RC Titanic – Instructions for a model made of matches

Making a RC Titanic model out of matches is a big project that requires a lot of patience and finesse.

What you need:

• matches or wooden sticks
• Craft glue or wood glue
• Narrow wooden slats
• Thin square timbers
• pliers or scissors
• tweezers
• bowl
• Paint brush
• clear coat

Building the RC Titanic as a model – instructions for the hull

1. If you want to build the RC Titanic as a model from matchsticks, start with the ship’s hull. To do this, first remove the heads from the logs with a knife, pliers or scissors.
2. Make top and side outline drawings from templates. Using these templates will later make it easier to model the right shape.
3. Soak the matches in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes, this will soften them and allow them to be bent into the required shape.
4. Bend the wood for the bow and stern, using your templates as a guide.
5. Begin by gluing the woods together, piece by piece. Use a little glue and work in two to three rows at a time.
6. When you have finished gluing a section, let it dry for a few hours before continuing. This prevents the still wet glue from being loosened or the wood from shifting.
7. Assemble all the parts for the ship’s hull and allow sufficient drying time here as well.
8. Paint the first part of your RC Titanic with clear coat, inside and out and in several coats. This not only gives the hull a beautiful shine, but also stability.

Tinker the deck of the ship – that’s how it works

1. First, make a frame out of strips of wood that optimally distributes the weight of the deck. To do this, use a strip on which you attach further strips across. Connect this rib construction with square timber as legs and insert the frame into the fuselage.
2. Glue matchstick to matchstick again. Work in staggered rows at a time until you have a flat sheet for the deck. Glue this plate to the frame.
3. Now build up the floors by finally gluing the wood together at both ends. Glue the resulting blocks to the deck and cover the gaps with a layer of overlapping and staggered matches.
4. For round parts of the RC Titanic, such as the masts, use kebab skewers or round chopsticks as a base.
5. Paint the deck with clear varnish.
6. After everything has had enough time to dry, paint your model ship white, yellow, red and black. In order to keep the colors attractive for a long time, you can finally apply another layer of clear lacquer.