches inside his favorite jacket, just like Ash Ketchum had them in the show, I’m very jealous of everyone who’ll get their hands on this bonus build.

Gotta build ‘em all

If Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise aren’t in your price range, there are a couple of cheaper options.

The simplest, smallest, and least expensive set is Eevee. This 587-piece critter is up for preorder for just $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$99.99, but features a decent amount of articulation so you can pose the final model by adjusting its head, ears, tail, and paws.

As Pokémon’s now cemented second mascot, Eevee, was a shoo-in for a build, and I love that despite the low brick count, it features a solid amount of detail and looks set to deploy some interesting techniques to create a smoother, less-bricky finish to the ‘mon’s coat.

Then sandwiched between the other two, it's, of course, Pikachu leaping out of its Poké Ball in a flash of blue sparks.

This set is definitely on the display-piece side of things, but I like how there are a few different options for how you pose the final build. For a more action-ready stance, you can opt for Pikachu leaping out of its ball, or you can remove the stand and position Pikachu more playfully with its Poké Ball – with the finished model staring up with a playful look.

I also like the small detail of being able to choose between Pikachu’s two tail shapes in your build – a straight end, which is seen with males, or the heart-like bumps seen with Female Pikachu.

Though I’ll admit the Pikachu looks a little – I don’t know – off? I think it's the cheeks that throw off the face shape for me, which at least makes it easier not to cry at the price.

$199.99 / £179.99 / AU$299.99 is not unheard of for a set with 2,050 pieces, but considering the icon status of Pikachu, I wish it had a second set that was closer to the Lego Eevee’s cost to make it more accessible (though $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$99.99 is also not the cheapest).

I imagine a difficulty Lego faces with the Pokémon builds is that the smooth finishes necessitate a lot of internal pieces, making it hard to cut the piece count down, which then leads to a higher price.

Hopefully, if the collab continues, we’ll see a more accessible range of costs, because right now my hype has dried up – and even the nostalgia these sets are fuelled with can’t refill the crater these three would create in my wallet.

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