MODEL WARSHIP CRAFT CENTRE
Mr. Manoj Musikkabutra, a graduate from Poh Chang Art College, began making model war­ships after being impressed by some examples in Vienna while on a visit to Austria.
At first, he made only models of foreign vessels, but at the Navy museum in Samut Prakan he was able to sketch a number of Thai warships, and made models based on his sketches. Today, he has more than 20 models in his collection.
The materials used are all local, the hulls made of teak cast-offs obtained from factories. The first step in building a model ship is making the frame, then thin wood planking is pasted onto the frame to make the hull. Some of the models, like the Royal barges, have carving on the hull which call for very fine craftsmanship; however, the most difficult model to make was "HMS Victory", the British flagship commanded by Lord Nelson a the battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Mr. Manoj first exhibited his models at th Montien Riverside Hotel in 1996, and he continue to hold annual shows. He also gives training t interested people who pass a selection process His models are not for sale in shops or exported because, he says, "the work would then become business or industry, which is not what I intended."