Icons

ECTO-1

The Ghostbusters wagon done right, roller-skate grille and all.

Set 10274 · 2020

Pieces2,352

Minifigsn/a

Year2020

Set number10274

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The verdict

If you love Ghostbusters even a little, this LEGO® set is an easy yes.

It's a big, detailed 2,352-piece car that nails the look of the movie ambulance and packs in genuinely clever functions. Just know going in that there are no minifigures and no display plaque, which stings a bit at this size and price. For a fan who wants a shelf centerpiece and a proper weekend build, it's hard to do better.

Best for: Ghostbusters fans who want a big display car with real functions

The full review

What it is

Let me tell you why this one gets fans grinning. The ECTO-1 is LEGO's tribute to maybe the most famous car in movie history, that beat-up 1959 Cadillac ambulance the Ghostbusters tore around New York in. At 2,352 pieces and about 18 inches long, it's a proper big model, and the shape is what sells it. The long low body, the swooping tailfins, the grubby off-white paint job, the red-and-blue roof rack stacked with gizmos. It reads as ECTO-1 from across the room, and that's the whole job of a set like this. It sits in the Icons line aimed at grown-up builders, and it earns that badge.

The catch

Now the honest bit. There are no minifigures. None. For a Ghostbusters set that big, not getting even one crew member in a jumpsuit is a genuine letdown, and it's the complaint you'll hear from almost every reviewer. There's also no UCS-style plaque with the specs, which feels stingy when you're paying adult-collector money (it launched at 239.99 dollars). The build itself is mostly a joy, but with over 2,300 pieces there are stretches where you're doing similar panel and bodywork assemblies back to back, so a couple of sections drag. It's not a quick sit-down either. Most builders clock 6 to 8 hours, so set aside a weekend.

Who it's for

So who should grab it? If you're a Ghostbusters fan, or you just want a striking display car that actually does stuff, this is a great pick. The functions alone (steering, a popping ghost trap, the extending rear gunner seat, a removable proton pack) make it fun to fiddle with long after it's built. If you mainly buy sets for the minifigures, or you want a fast casual build, this isn't your set and you'll feel the gaps. One more thing worth knowing: it retired at the end of 2024, so it's off shelves now and you're looking at the aftermarket. Prices have stayed roughly around the old retail so far, which is friendlier than a lot of retired sets. If it's calling your name, it's a solid one to bring home.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building the ECTO-1 is a proper coachbuilding project. You start with a sturdy chassis and the interior, then work outward, and the fun part is watching that iconic body take shape panel by panel. The curves are where the design really flexes, with plenty of clever angling and bracket work to get those long Cadillac lines and the big rear fins looking smooth instead of blocky. Along the way you drop in the working steering, the surprise ghost trap that pops out, the swiveling gunner seat that extends off the back, and a little proton pack. It's very much a builder's build, so newer fans might find a few sections fiddly, but the 12 numbered bags keep it manageable.

The parts nerd stuff is where this set gets a grin. The front grille is famously made from 44 minifigure roller skates lined up in rows, and it looks fantastic once assembled. The engine bay uses trans-clear minifigure heads as detailing, which is the kind of sideways thinking LEGO fans live for. There are also loads of older parts showing up in fresh colors, so if you build your own stuff you'll be raiding this box for the dirty-white bodywork panels, curved slopes, and dark grey bits for a while. At roughly 10 cents a piece it's not a bargain-bin part count, but the specialized pieces and the licensing pull their weight.

Fun facts

01The real ECTO-1 is a converted 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance-hearse combo, built by a company out of Piqua, Ohio.
02The front grille is assembled from 44 minifigure roller skate pieces, one of the most talked-about parts tricks in any LEGO car.
03It was designed by Michael Psiaki, the same LEGO designer behind the fan-favorite James Bond Aston Martin DB5.
04Despite being a huge Icons-tier display set, it ships with no minifigures and no UCS info plaque, both rare omissions at this scale.