Following previous sets that placed Nintendo in the spotlight, Sega’s most famous home console finally gets the LEGO treatment.
10:00, 13 Jun 2026Updated 11:36, 13 Jun 2026
Coming in at around 480 pieces, the LEGO Sega Mega Drive/Genesis set is mighty despite how tiny it is.(Image: Lego)
Whether you knew it as the Sega Mega Drive or Sega Genesis, Lego’s newest video game set is a small but mighty way to celebrate the iconic 1990s console.
Of all the iconic rivalries in the gaming world, few have ever risen to the heights that was Nintendo versus Sega in the 1990s. Sure, the latter may have ultimately conceded its platform-holder status following the commercial failure of the Dreamcast just a few years after launch, but back then there was genuine excitement to be had as Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog regularly duked it out in the platforming realm.
Sega famously attempted to prove it ‘does what Nintendon’t’, and it’s this exact era I was put back in mind of when building the new LEGO Sega Mega Dive/Genesis (40926) set.
The set itself follows hot on the heels of the LEGO NES and Game Boy as yet another celebration of one of gaming’s most memorable home consoles. And while it doesn’t quite stand as proudly on the shelf as those others due to its miniaturised scale that comes in at just 480 pieces, the set still comes packing two unique build options (Mega Drive or Genesis) and serves as a fantastic and authentic recreation of the 16-bit home console that first got me into video games.
Plus, if the price of past video game themed LEGO sets is something you tend to balk at, Sega’s brick-ified console debut will scratch this particular itch without breaking the bank… How refreshing!
One of the set’s coolest features is a brick-ified 2D Sonic the Hedgehog portrait that sits neatly within the console itself.(Image: Lego)
The build itself, despite the Mega Drive/Genesis being almost totally black, is a fun one. In fact, forming the body of the console is given a slight edge thanks to the fact that a recreation of Sonic’s face sits snuggly on the inside, with the blue-and-white tableaux coming together nicely and capturing the personality of Sega’s iconic mascot on his snarkier side. Does this make a difference to the look and feel of the final product? No. Not at all. But as a cute Easter Egg that LEGO didn’t need to include, it more than does the job!
Along similar lines, of course, is the actual mini-cartridge that sits in the console’s game slot itself. And really, it could only ever be one game. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is not only the best 2D Sonic game (fight me), its box art is also insanely iconic.
And while the version featured in the LEGO Sega Mega Dive/Genesis set may not be exactly like-for-like with the original version, it more than captures the art’s essence by featuring Sonic and Tails in front of a giant number ‘2’ and is primed to prod the part of your brain that remembers racing through stages like Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant Zone in split-screen with a friend.
The next level
As previously alluded to, the LEGO Sega Mega Dive/Genesis set isn’t a 1:1 scale, but I actually find this decision to be refreshing. Display space in my office is at a premium as it is, so I swiftly came to appreciate the fact that I can hold the console – measuring 4cm in height, 16cm in width and being 12cm deep – in the palm of my hand. It won’t take up too much space yet still captures the spirit of the original Sega Mega Drive and/or Sega Genesis in spades. The build even comes packing two dedicated gamepads to really set in your memories of playing Sonic the Hedgehog in co-op, complete with an authentic three face-button layout.
While it would have been nice to have more iconic cartridge options to sit in the console, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a perfect choice.(Image: Lego)
If I have one gripe with this set it is the way it handles its two build options. You see, while there are specific LEGO pieces and bricks that can be swapped in and out to transform the set from Mega Drive to Genesis and back again in just a few minutes, the front two ‘Power’ and ‘On’ stickers would have to be peeled on and peeled off each time to do so.
Realistically, I don’t think many diehard Sega fans are going to be doing this anyway since they grew up calling this console either one or the other, but it is still a shame LEGO couldn’t squeeze in a few more extra pieces to make the aesthetic switch easier.
Where it counts most, however, LEGO’s brick-ified take on the console that first got me into video games is a fun and surprisingly authentic way to wind the clock back to the 1990s. It might not carry the size or high level of detail found in other video game sets, yet with plenty of fun, built-in callbacks to Sonic’s past and history and plenty of subtle touches that made me nostalgic for the 16-bit era of gaming it’s hard to complain too much.
The LEGO Sega Mega Dive/Genesis set is an impressive, and more importantly fairly priced, way to celebrate Sega’s iconic console. No cartridge-blowing required. This is just a great little set to have sitting on anyone’s shelf.
The LEGO Sega Mega Dive/Genesis console set is scheduled to release on Tuesday, July 16.
