First model of the Titanic built from ship's original plans will set you back a cool £1.3m

The world's first model of the Titanic to be built from the ship's original plans has been revealed - but if you want to lay your hands on it it will cost you a whopping £1.3m.

The stunning 1:48 model is a precise replica of the White Star liner which famously hit an iceberg and sank in 1912, costing the lives of more than 1,500 passengers.

Made from brass, wood and fibreglass, the model took seven years to build using the original plans, drawings and measurements from the liner.

World first: The only model of the Titanic to be built from the ship's original plans

It is the first time the Titanic's plans have been released by the ship's original builders Harland and Wolff, who worked alongside modelmakers Fine Art Models on the project.

The intricate model is over 18 feet long and features a hull made of fibreglass with brass plating, held together by more than 3.3 million rivets.

Each bulkhead on the replica ship, which weighs 1,500lb, is positioned exactly where it was on the 882ft long, 46,328 ton liner, which cost £1.5 million to build 100 years ago.

The decking is all made from real wood, as is the deck furniture, which is crafted to exact proportions.

Detailed: The model took seven years to build from the Titanic's original plan

All the ship's exterior windowed rooms are made precisely to scale, including the furniture and decor inside each room.

The lighting on board the ship is so complex that it required the installation of more than eight miles of fibre optic cable.

The model is presented in a hand-carved wooden case which took two craftsmen two years to build.

The original Titanic was designed by Harland and Wolff chairman William Pirrie, head designer Thomas Andrews, and general manager Alexander Carlisle.

The plans were regularly sent to the White Star Line's managing director J. Bruce Ismay for suggestions and approval.

Construction of the Titanic, funded by the American J.P. Morgan and his International Mercantile Marine Co, began on March 31, 1909.

Two years and two months later, the hull was launched, although the outfitting of the ship wasn't completed until March 31 the following year.

After receiving the original plans for the Titanic from Belfast ship builders Harland & Wolff, Fine Art Models spent two years completing the research and design for the model.

Replica: The decking and furniture are made from real wood

In addition, they were given access to the designer's notebook detailing every change made from sister ship Olympic to Titanic, with additional drawings and measurements.

From the plans, a limited edition 1:192 model was put together first, followed by the one-off, 1:48 model.

A spokesman for Fine Art Models, based in Michigan, USA, said: "A scale model of the Titanic had never been built.

"Furthermore, the plans for Titanic had never been released to anyone.

"We proposed that we not only build a definitive model of the Titanic as a limited edition, but that we also build the 1:48 scale model of the Titanic, with the intention of building the finest and most detailed builder'model of any kind ever seen.

"When Harland & Wolff realised that not only were we serious, but that we had the ability to do everything we said we would do, they agreed to work with us hand-in-hand to accomplish this mission."

The 18ft long model of the Titanic is available to buy online for around £1.3.

The Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, when it struck an iceberg as it made its maiden voyage from Southampton, Hants, to New York.

At the time of its launch, the supposedly 'unsinkable' ship was the largest passenger steamship in the world.

Original here