Back in the 1990s, LEGO was the struggling toy brick company that adults looked back on nostalgically, but couldn’t make a buck.

Until 1999, when LEGO started to license the brick out of it.

Then things started rocking, and 15 years later, LEGO has produced a dizzying array of licensed sets from a number of A-list pop culture properties including Star Wars (one of the first), Harry Potter, Batman, The Lord of the Rings,  The Hobbit, The Simpsons and even Back to the Future. The list goes on.

This year saw the introduction of The LEGO Movie licensed sets, which was kind of like, whoa, dude, it’s like turning in on itself!

But LEGO is not all about the licensed toys. There’s still the classic and long-running LEGO City, LEGO Space, LEGO Castle and LEGO Technic themes, as well as more recent popular themes like LEGO Architecture, LEGO Creator, LEGO Mindstorms, LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Legends of Chima and the girl-friendly LEGO Friends. LEGO Pirates are also coming back in 2015 after a 6-year hiatus.

There’s even LEGO Ideas (formerly known as CUUSOO) which is a program that produces fan-submitted ideas through a Kickstarter-like process. That’s how the LEGO Minecraft and Back to the Future sets were born.

We are truly now in the Golden Age of LEGO, and everything is awesome! Let’s take a look at 20 incredibly awesome official LEGO sets from the past 10 years. (Hey, we had to limit this somehow. Otherwise, this list would be huge!)

Special thanks to Brickset for their awesome LEGO site and passionate users!

17. LEGO Movie Metal Beard’s Sea Cow (70810)

Taken from this year’s big hit The LEGO Movie, Metal Beard’s Sea Cow is an over-the-top mishmash numbering over 2,700 pieces. It’s the largest set from the series and is already considered one of the best ships ever produced by LEGO.

It also includes the all-important double-decker couch.

Release year: 2014  |  Price: $250 – Amazon

16. LEGO Star Wars Super Star Destroyer (10221)

Released in 2011, this Ultimate Collector Series Star Wars set contains over 3,000 pieces and is no longer in production. eBay is your only hope to find it now.

Release year: 2011  |  Price: varies (not in production) – eBay

15. LEGO Back to the Future The DeLorean Time Machine (21103)

Born out of the LEGO CUUSOO site (now known as LEGO Ideas), the iconic BTTF DeLorean Time Machine is a fan-submitted design that became an official retail set. Numbering 401 pieces, the set features the famous gull-wing doors, the flux capacitor, Marty McFly and his skateboard and of course Doc Brown.

This is a great time to be a LEGO fan!

Release year: 2013  |  Price: $35 – Amazon

14. LEGO Creator Palace Cinema (10232)

A treat for movie buffs, this 2,196-piece Expert set is inspired by movie palaces of yesteryear. It’s part of the Modular Buildings series where you can piece together different sets to form a city block.

Release year: 2013  |  Price: $150 – Amazon

13. LEGO Indiana Jones Temple Escape (7623)

Indiana Jones and LEGOs: awesome! This fun 554-piece set recreates the iconic boulder scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark and contains a minifigure for Jock, Indy’s pilot as well as one for the unfortunate Satipo who famously implores Indy to “throw me the idol, I throw you the whip!”

Yeah, that didn’t end well.

Release year: 2007  |  Price: varies (not in production) – eBay

12. LEGO The Hobbit An Unexpected Gathering (79003)

Since its release in late 2012 to coincide with the release of The Hobbit, the 652-piece Unexpected Gathering set has won praise from LEGO and Tolkien fans alike. It’s as detailed as the movie scene it recreates is long. Which is to say, it’s very detailed.

Release year: 2012  |  Price: $63 – Amazon

11. LEGO Creator Expert Sydney Opera House (10234)

Containing nearly 3,000 pieces and priced over $300, the Sydney Opera Set is a faithful rendering of the landmark structure, aimed squarely at adult fans of LEGOs, aka AFOLs. Standing nearly a foot tall, the set doesn’t have minifigures and the instruction booklet contains text and illustrations about the history and construction of the opera house.

Release year: 2013  |  Price: $320 – Amazon

10. LEGO Star Wars Ewok Village (10236)

Just a year after it was introduced, the Ewok Village, with its near 2,000-piece count, is already in the firmament of greatest Star Wars LEGO sets ever made.

