How to Build the Stern of the Titanic out of LEGOs

Determine Size and Scale

• 1

  Based on the number of Lego pieces at your disposal, you can determine the size of the Titanic model you will create. Gather your black Lego pieces in a circular pile. Do not stack the pieces; spread them out next to each other instead.

• 2

  Measure the radius (from the perimeter to the center) of the pile of Lego bricks. Use this number for the depth of the hull. The depth describes the distance from the keel to the above-hull decks, or the height of the hull.

• 3

  Divide 19.7 meters (the depth of the real Titanic's hull) by the number you measured, in meters. For the purposes of this article, the scale used will be 1 to 50. So the radius of the pile of bricks measures 0.394 meters. 19.7m/0.394m = 50. This number is the second number in the scale, i.e. 1:50.

Building to Scale

• 4

  Use the data from the Titanic Inquiry Project site to determine measurements for the sections of your Lego model. The beam, or width, of the Titanic's hull is 28 meters, so the width of your model will be 28m / x = ___m, where your scale number is x. In this example, the scale is 1:50, so 28m/50 = 0.56m. Thus the model will be 0.56 meters wide at the widest point.

• 5

  Use the stern photograph, the side plan, and the stern blueprint to develop the shape of your model. The cross-section, or footprint, of the bottom of the hull is different from the cross-section of the top of the hull, so the stern's hull will need to slope.

• 6

  Stack and connect the black Lego pieces on top of one another, starting with the 4x6 plates and the 2x8 plates. Stagger them by one "bump" or "knob" to form a slope. The smaller the change from each level of bricks, the more accurate the curve of your hull will be. There are no step-by-step instructions for this process, but by continuously referring to the images, blueprints, and scale calculations, you can achieve the desired form.