Bricks & Clicks, Salem, OR (2026)

01/15/2026

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update.
LEGO total brick count: 15,750+
LEGO water W.I.P. [Work In Progress].
LEGO USS Hornet CV8 encountering heavy seas.

Wave height will be 2" high in the scale I build in [18' high in real life].
Once the LEGO wave base has been completed, I'll add LEGO water foam in well-marked streaks, LEGO bubbles and LEGO white caps.

At the rate of LEGO bricks consumption [1,000+ LEGO bricks added since my last update], just building the LEGO water for the bow and the 1st section of the LEGO Hornet CV8 [there are 4 total sections that snap together], my projection on the high end of using 20,000+ bricks [aircraft carrier bricks+water bricks] for this entire build will be easily met.

Stay tuned for more updates...

01/08/2026

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update.
LEGO total brick count: 14,750+

HUGE UPDATE!

Update #1
1st layer of LEGO water waves have 'soaked' up a lot of bricks...which was expected.

The real Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier launched the DooLittle Raid on April 18, 1942 in Gale Force winds [40 to 45 knots] and heavy seas [waves 23 to 30 feet high].

I had to capture that moment.

Update #2
The 16 LEGO B-25's have been scrubbed clean of dust. LEGO bricks are like dust magnets.
All of the LEGO B-35's have the actual AAF [Army Air Force] serial numbers Pad Printed on the tails of each LEGO B-25.

DooLittle's B-25 was AAF serial number 40-2344. Once eveything has been completed on the LEGO Hornet CV8, I'll make sure to line up the 16 LEGO B-25's in order of launching.

It's all about the details.

Update #3
My totally awesome Father-In-Law groupped the Green & Red LED lights together in to one red & black wire for the green bulbs and the red bulbs.
Flashing Green lights will be in the bow flight deck, flashing red lights will be in the aft flight deck.

He also tested the three 5RPM motors. 2 of the motors will rotate clockwise, the 3rd motor will rotate counter-clockwise.

I'm still projecting the LEGO Hornet CV8 once completed, should have 18,000 to 20,000 bricks.

Stay tuned for more updates...

12/24/2025

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update.
LEGO total brick count: 14,025+

The carrier is 7 feet, 7 inches in length. Include the surrounding LEGO water, the LEGO MOC [My Own Creation using blueprints=my instructions] overall length is 8 feet, 4 inches.

The aircraft carrier was built with twin catapults at the bow. They were designed to launch the carrier's smaller fighters, dive bombers and torpedo bombers.

The catapults were not designed to launch the larger, heavier B-25 Medium bombers.
The B-25's could only fly off the carrier. The DooLittle Raid was a 1-way mission for the B-25's.

The catapults still had to be represented on the making of the carrier...even though the catapults were not used for this mission.

LEGO bricks are a dust magnet. I can see a lot of dusting off the planes in the very near future.
It's all about the details.

It's time to build the LEGO water.

Stay tuned for more updates...
Merry Christmas!

12/10/2025

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update:

LEGO total brick count: 13,000+

Large funnel [smokestack] is beginning to take shape, about 50% completed.
Built platforms for the ‘searchlights’ & large rotating antenna. Added more ‘pipes’, ladders, guardrails & ‘horns/whistles’ near the top of the funnel.

Next update should have the funnel completed & installation of the rotating antenna behind the funnel & U.S. Flag.

Very large U.S. Flag ‘waving in the wind’ is going to look pretty awesome.

Please review the attached small blueprint sample [my instructions] that shows in red lines, where I’m currently building the Island Superstructure.
I use much larger blueprints to capture as much detail as possible in the scale that I build in.

Stay tuned for more updates…

12/06/2025

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update:

LEGO brick count: 12,750+

Added main searchlights, guardrails, ‘armored’ portholes, ‘watertight’ doors.

I’m getting to the really good stuff.
Placement of 1 of 2 smaller rotating radar antennas.
Placement of the very large funnel.

1st, I’m going to complete the back of half of the Island Superstructure. The funnel, small rotating radar antenna, guardrails, ‘tubes’, ladders and very large U.S. Flag.

Then, finish the front half of the Island Superstructure.

You can see the Island Superstructure separation from the aircraft carrier.
4 corner LEGO studs will anchor the Island to the carrier.

Another reason for separating the top of half of the island [other than having access installing motors and wiring].

My boxes are only 11” in height.
Total height of LEGO USS Horner CV8 from waterline to top of main radar antenna will be 21”.
Length [not including LEGO ‘water’]: 7’.6”

Please review the attached small blueprint sample [my instructions] that shows in red lines, where I’m currently building the Island Superstructure. I use much larger blueprints to capture as much detail as possible in the scale that I build in.

Stay tuned for more updates…

11/26/2025

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update:

Built up to the 3rd deck of the island superstructure.

Yellow bricks inside the island are placeholders for the 3 rotating radar antenna 5RPM motors.

Red bricks are placeholders for the measured radar antennas & funnel.

Total brick count: 12,250+

Stay tuned for more updates…

11/22/2025

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update:
A lot of scaled measurements completed for the Island superstructure.
=1st level of Island built. Placement of portholes, watertight doors, ladders and pipes.
=Placement of large funnel [smokestack], once bricks have been built to the correct height.
=Placement of 3 rotating radar antennas, once bricks have been built to the correct height.
Stay tuned for more updates…

11/19/2025

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update:

Finished designing the 2 smaller rotating radar antennas.

50 bricks went into building each, for a total of 100 bricks.

Measurements for the island in red bricks and watertight doors installed on the port side.

Stay tuned for more updates…

11/18/2025

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update:

Finished designing the Crane and main radar [rotating] antenna.

75 bricks used to build the Crane.
30 bricks used to build the main antennae.

2 smaller rotating radar antennas will be finished tomorrow.
All 3 radar antennas will be motorized.
The yellow brick 'crane' was used for measurements.

Scale: 1”/108”
Length: 91” [bow to stern]
Bricks used so far: 12,000+
“Measure 12” Camouflage designed decals will be added later.
Current brick weight: Unknown. Will weigh once all the bricks have been installed.
Stay tuned for more updates…

11/18/2025

LEGO “Doolittle Raid” USS Hornet CV8 aircraft carrier update:

Finished designing the Crane and main radar [rotating] antenna.

75 bricks used to build the Crane.
30 bricks used to build the main antennae.

2 smaller rotating radar antennas will be finished tomorrow.
All 3 radar antennas will be motorized.
The yellow brick 'crane' was used for measurements.

Scale: 1”/108”
Length: 91” [bow to stern]
Bricks used so far: 12,000+
“Measure 12” Camouflage designed decals will be added later.
Current brick weight: Unknown. Will weigh once all the bricks have been installed.
Stay tuned for more updates…

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