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17 December 2025

Parts review: January 2026 LEGO® DREAMZzz™ sets

Posted by tobymac

No time for sleep, as LEGO® DREAMZzz™ enters 2026 with a new wave of 5 sets to be released in January. The theme is known for bringing extravagant builds, while introducing unique new elements. Let’s see if this wave also contains the stuff of dreams.


Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

I was surprised to see this new wave of LEGO DREAMZzz sets was coming, as I had been expecting the theme to end, having reached the typical run length of 3 years. However, seeing the first wave was introduced in August 2023, maybe it is this January wave that will complete its 3rd year? 

The January 2026 wave brings 5 sets including a fox mech, a crocodile submarine, a scorpion digger, a dino jet and a tiger shark tank; models that can only exist in a dream world.

The 5 sets included in this parts review are:

Set 71508 on LEGO.com
 Set 71512 on LEGO.com
 Set 71513 on LEGO.com
 Set 71514 on LEGO.com
 Set 71515 on LEGO.com



New moulds

Dome, Crystal 5 x 2½ x 3⅓ (7591)

The most notable new mold is a large half crystal, appearing in 2 colors:


The crystal measures 5 modules wide and 2½ deep, while standing 3 bricks and 1 plates high, which equals 4 modules. The bottom features LEGO® Technic pin-sized holes.

Its hexagonal shape reminds me of the 5x6 hexagonal flag with clips (17979, 53913, seen above in trans-orange), but none of the angles line up. The inside fits a 3x3 tile (67095, in medium nougat), but a round brick (49308, in lime) is not a perfect dome – instead having straight walls – making it collide with the crystal. A 3x3 hemisphere ball turret (44359, in light bluish grey) fits better, with room to spare.


The measurements of the element are awkward: I was unable to find any matching slopes for its many diagonals. 


Placing the crystal sideways didn't result in matches with angled plates either.


Two pieces can be joined to form a full crystal, but only at the bottom: the top stud seems to be out of the expected alignment, as placing a connecting plate on top causes the parts to stress. 

At first, this seems like a huge oversight by the element designer. But then I remembered the story of the 2x2x⅔ plate with two side studs (99206). This SNOT plate received an update (4304) in 2023, making it fall in line with all other SNOT plates, bricks and brackets. The only downside: its original function as a reverser of stud direction was lost, as all SNOT elements have a slight offset. For a detailed explanation, see my closer look at LEGO part 4304 and its difference from 99206.

A quick test with a bracket (above right) confirms: the stud on top of the crystal perfectly lines up with the top stud on a SNOT element. There are some limitations though: the stud on top of some SNOT elements collides with the top of the crystal. The crystal is seen used in some LEGO DREAMZzzz sets as a windscreen; I assume the SNOT alignment makes it easier to integrate the element into the build. Does this weigh up against losing the more intuitive connection though?

Still, this is an awkwardly shaped element.


Treasure Creature (7581)

The crystals are used as a sort of egg to hold a new creature: Treasure Creatures. These creatures stand 2 bricks tall, and their tails just extend the length beyond 4 modules. On their head and tail they feature crystalline scutes, making them look like baby dragons. 

They come in 4 colors, each with a slightly different print:


Energy Effect, Crystalized (7776)

Staying in the crystal theme, we get another new energy effect. This one spans 8 x 5 modules, and features an axle hole connection. 

It’s not a bad part and I’m sure you’ll find good use for it, but feels a bit random, while we also already have seen many of these energy effects being introduced in the past years.

The element comes in 3 colors:


Neck Bracket (7902)

Moving on to minifigure accessories now, starting with a new neck bracket. 

This piece has a regular shoulder pauldron on one side, while the other side is crystalized.

The element comes in 4 colors:


Sword (7602)

When you’re fighting baddies, you need weapons. And when you’re in the dream world, you don’t have to worry about stuff like weight and practicality. So our heroes have ridiculous, over-the-top, massive swords to battle with, and I love them! 

The sword features a stud and anti-stud on the quillon block, as well as a bar connection on the blade and the handle.


There are 5 version to be found:


Minifig Head [Vented Stud - Single Hole] (6947)

The final new mold to discuss comes with a short history lesson:

There have been various mold variations for the traditional minifigure head. The part started out in 1978 with a solid stud (3626a, top left), but got replaced around the start of the 1990s by a vented stud with 3 holes (3626b, middle left). Around 2009, this vented version was in turn replaced by a blocked stud (3626c, bottom left). And another decade later, around 2020, the vented stud came back, this time with 2 holes (28621/3274, middle right). This latest version came with 2 different mold numbers: 28621 is used for translucent colors, while 3274 is used for opaque colors. This change however left out two colors: Pearl Gold and Flat Silver still used the solid 3626c.

