Hawaiian Airlines engineer Ashton Simpkins tells Hawaiʻi stories about planes — one Lego brick at a time. Among his custom built creations is the famous six-seat Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker, built in 1929, which was part of Hawaiian Airlines’ initial $5 sightseeing tours. Also in the Lego brick fleet is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which can seat hundreds and was introduced in 2018.
The engineer’s planes are just some of many projects part of Bishop Museum’s special exhibit, “Aloha Bricks '26: Stories of Hawaiʻi,” which is on display for 12 more days, before it closes on Sunday, Oct. 11. Located inside the Castle Memorial Building, it features native birds, butterflies and plants made entirely with Lego bricks and is included in general admission. Details.
The special exhibit was created in partnership with members of the Hawaiʻi Lego Users Group (HILUG), who made replicas of not just Hawaiian Airlines planes, but also ʻIolani Palace, Hawaiʻi Theatre, the USS Arizona Memorial and Bowfin Submarine, and more; Bishop Museum scientists and staff, who built mosaics of flora and fauna; and middle school students representing 50 schools across the state, who created their campus logos.
Simpkins is part of HILUG, which builds to-scale models with Lego bricks.
“For example, we have a model of Bishop Museum, itself,” he said. “And then, there's one of Hōkūleʻa. There's one of the rail. And then, my section was the Hawaiian Airlines section.”
For the special exhibit, Simpkins used Lego bricks to create five custom-built aircraft models: the 1929 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker, a Douglas DC-3 and DC-9, a Boeing 717 and 787 Dreamliner.
The project took at least 180 hours, he said. The largest build, the 787 Dreamliner, had about 10,000 parts, and needed to be transported to the museum in three pieces because “simply, it wouldn't fit through my doors,” he said with a laugh.
A few days before the exhibit opened, Simpkins sat on the museum floor for several hours, bringing in the design a few inches on each side, so that it would fit properly in its glass case.
As a kid, he remembers building intricate tracks for Thomas the Tank Engine.
“I would always tell stories with it,” he said. “I'd have my grandma sit on my bed, and I'd tell her a story about what was happening with the trains.”
Eventually, he moved on to Lego bricks, starting with Star Wars-themed sets.
“Aloha Bricks '26: Stories of Hawaiʻi" includes giant replicas of the endangered i’iwi bird and the vibrant fish, humuhumunukunukuapua‘a.
“It's hard to walk around an exhibit and not want to build something yourself,” Simpkins said.
In fact, one room includes bricks so kids of all ages can try their hand at engineering. Along the walls of that space are the logos of local schools.
“And the Bishop Museum actually reached out to local middle schools to get them to build their logos for the exhibit,” he said. “Those were actually made by the people that attend those schools, which is really cool.”
Simpkins hopes that seeing these models will inspire keiki to do their own building and problem solving.
“Part of what's really cool about this exhibit and the familiarity of it all is that a kid can come and see it and say, ʻOh, someone just like me made this. Maybe I can do the same thing,’” he said. “It inspires somebody else to create, to tell stories, and to figure things out, because that is a very important part of growing up and making the world a better place is figuring out problems and being creative and sharing.”
The exhibit is open during museum hours, which are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Use the code MAHALO20 to get a 20% discount at check-out. Get tickets.
Earlier this year, the museum opened "Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice," which features the work of three Hilo artists: the late Nālani Kanakaʻole, as well as that of her husband, Sig Zane, and their son, Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane. That exhibit runs now until Feb. 15, 2027. Details. And while you're there, support local at Shop Pacifica by Nā Mea Hawai‘i, or grab a bite at Tutu's Place by Highway Inn.
(ICYMI: ASD sat down with Bishop Museum's CEO Kris Helgen over the summer to learn more about his first year, as well as his top challenges and opportunities running a nonprofit museum. Read more.)
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
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