If the rumoured LEGO Icons Endurance is half as detailed as this scan, we've won

The LEGO Group's Black Friday release for 2024 is said to be Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance – and a digital scan has revealed real-life details we can only hope are represented.

First rumoured all the way back in May of this year via Instagram user itavixbrix and Brick Clicker, the LEGO Group's annual flagship (see what we did there) release for Black Friday is thought to be 10335 The Endurance Ship, a 3,011-piece recreation of the iconic expedition ship. If done right, the three-masted ship should appeal to both historians and LEGO Pirates fans alike.

110 years on from when Shackleton first purchased the ship and a slightly more awkward 109 years on from when he and his crew embarked on their fateful expedition is not a smooth anniversary, leading some to wonder why Endurance is being recreated in LEGO form now, of all times.

However, a new documentary premiering at the London Film Festival on 12 October and more widely in cinemas in the UK on 14 October might reveal the reason behind the LEGO set. The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust have put together digital scans of the ship, as published via the BBC, revealing never-before-seen details of the wreck, including a flare gun and possessions of the crew, like clothing and an old boot. The trust also funded and organised the expedition to find Shackleton’s ship, as seen in the documentary.

Whether the LEGO Icons designers may or may not have seen these scans to help aid in their recreation of the ship remains to be seen, if indeed the rumoured set is on its way. However, the fact that there is more attention on Endurance than ever before and, thanks to the scans, more known about the ship than ever before, could have sparked inspiration for the LEGO Group to take on such a project.

We can only hope that some of the fascinating details revealed in the scans make it into the rumoured LEGO set. Having been lost to the world since 2022, much of the dramatic story of the wreck was only known through written accounts from the crew – some elements of which, like the flare gun, can now be seen through the scans. The LEGO Group's dedication to capturing minute detail would be an excellent way to tell the climactic story in a new format – if the rumours prove true.

We're still waiting for the LEGO Group to officially confirm this year's Black Friday set, so take all of this with a pinch of salt for now. In the mean time, Black Friday is getting closer, so keep your eye on our page for any early LEGO deals as they come through.

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