The LEGO Icons retirement wave of 2026 is the heaviest of the year. Ten 18+ sets are going, including the Eiffel Tower (the largest LEGO set ever made), the Concorde, Optimus Prime, PAC-MAN Arcade and the Back to the Future Time Machine. If you follow one retirement category closely, make it Icons.
But not everything on that list deserves the same urgency. Here’s the priority order.
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 10307 Eiffel tower, 41843 Family Christmas Tree and 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10307Eiffel Tower | 10,001 | € 629.99 | Very high |
| 41843Family Christmas Tree | 3,171 | € 299.99 | High |
| 10323PAC-MAN Arcade | 2,651 | € 269.99 | Medium |
| 10318Concorde | 2,083 | € 199.99 | High |
| 10300Back to the Future Time Machine | 1,872 | € 199.99 | High |
| 10302Optimus Prime | 1,508 | € 179.99 | Medium |
| 10295Porsche 911 | 1,458 | € 169.99 | Low |
| 10327Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter | 1,369 | € 164.99 | Medium |
| 10315Tranquil Garden | 1,363 | € 104.99 | Low |
| 10351Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook | 1,359 | € 119.99 | Medium |
10307 Eiffel Tower: buy it, full stop
10307 Eiffel Tower (10,001 pieces, RRP € 629.99) has been the largest active LEGO set ever made since 2022. Four years in production, which for an Icons set is starting to feel long. The Titanic (10294, 9,090 pieces) retired in 2023 after three years and quickly traded at 130-150 percent of RRP on second-hand platforms.
The Eiffel Tower is bigger than the Titanic and more recognisable than almost any other set. After retirement I’d expect comparable or stronger value growth. Want to build it? Do it. Want to keep it sealed? Also fine. Just don’t buy it after retirement, because by then you’re already paying more.
Concorde versus the DC-3: buy both
10318 Concorde (2,083 pieces, RRP € 199.99) is the vintage aviation set LEGO released in 2023. In 2026 LEGO launched 11378 Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner as its successor in that sub-theme. The Concorde is effectively replaced in the lineup, but that doesn’t make it a lesser build. Two historically significant aircraft, two entirely different models.
My advice: if you have even a passing interest in the Concorde, buy it now. After retirement it will hold steadily above RRP, because it’s an iconic aircraft with no direct reissue in sight.
Back to the Future and Optimus Prime: classic licences
10300 Back to the Future Time Machine (1,872 pieces, RRP € 199.99) and 10302 Optimus Prime (1,508 pieces, RRP € 179.99) are two of the most popular Icons licensed sets, from 2022 and going into retirement together.
Worth noting: licensed Icons don’t rise as fast after retirement as non-licensed flagships. The IP owner can push for a reissue or launch a new version, which is what happened with the Ghostbusters ECTO-1 (10274, 2020). Still, if you want the DeLorean or Optimus, current prices are probably the floor.
PAC-MAN Arcade: for the retro gamer
10323 PAC-MAN Arcade (2,651 pieces, RRP € 269.99) has a working push-button mechanism and the recognisable arcade-cabinet scale. Together with the 72046 Game Boy (2025) it forms a retro gaming display that won’t be as fully assemblable once PAC-MAN retires.
Porsche 911: fine set, no urgency
10295 Porsche 911 (1,458 pieces, RRP € 169.99) has been active for five years. A good car set, but LEGO Icons has released several 1:8 sports car sets in recent years. The Porsche 911 won’t climb dramatically after retirement. Buy it if you want to build it, but it’s not the set where you should be watching the retirement signal.
Tranquil Garden, Sherlock Holmes and Dune Ornithopter
10315 Tranquil Garden (1,363 pieces, RRP € 104.99) is a botanical display set, and this sub-genre in Icons refreshes regularly with successors already coming. 10351 Sherlock Holmes Book Nook (1,359 pieces, RRP € 119.99) was one of the first Book Nook sets; if you want the original in a historical Book Nook collection, this is the window. 10327 Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter (1,369 pieces, RRP € 164.99) is IP-dependent; a reissue isn’t impossible if Dune Part Three arrives.
Christmas Tree 41843: buy it in autumn
41843 Family Christmas Tree (3,171 pieces, RRP € 299.99) is a seasonal set. Likely active during Christmas 2025 and Christmas 2026, then retirement. Buy it in October or November 2026 if you want it that year. Don’t wait until January, or it’ll be gone.
Priority in 30 seconds
Eiffel Tower first. Then: Concorde and BTTF Time Machine. PAC-MAN if you’re into retro gaming. Porsche 911 if you want to build it, but not as a buying-window play.
Compare current prices across all Dutch retailers on the LEGO Icons theme page.
About retirement signals
There is no official LEGO retirement date. The signals come from: set disappears from the active assortment on lego.com, stock at Bol.com and Intertoys drops without replenishment, and the set no longer appears in the printed LEGO catalogue. Based on those patterns, the sets above have been flagged as 2026 retirement candidates.
Eiffel Tower, Concorde and Optimus Prime
Premium 18+ Icons flagships nearing retirement in 2026.
Best for each buyer type
The four Icons sets from this retirement wave with the most urgency per buyer type.
The largest LEGO set ever made is retiring — the window to buy it at RRP is closing faster every day.
A seasonal set available at RRP for the last time at Christmas 2026 — buy before autumn 2026 or not at all.
Working push-button mechanism in arcade-cabinet scale — together with the Game Boy it forms the retro gaming corner that won't be assemblable at all once PAC-MAN retires.
Effectively replaced by the DC-3 but unique as a build — a pre-retirement price dip is the signal to act immediately.
