Japan’s WW2 surrender depicted on 26-foot LEGO USS Missouri

As the grandson of an American World War II veteran who was born and raised in Japan, I have a rather complicated relationship with the Pacific War in World War II. From Nanjing to Bataan, there’s no denying the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese military against both the peoples of fellow Asian nations as well as Allied prisoners of war, and yet I feel deep sympathy for the genuine suffering that the people of Japan experienced themselves — from the firebombing of my hometown Tokyo to burning Okinawan civilians alive as they hid in caves. The end of World War II could not come soon enough, and Japan’s surrender ensured that my GI grandfather did did not get shipped from Hawaii across the Pacific to participate in the invasion of the Japanese home islands.

To commemorate this important event 70 years ago today, Dan Siskind has built the American battleship USS Missouri, which was the venue in Tokyo Harbor for Japan’s surrender. At 26 feet long, Dan’s “Mighty Mo” is the largest LEGO warship ever made (four feet longer than Jumpei Mitsui’s Yamato).

Japan Surrender Cermony, September 2, 1945

This giant LEGO battleship dwarfs the room it’s currently housed in at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Japan Surrender Cermony, September 2, 1945

You can see more photos, including lots of work-in-progress shots, in Dan’s “USS Missouri Project” photoset on Flickr.

4 comments on “Japan’s WW2 surrender depicted on 26-foot LEGO USS Missouri

  1. DanSiskind

    Thanks for the spotlight Andrew!

    I wanted to mention that the model is located in the Brickmania store at the Mall of America (third floor, east side). Brickmania is one of the only retail stores in a major American shopping center to feature independently-produced products of the AFOL community from makers like BrickArms, Brickstuff, Citizen Brick, No Starch Press, BrickJournal and others. We’re all here because we love LEGO’s products, but lets give some credit to the AFOL makers for taking the hobby to the next level!

    Cheers!

    Dan

  2. Andrew Post author

    Thanks for the extra info, Dan! I thought about pinging you for some more details, but was writing the post late last night and wanted to get it online on the 2nd.

  3. Angeli

    I kind of don’t like political mocs or mocs that show history of the people that could still be alive. Too many emotions.
    You make a moc showing Hannibal destroying Rome, well, nobody was present, nobody can revoke bad memories, the smell of the burning stuff, screams, etc.

    For me, wwII is still too close. I am just wandering what would people say for a micro moc of a giant mushroom over Hiroshima, or a bunch of refugees crossing the sea or border in Lego bricks form.

    Maybe it would arise awareness, and actually do good, I don;t know. War, by itself is an awful thing, and yet, I like action movies.

    I am just not sure what my feelings are regarding this type of mocs… on one side, I love mocs, all of them, except the gore ones, on the other hand, it kind of bothers me when the subject has political colors…

    I guess I am just confused with this one, feeling ambivalent :)

  4. kjjohn

    This thing is awesome! Saw it in person at MOA, love the shop there too. And Angeli, while I understand what you are saying, there is not really any political statement made by this? There was never really a controversy about WWII, in fact it was probably the most justified war in recent history.

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