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As a LEGO collector, I love when the company releases sets that aren’t only for display, but can also be used. Usually the playable sets are made for younger kids, but that’s no longer the case. LEGO just released a fully functional Arcade Pinball Machine for adults as part of its Icons collection, which features classic movies and items that have stood the test of time.
When you press the side buttons on the finished build, the LEGO flippers move and click, so you can actually play this like a real-deal pinball game. This comes with a ball (and a spare) that fit in the launch area and get pushed out to start a round. It’s a bit of nostalgia that will transport you back to the arcade, especially with the retro space-themed design. (You’ll need to provide your own glow-in-the-dark carpet, though.)
Leaning into that vintage space theme, this 2,274-piece set (made for ages 18 and up) includes minifigures of an adult and a baby astronaut floating over an out-of-this-world landscape. Once assembled, you’ll use the flippers to launch the ball, clear the ramp, hit the asteroid target, and spin the bumpers. As you score more points, the astronaut will slide closer and closer to reuniting with the baby.
Assembling a pinball machine from scratch might sound like you need an engineering degree, but LEGO has step-by-step directions that make this easy enough even for beginners. There’s even a builder app that shows you 3D angles of the bricks so you know exactly what you’re doing. For a technical set like this one, it’s a great feature to take advantage of.
This set is a LEGO.com exclusive, but that usually means there is a gift with purchase (yay, free LEGO) since this set runs over $200. If you’re looking to create your own mini arcade, I recommend also looking into the LEGO Pac-Man set or the classic Game Boy set.
For more nostalgia to appeal to your inner child, there’s a Polaroid camera that spits out “photos,” and a beginner-friendly version of the Back to the Future DeLorean. There is also the Creator 3-in-1 telephone set that can be built three different ways to look like a classic corded phone, a clunky old cell phone, or a flip phone. Check them out below.
