Brickmania Blog

About the PT-109 80′ Motor Torpedo Boat:

The PT-109 was a Motor Torpedo boat last commanded by Lieutenant, Junior Grade John F. Kennedy in the Pacific Theater during WWII.  PT-109 belonged to the PT-103 class, hundreds of which were completed between 1942 and 1945. It was transported from the Norfolk Navy Yard to the South Pacific in August 1942, and arrived at the Soloman Islands in late 1942. PT-109 participated in combat operations around Guadalcanal between December 1942 and February 1943, when the Japanese withdrew from the island.

PT-109 participated in many night time patrols against the “Tokyo Express,” which was the name given to the naval vessels that brought supplies to the Japanese troops on Guadalcanal. On one such patrol, around 2am on August 2, 1943, PT-109 was motionless in the water, with idling engines to avoid detection of her wake by Japanese aircraft. Out of the nearly pitch black darkness suddenly appeared the looming bow of the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. Unable to gain enough speed to avoid collision, PT-109 was struck midship, sawing the smaller PT-boat in two and rupturing the fuel tanks containing hundreds of gallons of highly-flammable 100 octane aviation gasoline. The collision resulted in a spectacular explosion and fireball prompting nearby witnesses to believe the entire crew of PT-109 was lost. All nearby American forces withdrew from the area without searching for survivors.

Miraculously, eleven of the thirteen crewmen survived the explosion, although several were severely wounded. Trapped deep inside enemy territory, PT-109’s skipper, LTJG John F. Kennedy, faced the nearly impossible task of saving his crew from both the enemy and the elements. For several days, the survivors hid from the Japanese by day on nearby deserted island, which Kennedy foraged for supplies and searched for friendly forces by night. After six days Kennedy was able to send word of PT-109’s survivors to his home base, via message carved into a coconut husk. This was carried by a pair of Solomon Island native scouts, who paddled a dugout canoe some forty miles to the American base. This would become one of the most famous survival tales of World War II and helped propel John F Kennedy into the national spotlight.

Specifications:

• Displacement: 56 tons (full load)
• Length: 80 ft overall
• Propulsion: Three 12-cylinder Packard gasoline engines 1500 hp each; three shafts
• Speed: 41 knots (47 mph)
• Endurance: 12 hours (6 hours at top speed)
• Complement: 3 officers, 14 enlisted men
• Armament: 4 x 21-inch torpedo tubes, 20 mm cannon aft, 4 x M2 .50cal .5” (12.7 mm) machine guns (2×2), 37 mm anti-tank gun mounted forward
• Armor: gunboat deck house protected against rifle bullets and splinter

Additional information about this Brickmania custom building kit:

The PT-109 80′ Motor Torpedo Boat comes with the following features:

• Faithfully built following historic plans of the actual PT-109 in 1/35 scale
• Removable hatches and deck reveal fully detailed interior compartments
• Thirteen custom printed mini figures, including LTJG John F Kennedy
• Includes display stand with PT-109 data plate
• Numerous custom printed elements included throughout the model
• Never-before-released M2 aircraft machine guns hand-crafted by BrickArms’ Will Chapman
• 1/35 scale to match other Brickmania models
• Includes 4,125 genuine new-condition LEGO® bricks and BrickArms® elements
• Master Skill Level (8-10 years of experience with LEGO is recommended)

All Brickmania model kits are made of new-condition, re-purposed LEGO bricks. This model comes disassembled and includes complete full-color printed building instructions and comes packaged in a sealed box. This is a limited edition kit and production may be discontinued at any time.

Get yours now!

The Pacific Theater was a major battlefield of World War II, where the Allies combatted the aggressive advances of Imperial Japan on land, at sea, and in the air.  The Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor unleashed the combined fury of North American and South Pacific Allies.  Within these pages you will find some of the most frequently used vehicles of the Pacific Theater, carefully recreated with LEGO^® bricks.  Each build includes full-color, step-by-step instructions for building 11 Allied and Imperial Japanese military models from WWII. 

Included in this volume are:

• Type 95 “Ha-Go” Light Tank
• Type 97 “Chi-Ha” Medium Tank
• Type 1 47mm Anti-Tank Gun
• Type 92 70mm Battalion Gun
• A6M Zero
• Coastal Defense Battery
• M2A4 Stuart Light Tank
• M4A2 Sherman Medium Tank
• LVT-4 “Amtrac”
• M1A1 75mm Howitzer
• P-40 Warhawk

Bonus Extras:

• Printed on heavy-weight glossy paper and has a special lay-flat spiral wire binding
• Also included is a vinyl sticker sheet with vehicle markings, insignia, and uniforms for 20 figures
• Each model includes a parts list to help locate all of the parts needed to build your model
• Beautiful full-color photographs throughout the book, filled with ideas for displaying your models.

