LEGO Tropical Aquarium team had a whole ocean to choose from

Not every creative idea made the cut when it came to choosing just what to include in the upcoming LEGO Icons 10366 Tropical Aquarium.

Fans of LEGO sets based on nature will be able to get their hands on an all-new build next month when 10366 Tropical Aquarium swims into view. The 4,154-piece LEGO Icons model includes a selection of colourful marine life, such as fish and plants, as well as a few surprises to discover.

However, the route to selecting exactly what should be placed in the final version of 10366 Tropical Aquarium wasn’t an easy one, with plenty of hurdles for the LEGO Icons design team to overcome during the development of the set.

“The amount of stuff I had to choose from was so immense,” revealed LEGO Icons designer Sven Franic at this year’s Fan Media Days event. “We’ve played around with manmade objects – we had, at one point, a lighthouse built in, and a lot of things. There’s a level of when it gets a little too gimmicky, if you add a lot.

“So we really wanted to bring the focus back to nature. The sea world is such a big unknown that we basically have carte blanche to find almost anything that works. There are a couple of corals and angelfish that we have that are inspired by real species, but some of them we did make up because they just fit our aesthetic.”

That approach ensured that the LEGO Icons team only included marine life that was deemed essential to 10366 Tropical Aquarium, balancing appearances with variety. It was one that also included turning to LEGO Botanical builders for some advice and other experts to ensure fish deigns were realistic, while still allowing for a degree of creative freedom.

“We had to consider how the fish would interact in the real world,” said Sven to LEGO.com. “When you break down fish into LEGO form, you’ll find that the builds look similar in shape. So, as much as possible, we wanted to differentiate them.”

10366 Tropical Aquarium will launch for Insiders first on November 13, alongside 5009823 Fish Tank Filter & Fish Food GWP until November 19 (while stocks last), with a wider release for the former from November 16. The LEGO Icons set is priced at £399.99 / $479.99 / €449.99.

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