You can't go and see the Titanic in all its glory today – for obvious reasons – but Lego might just have devised the next best thing. The company has developed an enormous 9,090-piece Lego set based on the Titanic, and you'll be able to buy it very soon.
As reported by Kotaku, Lego's Titanic releases on November 1 for – and get ready for this – $630 / £570. That's arguably as eye-watering as the 1997 James Cameron film based on the ship's demise.
If you do decide to take the plunge when the set releases, do make sure you've got plenty of time and shelf space. Its 1:200 scale, 54-inch size is almost as big as some of the best 4K TVs, and dwarfs the Lego Art World Map the company launched just a few months ago – though at least one Lego sculptor, with a personal connection to the ill-fated ship, thinks it should be worth the effort to build.
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While some may have concerns that making a Lego set out of the site of one of history's biggest nautical tragedies could be insensitive, professional Lego sculptor Sean Kenney doesn't see it that way. Kenney told TechRadar that there's "real beauty" to Lego's depiction of the Titanic.
"I'm actually very excited about the new LEGO Titanic set," Kenney explained. "I personally had three relatives on the Titanic (one of whom survived).
"The model seems to echo sentiments that I have expressed in my own work for many years: it is tastefully done, true to the original, and elegant to look at. It does not attempt to sensationalize the tragedy of the ship's fate, but instead focuses on the beauty and grandeur of the vessel itself."
Kenney went on to note that the attention to detail Lego has placed in the Titanic set shouldn't be understated.
"I also have created my fair share of architectural scale models using LEGO bricks, and I know that working at this scale can be challenging. I can appreciate the care that has gone into keeping the scale and detail of the model as accurate as possible given the limited resolution of LEGO bricks.
"It does not attempt to 'cartoonify' the ship or approximate its features, or to make it something that children would want to use as a backdrop to play. It is content to simply present the Titanic as it existed in real life, and I think there is a real beauty to that."
A fitting tribute?
For better or worse, the Titanic is one of the largest events in nautical history that's captured the imaginations of millions of people around the world. That Lego would deem it fitting to base its largest ever set on is somewhat admirable, even if the build itself might potentially take months to complete.
It might also be one of Lego's most intricate builds to date, as its version of the Titanic features multiple floors, complete with furniture, as well as fully equipped engine rooms, a smoking lounge and swimming pool.
However, the build is designed so that it can be split open seamlessly, which will reveal views of the interior. So it's good to see Lego has considered that builders might want to show off the painstaking work they put into building this monolithic set.
It's far from the first time Lego has based a set on a historical monument or feat of engineering, however. Its range of sets in the Architecture lineup feature famous buildings and skylines from all across the world, including the Taj Mahal, Tokyo and Trafalgar Square, to name just a few. These sets aren't as detailed, grandiose or expensive as Lego's Titanic, but they're wonderful little tributes, nonetheless.
As for other historical Lego sets we'd love to see, the Lego Ideas website is chock full of inspiring pitches. Top of our list has to be this Angkor Wat idea, which sadly didn't garner enough supporters for Lego to consider making a real set out of, which is a crying shame.
Elsewhere, this Hanging Gardens of Babylon pitch is utterly stunning, and something that would not at all look out of place stocked in one of Lego's high street stores. The sky's the limit when it comes to what Lego can do with an official set, we just wish it would roll the dice every so often to give budding creators like those linked above a chance to realize their incredible designs.
