Amelia Earhart’s historic Derry landing is a proper fit for Lego

Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed Vega immortalised in Lego.

Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

After a flight lasting 14 hours, 56 minutes, her bright red Lockheed Vega plane touched down in a field at Ballyarnett, on the outskirts of Derry on Saturday, May 21, 1932.

Asked by a local farmhand had she flown far, Earhart replied: “From America”.

May 1932... Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed Vega are surrounded by scores of locals at Ballyarnett in Derry.

As the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic, Earhart received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the US Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French Government and the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society from US President Herbert Hoover.

Her latest accolade is to be celebrated “in brick” by iconic Danish toy firm, Lego.

The model was released just this week to mark International Women’s Day.

Mel Caddick, the Lego designer behind the new Earhart tribute, hailed her as a “great icon”.

She added: “I think her story inspires anyone who wishes to pursue their dreams. Amelia Earhart taught us that passions, aspirations and courage know no gender – a legacy not passed on by many.”

Using blueprints of the famous plane for her design, Caddick said it was really important that she kept the model as true to the original as possible.