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[gulliver]

New York City is often touted as being the biggest and best: the Big Apple, the Great American Melting Pot, the Greatest City in the World, and so on. Eiran Gazit has made it his mission, with the help of a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, bring The World’s Greatest Miniature World to Manhattan.

The Gulliver’s Gate team is nothing if not experienced. CEO Eiran Gazit’s miniature park experience spans two decades, including becoming the founder of Jerusalem’s tiny attraction of its treasures, Mini Israel. The Hettema Group designed the observation deck for the tallest building in the city (One World Trade Center), and the majority of Orlando’s Islands of Adventure. Most of the motorized trains and tracks can be attributed to Walthers Model Railroading, while Faller handles the cars and controllers. Most of the $5 million budget will be handled by sponsors, from airlines to hotels to credit card companies. This venture’s success already has a model in Germany’s Miniatur Wunderland, which won the German Tourism award and brought in their 10 millionth guest in 2012.

Michael Langer, VP of Development, calls the 40,000 square foot technological wonder a “love letter” to NYC tourists, who can get a birds’ eye view of the city landscape without the expense of hiring a helicopter pilot. The remote-controlled vehicles and interactive displays are just the beginning. Imagine yourself as a minor Lilliputian within New York City, and it can be so. For a crowdfunding contribution of $90, you’ll be 3D scanned for your citizenship papers, and a hand-painted mini version of yourself will be placed on display. You’ll also get two tickets, live feed on the display as it’s under construction, and a copy of the documentary.

Creative Director Tim Gilman-Sevcik says that mini-parks give perspective, which could be very useful to busy people who just need a swift overview of the city’s possibilities without any detours down dark alleyways. For a $250 contribution, a customized Gulliver’s Glass telescope will help you see over the crowds to find your likenesses on display, after you’ve gotten a behind-the-scenes tour.

For $500 or more, you’ll get a collectible Walthers-made caboose, and take a master builder workshop, after you and three friends have come to visit as citizens. The engineers will show you the ropes on how to run the vehicles in and out of the control room. Afterward, everyone will get copies of their own miniature to display at home, along with framed photos of your smaller selves. The main difference between this level and the $1,000 level is that along with the handheld telescope, there’s the exclusive appeal of having a private workshop with three other friends. That way, when you decide to set up your own miniature display, you’ll be sure that the lights will work and the trains will run on time.

If you’re the type to go all out – like Gulliver – get tickets to the Grand Opening Gala night and a GG steam locomotive for $2,000. Your three friends will be impressed by the private master builder workshop that comes along with their tickets and citizenship papers, but they’ll have to borrow your Gulliver Glass telescope to see all four of mini-you’s placed on the official display.

YouTube http://bit.ly/R1qAYN

[sbriggman]

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