Say what you will about the cinematic worthiness of Ewoks, but they make very entertaining toys. Thanks, George.

Release year: 2013  |  Price: $250 – Amazon

9. LEGO Architecture Studio (21050)

With no specific instructions and over 1,200 white and transparent pieces, the Architecture Studio is aimed at the builder who likes to use their own inspiration to create memorable LEGO sets. You get 73 different types of building bricks and a thick book that teaches you about architectural concepts.

This is a long way from Star Wars LEGOs!

Release year: 2013  |  Price: $160 – Walmart

8. LEGO Pirates Black Seas Barracuda (10040)

Containing 865 pieces and 8 minifigures, the classic Black Seas Barracuda set is so good that it got re-released in 2002, 13 years after it was first introduced, and thus makes it eligible to appear on our list! Har!

Release year: 2002  |  Price: varies (not in production) – Amazon Marketplace

7. LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector’s Imperial Shuttle (10212)

Another Star Wars set, another Ultimate Collector Series toy, 2,500 pieces of pure awesome.

Release year: 2010  |  Price: varies (not in production) – eBay

6. LEGO Monster Fighters Haunted House (10228)

It has just recently gone out of production, but the 2064-piece Haunted House is destined to become a sought-after commodity among LEGO builders. It’s been praised for the attention to detail, creativity, unique minifigures and the way it opens like a dollhouse.

Release year: 2012  |  Price: varies (not in production) – eBay

5. LEGO Castle Medieval Market Village (10193)

Consisting of over 1,000 pieces, the Medieval Market Village is a tavern, blacksmith’s workshop and open market with various animal figures, including two cows and a rat. For Castle fans, this is considered the best of the modern sets.

Release year: 2009  |  Price: varies (not in production) – Amazon Marketplace

5. LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon (10179)

This set boasts a mind-blowing 5,195 pieces, giving it the second-highest piece count after the Taj Mahal (#3 on our list). It’s also the largest sized model (33″ x 22″ x 8.3″) and most expensive set ($500 retail) ever made commercially available by LEGO.

Release year: 2007  |  Price: varies (not in production) – eBay

4. LEGO Lord of the Rings Tower of Orthanc (10237)

As featured last year right here on The Checkout, the Tower of Orthanc is a ridiculously awesome set featuring six floors containing over 2,300 pieces and Treebeard the Ent among many other delights.

It’s an amazing-looking LEGO set.

Release year: 2013  |  Price: $250 – Amazon 

3. LEGO Creator Taj Mahal (10189)

With the highest piece count of any LEGO set ever at a jaw-dropping 5,922 bricks in all, the Taj Mahal had to be on this list. The amazingly detailed and realistic set is a challenge for even the most seasoned builders.

Even if you’re not a fan of LEGOs or even toys, this is one you just have to see for yourself.

Release year: 2008  |  Price: varies (not in production) – eBay

2. LEGO Creator Grand Carousel (10196)

This Advanced Model LEGO set actually moves and plays music like a real carousel and has over 3,000 pieces. A real crowd-pleaser with great use of color, an intricate design and long-lasting playability that’s aimed not just at Star Wars fans.

Release year: 2008  |  Price: varies (not in production) – eBay

1. LEGO Star Wars Death Star (10188)

The LEGO Death Star—containing 3,803 pieces and an impressive 24 minifigs—is oft cited as the greatest set ever created. So be it… Jedi.

Six years after release, it’s still in production, a testament to its staying power.

Release year: 2008  |  Price: $400  – Amazon

Check Out Part Two: The 10 Awesomest Unofficial Lego Sets

Everything is Awesome: The 17 Awesomest Official LEGO Sets

Most great deals don’t last that long on Ben’s Bargains. That’s why signing up for Deal Alerts is your best bet (and The Driver recommends them).

Here are 10 deals of the week (Sept. 7 to Sept. 13) that you really liked or we thought were pretty good… and even better, are actually still valid, but not for long:

1) Smartphone Years — Is That Like Dog Years?

