LEGO has announced a creation for builders and Trekkies alike: the 3,600-piece U.S.S. Enterprise set that translates the Starfleet flagship into brick form with display-first ambition and all the engineering rigor to match.
Targeting the 18+ crowd and casual adult fans, this extremely beautiful model combines accuracy to source material from Star Trek: The Next Generation with flawless detail for an artisan’s experience that you can be proud to display.
Licensed by Paramount Consumer Products, the set replicates the graceful curve of the Enterprise-D’s saucer, stardrive section, and split spacecraft nacelles while purposefully including play-scale references like a shuttlebay and shuttlepods. It’s priced at $399.99, so it falls squarely into the premium price tier, where boutique set fans are going to expect a showcase set that can function as an anchor point for a series of flagship sets rather than something they hide on a shelf.
Design and build highlights of the LEGO Enterprise-D set
The detail reflects the modular construction of the Enterprise-D with a removable saucer section and fully formed secondary hull. The warp nacelles feature clear pieces that create the red and blue glowing lights, complete with an opening shuttlebay that stores two mini shuttlepods for ship-to-ship travel. A tilted display stand, sporting a printed schematic-style plaque and statistics of the ship, drives home its “museum” purpose.
Count on a solid Technic core to help eliminate sag, keeping your warp nacelles (always a trouble area in starships) aligned properly. Surfaces seem to be created using SNOT (studs-not-on-top) techniques and bracket-supported sub-assemblies to represent the Enterprise-D’s compound curves, with paneling that will presumably encourage satisfyingly aligned application of stickers. For the veteran AFOL, this is just the kind of structural puzzle that makes a long weekend feel like an immersive build session.
Minifigures and canon touches from The Next Generation
LEGO plays up character charm with the nine included minifigures from The Next Generation: Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker, Worf, Data, Beverly Crusher, Geordi La Forge, Deanna Troi, Guinan, and Wesley Crusher. The lineup is like something voted on by the fans, topping off the bridge crew with 10 Forward’s most memorable host for a full diorama display.
In-universe nods extend beyond faces. The removable saucer recalls memorable scenes on-screen, and display options keep the silhouette instantly recognizable. It’s aimed at being a display model first, but the figures and shuttlepods tucked inside lend just enough storytelling weight to encourage scene-building around its base.
Size, display presence, and estimated build time
The Enterprise is about 10.5 inches tall, 23.5 inches long, and 18.5 inches wide when assembled — large enough to be a presence on a desk or credenza without overpowering the room.
When it comes to play functions, this version of the Enterprise has them all. The angle of the stand maintains a perceptible profile across a room and helps give the nacelles that floating look Trek fans have come to expect.
Build time will vary. A seasoned adult can average anywhere from 250 pieces per hour to 400 on really involved models, which translates to around eight hours of building (newbies will obviously take that into the low teens). Numbered bags smooth out the pacing and add the gas you’ll need to drive toward an epic end; and again, there’s the LEGO Builder app that provides a 3D digital view on steps that can be hard to parse for sub-assemblies when they’re complex.
Where this U.S.S. Enterprise fits in the LEGO lineup
At a price of $399.99 and 3,600 pieces, the Enterprise fits under the colossal blockbuster ships like Titanic or the massive Star Wars models in the Ultimate Collector Series line, but it is clearly angling for exactly that same aesthetic appeal to display-minded fans. That’s about 11¢ per piece, typical for licensed, detail-laden sets with printed elements and non-generic parts.
That positioning matters. The “kidult” category made up about 25% of U.S. toy sales in recent years, according to The NPD Group, and The LEGO Group’s own results point to robust momentum in adult-focused products. A marquee Star Trek build rounds LEGO’s portfolio out beyond its bread and butter of Star Wars, while simultaneously appealing to collectors who value nostalgia and iconography as much as piece count.
Who this set is for and why the concept works well
This is a kit for fans who like the process as much as the result. The engineering should itch your urge for the advanced stuff, and the final silhouette brings you the sort of conversation-starting display you don’t mind buying a fancy stand to show. Trekkies get an awkward hero ship; AFOLs get a well-tuned build with compact construction and clean lines.
For pondering would-be collectors, the buy is about space and commitment: this isn’t a casual afternoon, hands-free build; it demands a place in which to loft it. Yet when your collection holds high-end sci-fi models as well as complex LEGO display pieces, the U.S.S. Enterprise feels like a savvy keep-that-around box that cracks two fan bases together — passionately!