While technology focuses on making everything smaller, Denmark-born company LEGO has seen unprecedented success making everything bigger. Their official build kits can number in the thousands of pieces, enough to construct elaborate, towering, and massive objects. If you have a lot of spare time and patience, take a look at the five biggest LEGO sets ever made.
1. TAJ MAHAL
Originally released in 2008, LEGO’s Taj Mahal set wowed collectors and casuals alike with its devotion to detail. Consisting of 5922 pieces, it remains the largest set on a per-piece basis of any LEGO set ever made. (It also comes in at a towering 16 inches when completed.) In 2010, soccer star David Beckham told an interviewer that he spent much of his spare time in Italy between games building the set.
2. ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S MILLENNIUM FALCON
It would be nearly 10 years before a new Star Wars film arrived in theaters, but in 2007 LEGO decided to release their most complex Force-related product yet: the 5197-piece Millennium Falcon. To help fans appreciate the scope of this build—which measures three feet by two feet when completed—Gizmodo’s unboxing video revealed that the instruction manual alone weighs four pounds. It’s currently regarded as the most valuable LEGO set ever released, with resales averaging nearly $4000.
3. GHOSTBUSTERS FIREHOUSE HEADQUARTERS
The arrival of 2016’s Ghostbusters reboot brought with it a sea of merchandising. One of the few to cross the streams and feature characters from both the current version and the original 1984 film was the LEGO version of their firehouse office space, which clocks in at 4634 pieces. While the towering frame of the building requires plenty of bricks, it’s the detail inside that ups the part count: Opening the firehouse reveals tons of tiny details taken from the films, including a dancing toaster and the zombie cab driver.
4. TOWER BRIDGE
A brick-perfect replica of London’s famed crossing over the River Thames, the Tower Bridge was released in 2010 and comes boxed with 4287 pieces. The set features a working drawbridge and more than 80 tiny windows.
5. BIG BEN
The latest in the biggest LEGO sets ever made, 2016’s Big Ben clocks in at 4163 pieces. The completed work stands nearly two feet tall. LEGO designers also went for some synergy, noting that the scale of Big Ben and the London Bridge are comparable, making them a perfect co-display—and a testament to your towering patience.