Building Lego Titanic helped autistic boy with obstacles in life

An Icelandic boy, who made a six-metre scale replica of the Titanic using 56,000 Lego bricks, was given first-class treatment at the Titanic Centre in Belfast on Monday.

Brynjar Karl earned the nickname ‘Lego Boy’ after he made a public plea to Lego to help him finish his model ship and posted a time-lapse video of him building a replica of the historic vessel.

The 12-year-old, who hopes to be a cruise ship captain when he’s older, said that, after completing the model, it was his dream to visit Titanic Belfast and learn more about the doomed liner from her maiden voyage to her fatal demise.

Brynjar is autistic and said his Titanic project helped him to overcome many obstacles in his life.

“Titanic Belfast really brought what I knew about Titanic Belfast to life and allowed me to delve deeper into the story and find out more. I could see what it would have been like on-board the Titanic itself,” he said.

Bryjar was treated to a full tour of the visitors’ centre, including the last remaining White Star Line Vessel, the SS Nomadic, and was given access to the slipways where the ship was built and designed.

“I overcame very complicated obstacles with the help of my friends and family. It took me 11 months to finish my ship and I can finally say I managed to reach my dream,” he said.

Titanic Belfast’s CEO Tim Husbands said that Brynjar’s story is “inspiring”.

The Lego model was showcased in a shopping mall in Iceland and will soon be heading to Sweden to be displayed there.