Until now that is, as of (late?) 2025, these two colors have received their own mold, 6947 (bottom right), featuring a center hole in the stud. Checking my own collection, this is at least used for the Tin Man in 75685 Emerald City Wall Art in Flat Silver, and for the Pearl Gold Santa available in the Build-a-Minifigure stations. We find it here used for Cooper. 

The hole is too small to hold a small pin, so it doesn’t really offer new options.


Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Centered (7694) & Plate Round Corner 2 x 2 (7904)

Finally, 2 molds that are new and very useful, but I won't go into detail as these will be studied by Tom Loftus in his imminent review of LEGO® Botanicals sets 11501 Tulip Bouquet and 11509 Flowering Cactus.

Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Centered and Plate Round Corner 2 x 2 both show up here as well, as they surely will in many more 2026 sets.


Recolors

The following elements appear for the first time in their respective colors:




Decorations

Most decorations are handled by sticker sheets, but there are 4 new printed elements, not counting the minifigure parts.



Figures

Spread out over the 5 sets we find 6 goodies, 2 baddies, 2 new Dreamlings and 5 new Grimspan. Most of the minifigures appear in multiple sets, featuring slight differences like an added neck bracket or different hair, but all use the same decorated figure parts including the new ones I list below.

Starting with our heroes, going from left to right we see Logan, Zoey, Mr. Oz, Mateo, Cooper and Izzie. 

I’ve taken all accessories off for a full view of the decorations:

Cooper appears in 71513 Nightmare Scorpion Digger and 71514 The Dino Jet:

  • New head in Flat Silver (6584226)
  • New torso in Red (6588451)
  • New legs in Pearl Titanium (6584228)

Mr. Oz appears in 71515 Tiger Shark Tank:

  • New torso in Pearl Gold (6594511)
  • New Pearl Gold legs in Dark Blue (6584270)

Izzie appears in 71508 Fox Guardian Mech and 71515 Tiger Shark Tank:

  • New torso in Medium Azure (6588839)
  • New legs in Pearl Gold (6584258)

Mateo appears in 71508 Fox Guardian Mech, 71513 Nightmare Scorpion Digger and 71515 Tiger Shark Tank:

  • New torso in Dark Azure (6588290)
  • New legs in Dark Bluish Grey (6584225)

Zoey appears in 71512 Crocodile Submarine:

  • New torso in Dark Purple (6590256)
  • New legs in Dark Bluish Grey (6584250)

Logan appears in 71512 Crocodile Submarine and 71514 The Dino Jet:

  • Hair in Dark Blue (6590152), a recolour of The Joker's
  • New torso in Blue (6590156)
  • New legs in Bright Light Orange (6584248)

There are two main baddies. Arika is a new character, bringing nightmare fuel. He appears to be a shapeshifter, coming in a standard figure version, a spider version and a centipede version. The Nightmare King, meanwhile, has been promoted to Nightmare Emperor.


Arika appears in 71512 Crocodile Submarine, 71513 Nightmare Scorpion Digger, 71514 The Dino Jet and 71514 The Dino Jet:

  • New head in Black (6584229)
  • New torso in Black (6588489)
  • New Magenta legs in Black (6584231)

The Nightmare Emperor appears in 71508 Fox Guardian Mech, 71514 The Dino Jet and 71515 Tiger Shark Tank:

  • Newly molded headwear in Black (6584265)
  • New head in White (6584259)
  • New torso in Black (6588869)
  • New White legs in Black (6584261)

The Dreamlings come with new headwear, but no new elements. The Grimspan all have the same new head print on black (6584253)


Final comments

LEGO DREAMZzz is known for its weird, creative and trippy models, and the parts that make up these models follow suit. You’ll notice a lot of the new molds look familiar: they could have easily been used in the sets based on the NINJAGO: Crystalized story arc, featuring similar crystal-based elements. I wonder if the LEGO DREAMZzz show will visit the ninja at some point? 

At first glance, I found this wave to be a bit light on new elements, but seeing them all here, it is still a decent list. The theme-specific new molds are nice, but being mostly accessories, they can be limited in use. The swords, however, might make nice daggers for big figures?

