Icons of Play

Name: LEGO Icons of Play 40634
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 40634

49 · SKIP ITINVESTMENT GRADE: C2023899 pcsHigh agreement · 84%

Expert reviews

3analyzed

Owner ratings

104

Countries

🇦🇺 🇺🇸2 markets

BrickScore

Skip It

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"Icons of Play earns a Skip It BrickScore of 49.1: women's football fans will treasure the exclusive athlete minifigures, but expert reviewers found the set structurally incoherent, with a broken fan mechanism, a disconnected half-pitch layout, and design inconsistencies that leave it neither a satisfying display piece nor a functional play set."

Expert reviewers land squarely in the negative-to-mixed camp on Icons of Play (40634), with Jay's Brick Blog calling it 'a slightly incomplete and pricey package' and Brickset labeling it 'a truly bizarre set that's neither fun to play with nor attractive to display.' The core problems are structural: five disconnected subassemblies, a supporter-stand fan mechanism that barely works, and a half-pitch design that feels unfinished. Owner ratings tell a split story: Amazon buyers average 4.6 out of 5 across 77 ratings, while LEGO.com buyers sit at 3.1 out of 5 across 27, and only 58% of LEGO.com owners say they would recommend it, reinforcing critic concern that enthusiasm from fans of the sport masks real design deficiencies.

Where they split: There is a pronounced split between casual fans of the sport and expert brick reviewers. Many LEGO.com reviewers who are women's football fans rated the set perfect scores, while the two dedicated brick reviewers (Jay's Brick Blog: 60, Brickset: 25) found the design decisions baffling. The Amazon average (4.6) versus the LEGO.com direct average (3.1) and the 58% would-recommend rate show the same fault line: sport fandom drives enthusiasm that the set itself does not fully justify.

Where to Buy

Affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you.

Max Profit Opinion PREMIUM

Is this a smart buy? BrickPicker's data-grounded investment verdict.

Unlock the Max Profit Opinion: our stance (buy / accumulate / hold / pass), the reasoning, the exact data behind it (eBay + BrickLink comps, CAGR vs MSRP, our retirement model), and whether the reviewer community agrees.

Unlock with Collector or Reseller See a full premium example →

LOVED (6)

0115 diverse minifigures with exclusive face prints for four named real women's football stars: Megan Rapinoe, Yuki Nagasato, Sam Kerr, and Asisat Oshoala
02Wide variety of skin tones, wigs, and hairpieces available across the minifigure roster
03Fluorescent yellow footballs as distinctive and useful parts

+3 more with Collector

CRITICIZED (10)

01Only half a pitch included, requiring two sets to form a complete field
02Supporter stand fan-bobbing mechanism does not work reliably due to friction
03Five subassemblies do not connect to each other, giving the set a disjointed, unfinished look

+7 more with Collector

Build Facts what critics report

🧩 Difficulty

beginner

🎯 Audience

kids

In Their Words most-used terms across every critic review

footballplayersplaypitchonlymechanismwomendiverserealismstandworkblueballdisplayfourtorsosstickerspodiumfielddesignlackplatelacksgoalkeeperstickerworldteamselection

What reviewers are saying

"Like most niche offerings, LEGO probably isn't expecting to appeal to mainstream LEGO fans with 40634 LEGO Icons of Play"

Jay's Brick Blog

"I really appreciate the powerful message behind this set, but the set falls a bit short due to relatively basic building techniques and relatively low value."

Brick Architect

Ecosystem

21337 Table Football 59 — 40634 Icons of Play is much more affordable than Table Football set and includes more 'stuff'. However, for blue team minifigures you must harvest from 21337 Table Football.

3409 Championship Challenge — Icons of Play does try to allude to the aesthetics and influences of the 90s Football sets, but ultimately, the core football play feature isn't as fun and as dynamic. The older 90s Football set had a more fun and dynamic custom spring-based ball kicking system compared to Icons of Play's knock-about system.

21337 Table Foosball 59 — The reviewer notes that #21337 faced criticism for its $249.99 price point and has been discounted multiple times despite being less than a year old. For that price, one could buy a real foosball table. This comparison highlights #40634 as a more reasonably priced alternative for football-themed building.

Early 2000s LEGO Football sets — The reviewer explicitly states that play features in #40634 do not live up to those found in earlier LEGO football sets from the early 2000s, which featured finger-flick shooting mechanisms. The reviewer would have loved to see similar engaging play features reintroduced.

MiscellaneousInvestment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

Jay's Brick Blog 🇦🇺

Editorial Source

WAIT FOR SALE

"Like most niche offerings, LEGO probably isn't expecting to appeal to mainstream LEGO fans with 40634 LEGO Icons of Play"

Key Pros

✓Great to see women's football legends get immortalised as minifigures
✓Huge and diverse selection of minifigures
✓Plenty of references to older Football sets

Key Cons

✕A little on the pricey side
✕You only get half a pitch (incomplete)

READ FULL REVIEW

Brick Architect 🇺🇸

Expert Video Source

"I really appreciate the powerful message behind this set, but the set falls a bit short due to relatively basic building techniques and relatively low value."

Key Pros

✓Powerful message celebrating women's football and gender equality; meaningful use of LEGO's platform for social causes
✓Impressive collection of 15 minifigures with four iconic real-world athletes and diverse representation (various genders, skin tones, facial expressions)
✓Custom-printed torsos on the four featured players with names on the back, providing unique collectible value

Key Cons

✕Only provides half a football field, limiting realism and requiring two sets for a complete field; reviewer felt this was a cynical attempt to encourage double purchases
✕Relatively basic building techniques throughout auxiliary builds; limited design complexity

JUMP TO REVIEW

3 more critic reviews + 27 buyer takes

Unlock all reviews See a premium example →

Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

Critics discussed this set's investment case

Buy-now vs wait consensus, value drivers, exclusivity and resale outlook

Unlock with Reseller See a premium example →

Minifigures & Standout Parts

In this set (15)

Samantha Kerr

Megan Rapinoe

Soccer Spectator

Soccer Goalie

Soccer Spectator

Soccer Referee

Soccer Spectator

Standout parts (per reviewers)

Yellow footballs
New recolour that GBC fans will be delighted to have more brightly-coloured balls for their displays
Diverse minifigure heads and torsos
Non-standard faces in a wide mix of skin-tones, expressions and genders - no yellow-skinned minifigures
Dreadlock-style wig
Awesome new dreadlock-style wig included as alternate for Asisat Oshoala
Technic cam piece (6575)
Used in the innovative jumping mechanism that raises and lowers figures on a platform as a crank is turned, creating a wave effect in the stands. This is integrated seamlessly into the design and becomes a highlight feature.
Custom-printed torsos for four iconic players
Each of the four featured footballers has a unique custom-printed torso featuring their names on the back, distinguishing them from generic players
Detailed printed and double-sided minifigures
Fan figures and players feature front and back printing with face and torso details, including alternate colored jerseys allowing for team customization