NEW YORK — If you're a Lego space set fan like me, Black Friday is always a great opportunity to look for great deals on Star Wars and other sci-fi sets — while grabbing some great free offers in the process. But for 2023, Lego appears to have raised the bar when it comes to special offers, with a ton of limited-time deals for Lego Insiders — which just got extended to Monday, Nov. 20 — rolling out along with one of the biggest Lego sets I've ever seen: The Marvel Avengers Tower.
The Lego Marvel Avengers Tower set, which will be released on Black Friday (Nov. 24) and was officially announced Nov. 14, is an epic recreation of the Battle of New York from 2022's "Avengers Endgame" film that comes with a whopping 5,201 pieces and a record 31 minifigures (from the tiny Ant-Man to the massive Hulk). It will be available for $499.99 on Black Friday, which is more than enough to qualify for the myriad of "free gifts with purchase" offers for Lego Insiders, Lego's free-to-sign-up rewards program. If that price is off-putting, there are more affordable sets on offer. Both the Lego Star Wars advent calendar and the Lego Marvel Avengers advent calendar are currently 10% off.
Key Specs: It comes with 5,201 pieces and 31 minifigures representing allmajor characters from the Lego Marvel universe. It's huge, standing 35.5 inches (90 cm) tall to recreate Avengers Tower, with scenes built in from the film series.
Buy if: You're a super collector of all things Marvel Lego and have an ample supply of disposable income (and space to display the huge set!).
Don't buy if: If you don't want to spend nearly $500 on a single Lego set aimed primarily at collectors and Marvel super fans.
Alternative models: The Marvel Avengers Advent Calendar is 10% off at $40.49, making it affordable buy for the holidays. The Endgame Final Battle has key minifigs at $99.99 as well
I managed to get a sneak peek at the Lego Marvel Avengers Tower at a recent event at the company's flagship New York store and its size cannot be understated. It stands nearly 3 feet tall at 35.5 inches (90 centimeters), making it not only Lego's biggest Marvel set to date, but also the company's tallest skyscraper set. Along with all the iconic Avengers heroes and villains (I'm looking at you, Loki), it includes a wide array of aliens and vignettes from throughout the Avenger's films to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Avengers' comic book debut. (You can see two different Captain Americas fight it out, like in "Endgame.")
So yes, it is an epic set. But for Black Friday, Lego is offering a free Marvel Taxi gift with any Lego Insiders purchase of the Avengers tower between Nov. 24 and Nov. 27, while supplies last, of course. The Marvel Taxi set will round out the Avengers team with a Black Panther minifigure working to save three other minifigs in the battle.
The Marvel Taxi is one example of a slew of Lego Insiders offers available over Black Friday weekend and in the days before. Here's a rundown of all the offers coming up.
Black Friday/Cyber Monday event
For all Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers (not just Insiders), Lego is offering two free sets for fans who spend a specific amount between Nov. 24 and Nov. 28.
- Lego Majisto's Magical Workshop: Anyone who spends $250 or more will qualify for this fantasy set centered around a wizard that is based on a 1993 set with the same character.
- Lego Winter Market Stall: Lego fans who spend $170 or more will also get this holiday-themed stall, complete with a toy rocket for space fans, with a fireplace and Christmas tree.
If you spend $250, you should qualify for both sets overall, and with plenty of Star Wars, City Space and other expected to be on offer, it shouldn't be difficult to meet that requirement if your budget allows and you're looking for Lego gifts for the holidays.
For example, if you pick up Lego's new Mars Rover Perseverance set ($99.99) and the stunning Vincent Van Gough Starry Night set ($169.99), you'll have already met the threshold. But you may want to wait until Lego's Black Friday deals go live on Nov. 24 to see what sets are actually on sale, first. Our guides to the best Lego space deals and best Lego Star Wars deals can be good places to start.
If you absolutely can't wait, our best Lego deals right now may have what you're looking for.
Lego Insiders Offers (Ending Nov. 20!)
Lego's Black Friday sales and deals actually began a week earlier, on Nov. 17, for members of its Lego Insiders rewards program, which lets Lego fans accrue points with every purchase that they can later redeem for discount vouchers and special offers, like free Lego sets, posters, hats and backpacks, as well as art prints and more. From Nov. 17 through Nov. 19, Lego was holding with it calls its Lego Insider Weekend, a sort of pre-sale event for rewards program members.
