With army toys and Lego toys being so popular with kids, it is no wonder that parents would like to see them join together into a range of army Legos toys. Unfortunately Lego does not produce modern day warfare Lego, such as tanks and helicopters as they prefer to keep children’s playtimes in the realms of fantasy rather than reality. You can, however, find army type vehicles in the LEGO Creator range, including the LEGO Creator 5866 Helicopter, the Lego Creator 6741 Mini Jet and the Lego Creator 6742 Mini Off Roader.
Click HERE for great prices on the Lego Creator range
Lego is of course a construction toy, so in fact you can build anything you like. You don’t really need a set as you can instead use your own creativity rather than follow a set of instructions from a Lego box. Just look what you can build with a bit of inspiration.
For those of us that are not quite up to that standard, you can improvise and buy the few Lego army sets that are available. The Toy Story movie helped us out when the Toy Story green army men became so popular that Lego produced a set of them, called Toy Story Army Men On Patrol. Four of these brave toy soldier Lego mini figures come with a 3” Jeep, a spare tire and a stretcher. Everything in this set is bright green and it is well liked. The minifigures are cool – three are Lego soldiers, one mine sweeper, one rifle man and one radio man, whilst the fourth member is a medic. They all come with printing on their chests to show the detailing of their uniforms as well as helmets. The Jeep rolls easily and is an adorable addition to help with role play. At $11 it is well worth the money, but it may be worth buying a few sets to extend your army.
Click HERE for a great price on this Toy Story Lego set
For a more medieval army feel, you could get a set from the Lego Vikings range, such as the Army of Vikings with Heavy Artillery Wagon (7020). This 312 piece set comes with 7 Viking Lego minifigs and a rolling armoured wagon that launches 10 bolts. The army Lego toys can march into battle as brave warriors carrying swords and spears.
So if your child has a fascination for things that go ‘boom’ as well as for Lego, you should be able to come up with something. There are of course other manufacturers of construction type toys, similar to Lego, who do produce an army toys range. Best Lock Toys have a 750 piece Transporter & Tank set, a 500 piece Attack Copter & Tank set and a 330 piece Military Play Set amongst others. The building blocks used are very similar to Lego but the range includes many highly detailed and realistic military vehicles. However, reviews suggest that they are not up to Lego’s quality which may explain why they are relatively inexpensive.
Another reputable option to consider is the Mega Bloks army sets found in the Probuilder range. It includes many military models such as the Navy Destroyer and Minehunter ships and the Air Force Warthog. They are quite advanced sets so are recommend for children aged 8 years and over but receive good reviews.
If your kids are mad about army toys but also love Lego, then building a Lego Army seems the next logical step to take.
Unfortunately Lego does not make this easy for you, preferring to keep children playing in fantasy scenarios than realistic types of war game.
There are a few readymade Lego army sets for sale online, such as the army vehicles you can find in the Lego Creator range and the Toy Story Army Lego Men on Patrol set for youngsters. Alternatively you can find Mega Bloks Probuilder military sets for older children and adults. (Please click HERE for more information on all of these options).
Luckily though, the world of custom army Legos is quite vast. Although quite hard to find, once you track it down, you will find a diverse range of Lego army soldiers, tanks, other vehicles and teeny Lego guns to use to stage great battles.
Whilst these custom military Legos are not endorsed by the Lego company, they are made using their bricks and will therefore work nicely with any existing brick collections.
Battles can take place in the past, future or present and Lego enthusiasts can build the most customized battle they desire. From military ambulances to army bomber planes to properly outfitted soldiers, thousands of custom items are sold to complete a Lego army.
Obviously you can build anything you like with Lego bricks, but kids often need a bit of a helping hand to kick start their imaginations. A collection of Lego army figures complete with weapons may inspire them to build some vehicles from scratch, or you could buy the instructions for custom builds to help them along or even custom sets complete with instructions and relevant bricks.
Where to start
Building a basic Lego military involves soldiers, guns and vehicles. By starting with these three basic facets, you will be well on your way to a great collection.
Lego Soldiers
Known as mini figures, or “mini figs,” Lego army men are available to replicate soldiers from the US, Germany and the UK. There are World War and modern day soldiers from the marines and other branches of the military. Some of the military mini figs available include U.S. sergeants, riflemen, mine sweepers, and medics.
Most are custom built and come in different colored uniforms, including grey, black, white, green and tan. They come with removable helmets, uniform detailing and sometimes one or more weapons.
They cost from around $6 singly or you can find them bundled as custom Lego army toys sets. For example, 3 minifigures and a base camp set including weapons will cost between $35-40. Full platoon units can be purchased for around $80, which includes six figures and two Jeeps.
Things to watch out for when purchasing include how the uniform is printed onto the minifig. Direct printing on both sides is the best as this will not scratch or rub off. Some minifigs though just come with decals (stickers) on one side. You could buy these decals yourself to add to your own plain minfigures. They cost around $6 for 15 decals.
Click or HERE for a great selection of Lego army men for sale
As well as weapons you can purchase individual helmets for your soldiers. These include modern combat helmets, brodie helmets, steel pots and German Stahlhelms. They often come in a variety of colors and cost $2 each.
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Minifig stands have two studs and are designed to keep your Lego soldiers upright in battle. Whilst not a necessary accompaniment, they can be well worth the $1 price tag.
