LEGO’s Huge Poké Ball (72154) Is Showstopping — And An Investment?

Last week, the latest LEGO Pokémon sets were announced with little fanfare, but perhaps the company wants them to speak for themselves; it's probably the most consistent line-up in the partnership yet, save for one fumble.

The new five-strong collection follows a rocky start for LEGO x Pokémon. In round one, we had the great-looking, fun-to-build Eevee (72151) , the rather misjudged Pikachu and Poké Ball (72152) , and the blockbuster 6,800-piece Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise (72153) . This was followed by a second range as part of the LEGO Group's new SMART Play line-up, which admittedly offered some bangers for your shelf (specifically Mewtwo, Cubone, and Jigglypuff), but it remains to be seen if these digital sets will break the apparent curse of rock-bottom prices now charged for the OG Star Wars line-up .

The LEGO Group announced the news via a standard press release earlier this week, rather than making a more orchestrated push to draw fans' attention to the collection, but the latest collection feels like it'll sell for a handful of reasons:

• The Arcanine (72160) set looks fantastic and weighty, and channels the brilliant Eevee set in more ways than one;

• The Up-Scaled Red Minifigure (40868) adds to a clear mini-fandom for big minifigs ( guilty! ), which, among others, includes the LEGO Classic-style option (40649), Blue Astronaut (40921), Racing Driver (40819), and the super-detailed Darth Vader (75461);

• Munchlax (72150) is a cuter version of everyone's favorite glutton, Snorlax; as a statement piece, it hits a nice price point.

Not all of them are winners. Rayquaza (72168) , for me, looks like a real swing-and-a-miss, given this minimalist $130 set clocks in at 12 cents per piece, half the build is in the base alone, and its dragon-like body uses pipe parts.

The most exciting set is a display piece that, let's be honest, everyone expected to arrive in one form or another. The Iconic Trainer Moments Poké Ball (72154) , with 2,386 parts for $299.99 (£229.99; €259.99), looks fantastic, even if it's a frankly eye-watering 13.4 cents per piece. While it pushes the boundaries of affordability, part of me thinks the LEGO Group knows the set's true value lies deeper than price per brick.

I don't say this often about LEGO sets — I've been burned in the past — but I think 72154 could be a shrewd investment. I don't do recommendations like this, but Iconic Trainer Moments Poké Ball (72154) gets a few important things right:

• It's a straightforward, well-shaped, and eye-catching display piece when closed;

• The open diorama focuses on the way nearly every Pokémon game starts, back to the very first Game Boy outings, giving it the broadest possible appeal across generations;

• For collectors, it has three unique minifigures — Red, Picnicker, and Professor Oak — plus one-of-a-kind Eevee and Pikachu figures that didn't even come with the brilliant Eevee and the sets; and, perhaps most importantly;

• The Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block (71395) — another licensed, Nintendo-flavored diorama piece — spawned countless Temu/AliExpress knock-offs, driving up demand and aftermarket prices for authentic sets since the build was retired in 2024.

There's a case to be made that its high-ticket status is both a blessing and a curse. If people don't buy it, it'll drop in value early. However, as LEGO produces its sets in response to demand, a shorter run would only increase rarity in the long term. That said, Iconic Trainer Moments Poké Ball (72154) may be a little niche; perhaps a 40-year-old original fan may be putting too much stock in its simple design.

Not that it matters to me — it's another LEGO gaming set I'll inevitably add to my wall of fame/shame.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com