Titanic Sub Disaster Causes LEGO Set to Sell Out

News

By RC Staff

05 July 2023

It’s been more than a week since the tragic fate of the Titan submersible was officially confirmed. In a story that took hold of apparently every news cycle, a group of five who went down to the ocean floor perished somewhere along the way. Their goal? Titanic. The ensuing media frenzy around the sub’s disappearance also generated considerable interest around the Titanic and its wreckage, which manifested in some unusual ways. One of these is a 9,000 piece LEGO set, which is now backordered for the next few weeks at least.

Titan, Titanic, and LEGO Set 10294

These have a been a rough few weeks for thalassophobics. No matter where you turn, notions of the vastness of the ocean and its potential for destruction are everywhere. All five aboard the Titan submersible were declared dead on June 22, and believed to have been killed by a catastrophic implosion somewhere beneath the waves.

Even hours after the sub went missing, the story around it had gone viral. It quickly was picked up by local and global news networks, who posted hourly updates on the search, even including a macabre sort of countdown for the occupants’ remaining oxygen.

The attention on the sub also put attention on its target, the 111-year-old wreck of the Titanic. A new surge of interest in the ship took off, which had a number of knock-on effects. James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic suddenly found itself on Amazon Prime Video’s top 10 charts during the week of the disaster, while a random tweet erroneously claimed “My Heart Will Go On” was streamed millions of times on Spotify.

That was bullshit, but it got more than 10,000 favorites and was viewed 11 million times.

Here’s something that actually did happen: LEGO Titanic (set 10294) completely sold out from LEGO’s online store, and is now on backorder. The build contains 9,090 pieces and is on a 1:200 scale. It accurately recreates all of the Titanic’s nine decks, along with its massive engines and propeller that actually turn.

The set is absolutely huge at 53 inches long, and costs $680 at retail if purchased directly from LEGO’s website. Of course, that’s no longer an option. While the set has been in stock since its initial release in early 2022, it suddenly sold out amid the news of the sub’s disappearance. The Wayback Machine can confirm this; on June 11, just a week before news of the sub broke, the LEGO Titanic was in stock.

If you had been saving paychecks for the last few months in hopes of splurging on this set, we’re sorry to break the bad news. It’s not clear when the Titanic LEGO set will restock, but some people have elected to skip the line and buy directly from a reseller.

LEGO Titanic set resells

Now this isn’t a huge deal, but it’s worth mentioning. Since the sets have sold out on LEGO’s site, there have been a handful of sales for the LEGO Titanic for more than retail. Nothing crazy, typically $50 or $100 in profit, but still interesting.

It really does seem like there would be more aftermarket sales, but it appears that LEGO restocked their Titanic set some time in April, and many resellers and collectors picked it up. Since then, supply has been steady and resellers have struggled to get a foot in the door. It seems like most people who want a Titanic LEGO set have either already bought one, or are willing to wait.

Also, keep in mind the set is on backorder, not necessarily sold out. It’s possible place an order for the set on LEGO’s site, but it’s not expected to ship until some time in July. This was almost an incredible opportunity for resellers, but things didn’t quite line up. Of course, if the Titanic LEGO set had been discontinued at the time of the sub’s disappearance, this would have been a completely different story.

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