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Level 8: Leif Eriksson Enters the Nexus of Bifrost

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THE CREATOR'S NOTES

 

You can see the Flickr slideshow of hi-res images and inspirations by clicking the link here.

These sets have been in the making for 36 years now. In sum, this is the fruit of the input of over a hundred archaeologists, scientists, and historians from six continents, most of whom have 4-to-8-year-olds of their own now. And when they see this, all of them are all asking the exact same question... "Why hasn't Lego done this years ago?!"

This set is significantly bigger than most of the others, and it would be about $180 total, and so it would be available exclusively in the Lego Store and through the Lego site online. Most of the other civ sets are $120-$130, so they can sell them on the shelf in any normal store.

I redesigned the aperture ring a bit so that it can open much wider now, almost all the way out to the teeth of the gears, opening a complete circle that is wider than 16 studs diameter all around.

In terms of complexity, the aperture ring is very similar to the "Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive Booster Ring" set from 2007, and the "Portal of Atlantis" set from 2010, which was aimed at ages 8-14.

The Sagas of Norse Mythology are deserving of an entire Lego Theme unto themselves, beyond just the realms of Midgard, and beyond just the existing Viking ships and forts.

There are many fascinating thematic connections between the various mythologies across Ancient Europe. In fact, most ancient people believed that all of the civs of Ancient Europe worshipped the exact same gods, but that they simply appeared in different guises from one civ to the next. There are especially many parallels between the Greek Myth of the Titanomachy and the Viking Saga of Ragnarok!

The Ancient Norse deities named Heimdall and Sif are loosely styled on their counterparts in the Marvel movies, but are not meant to be a direct representation of any copyright.

All of the temples and all of the fortifications in my sets can come apart into neat modular sections, based on an 8x8 grid... And so they can all be rearranged in multiple ways, they can all be expanded and redesigned easily, and they can all be connected together for maximum modular possibilities! There is also great potential to do expansion sets with additional wall segments for each unique civ.

If sets like this are a success, it could lead to many new things. For starters, I know that there is tremendous potential to sell beautiful and educational sets like these in major museum gift shops around the world, as they already do with the Architecture Theme, which would boost Lego's overall brand awareness and reputation with parents from all over the world.

For the future, they could easily branch out into sets for the Aztecs, the Mayans, Africa, India, China and Japan. And it could be expanded into the Medieval, Renaissance, Napoleonic, Steampunk, Modern, and Futuristic Eras. Plus it could inspire them to add more historical details and more educational value into Castle, Pirates, and Indiana Jones-style Adventurers sets. Will it be as popular as Batman, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Ninjago, Chima, Zelda, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Only one way to find out...! If they make a few new prints, they can keep using them again and again for the next 10,000 years...! Let's do this! =D

(Archaeologist, Archaeology, Ancient, World, History, Historical, Mediterranean, Aegean, Greece, Greek, Sparta, Spartan, Athens, Athenian, Athena, Parthenon, Shrine, Oracle, Mythology, Troy, Trojan, Trireme, Iliad, Odyssey, Epic, Movie, Clash of the Titans, Olympus, Legolympus, Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Apollo, Hades, Cerberus, Medusa, Perseus, Pegasus, Andromeda, Kraken, Colossus, Colosseum, Gladiator, Rome, Roman, Senator, Republic, Forum, Ballista, Catapult, Battering Ram, Legion, Centurion, Caesar, Carthage, Carthaginian, Hannibal, Elephant, Egypt, Egyptian, Pharaoh, Ramesses, Cleopatra, Lighthouse, Alexandria, Chariot, Fort, Boat, Nubia, Nubian, Celts, Celtic, Gauls, Iceni, Boudicca, Stonehenge, Garden, Babylon, Babylonian, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander, Persia, Persian, Xerxes, Immortal, Warrior, 300, Medieval, Viking, Portal, Bifrost, Thor, Loki, Odin, Asgard, Valhalla, Valkyries, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Jotunheim, Muspelheim, Ragnarok, Glory, Sagas, Wonders of the World, Modular, Classical, Temple, Architecture, International, Global, Civilization, Civilizations, Empire, Empires, Games, Minifigures, Modular, Museum, Education, Educational.)

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