Oil Rig Replica. You Could Use 3D CAD… Or Four Million Matchsticks

Time for trip down to the camping store, you have some matchsticks to buy, 4 million to be exact. That is, if you want to challenge David Reynolds in the bid to beat the matchstick model record… and spend a good 15 years at 10 hours a day doing so.

David, a former oil rig worker, glued each polished matchstick in place to create the half ton model of the Brent Bravo oil rig in his living room. It measures 21ft long, 12ft high and is probably one of the largest fire hazards this side of the International Date Line. More images after the break.

I would have used 3D
I’m all for being crafty – using your hands to create, spending alone time with various sealants and adhesives, but there comes a time when a 3D CAD program like Sketchup or SolidWorks, would come in real handy. Of course, just using CAD to create a full-scale model wouldn’t get you any recognition, except maybe the adoration of approximately 247 people at Google’s 3DWarehouse who could use it to put along their US shoreline environments.

Catch a Video of the matchstick splendor at BBC News. Here are some addtional photos. (Photos: REX Features)