But on Monday, Nov. 20, Lego announced it was extending its Lego Insiders deals through at least that day. When I checked my Lego Insider offers, my offers say they are still good for 7 more days, suggesting they might last through Cyber Monday, but it's not clear the deals will last that long. Here's what the Lego Insider deals include:
- A Member's Sale: On Nov. 17, registered Insiders were able to redeem a discount code to se on certain Lego sets while supplies last. Insiders will also be able to earn up to four times the Insiders points on select sets purchased online or in Lego stores.
- 2x Points: Lego Insiders can earn double points on all purchases between Nov. 18 and 19.
- 1 Million Points Sweepstakes: Lego is also holding a free sweepstakes to give away 1 million Insider points. Members can enter daily for free between Nov. 18 and Nov. 27.
Earlier this year, Lego Insiders replaced the previous Lego VIP program. I've been a member of Lego VIP, now Lego Insiders, since 2013 since it is free to sign up and lets you get credit for your purchases, so if you're looking to buy any Lego sets from their stores or website, it is worth it to sign up.
- Read our Black Friday 2023 deals page for big discounts on space gifts
Lego Insiders Gifts With Purchase
As with Black Friday, Lego's Insider Weekend from Nov. 18-19 will include free gifts with purchase as well as select sales on certain sets.
The Lego Apollo 11 lunar lander, for example, is $20 off, while the Lego Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder is also be $60 off. You can see a preview of the Lego Insiders Weekend sales here.
Depending on how much you spend, you can qualify for the following free gifts if you are a Lego Insiders member:
- Lego Majisto's Magical Workshop: Spends $250 or more during the weekend to qualify for this magician-themed set. This is the same deal as for Black Friday in stores and online.
- Lego Winter Market Stall: Spend $170 or more to nab this holiday-themed storefront set, again, the same as Black Friday, but for Lego.com online.
- Lego Holiday Winter Train: This small train set is available IN LEGO STORES ONLY with any purchase of $40 or more over Insiders Weekend. You'll have to visit a physical store to redeem this offer.
- Lego Holiday Cookie Stamps & Mug Set: This holiday bundle is available Lego Insiders who purchase $30 or more online at Lego.com across a series of Lego themes, including Lego Friends, Lego City, Dreamz, Harry Potter, Duplo and Ninjago over Insiders Weekend.
Lego Insiders Rewards Center offers
What if you're a Lego Insiders member with a lot of rewards points and you're looking to redeem those this Black Friday? Lego actually has a series of offers for you as well, more than I've seen in a long time.
- Festive Bauble Ornament: A tin decoration for the Christmas tree, decorated with brick candy canes, cookies and evergreen sprigs. Redeem 1,800 points only on Nov. 18.
- Lego Space Blueprints: These prints include blueprints of three iconic Lego Space sets: Mobile Rocket Transport, Space Supply and Starfleet Voyager. FREE by redeeming 150 points starting Nov. 18 only on LEGO.com and while supplies last.
- Lego Tape Player: a miniature build and ode 1980s, this Lego set features a pop-out cassette tape and spring-loaded tape holder, with detachable and windable headphones. FREE by redeeming 2,400 points from Nov. 18-23.
- Win the Rewards Center: Lego Insiders can enter a drawing to win all the items in the LEGO Insiders Rewards Center, including prints, tin signs, caps, bags, pencil cases, keychains, brick-built items and other items. Redeem 25 points to enter, up to 50 entries per person, from Nov. 18-23.
- Rewards Center Sale: Select physical products and digital rewards in the Rewards Center will be available for 50% off the original LEGO points price from November 18-27.
As someone who has been a Lego VIP (now Insiders) member for a decade, I've never seen the sheer number of offers available for Lego's rewards program, so there is plenty to choose from this year depending on how much you're aiming to spend.
If you already know what you're hoping to buy and it's at a lower price point, the Lego Insider Weekend might be a good time to pick it up if it's on sale already, since Lego is offering two free gifts below the $40 mark. Similarly, if you're planning to buy a large set and are an avid collector, the Insiders Weekend can also land you all four giveaways ahead of Black Friday. But the Marvel Taxi is still exclusive to Avengers Tower purchases over Black Friday, in particular, so die-hard collectors should think hard on when to make the purchase.
If you're looking for more Black Friday deals beyond Lego's offers, check out our Black Friday 2023 deals. If you're looking for new skywatching gear during this year's sales, our guides for the best telescopes, best binoculars and best cameras for astrophotography are great resources to get started.
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