25 Lego sets every serious collector needs to own

3. Minecraft  The Mountain Cave – 2,863 pieces

You’ve heard of Minecraft the video game, but have you heard of Minecraft the LEGO set? Now you have. This nearly 3,000-piece set is inspired by the mountain ranges of Minecraft, where players (and now LEGO builders) can create anything their hearts desire. Want trees and rocks on your mountain fortress? Simply set them up. Want to forge labyrinthine tunnels and splashing waterfalls? This set has those, too. There is even a mine where you can bring up new materials in your mining carts. Need to blast? Light up the TNT. Don’t forget to carve out some sanctuaries for yourself, too, such as places to eat, sleep and stay warm. A small light allows you to illuminate several different pieces, like the rotating spider-spawner (yikes!), a jack-o-lantern, a furnace, a cave wall torch, and more.

And because no adventure is complete without a little danger, this set comes with plenty of enemies to disturb your peaceful mountain existence. You’ll need to equip your two minifigures – Steve and Alex – with their armor and swords to fight all the nasty creatures living in and around the fortress, including a cave spider; a wolf; 2 bats; a zombie; a skeleton; and many others (the sheep might be friendly, though).  

Minecraft is another one of those franchises I’m not particularly into. But my nephew loves this game as much as he loves LEGOs, so I can’t wait for him to take a gander at this set. The two franchises really are a match made in heaven.

Currently, the Mountain Cave is available for pre-order on the official LEGO online store for $249.99 with a release date of July 1, 2017.