Mini model of Titanic beckons

The launch of the ill-starred RMS Titanic cruise liner will complete a century on May 31 this year. On midnight of April 14, 1912, the largest ship to be built sunk during its maiden journey killing atleast 1,517 people on board. The biggest maritime disaster to struck mankind is grim past.

To coincide with the year of the launch of the Titanic, a humble signage maker from city, Abdul Akbar has designed a mini model of Titanic ship. Akbar, who was not aware of the launch of Titanic completing 100 years built the model as a gift to his son Abdul Sikander’s birthday last month.

A man with a little education background, Abdul has banked on his skill and expertise of working on glow signs and sign boards to build a 6.5 ft length and 2 ft width model of a cruise ship.

The ship is built on the model of RMS Titanic. The designer worked on the mini replica based on the observation of the cruise ship in the movie, Titanic and conceptualising the design and executing it. The mini cruise ship is about 3.5 ft in height and have lot of resemblance to original ship in the outer design, albeit use of acrylic material (u-v coated) and 3mm to 6mm plastic used for signs.

Abdul built the miniature model in his shop at M M Complex on Benki Nawab Road in Mandi Mohalla. He begun his work on the model on  January last and completed it about a fortnight ago. It took almost 13 months to complete the miniature model.

Talking to City Herald, Abdul said he closely watched the still pictures of the ship from the movie Titanic and analysed it for hours to help himself understand the outer design and structure. “Though, the outer design have been replicated up to 60-65 per cent accuracy, there is no work on interiors of the original cruise ship. I have only worked on outer design,” Abdul adds.

According to him, he worked on the Titanic miniature to gift the mini model for his son Abdul Sikander on Jan 5. However, he regrets that he could not finish the model by Jan this year. Last year, Abdul says he had no money to buy a good gift for his son.

Hence, I worked on a small boat using the acrylic and plastic wastes. Sikander liked it and wanted me to work on a bigger boat. It was then I decided that I would fulfill my son’s wish and started the work, he said.

He adds that there was a lot of challenge executing the work with electric bulbs inside and bring together small pieces of acrylic sheets and plastics and give them a shape of a line cruiser.

Asked what he plans to gift his son next year, Abdul adds that he has planned nothing so far.