Review: LEGO Pokémon Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise

LEGO Pokémon Venusaur Charizard Blastoise 72153 New Release Review Brick Banter 2

How much are you willing to pay for your childhood?

Yes! LEGO Pokémon is here and we have our hands on the new sets releasing this on Pokémon Day 2026! With this review, we are taking a look at the penultimate release of 2026’s initial launch – LEGO Pokémon Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise.

Venusaur

The final evolution to my starter of choice (Don’t judge me!), Venusaur is the Grass/Poison type and the largest bulk of parts in this model. With such a large framework of a character build, the set gives various new recolours in dark azure to make Venusaur.

LEGO Pokémon Venusaur’s nose and eyes are printed elements, like all decals in the Pokémon release of 2026 (Yay! No sticker!). These eyes sit on a pseudo-45 degree offset from the bulk of face, give the signature rounded look of the character. The jaw, like the rest of the body, is predominately rigid in place and unable to move. Apart from minor movements across the feet and the petals on their back, the model is wholly static. This is simply a symptom of making a model highly accurate versus play-friendly.

LEGO Pokémon Vensaur’s build was quite enjoyable, and filled with a surprising amount of complicated techniques. The vines extending out the front were a bit finicky to put on, but the overall details is great. I was also quite surprised to see the 6×6 hexagonal wheel shape on the top of the flower too, as I thought this element wasn’t in production anymore.

The base for LEGO Pokémon Venusaur has us place them slightly elevated logs, locked down by the front legs. This gives a subtle angled pose to the model when it finally goes together, and yet hides detail underneath. There is fancy flora and tree root patterns that hide underneath that you’ll never see when fully on display.

Charizard

The final evolution of Charmander and so egregiously famous it got two Mega Evolutions. LEGO Pokémon Charizard has been translated to bricks incredibly well here, so much so I didn’t notice that the proportions for the head were too big. Aided by the thick card wings, the model may be more bare-bones than the others, but the final look is fantastic.

The stand for LEGO Pokémon Charizard is a monolithic style tower spewing lava from inside. The orange used is the new darker orange, which makes nice for a colour contrast between the bright orange of Charizard. The problem with such as a stand is the fact that it can’t be displayed on its own. It exists as an integral joining point between the two other display bases, but unfortunately exposes technic and mismatching colours underneath.

That isn’t to say that the stand is bad, but Charizard significantly lacks against his peers. Where three friends could all chip in and buy the big set for a starter each, the person who takes Charizard lucks out on the deal. Part of me as a die-hard Bulbasaur fan spitefully says ‘good’, but as a reviewer, this sucks a little bit. Surely there may have been other ways to make these technic beams removable for this type of display. Ah well.

Blastoise

Blastoise is a big and tank turtle, and the sheer weight of him proves it. Their shell is made in a similar manner to that of Bowser, with all separate clefts of the shell brought together nicely. The arms stick out to the sides in a permanent side ways motion, but he has some pose ability in the forearm only. LEGO Pokémon Blastoise’s head does turn, but with limited range of movement due to aforementioned arms.

Where the other models feel restricted by design, Blastoise’s restrictions feel fitting to the subject matter. Blastoise wouldn’t normally be able to move that freely, but fans who want to pose him around might have some trouble. It’s also worth noting that his feet have a 1×1 sized claw toe off the back of them that keep falling off. Don’t see how else to do it, but just a warning.

Blastoise also comes with his part of the model showcasing the ocean. With a dynamic wave of motion with subtle different angle windshield canopies, it’s a brick-basic but efficient effect. It does sometimes look a little cheap from some angles, especially when realising the waves follow a similar pattern of uniformity. Overall, the base is great on its own and a grand way to display Blastoise.

Verdict

So ignoring the obvious conversation topic in the room, the models that are provided by LEGO are of a high quality that I approve of.

I really enjoy the characterisation of these Pokémon and how they translate to LEGO Bricks. As far as the stands for the Pokémon go, my personal favourite standout is Venusaur. The section of the build that can split away to display idly is really good, with Blastoise a close second. However, Charizard’s stand is unfortunately a victim of ‘being in the middle’, and make three separate displays impossible.

The new recolours in the set are all welcome, and I really enjoyed the building techniques and experience the sets offered.

The Price

Hoo boy. This is now the most expensive LEGO set I own and I adamantly believe that this isn’t a set that justifies the price. Yes, it sold really well on pre-order day. Yes, it will probably sell well on launch day too. This is because of the amount of Pokémon fans who would love to have these guys in LEGO. The reality is is that these products are now on a dual-market. LEGO and Pokémon.

Did LEGO get the price right? I still think that the Pokémon branding tax certainly inflated the price up, but it’s too rich for my blood. Yes, I am fortunate to have this for review, but I would never buy this for myself. This increasing trend of exclusive products and high price points locks a lot of LEGO’s less fortunate target audience out. They’re insanely cool models, but I cannot reasonably assume that I, on an average-level salary, would dedicate this much towards a LEGO product. This is like, what, two weeks rent? Insane. But, if you can afford it, click here!

These are models that are of a great quality and I recommend the build experience to LEGO fans. But I cannot ask you to pay the price associated with it. Nor what the price will be with scalpers in 12 months from now. Appreciate them from afar and hold on to your dough.