Want to learn more about the specimens in this collection and our process? You're in the right place. This campaign is meant to excite you about the amazing world we live in, and the scientific and historical events that have brought us here. We're so excited to be able to share our passion for making time tangible with you.

With a recovered mass of 150 metric tons and boasting the largest documented strewnfield, Campo Del Cielo is an utterly unique meteorite. The meteorite is an IAB-MG, meaning it is a part of the main group of non-magmatic iron meteorites. Although this group is far from rare, Campo Del Cielo is unique in that it has high levels of iridium, an element that does not occur naturally on the Earth’s surface and thus allows for easy identification.

Campo del Cielo is often referred to as a single meteorite, but in reality, it is a broad term defining a meteorite field in the Santiago del Estero and Chaco provinces of northern Argentina. It is thought that the meteorite broke apart within the Earth’s atmosphere, with chunks spread across 20 mi² (55.5 km²). There are numerous large craters here, the largest being 377 by 299 ft (115 by 91 m), with radiocarbon dating of charred tree stumps placing the date of the impact at roughly 2500 BCE.

The descent and impact of the meteor was witnessed by local indigenous groups of the time and became an important part of their oral history. Stories from numerous tribes describe a cosmic event causing a worldwide fire that took many lives. This correlates with charred wood found around the site, which suggests the meteorite may have ignited a forest fire upon impact.

The area was given the name Piguem Nonralta, first appearing in written history in 1576 CE, when Spanish colonists sought out the area. The governor of the provinces of Tucumán, Gonzalo de Abreu y Figueroa, believed the local legends spoke of a source of valuable metals which the indigenous peoples had used for weaponry. Translated into Spanish, the area became known as Campo del Cielo, meaning "Field of Heaven."

The 1576 expedition found the area and assumed it was an iron mine, the site going ignored until the late 1770s when a new expedition proposed that the iron field was the product of a volcanic eruption. It would not be until 1933 that the scientific community finally recognized the site as being formed by meteorite impacts, a fact the locals had known for millennia.

Bookended by the collapse of the western Roman Empire in 476 CE and the beginnings of the Renaissance a millennia later, Europe’s Medieval Period bore witness to centuries of military conflict, augmented by advancements in weapons and armor technology. Chain mail was the perfect armor to protect against this arsenal of battle axes and spiked flails. It was flexible and light enough to keep a warrior unencumbered (though not exactly comfortable), but tough enough to fend off blows from enemies.

Valued for flexibility in combat, chain mail was the primary defensive armor in Europe for more than one thousand years, through the entirety of the Medieval Period. To create a 'chain mail' or 'maille' garment, thousands of rings would be punched out whole or riveted from strands of wire. A blacksmith would weave the rings into sheets using a pattern of interlocking rings. Patterns varied by region, dictated by armaments and fighting styles. Given the labor-intensive process of weaving, chain mail garments were costly to purchase but relatively simple to repair.

After being built, chain mail would go through a process called proofing to assure it could stand up to blows during battle. “Armour of proof” or specifically “mail of proof” was chain mail that had been found to survive shots from arrows or jabs from swords. Of course, the very existence of this designation suggests that plenty of chain mail was not strong enough to handle tough blows, especially as weapons became more advanced, like the rise of the longbow in the 14th century. For all its benefits, chain mail was no guarantee of protection against attack.

The Dinosaur Polyhedral Dice Set has SEVEN different specimens - far too many for us to cover here. Instead, we'll be posting more information on each fossil in our regular Updates, so be sure to keep checking back for more! For now, we'll talk about the King of the Dice Dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurs Rex.

Various mechanical studies of T. rex power place the "Tyrant Lizard King" firmly at the top of the charts. Paired with this incredible power, T. rex also had some of the largest teeth of any carnivorous dinosaur, with the largest measuring 1 ft (30 cm).

We now know many theropods possessed feathers, including smaller tyrannosauroids such as Dilong and Yutyrannus. Recent evidence suggests that larger tyrannosaurids did not sport full-body feathers as adults, but they certainly did during their early years.

Most research suggests that T. rex and its fellow large tyrannosaurids (Gorgosaurus, Albertosaurus, and Tarbosaurus) both hunted and scavenged to meet the requirements for powering such huge bodies. Among the other dinosaurs bearing tyrannosaurid bite marks are ceratopsids, hadrosaurs, and other tyrannosaurs (reflecting the sort of opportunistic cannibalism also widespread among predators). Sauropods such as Alamosaurus, which overlapped with T. rex in North America, and Opisthocoelicaudia, which shared Asian landscapes with Tarbosaurus, may also have been tyrannosaurid quarry.

Studies suggest the great tyrannosaurids achieved their huge size through accelerated growth spurts. At the peak of its growth spurt, a young T. rex may have put on the better part of a ton annually. Bite marks from conspecifics have been found on the skulls of large tyrannosaurids, suggesting they may have bitten each other in dominance or reproductive interactions. It’s possible some species were gregarious, perhaps even pack-hunters; the first known tyrannosaurid trackway, from a Late Cretaceous formation in British Columbia, hints at three animals traveling together.

Despite popular depictions of poor depth perception, studies show that when compared to other giant theropods, tyrannosaurids had a wide postorbital skull which resulted in forward-facing eyes and acute binocular vision. The spine of a Tyrannosaurus rex was subject to tremendous force. The size and strength of the vertebrae were essential to providing support for this enormous predator, but the entire apparatus also had to allow for rapid changes in movement and critical striking speed.

Since 2014, Mini Museum and FanRoll have delivered tens of thousands of museums and dice sets to more than 120 countries worldwide, so together we have a great handle on the risks associated with the project. Together, we've successfully delivered to nearly 30,000 backers in the last decade.

Still, creating authentic inclusion dice with fossils, chain mail, and meteorites is a highly complex process. Each specimen has its unique challenges, and it's important to note that production involves the assistance of many outside vendors and partners. We have great relationships with our partners, but the ever-changing crowdfunding world always has new challenges.

We've taken every step possible to mitigate potential issues while always focusing on the end product's quality. As with past projects, we plan to provide detailed and timely project updates to keep backers advised, informed, educated, and entertained. Sharing behind-the-scenes looks at production is one of our favorite parts of crowdfunding, and we strive to be as open and approachable as possible!