LEGO is really surprising us this year with many adult focused releases. This 31203 LEGO Art World Map is one of them that we’re both surprised AND puzzled with. It also overtakes the Colosseum LEGO set as the “largest” LEGO set ever with a mind-numbing 11,695 pieces of bricks in the set.
It will feature a build-able world map with the continents set in round white plates against the ocean and multicolored seabed in round tiles culminating in a 3D like effect. There are 3 basic configurations recommended with America in the middle OR Europe&Africa in the middle OR Asia& Australia in the middle and it comes with a nice brick built white LEGO “frame”.
Truth be told, we aren’t convinced that this one will catch on with the masses especially since the heatmap-ish colouring on the seabed (although inspired by the bathymetric mapping of the ocean floor) is not a common feature everyone associates with a world map.
We believe that LEGO might have thought of that and thus also recommends that you might alternatively want to get creative with the ocean judging by this funky image on their boxart which includes a rubiks cube, a Kraken and other geometric patterns 🙂
Nonetheless, please do find the pictures and information of the set below. Like the other LEGO Art sets before this, it also comes with an accompanying English-only building soundtrack and will be released in June 2021 and at the very least, the sheer size of it would definitely make an eye catching centerpiece of every room.
Travel put firmly back on the map with huge new LEGO® Art set
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.”
The LEGO® Art World Map (31203) will be available from LEGO.com and LEGO Stores globally from 1st June 2021 priced from [EUR 249.99/$249.99/229.99 GBP/399.99 AUD/349.99 CAD] and will become available from other retailers globally from 1st August 2021.
More information can be found by visiting http://www.lego.com/world-map.
