The Lego replica of the Titanic
Camera IconThe Lego replica of the Titanic Credit: Brianna Paciorka/Twitter

Biggest Lego replica of Titanic built by 10-year-old autistic boy now available for public viewing

Staff writersNews Corp Australia Network

THE world’s biggest Lego replica of the doomed Titanic ship — which was built by a 10-year-old autistic boy — now has a permanent home at a top US museum.

Brynjar Karl Bigisson, now 15, built the replica of the liner with 56,000 Lego bricks, with the model measuring at 8 metres long and 1.5 metres tall.

The young teen, from Iceland, developed his creation over 700 hours, taking 11 months to complete it. He also used 120 tubes of glue and 200 Lego passengers to place across the deck, and racked up $8000 on spending for the project.

Brynjar, also known as ‘Lego boy’, has made headlines this week as the replica will make its American debut when it docks permanently at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

Brynjar remembers playing with Lego for hours when he was only five years old, and claims by the time he was 10 he knew everything about the Titanic.

“I sometimes built from instructions, and sometimes, I used my own imagination,” he said in an interview published on the museum’s website.

“When I travelled with my mum to Legoland in Denmark and saw for the first time all the amazing big models of famous houses and planes, locations and ships, I probably then started to think about making my own Lego model.

“By the time I was 10, I started to think about building the Lego titanic model in a Lego man size.”

Brynjar Karl Bigisson.
Camera IconBrynjar Karl Bigisson. Credit: Supplied, Titanic Pigeon Forge

Young Brynjar’s grandfather, Ludvik Baldur Ogmundsson, an engineer, and mother Bjarney Ludviksdottir helped him out on the project.

Ogmundsson scaled down the original blueprint of the Titanic to Lego size and helped figure out how many tiny toy bricks would be needed to create it.

Donations from family and friends helped him buy all the Lego bricks he needed.

And while he’s gained fame across Europe, having toured Norway, Sweden, Germany and Iceland with his creation, Brynjar said he was most thankful for how the experience had helped him gain confidence.

Brynjar used 56,000 Lego bricks to create his Titanic replica.
Camera IconBrynjar used 56,000 Lego bricks to create his Titanic replica. Credit: Supplied, Titanic Pigeon Forge

“This whole journey has helped me out of my autistic fog,” he said.

“Although I’m still autistic and will always be, I have trained my self to be as normal as possible.

“I was totally unable to communicate when I started the project and now I’m standing on stage and giving interviews. It has given me confidence.”