Get your copy here!

Save 20% on all Micro Brick Battle kits, books, and accessories!

Use code: 20MBB19

Shop now!

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, was a war that took place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from November 1955 to the fall of Saigon in April of 1975. It was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese army was backed by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies, and the South Vietnamese Army was backed by the United States, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, and other anti-communist allies.

A great amount of opposition to the United States involvement in the war grew over the years. This ultimately lead to American forces pulling out of the war between 1973-1975. The North Vietnamese began a string of offensive attacks. During April 1975, Saigon fell and was taken by the North Vietnamese army. The Vietnam war is often referenced as more of a proxy-war, due to each side of Vietnam receiving support from opposing countries.

Vietnam Bricks Instructions

Instructions included in this volume are:

• MUTT M825 Weapon Carrier
• M35A2 Gun Truck
• M35A2 Truck + Canvas Cover
• M332 Ammo Trailer
• M102 Howitzer
• M1A1 155mm Howitzer
• G527 Water Trailer
• M113 – ACAV
• M41 Walker Bulldog
• M42 Duster
• M551 Sheridan
• UH-1D Iroquois
• AH-1G Cobra Gunship
• PBR 31 MkII – Patrol Boat, River

Environment

• Hooch
• Palm Tree Mk 1

Bonus Extras:

• Printed on heavy-weight glossy paper with a special lay-flat spiral binding
• Includes a vinyl sticker sheet with vehicle markings, insignia, and uniforms for 18 figures
• Also includes canvas cover for M35A2 Truck, and fabric flag for PBR 31 MkII
• Each model includes a parts list to help locate all of the parts needed to build your model
• Beautiful full-color photographs throughout the book, filled with ideas for displaying your models

Get your copy here!

The North African campaign of WWII took place in North Africa from June 10, 1940 to May 13 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts, and in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had colonial interests in Africa dating back from the late 19th century. Fighting began with the Italian declaration of war on June 10, 1940. On June 14, the British Army’s 11th Hussars crossed the border from Egypt into Libya and captured the Italian Fort Capuzzo. Information gleaned via British Ultra code-breaking intelligence proved critical to Allied success in North Africa. Victory for the Allies in this campaign immediately led to the Italian campaign, which ultimately culminated in the downfall of the fascist government in Italy and the elimination of a German ally.

Rats and Foxes Instructions

Instructions included in this volume are:

The Rats (Allies):

• QF 25 Pounder
• 6 Pounder 57mm Anti-Tank Gun
• SAS Jeep
• Bren Carrier LP2 with 2-Pounder Anti-Tank Gun
• GMC 30 CWT Truck (LRDG)
• A12 Matilda II Infantry Tank
• M3 Grant Medium Tank
• Hurricane Iic Trop
• Spitfire Mk Vc Trop
• CMP 15CWT Truck with 20mm Breda

The Foxes (Axis):

• Kubelwagen
• SdKfz 10 with Pak 36 Anti-Tank Gun
• Panzer II Ausf C
• Panzer III Ausf L
• Panzer IV Ausf F
• Messerschmitt Bf-109 E-4 Trop
• Opel Blitz with Flak 38

Environment

• North African House
• Palm Tree Mk 1

Bonus Extras:

• Printed on heavy-weight glossy paper with a special lay-flat spiral binding
• Also included is a vinyl sticker sheet with vehicle markings, insignia, and uniforms for 12 figures
• Each model includes a parts list to help locate all of the parts needed to build your model
• Beautiful full-color photographs throughout the book, filled with ideas for displaying your models.

Pick up a copy here!

Experience the duality of man with this Born to Kill Mitchell Pattern helmet! Developed during the Korean War, the Mitchell Pattern was used through the Vietnam War by both the Marines and the Army. The camouflage was reversible, featuring a summer and winter design.

The artwork is inspired by the Mitchell pattern and is printed on a BrickArms Olive Green M1 Pot helmet.

Get yours today!

Developed during the Korean War, the Mitchell Pattern was used through the Vietnam War by both the Marines and the Army. The camouflage was reversible, featuring a summer and winter design.

The artwork is inspired by the Mitchell pattern and is printed on a BrickArms Olive Green M1 Pot helmet.

Check it out!