Travel has been off the books for the better part of a year now (maybe more, depending on where you are going to and from), but the latest LEGO Art release will help you keep an eye on where you might want to be going!
While you might not be able to get on a plane to travel, your LEGO can take you there.
The LEGO® Art World Map (31203) has 11695 elements – the highest part-count of any LEGO set to date. It will be available from LEGO.com, and LEGO Stores globally from 1st June 2021, priced from [EUR 249.99/ $USD249.99/£229.99/ $AUD399.99/ 349.99 CAD] and will become available from other retailers globally from 1st August 2021.
With the high part count, and I presume a 5×8 grid of 16×16 backing plates (that’s over 10200 pixels), this set will take some time to put together. You might need something to help take you through it, and there is an extensive soundtrack to accompany the build, bringing you tales of travellers and adventurers from around the world.
The opportunities for customising this set are a little less varied than for the first wave of LEGO Art Sets – the prescribed builds include 3 versions, with different continents in the centre of the map.
However, there is ample scope for customisation – the ‘proper’ build brings you the landmasses in white, while the ocean is presented as a bathymetric map – with the colour varying with the depth of the oceans. But this is by no means the only way to put the map together.
We have 10 colours available: the landmasses represented by white studs, while all of the remaining mosaic elements are round tiles in earth blue; medium azure; teal; bright green, bright yellowish-green; tan; bright yellowish-orange, bright orange and vibrant salmon. Bright colours, some of which will glow somewhat spectacularly under black light (bright green; vibrant salmon) while the oranges are variable, being somewhat dependent on the batch of dye used for individual elements – although some might fluoresce, and others may not.
I look forward to seeing what else people might use the parts for!
Wanderlusters prepare to be enthralled by the magic of a different sort of map – the new LEGO® Art World Map. This new addition to the LEGO Art collection contains the most pieces ever included in a set in the LEGO Group’s history, with its 11,695 elements allowing builders to immerse themselves in creating a stunning representation of the earth from 2D LEGO tiles.
The new LEGO Art World Map can be reimagined in a number of different ways to express the personality and travel memories or wishes of different builders. Customisable brick-built pins can be placed to mark out destinations already visited or highlight those still on the builder’s bucket list to give this masterpiece a personal twist before it’s proudly displayed.
The set’s building instructions show how the 40 interconnecting base plates are divided into three sections for the build that can be arranged in one of three different ways, allowing you to place your favourite part of the world in the centre of your map.
The oceans on this 25.5 in. (65cm) high and 40.5 in. (104 cm) wide masterpiece can also be tailored to be a true expression of each builder’s style: the tiles can be arranged in a manner inspired by bathymetric mapping of the ocean floor by following the building instructions, or builders can express themselves more freely and creatively by arranging the tiles as they wish and exploring different patterns and motifs instead.
The new LEGO Art set offers adults and their families a challenging and immersive building experience to help them relax and recharge as they reminisce about holiday memories of the past or start planning future excursions. An accompanying soundtrack featuring stories from travel experts has been curated to immerse listeners in their passion for exploration as they build. The soundtrack features travellers’ tales from bloggers and adventurers including Torbjørn C. Pedersen, the first person to visit every country in the world in one unbroken journey without flying, and blogger Syazwani Baumgartner who has experienced some of the most remote places on the planet.
The new set comes with a coffee-table style instruction booklet, a white brick-built frame and two hanging elements to make the map easy to display, take down and rebuild whenever the mood strikes.
Fiorella Groves, Creative Lead for LEGO Art, commented: “We know that our adult fans love to travel, but many haven’t been able to do so for over a year now. We thought that there was no better way of helping explore the world while relaxing in the comfort of their home than by allowing them to build, rebuild, plan and reminisce through building. We hope the LEGO Art World Map will inspire new adventures in some, and help others relive and celebrate wonderful travel memories from the past.”
What do you think of this set? Are you looking forward to travelling vicariously through your LEGO Builds?
It might have the largest part count, but is it the biggest LEGO set, in any dimension? It sounds like time for a project!
Why not leave your comments below, and until next time,
Play Well!