Manhattan in Lego: Irish teen builds impressive 'freestyle' replica of New York City borough

Alex Bailey built the replica using maps and holiday photos

For many, Lego builds have been a source of comfort this year, keeping hands and minds busy periods of self-isolation. The majority of fans follow the instructions to the letter, as the intricate builds take shape.

That is not the case for Alex Bailey, 14. The teenage Lego whiz from Dublin, Ireland, recently challenged himself with a reconstruction of Manhattan, which he completed "freestyle".

The build took Bailey one week to complete. With no manual to guide him, the teenager told The National that he used "maps and pictures taken [during a] helicopter ride over Manhattan last Christmas" for reference.

"I would love to be a Lego builder and an architect," he said of his future plans. "I have built some amazing futuristic cities, however, I'm very proud of my NYC build."

Bailey estimates that he has thousands of pieces, explaining, "I destroyed all my sets as I prefer freestyle."

Laura Bailey, Alex's mother, first posted the video to her Twitter account on September 25. However it wasn't until retired basketball player and Twitter influencer Rex Chapman retweeted the video this week that it started to get global attention. At the time of writing, the video had more than 2.4 million views.

The teenager's mother told The National she is "surprised" it has got this much attention.

She says of her son's Lego skills: "He started building at 2 years old, however, we noticed he had a skill at 7 when he built a three-foot Lego Titanic ship."