My favorite is the large crystal, which can be used in various ways, but its awkward dimensions can make it an interesting challenge to fit it into your own models. The shape reminded me of a perfume bottle, making a perfect gift option for AFOLs this Christmas...

Elven Boy, the new fragrance by LEGO


Set 71508 on LEGO.com
 Set 71512 on LEGO.com
 Set 71513 on LEGO.com
 Set 71514 on LEGO.com
 Set 71515 on LEGO.com

READ MORE: Review of LEGO® Technic set 42223 1966 Ford GT40 MKII

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11 comments:

  1. Andrew Barnick17 Dec 2025, 14:52:00

    Nice review!

    The misalignment of the crystal piece feels like a huge oversight and is disappointing. I see that it's used horizontally as a windscreen in several sets but it's also used paired in most of the sets, so it's disappointing to see that the dimensions are not quite right for that.

    The new energy effect piece, on the other hand, seems nice. Like the ones from the first year of Dreamzzz it seems to be designed so that it can be used for multiple things, be it claws or wings or insect-like legs.

    The new sword and armor pieces are also great. The fig designs in general are fantastic-looking, as we've come to expect from the theme.

    In terms of recolors, it's good to see the return of the 3x3 "maxaroni" after it failed to appear in any of this year's sets. I have mixed feelings about the hexagonal flag piece—it's good to have unprinted but in the set it comes in it probably would've been nice to have prints, given that it's repeated several times throughout the build. At least the flat, angular shape probably won't be TOO hard to align stickers on.

    Looking forward to reviews of the complete sets. Because official pics of Dreamzzz sets tend to be split between the various alternate models, there's often fewer pictures showing the various angles and play functions on each model, so in-depth reviews are definitely appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Admin17 Dec 2025, 15:56:00

      I'm not certain if we will manage full reviews of these, but I hope other sites deliver what you need!

      Delete
    2. Andrew Barnick17 Dec 2025, 19:20:00

      I did a search and at least one YouTube channel has already done a preview of the Shark Ship set so I could get a peek inside! So shouldn't be too long now.

      Delete
  2. Chris17 Dec 2025, 15:16:00

    I missed your previous analysis of part 4304. I had never noticed that issue before, but it makes sense. I still don't understand why the crystal piece is shaped that way. Unfortunately it will probably never be released in transparent colors that I want.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18 Dec 2025, 06:53:00

      Changing 4304 to fit the rest of the bracket system, instead of the other way around, was LEGO's worst move IMHO.
      Brackets done the way of the old 4304 do exist ("out there") and have proven that the advantages were outweighting the downsides.

      Delete
  3. Plantetossen17 Dec 2025, 15:59:00

    Those treasure creatures just makes me miss Elves even more! The first DreamZzz wave seemed to take up the mantle from Elves with 40657 Dream Village and 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures but the line have evolved away from Elves with only a faint whiff now and then for us Elvendale fanatics

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous17 Dec 2025, 17:14:00

    "I wonder if the LEGO DREAMZzz show will visit the ninja at some point?" they actually already have had a crossover

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bfa17 Dec 2025, 20:33:00

    I can't imagine the stud alignment issue was intentional; it can't have been to accommodate the SNOT bracket misalignment, because that would have just been a slight gap rather than an overlap. I'd be interested in a deeper analysis of them, whether the studs themselves are misaligned top-to-bottom or if the joining edge is somehow slanted.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Grant17 Dec 2025, 20:46:00

    The minifigure heads weren't always roundish. I have in my collection several squarish versions of the heads with solid studs. These were probably around in the late 80s and early 90s. At some point, Lego must have decided the heads were too squarish so they introduced a new version where the chin section was rounded a bit more, but the forehead area remained squarish. A bit later, they again changed the heads to the form we know today. It's odd that the Minifigure Encyclopedias make no mention of this in their sections on the evolution of the minifigure shape from unposable to today's posable versions, yet it seems like nobody really knows about it because most of those vintage sets are much harder to find these days.

    I can send the square head pics to your IG DMs, if that's OK.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous18 Dec 2025, 08:35:00

    Cue Richard O'Brien: "To the crystal Dome!" Duh nuh nuh nuh na-na, dun dun dun duh-dun-dun-dun.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous18 Dec 2025, 13:57:00

    Point of copyediting: Two uses of "Grimspan" instead of "Grimspawn."

    ReplyDelete