[BITList] Keen Model maker !

[michael J Feltham]

Fleet of fancy! Modeller spent 70 years and used over a MILLION matchsticks to create all 484 warships to ever sail in the Royal Navy since 1945 including HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier

Master modeller Philip Warren has spent 70 years building an incredible fleet of 484 warships from matches The 87-yearold has painstakingly hand made the whole armada using using just a ruler, razor blade and glue The impressive collection has even caught the eye of some of the royals, in the 1980s he presented a model of the HMS Cumberland to Prince Andrew at Broughton Airfield. Each ship in his huge collection is incredibly detailed and he has even built miniature model aircrafts to go with his carrier ships. The vessels are all painstakingly hand made using just a ruler, razor blade and glue Philip, from Blandford, Dorset began his hobby when he was aged 17 in 1948 after looking at pictures of naval boats.

He began gathering matchsticks as they were easy to get hold of and taught himself his own technique to assemble them into intricate sculptures on a scale model of 1:300. Since then he has constructed more than 250 Royal Navy ships including HMS Ark Royal, HMS Belfast and HMS Sheffield as well as many American vessels and those of other nations. The ships range in size from just a matter of inches to over 3ft. Despite his elderly age, Philip's fingers are as nimble and dexterous as ever and he has no plans to give up his hobby any time soon. The retired director of a stationary wholesale company from Blandford, Dorset, is exhibiting his ships at

the Nothe Fort Museum in Weymouth. The father-of-one who was married to wife Anita for 47 years until she died 16 years ago said: 'It all started when I was about 17 and I wanted to make models like every other boy did and I was fascinated with war ships. 'Matches were common then, they were used by everyone and came in wooden boxes so I decided I would use them, there were no kits back then, you used what was to hand. 'I taught myself all the way, I did get hints and tips from other model makers but the whole technique I developed on my own 'I started by looking at pictures in magazines and making detailed plans, nowadays I do this but use the internet as well which is perfect for research. 'I began making ships from the end ofthe Second World War in 1945 and made others as they came into service. The HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is three foot long, took Philip eight months to create. 'Although I have always enjoyed the hobby I had no idea I would eventually build 484 ships. 'I would build them in a spare room where I can work for just two minutes on something or for five hours, but I probably spend up to a year on a carrier.' In the late 1980s, he presented a model of the HMS Cumberland to Prince Andrew at Broughton Airfield. Prince Andrew had served on the ship during the Falklands War. He said: 'I had the pleasure to meet him and present him with the model. 'He said thank you very much and said you have only got one

 
anchor on my ship, at which point his aide pointed out to him that my design was correct. 'His response was I never went up that end of the ship! 'I found him very nice and charming.' All of the models are flat- bottomed so that when they are placed on a blue table cloth at an exhibition they appear to be floating on the sea. However, he intends to keep making models until he feels he is no longer physically able to. He said: 'My friends joke that every year I say this will be the last (for making models) but I always keep going so I'm not going to make statements like that anymore. 'My hands are still steady and my fingers are still dextrous enough to make them.' The painting on some of them is tiny but for my age I feel like I'm doing pretty well. 'There will come a time when my hands are not steady and I get arthritis in my fingers and when that time comes I will know it will be right to stop because I want to maintain their standard. 'I always try to make the next one my best one.' Source : Daily Mail 
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