Barricade is a Transformer – one of many in a toy craze that burst onto the scene in the mid-1980s and shows no signs of flagging. “I got more Transformers, and I wanted to display them,” Isaac said.

To reconstruct Viking seafaring, Jarrett took to the sea himself. He piloted clinker-built boats along Norway’s western coast, including vessels like the fembøring and the faering —traditional designs ...