LEGO City has the highest annual retirement volume of any LEGO line, simply because the line is so broad. In 2026 ten substantial City sets are disappearing. Most are replaceable. One is not.
60473 The City Tower. If you want it, buy it now.
Last-chance decision rule
With sets moving toward retirement, waiting only makes sense while there is still enough reliable stock. Look less at the biggest price drop and more at how many trustworthy retailers still carry the set. Once availability narrows to marketplace listings or prices climb above RRP, the calm buying window is over.
| Signal | What it means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Several major retailers in stock | There is still price competition | Keep the price alert running |
| Only one or two reliable retailers left | Stock is becoming fragile | Wait only if the set is not a must-have |
| New stock sits above RRP | Scarcity is starting to price in | Buy deliberately or skip deliberately |
From the sets in this guide, I would track 60473 The City Tower, 60445 F1 Truck with RB20 & AMR24 F1 Cars and 60471 Arctic Explorer Science Lab Truck first. Not because those are automatically the best deals, but because a price move on a larger or more giftable set changes the buying decision fastest.
The ten retiring sets
| Set | Pieces | RRP | Urgency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60473The City Tower | 1,941 | € 199.99 | High |
| 60445F1 Truck with RB20 & AMR24 | 1,086 | € 99.99 | Low |
| 60471Arctic Explorer Science Lab Truck | 1,064 | € 109.99 | Medium |
| 60440Yellow Delivery Truck | 1,061 | € 99.99 | Low |
| 60419Police Prison Island | 980 | € 99.99 | Medium |
| 60462Helicopter, Fire Truck & Submarine | 874 | € 59.99 | Low |
| 60414Fire Station with Fire Truck | 843 | € 79.99 | Low |
| 60368Arctic Explorer Ship | 815 | € 149.99 | Medium |
| 60423Downtown Streetcar and Station | 811 | € 89.99 | Low |
| 60467Heavy-Duty Recovery Tow Truck | 793 | € 79.99 | Low |
60473 The City Tower: this format does not come back
60473 The City Tower (1,941 pieces, RRP € 199.99) is a vertical city building with four floors, office spaces and a lift. That sounds simple, but the modular city block format is rare in the City line. City sets are typically vehicles or standalone small buildings. A full-height office tower with multiple functional floors? That is an exceptional set.
City sets of this format do not climb as dramatically as Architecture flagships after retirement, but they do not go cheaply on the secondhand market either. The higher price at retirement reflects the scarcity of the concept.
60445 F1 Truck: good set, bad timing
60445 F1 Truck with RB20 & AMR24 F1 Cars (1,086 pieces, RRP € 99.99) contains the Red Bull RB20 and the Aston Martin AMR24, the F1 cars from the 2024 season. The F1 theme in LEGO renews annually with new season cars. That means the 60445 is already content-dated before it even goes out of production.
My read: once LEGO announces a 2025-season version, the street price on the 60445 will drop noticeably. If you are an F1 fan specifically after the RB20 or AMR24, buy it. If you just want a great LEGO F1 set, wait for the successor.
Arctic Explorer: two sets still to grab
The Arctic Explorer line loses two sets simultaneously:
60471 Arctic Explorer Science Lab Truck (1,064 pieces, RRP € 109.99) and 60368 Arctic Explorer Ship (815 pieces, RRP € 149.99). For those wanting a complete Arctic display, this is the moment. The line does not refresh annually and no direct replacement has been announced.
Arctic sets behave reasonably steadily on the secondhand market. No big climb, but not bargain-bin either. The Ship is larger than it looks and delivers a solid build experience for the price.
Police and fire: good gift, no rush
60419 Police Prison Island (980 pieces, RRP € 99.99) and 60414 Fire Station with Fire Truck (843 pieces, RRP € 79.99) are reliable gift options for the 6-10 age range. Both are expected to stay widely available at major retailers through Q4 2026.
One caveat: Prison Island is a fairly specific set. Not every child finds a prison island equally appealing. Fire station is the safer bet as an unknown gift.
Smaller vehicles: only buy what you actually want
60440 Yellow Delivery Truck, 60423 Downtown Streetcar and Station, 60467 Heavy-Duty Recovery Tow Truck and 60462 Helicopter, Fire Truck & Submarine Remix are all solid sets without an urgent retirement story. If you like them now: buy them. If you are waiting for a price drop: it will come, probably Q3-Q4 2026.
Buying window by quarter
| Period | What to expect |
|---|---|
| May-June 2026 | Everything widely available at or just below RRP |
| July-September 2026 | First price drops 10-20%, City Tower may already be getting scarce |
| October-December | Deepest price drops on vehicles; City Tower likely gone |
| Black Friday 2026 | Last moment for fire station, tram and smaller sets |
Quick recommendation
Buy City Tower now. Decide on the Arctic sets before September. The rest you can wait out. And if you are unsure about the F1 Truck: hold until the 2025-season version arrives and see whether the price dips.
Current stock and price drops on all City sets: LEGO City on BricksDeal.
City Tower, F1 Truck and Arctic Explorer
Large City sets from 2024-2025 being replaced in 2026.
Best for each buyer type
Ten City sets are retiring but urgency varies enormously. Here are the four that matter most depending on what you are buying for.
A full office tower with multiple functional floors is unique in the City line. This format does not come back, and the City Tower will sell out first of all ten.
Widely stocked through Q4 2026, recognisable City theme and large enough for the 8-12 age range without breaking the budget.
The Arctic Explorer line does not refresh annually and has no direct successor announced. As a static vehicle display it holds its value better than the dated-licence vehicles in this wave.
Larger than it looks and a natural companion to the Science Lab Truck. When the first 15-percent-or-more price drop hits, this is the one to grab.
