Owen Sound, Ont. man builds Chi-Cheemaun tribute using 92,000 Lego pieces

Owen Sound resident, Ken Reid, has just completed a large scale Lego model of the Chi-Cheemaun ferry, a tribute to the iconic vessel that connects Tobermory to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island. (Supplied)

For 64-year-old Ken Reid, what began as a shared pastime with his late wife has grown into a labour of love, for Lego.

The Owen Sound resident has just completed a large scale Lego model of the Chi-Cheemaun ferry, a tribute to the iconic vessel that connects Tobermory to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island.

Reid’s creation is no toy. Stretching an impressive nine feet in length, 20 inches wide and 30 inches tall, the ship contains an estimated 92,000 Lego pieces, along with 600 minifigures (small figurines), 51 cars with trailers, and 10 motorcycles carefully assembled on board.

“I started building again during the early days of the pandemic. I had all this time on my hands,” said Reid.

This was a hobby he and his wife, Ola used to do together in 2016. In 2020, Ola passed away and Reid found that the days grew longer. The endless hours of the pandemic lockdown may have reignited his passion, but it was the 50th anniversary of the Chi-Cheemaun that inspired Reid to begin this ambitious build.

“I reached out to the Owen Sound Marine Services, and they were kind enough to invite me on board the real ship. I took dozens of photos, everything from the interior layout to the details on the deck.” Reid said to CTV News.

The project, which began in mid-February, practically became a full-time job for Reid. For months, he spent six to eight hours a day, seven days a week meticulously designing and assembling the model, including a full interior.

“It took me three weeks just to figure out how to build the front of the ship. If I couldn’t get that right I wasn’t going to build the rest of it,” Reid said.

Sourcing parts was no small task. As a longtime VIP member of Lego, Reid scavenged Facebook Marketplace and bought bulk boxes of miscellaneous pieces to gather the materials he needed.

He even hand-painted sections of the ship and created custom decals using printable label paper he bought from Amazon.

The finished model, known in the Lego world as a MOC (My Own Creation) scale and remarkably close to the real Chi-Cheemaun, which can hold roughly 140 vehicles and operates seasonally between the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island.

While the Chi-Cheemaun is his newest piece, it is definitely not his largest project.

Reid previously built a seven-foot-long, four-foot-high replica of Toronto’s Casa Loma, and his biggest undertaking to date is a 220,000-piece Star Wars mock; a testament to his dedication and passion.

Reid estimates more than 1.5 million Lego pieces in his back pocket. He often lets his creations live for a few years before dismantling them to make way for new projects.

“I usually build in the winter months. It’s a great way to pass the time indoors. I don’t know what my next project will be yet,” he said.

Now, Reid is considering placing the Chi-Cheemaun model at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in his home town for public viewing, a fitting home for a piece that blends both creativity and local pride.