Lego Guns
Precisely detailed using computer aided design, Lego weapons are amazingly intricate, tiny, yet integral, battle accessories for your minifigures. As they are made from the identical plastic that Lego uses they blend perfectly.
Guns, swords, grenades and other weapons cost around $1 each, and can be customized to any war era. A high caliber sniper rifle can be purchased in eight different color choices for $1.50 each. Weapons can be bought in packs for about $10, which include an assortment of shotguns, handguns, U-clips and more. Choose from high caliber sniper rifles, assault carbines, grenade launchers and heaps more, to really rev up your army with these pieces of minifig weaponry.
Why not stock up your Lego army tank with some Lego grenades too. The iconic and highly detailed fragmentation grenade can be added to your arsenal to send your enemies fleeing.
Offering superb value for money, why not treat your soldiers to a weapons pack. These come in three colors, cobalt blue, silver, and black, and include such things as precision sniper rifles, tactical PDWs, assault carbines, combat SMGs and bipods.
The variety of Lego military gear available makes sure your army is ready for both close quarter combat and long range attacks.
Click HERE for a great selection of Lego army guns
Lego Tank Toys & Other Army Vehicles
Kits for building Lego army vehicles are available for both World Wars and the modern military. Tanks are hugely popular although a couple of fighter planes, jeeps and Humvees are also available.
Lego tanks include models such as the Sherman and Panzer. You can find instructions for building these custom tanks from your own collection of Lego pieces available to purchase online or buy complete kits that comprise the pieces and the instructions.
Click for a great selection of Lego army tanks
Tips For Improving Your Army Lego Sets
Make sure you opt for distinctive attire between armies. This can be done with decals, helmets and weapons.
Consider what era your war is set in and choose minifigs, helmets and weapons that are suitable.
Assemble your Lego soldiers into squads, such as groups of snipers, close combat army men and artillery units.
Identify some ranks within the squads, say one officer to every 5 infantryman.
Make use of some custom Lego military vehicles.
Build an army base with normal Lego for your army to defend.
You will probably need at least 20 Lego soldiers and a couple of vehicles to achieve a realistic battle scene.
The level of detail in army Legos is immense. It is recommended that you start slow with a few basic pieces to include a few soldiers, a vehicle and some weapons. Once you decide what you like to build best, customized kits with hundreds or thousands of pieces can be purchased.
There are many cheap and cheerful army men toys and army playsets available online but if your child plays with kids army toys a lot, you may want to consider some of the better quality versions on offer. Whether they are toy soldiers, army toy tanks or role play toys, those from the following brands will typically offer larger, more detailed and more durable toys to last the test of time.
Army Men Toys
For large scale detailed army action figures, GI Joe will probably spring to mind and rightly so. The range of toys was revamped in 2009 following the popular GI Joe movie and so these articulated military style army figures are as popular as ever. They can be played with following the movie themes but also offer great imaginary play for any army scenarios. They are aimed at children four years and over, who can act out mini battles and ensure good triumphs over evil. There are numerous different size army men figures, as well as vehicles, so you will be sure to find one that suits your budget. They are well made as you would expect from the toy giant Hasbro, so you can be assured of spending your money wisely. The smallest army figure stands 3.75″ tall and starts at around $10, whilst the 12″ figures go for around $20. Even the smallest come with weapon accessories but for the extra money you get real clothing and electronic sounds.
Parents in the UK have another good choice of army men action figures in the recently released HM Armed Forces toys range. These large scale plastic toy soldiers standing at 10″ tall cost around $15 and are extremely detailed versions of members of the British Armed Forces. They sport life like military uniforms and weapons and are fully poseable.
Army Toy Tanks & Other Vehicles
For detailed models of an army toy tank and other vehicles, your best bet is the Unimax range of toys. They offer many different styles of toy army tank, battleship, helicopter, airplane and other army vehicles. Their models are either 1:32 or 1:72 scale models and start at around $16 going up to over $500. They are made from die cast metal and plastic and are very detailed. They are probably best for children aged at least 7 years old and are even suitable for serious collectors.
Unfortunately Lego does not have a range of modern day warfare sets. Of course, you can build anything with Lego and you just have to look online to see what serious Lego builders can achieve. But if you are after army building block sets for your child you will have to look elsewhere. The Mega Bloks Probuilder range is well thought of and includes many military models. There is a good range of toy helicopters, ships, airplanes and tanks suitable for children aged over 8 years old. They range in price from about $20 for the 343 piece Gromitz Minehunter Boat to closer to $300 for the 1,700 piece USS Kittyhawk. As you can see from the number of pieces they are very detailed and quite advanced building block sets but come with easy to follow instructions.
Moving onto role play army toys for kids, Hasbro’s Nerf seems to lead the way in blaster style toy guns. Whilst not exactly military issue replicas, for some good shooting and battling fun, they are ideal and receive rave reviews. One of the hot picks from last Christmas, the Nerf N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 Dart Blaster, is still a top choice and can be bought for around $30. For more covert operations and night time fun, EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Binoculars and Goggles are well thought of but are top end toys. Toys may in fact be an over simplification as these bits of kit feature real night vision technology allowing you to see up to 50 feet away. They are not cheap though starting at $50 for the binoculars.
So if your child is army toys mad, then it may be worth investing in some of the better quality military toys, rather than the cheap plastic junk you can find in most dollar stores.
