Hamilton man’s massive LEGO project to blow minds

by John Dowd

Mike Gibney has been working with LEGOs since he was six years old. For some that know him, it seems like all that 50 years has led up to one big project: a full scale reproduction of the Battle of Lexington, one of the most famous battles of the American Revolution. It is a project that easily overwhelms many that hear the sheer scale of it.

“I have a bad habit of starting projects before I realize how much it’s gonna cost,” said Gibney. His more than 300 square foot replica of the pivotal American battle probably cost about as much as a nice used car. 

With the 250th anniversary of the country approaching, he wanted to do something special. For him, it is also a personal mission, with an ancestor of his having been in the battle. “I wanted to commemorate him,” said Gibney, as well as use the display as a teaching tool for people who may not know much about the battle, or the start of the country.

Even he has never seen the whole thing put together because it had to be built in parts. “People just can’t get their head around that kind of scale,” said Gibney. With only a 20 foot by 20 foot shop that contains other projects, there was no other way. However, he is getting ready for the big unveil, to showcase the project in all its glory.

The project will be on display at the main conference room in Hamilton City Hall on January 11. According to Gibney, there just weren’t a lot of places that could display something so big. This will be the first time anyone has seen the entire thing assembled. 

It was designed to be modular, and moved around a lot. He has a lot of experience building big projects out of LEGOs, with several of his pieces displayed in the Toy and Plastic Brick Museum in Bellaire, Ohio. 

Even with all that under his belt, he didn’t intend this project to be a record. But along the way, he found out that it just might be. Part of the reasoning behind the public display will be to gain public recognition for its sheer size. He says he is 99% certain that he has gotten a record, at least as far as a reproduction of the Battle of Lexington. In all his research, nothing else in that vein has come close, “nothing this big.” His project may also be eligible for the largest Lego build by square footage made by an individual person ever. 

In total, the build took two years to create, and used around 54,000 individual pieces, some of which had to be custom ordered. This mainly included many of the uniforms, weapons, etc. The display will showcase all 77 militiamen, and 400 of the first troops onto the green during that fateful day. It also includes “around 100 people from town wanting to see what was going to happen.”

The display includes all of the scene, like a snapshot, just before the first shots were fired. Buildings appear as they were, including ones that no longer stand at that location. Roads, fences and everything appears as it would have. 

Gibney’s research has been ongoing over the last few years. He has attended two reenactments held at Lexington in the last three years and has hours of research online and multiple books to source for the historical accuracy. 

He even had to take a second job to help pay for the project. “Delivering pizzas helped put this project together,” said Gibney. “It couldn’t have happened without it.”

Gibney explained that he has always had a love for these things. He has gone to several conventions and has started a couple of clubs. Also an avid Lego collector, Gibney said, “I just enjoy seeing people say, wow, this is cool!” Additionally, he says he simply just wanted to see if he could do it. 

For those interested in seeing the project and following it, they can find the Facebook page for it by searching the LEGxingtOn Project.