Flipkart Big Billion Days LEGO: 44 sets checked, honest verdicts

Flipkart is about to sell LEGO at half price. Some of it is a genuine steal. Some of it is a magic trick with a strikethrough. So we checked what the same sets cost at other Indian stores on 6 Oct and gave every one of the 44 a verdict. Flipkart's own page says: Early access 8 Oct for Plus, BLACK and Flipkart credit card members; everyone from 9 Oct. We can't change their advert, so we've simply given our view.

Prices below are as announced by Flipkart. Confirm on sale day.

How to read the verdicts

• HALF PRICE: roughly half what other stores charge.
• GOOD: a solid saving against other stores.
• MEH: barely a saving against other stores.
• COLLECTOR: the set is retired, or nobody else has it in stock, so there is nothing to compare it with.

"Elsewhere" is the cheapest in-stock price at other Indian stores, checked 6 Oct. † means Flipkart's crossed-out MRP is their own figure and we have not verified it, so we make no "percent off" claim on that set.

The tally: 13 half price, 14 good, 6 meh, 11 collector.

Technic supercars and F1

Technic first, because the big numbers live here. The Daytona is a collector call, the Red Bull, the Ferrari, the McLaren P1, the Audi (retired, last stock) and the Ducati are good savings, and the MCL39 is the one where the strikethrough is working harder than the discount.

Every price below is reported, unconfirmed: confirm on sale day.

Speed Champions

The small cars are where Flipkart's half price turns out to be genuine. Three F1 cars at the same price, plus the Back to the Future Time Machine, are half what other stores charge. Lightning McQueen is a good saving, and the Ferrari F40 is retired.

Star Wars

Jango Fett's Firespray is the headline: half what other stores charge. The other three are retired, so treat them as collector buys rather than bargains.

Harry Potter

Hogwarts Castle at half price is the proper deal. The Sorcerer's Stone Collectors Edition is a good saving. The Sorting Hat and Hagrid's motorcycle are retired.

Heroes and Ninjago

NINJAGO City Workshops is half price. The Avengers Tower is a good saving. The Batmobile and Thunderfang are retired. Iron Man and Lloyd's Titan Mech are barely a saving.

Icons and Ideas display builds

The Shuttle Carrier is half price, the Concorde, Senna's McLaren, the Williams and WALL-E and EVE are good savings, the Dune Ornithopter is retired, and Tintin's Moon Rocket is one to skip.

Art and flowers

The three bouquets are half price, the Milky Way is a good saving, Cherry Blossom is barely one, and the Mona Lisa is retired.

Football and Classic

The Classic Brick Box and Suitcase are half price, the Soccer Ball is a good saving, and the FIFA World Cup Trophy is the headline that doesn't hold up.

Diwali gifts under ₹3,500

Ten sets are under ₹3,500 on Flipkart and either half price or a good saving against other stores: McLaren MCL38 (Speed) (77251), Red Bull RB20 (Speed) (77243), Aston Martin AMR24 (Speed) (77245), Back to the Future Time Machine (77256), Lightning McQueen (77255), Classic Creative Suitcase (10713), Classic Large Creative Brick Box (10698), Pretty Pink Flower Bouquet (10342), Wildflower Bouquet (10313), Bouquet of Roses (10328). The retired sets in that range (Ambush on Mandalore, Ferrari F40, Ahsoka's Jedi Interceptor and Hagrid's motorcycle) are for the collector in the family.

Skip these

If the strikethrough is doing more work than the discount, wait: McLaren MCL39 F1 Car (42228), FIFA World Cup Trophy (43020), Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors Edition (76344), Japanese Cherry Blossom (31218), Tintin Moon Rocket (21367), Lloyd's Titan Mech (71860). All six are under 20 percent below what other stores charge.

The short version

Half price is real on a good chunk of this list. It is not real on all of it. Check the verdict before you check out.

Prices as announced by Flipkart. Confirm on sale day.