LEGO Icons Tropical Aquarium Building Set (10366) Features Interactive Elements, Over 4,000 Pieces

The LEGO Icons Tropical Aquarium Building Set, number 10366, allows you to create a frame that holds back an entire ocean world, complete with fish that glide effortlessly through the currents, corals that wave back and forth in an invisible tide dance, and hidden little surprises that appear when you least expect them.

The set has four thousand one hundred fifty four pieces, making it one of the larger sets in the adult LEGO collection. Those bricks combine to form a tank that stands 14 inches tall, 20.5 inches wide, and 11 inches deep, large enough to take up a good portion of your coffee table while still small enough to fit into most spaces. The sleek black frame is slotted around the outside of the tank, providing an unrestricted view of the action inside. The blue plates in the back wave and swirl like the ocean’s surface, adding depth to the scene without the need to fill the tank with water.

Of course, the fish are the true stars of the show here. Four of them dart around the scenery, each using a novel fin element created by the LEGO designers – they are clipped on at various angles to allow the tails to flick and the bodies to curve. You get to arrange them in mid-swim and then hold them in place with some smart little clamps and rods that keep everything stable. These fish are inspired by genuine ocean organisms, however they aren’t attempting to be exact replicas, but rather whimsical abstractions. There’s even a crab hiding in a nearby rocky cave until a small crank allows it to escape.




After everything has been put together, movement brings it all to life. The dials on the side are what bring the action to the hands: spin one to send a fish zipping through its course, and crank another to make the corals swing back and forth. The crab emerges from its hiding place as if it is making a run for it, and a treasure chest opens at the bottom, spilling out its bounty.



The coral, on the other hand, truly steal the show here; with so many different types, they’re putting on a show in comparison to the swimmers. You simply build and layer various pinks, oranges, and purples to achieve the desired look of the branching fans and spiky clusters. Then you have these recolored parts coming up in unexpected places – a clip here to make a tentacle, a slope there for a ledge.



That’s why this set is so expensive: $479.99 in the United States, €449.99 in Europe, £399.99 in the United Kingdom, and AU$699.99 down under. Early access for LEGO Insiders begins November 13th, with full shelves opening two days later on November 16th. Purchases made within the first week are eligible for a bonus: the Fish Tank Filter and Food kit, which includes a side attachment with a hanging unit, intake tube, and a container covered with a printed fish tile. It clamps outside the frame and spills fake water in brick form for added realism.