Why you need to add LEGO’s excellent ET set to your collection

ET the Extra-Terrestrial is now 44 years old, but for many, Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic is timeless. It’s why we’re surprised that it’s taken this long for LEGO to come out with their own tribute to the cinematic icon (ET that is, not Spielberg).

The set was a LEGO Ideas submission by Richard Lemeiter, aka Lafabrick, and was voted for by LEGO fans to be brought to life by the LEGO Group. There are slight tweaks from the original idea, but it retains the idea that ET’s heart lights up as in the movie (more on that later).

But why should you add it to your LEGO collection? Well, we sat down to build LEGO’s ET the Extra-Terrestrial set to find out just why.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (LEGO 21370)E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (LEGO 21370)Credit: LEGOLEGO ET key specsPieces1,226Minifigures0Dimensions24cm x 21cm x 15 cmLEGO ET features

The LEGO ET the Extra-Terrestrial set contains 1,226 pieces, which are spread across 10 bags. It’s recommended 18+ for the build because it’s not for total newcomers; there’s a lot of intricate design elements, including small pieces, as well as for the various moving parts of the model to work.

When completed, it measures 24cm high, 21cm wide and 15cm deep. If you’re short on display areas, then the arms are fully posable so you can move them down to cut down on the height of the model.

One potential disappointment for LEGO fans is that you don’t get an ET minifigure to display with the model. It’s not unusual for a LEGO Ideas model though as, for instance, Gizmo and the ever-popular Tuxedo Cat also don’t come with a minifigure.

How to buy LEGO ET set

The LEGO ET the Extra-Terrestrial set is available to buy right now after being released at the start of August. You can buy it right now on the official LEGO store, priced at £119.99, which will also gain you 960 LEGO Insiders points.

However, if you’re not interested in collecting LEGO Insiders points for rewards and exclusive offers, you can save £13 on the LEGO ET set right now on Very (£106.99) and Amazon (£106.95).

Universal Pictures/LEGO

Why you should buy LEGO ET set

We’ll admit that we had our reservations when the first look at the ET set was released by LEGO, but now we admit our error as LEGO has done an excellent job bringing the adorable alien to life.

It’s not the biggest set you’ll have in your collection, yet it delivers plenty in its relatively small frame. There are hidden Easter eggs, including a phone (obviously) and a small replica of ET’s spaceship, inside ET’s body that you can reveal by easily taking off the front, while he also comes with his own accessory of a flower pot.

Ian Sandwell//Digital Spy

Buy LEGO ET set at Very

The real highlight of the set though is the light brick used for ET’s heart. It’s a shame that the geniuses at LEGO couldn’t find a way to light up ET’s finger (which is just a transparent red brick), but we’ll forgive them for the innovative way they make the heart light up.

Using a cleverly-placed see-saw and a LEGO light brick, you can light up ET’s heart with a switch on his back.

It’s the kind of LEGO build moment that’ll make you smile, whether you’re young or just young at heart, because you don’t even realise what’s happening until it all works. The see-saw goes in a few bags before everything else is in place, and the result is really effective.

As mentioned above, it’s not for inexperienced LEGO builders. There’s a lot of smaller pieces used to replicate ET’s skin and wrinkles, which does require close attention, but the overall effect is worth the extra time you have to spend on this aspect of the build.

By contrast, ET’s arms are simple to put together and utilise a new shoulder piece to hold the weight in any pose. His fingers are all individually moveable and you can even switch the shoulder and elbow pieces for even greater flexibility.

If that’s not enough poseability, ET’s legs, wrists, neck, head and jaw all move too.

Ian Sandwell//Digital Spy

Even with all those features, it’s not a build that’ll take up too much time. We managed to build it in around three hours, fitting in a rewatch of ET the Extra-Terrestrial as we never pass up the opportunity to watch it again.

If you’re slightly speedier, you could even finish the build halfway during a second watch of the movie, right around the time that ET lifts Elliott and his bike into the sky and across the moon in one of cinema’s most iconic sequences.

And honestly, that sounds about perfect to us.

LEGO’s ET the Extra-Terrestrial set is available to buy now from the official LEGO store, Very, Amazon and more.

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Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.