Earlier this week, Apple introduced the cheaper iPhone 5C for $99, putting it squarely in the mid-range of Apple’s iPhone price points. As a result, the 2-year-old iPhone 4S (ancient by phone standards) was sent down the pecking order. That means the iPhone 4S is now free on a 2-year contract. Plus, it can run iOS 7 when the new system rolls out on September 18th.

Expiration: Next September.

2) Get Smarter for Freer

Amazon currently has several Boundless digital textbooks available as free Kindle downloads. You can read them on a Kindle or any device with a Kindle app (i.e. PC, Mac, Android or iOS). The Boundless slogan is, “Better than  your assigned textbook.” It’s at least freer.

Expiration: Limited time.

3) Be That Guy

A lot of Oakley shades are on sale right now at the Oakley Vault for prices far lower than what you’d find at 6pm or Amazon, like these Limited Edition Oakley GP-75 Frogskins (below) for $70 shipped (about $60 less than other sellers).

If you don’t want to be that guy, Puma’s got 40% off the entire site with a coupon code.

Expiration: Limited time.

4) Summer Is Not Over… Technically

eBay’s Fashion Vault is throwing a Summer Savings Finale with discounts of up to 70% off over 700 home and garden items.  Well-known sellers like Kitchenaid, Cooking.com, Buydig and Wayfair are offering prices lower than what you’ll see at Amazon.

Speaking of home products, you can get 20% off small appliances and other select home items at Best Buy with a coupon code.

Expiration: 9/18.

5) Free (Good) Software

Choose from one or more of Ashampoo’s five software suites for free: Burning Studio 2012, Photo Commander 9, Snap 5, SlideshowStudio 2012 and WinOptimizer 2012 (5 downloads max). Normally $50, Burning Studio 12 got an excellent review from PC World.

Expiration: Limited time.

6) Proof that Longer is Cheaper

Warner Bros. Shop is currently taking up to 70% off Blu-ray and DVD sets. With a $5 off $25 code and free shipping on orders over $25, you can find some good prices that are less than Amazon’s, like the Hobbit: Extended Edition Blu-ray (right) for $22 shipped ($29 at Amazon).

That’s right, an Extended Edition of The Hobbit (actually 13 more minutes, but still).

Expiration: 9/16.

7) Free Redbox Rental, Yay!

This one pops up from time to time, but you can’t beat a free DVD for one night or 30 cents for a Blu-ray.

Expiration: Limited time.

8) Rare Apple Discount

For two days at Best Buy, you can pick up a 2013 Macbook Air 2013 in different sizes and flavors for $50 to $100 off than what you’ll find anywhere else. This is the best price you’ll see until Black Friday, and it’s unlikely that it’ll go any lower even then.

Expiration: 9/14.

9) 50% off is Sweet

Groupon’s got a $40 online credit at Derailed.com for $20. Derailed is an offshoot of Sierra Trading post and sells discount-priced outdoor gear and apparel. Caveat: shipping is not included in the credit.

Expiration: 9/15.

10) Tablets on a Budget

The Adorama eBay store has brand-new 1st Gen 32GB Google Nexus 7 tablets (ASUS-1B32) (below left) for $160 with free shipping. That’s about $40 less than what you’ll find elsewhere. The just-released 2nd Gen model sells for $229.

If you don’t specifically want a Nexus, you can find the comparable and popular Hisense Sero 7 Pro Quad-Core Android 4.2 Tablet (below right) for $129 from Walmart.

Expiration: Limited time.

Deals of the Week… Going, Going, Almost Gone! (9/13/13 Edition)

Three months ago, we shared the Star Trek Into Darkness frame-by-frame trailer recreation made from LEGOs. This LEGO version of The Hobbit sequel’s teaser trailer may top it.

To create their amazing LEGO mini-movies, brothers Kevin and Brian Ulrich use real Lord of the Rings and Hobbit LEGOs, a clay surface and stop-motion animation software called Dragonframe. Dragonframe is the same software used in recent animated movies Paranorman and Frankenweenie.

Their YouTube channel features other LEGO videos and even counts some artists from Peter Jackson’s own special effects company, Weta Workshop, among its fans.

And here’s a side-by-side comparison with the actual teaser trailer of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug:

Check out the latest LEGO deals on Ben’s Bargains!

See The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in LEGO!