- This article is about the theme, Atlantis. For the game with a similar name, see 3851 Atlantis Treasure.
Atlantis is a LEGO System theme released in January of 2010[1]. It revolves around a team of underwater explorers searching for the sunken city of Atlantis and its sets involve models of futuristic submarines, giant sea monsters and ancient underwater sites. The theme also features several new minifigure head moulds as well as a new breathing apparatus among other new elements, specifically the exclusive keys, which are currently available in five different variations, with pictures of water creatures ranging from Crabs and Squids to Sharks, Manta Rays, and Turtles. There is also a movie that accompanies the Atlantis theme.
In mid-November 2009, a teaser website was put up on LEGO.com. The full site was released on January 5 2010 (US, UK, western Europe), January 7 (Central and Northern Europe), January 18 (Southern and Eastern Europe), and April 1 (Japan).[2]
On January 15th, Cartoon Network released a half-hour Atlantis special (which featured actual voices, unlike previous mini-movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick) including all of the sets from January (except 8079).
Most of the sets include stickers that feature that set's product identification number.
Details
As seen on the cover of the January 2010 LEGO Magazine
Atlantis features a group of explorers that are searching the sea floor for the eponymous lost city of Atlantis from ancient myths. They are equipped with a wide array of futuristic underwater vehicles colored in red with neon-green viewports. During their quest they encounter giant guardians as well as the warriors of Atlantis, a strange kind of Chimera-esque sea creature that resembles the body of a minifig with the heads of manta rays, sharks and squids. The sets of this theme feature either the vehicles of the explorers, ruin sites or single guardians.
The theme reprises several elements from earlier underwater LEGO themes, but combines them with a new distinctive look and an unprecedented setting. The concept of underwater treasure hunters was featured before in Divers (1997) and Aqua Raiders (2007), which both involved more realistic ships and equipment, similar to what is already available today. Atlantis introduced more futuristic vehicles, as did the earlier Aquazone theme, but the new designs featured in Atlantis bear no similarity to those of previous LEGO submarines, which is reinforced by the new red and neon-green color scheme, which was never seen before in an underwater theme. The new theme also has a more elaborate back story than its predecessors, showcased on a dedicated website. At the same time, all included minifigures (from the hero faction) portray individual, named characters, a concept that was also put to use in the Power Miners line from 2009. The villains in Atlantis are underwater creatures that have regular minifigure bodies but monstrous heads. Previous underwater themes featured antagonists that were other groups of humans, while some did not feature any villains at all, or rather pitted the main characters against giant sea creatures.
Atlantis can be seen as a visually upgraded version of Aqua Raiders with different-colored and more futuristic submarines, new humanoid villains and a more elaborate back story with named characters and a more specific setting.
Story
Information on the story of Atlantis was released on the teaser website in addition to the completed website, where users can view the Secret Journal of Dr. Artimus Rhodes, a 1919 scientist, which provides some information about the background of the new theme. The journal also mentions the doctor's granddaughter Samantha, who was also featured as a minifigure in several of the new sets. The last entry in the journal, made by Dr. Samantha Morris-Rhodes, is dated to the year 1991. When Samantha Artisius Rhodes is born, years later she tricks the Deep Sea Salvage Crew into hunting for Atlantis. She uses the map of Atlantis (which is pyramid-shaped) to find all of the keys. After finding four keys, they head to the Shark Castle, only to find that a single key is missing. The Pyramid then opens to reveal the fifth key. After placing the Keys in the right places and turning them, it generates the Portal to Atlantis.
History
In the September issue of the LEGO Club Magazine, a pull-out poster was released, showing a radar screen with a red dot that marks the position of Atlantis. Also, the date 1/1/2010 is mentioned, suggesting a release or further announcements at the beginning of the next year. Below is an English translation of the promo poster.
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Not too long after this poster was found, several of sets were on display at a Russian Toy Event along with select other 2010 LEGO sets.
In mid-November, several lucky individuals managed to find the sets 8056, 8058, and 8060 in their local Toys-R-Us stores and, subsequently, several of the parts and sets have been appearing on Bricklink.
In the meantime, a teaser site for Atlantis was included on LEGO.com. It did not contain a great deal of detailed information, but featured a minigame in which users can "navigate" the bottom of the ocean and find some of the hidden secrets. There was also the secret journal as mentioned above, as well as a downloadable desktop icon which provides free, high quality desktop images available for download, as well as information concerning some of the theme's key locations.
As of December 1st, all Atlantis sets, including the two impulse sets, were released for the Christmas holidays in the US.
