LEGO Icons 10326 Natural History Museum officially revealed

The LEGO Group has unveiled the latest addition to the LEGO Modular Buildings Collection in 10326 Natural History Museum, which breaks the mould for the series in more ways than one.

Spread over a supersized 48×32-stud arrangement of baseplates, 10326 Natural History Museum is the first modular building since 2017’s 10255 Assembly Square to shoot beyond the standard 32×32 grid. Constructed atop its base is a sprawling 4,014-piece two-storey museum, which stretches from end to end to deliver a satisfyingly symmetrical structure across the full width of its footprint.

That huge piece count makes 10326 Natural History Museum the biggest modular building to date, too – at least by volume of elements, as it just ekes past 10255 Assembly Square’s 4,002 bricks. A handful of them go into constructing a brick-built brachiosaurus skeleton, which towers up into the first floor of the museum, while plenty more are dedicated to decorating the building’s interior with all manner of exhibits and details.

Those include historical displays, such as a sabretooth skull and fossils; a geology exhibit with plenty of remarkable rocks (or minerals); a deep dive into LEGO minifigure history, with nods to multiple classic themes; and even a peek into the future, with a solar system orrery and a diorama that contains probably the smallest-ever 10497 Galaxy Explorer.

There are seven minifigures in the box, comprising guests, museum staff and even a curator, with plenty of fun storytelling moments weaved into the build – from the dog that’s nicked a dino bone to the curious case of the smashed pottery. That kind of joined-up design is par for the course for modular buildings nowadays, but there’s one more way 10326 Natural History Museum sets itself apart from recent sets: it’s launching in just over a month.

For the past 10 years, the latest modular building has always debuted on January 1, ringing in the new year with what for many people is a day-one purchase. But 10326 Natural History Museum will be available to buy from December 1, 2023 – making it technically the second set in the series to arrive on shelves within a single year, following January’s release of 10312 Jazz Club.

Exactly why the LEGO Group has shifted the date is a mystery at this point, but it’s good news for anyone longing to find a brand new modular building under the tree come Christmas Day. 10326 Natural History Museum will retail for £259.99 / $299.99 / €299.99 – matching the final RRP of the outgoing 10255 Assembly Square – and is available to pre-order now.

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Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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