First look at BrickLink Designer Program Series 8 LEGO sets in hand

Take a first look at all five LEGO sets in Series 8 of the BrickLink Designer Program in hand at Brickworld Chicago, from the University of Science to Dustmark Keep.

The BrickLink team unveiled the five designs that will progress to crowdfunding in Series 8 live at Brickworld Chicago over the weekend, and brought along physical versions of each of the original models submitted by their fan designers. YouTuber London Bridge Bricks was on hand to snap shots of all five sets in the flesh, and has now shared images of them in hand over on Instagram.

Check out each set below alongside images of the rendered versions directly from BrickLink. These models will likely change to some degree between now and when crowdfunding begins, as the fan designers work to finetune their builds ahead of launch. Crowdfunding for Series 8 of the BrickLink Designer Program will get underway on June 1, 2026.

Coconut Cape

BallisticBricks’ Coconut Cape will give anyone currently deliberating over Series 5’s The Thieves of Tortuga an even tougher decision to make, because here’s another LEGO Pirates-adjacent set demanding a slice of your budget and shelf space. The original design includes 2,425 pieces and eight minifigures.

Hot Air Balloon

The smallest set in Series 8 is the colourful Hot Air Balloon, as designed by ExeSandbox. Coming in at just 876 total pieces, the model realises the designer’s ambition to construct a more colourful hot air balloon than the LEGO Group’s current go-to piece – the balloon segment used in (for example) 10339 Santa’s Post Office – allows.

Dustmark Keep

Series 8’s obligatory castle is another 4,000-piece monster that does things a little differently, transporting its fortress to a desert biome with Dustmark Keep. Designer brickhucker has tried to get this over the line a couple of times, and it’s now made the cut for Series 8.

University of Science

A place to educate LEGO minifigures is one of the biggest holes in the current Modular Buildings Collection, and it’s one that KingCreations is planning to plug with their ambitious University of Science. While not build to a modular standard, it should be simple enough to pop into any LEGO city – as long as you’ve got the budget next summer, because it weighs in at 3,995 pieces.

Brick Railroad Locomotive

The BrickLink Designer Program’s focus on trains stays on track with Series 8’s Brick Railroad Locomotive, as designed by ThomasRoeder. This 1,428-piece A-unit doesn’t include any motors, but is built in such a way that it’s easy to motorise if you so choose.

Finally, here’s a whirlwind tour of all five sets on the BrickLink table at Brickworld Chicago from London Bridge Bricks...

BrickLink Designer Program Series 8 sets

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