In the UK January 2010 edition of the LEGO Shop@Home Catalog, a new piece of information on the Atlantis theme was included. The information is written below: "The Deep Sea Salvage Crew were a team of hard-working divers and explorers who searched the ocean depths for shipwrecks and sunken treasure. Then they found their first clue to the location of the long-lost city of Atlantis, a civilisation that disappeared beneath the sea thousands of years ago. Now they have a name and a new mission, as the ATLANTIS Deep Sea Salvage Crew combs the deepest and most dangerous parts of the ocean for the ancient treasure keys that hold the secret to finding Atlantis and unlocking its mysteries!"
Characters
- The Guardian of the Deep diver is Bobby Buoy.
- The Sea Jet diver is Bobby Buoy.
- The Keychain diver is Captain Ace Speedman.
- The Monster Crab Clash diver is Axel Storm.
- The Wreck Raider diver is Captain Ace Speedman.
- The Seabed Scavenger diver is Lance Spears.
- The Typhoon Turbo Sub diver is Axel Storm.
- The Shadow Snapper diver is Lance Spears.
- The Gateway of the Squid divers are Lance Spears and the female one is Professor Sam Rhodes. Sam is short for 'Samantha', which was the granddaughters name mentioned in the Secret Journal of Dr. Artimus Rhodes.
- The Neptune Carrier Divers are: Dr. Jeff Fisher, Captain Ace Speedman and Axel Storm.
Minifigures
- All of the Divers feature gray diving suits with lime-green and silver features. The minifigures have front and back printing on their torsos and legs. All of them feature a new breathing apparatus mould complete with air tanks and a full visor in trans-neon green. There is an image of a Trident on the divers' left leg.
- The Shark Warriors feature a new head mould moulded like a shark. It is similar in appearance to 2005 Viktor Krum's shark head from the Harry Potter set 4762. They usually wield a Trident.
- The Manta Ray Warriors also feature a new, rubber head mould and carry a Trident.
- The Squid Warriors feature a new headmould of shaped like a squid and instead of a standard LEGO minifigure legs, they have a set of moulded tentacles the same height as normal legs. They also wield a Trident.
2011
TLC's internal magazine "The Brick" revealed that the theme will be continuing with new sets and a new storyline in 2011. The new storyline starting in January 2011 will be called the Quest For the Golden King. A preview for the plot apears when you finish chapter 5 of The Atlantis Adventure.
Congratulations! You have discovered the Long Lost City Of Atlantis, but our journey is far from over. Inside this majestic temple, a new adventure awaits Captain Ace Speedman and the rest of the Atlantis crew. beware that dark gaurdians lurk inside. These villans stand between you and finding the ultimate treasure- THE GOLDEN KING! Stay tuned for the continuation of the Atlantis Adventure. THE QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN KING. Coming January 2011.
List of Minifigures
Atlantis Crew
Atlantis Warriors
- Shark Warrior
- Manta Warrior
- Squid Warrior
- Portal Emperor
- Anglerfish Warrior
- Crab Warrior
- Hammerhead Warrior
- Golden Warrior
List of Giant Enemy Creatures/Guardians
- Guardian of the Deep
- Giant Squid
- Monster Crab
- Shadow Snapper
- Mouse Snake
- Giant Scorpion
- Sting Ray Guardian
Other
List of Sets
- January 2010
- 8056 Monster Crab Clash
- 8057 Wreck Raider
- 8058 Guardian of the Deep
- 8059 Seabed Scavenger
- 8060 Typhoon Turbo Sub
- 8061 Gateway of the Squid
- 8072 Sea Jet (impulse)
- 8073 Manta Warrior (impulse)
- 8075 Neptune Carrier
- 8079 Shadow Snapper
- 852774 Shark Warrior Key Chain
- 852775 Manta Warrior Key Chain
- 852776 Diver Key Chain
- 852777 Magnet Set
- June 2010
- Special Sets 2010
- 2011
- 7976 Deep Sea Jet [3]
- 7977 Underwater Walker [3]
- 7978 Anglerfish Attack [3]
- 7984 Drill Submarine [3]
- 7985 Temple of Atlantis [3]
- Other products (January 2010)
- 852778 Water Gun
- 852779 Harpoon Blaster
- 852780 Sword
- 852781 Shield
- 852782 Trident
- 852906 Atlantis 3D Goggles
- Other releases
- Books
Notes
- All (excluding 8073 Manta Warrior and 8072 Sea Jet) of the sets from the new theme include exclusive "treasure keys" - see: Keys.
- A half an hour movie was seen on Cartoon Network on January 15, 2010. (see here)
- A game of the LEGO Games theme will be released featuring the underwater world of Atlantis as a game: 3851 Atlantis Treasure.
Gallery
_12.jpg "Diver (Atlantis) 12.jpg (67 KB)")
