Introduction
Over the years many models and scale replicas of the Titanic have been built; here are fun facts about some of our favourite examples.
The Matchstick Model
19ft – the length (5.8 metres) of the matchstick replica of Titanic that Mark Colling constructed in the garage of his home in Llanelli, South Wales.
3.5 million – the number of matches used to make the model (they were headless, for safety).
£4,500 – the cost of the matches used to construct the replica.
250,000 – the number of matches that Colling would purchase at a time.
1 ton – the approximate weight of matches used in the build.
2006 – the year the model was completed.
17 months – the length of time the model took to build.
Did You Know
Colling built his model using blueprints borrowed from the editor of the Hollywood movie.
8ft – the height (2.4m) of an accompanying matchstick model of the iceberg that sank Titanic.
6ft – the width (1.6m) of the matchstick “sea” upon which ship and iceberg models sit.
6ft – the height of the previous record-breaking matchstick model, a church measuring 6ft 7in by 4ft 11in.
Did You Know
In December 2006, the Guinness Book of Records awarded Colling for building the largest ever matchstick model, having set a new record by surpassing 3 million matches.
1998 – the year Colling began making models out of matchsticks, starting with a Spanish galleon measuring 3ft by 3ft (0.9m by 0.9m). Before building his record-breaking replica he built a 6ft (1.6m) Titanic model, based on clips from the movie.
The Full Dimensions:
Ship: 19ft long x 8ft high x 6ft wide (5.8m x 2.4m x 1.8m)
Iceberg: 8ft high x 6ft wide (2.4m x 1.8m)
Sea: 6ft (1.6m)
The Bamboo Toothpick Model
70,000 – the number of bamboo toothpicks that Luong Tran Anh Tam of Hoi An City, Vietnam, used to build a replica of the Titanic.
12 months – the approximate length of time spent building the model.
2009 – the year the replica was finished.
20 – Tam’s age at the time.
6pm – the time he would start work on the replica each evening.
Did You Know
Tam’s parents thought their busy son was spending his evenings studying for exams, only discovering the truth when he revealed his project to them just before completing it.
10kg – the approximate weight of the model.
3ft – the approximate height of the model (1m high x 1.4m long x 30cm wide).
US$5,500 – the amount (VND100 million) that Tam was offered for the model by the owners of a holiday resort, although he refused to sell.
Did You Know
Tam used money his mother gave him for breakfast to purchase the materials – toothpicks and glue – needed to complete the replica.