Fine Art Models, P.O.Box 225, Birmingham, Michigan, 48012, USA | Tel: 248.288.5155 | Fax: 248.288.4412
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1:48 RMS Titanic
Titanic was an Olympic-class passenger liner that became infamous for her collision with an iceberg and dramatic sinking on April, 14 1912. The second of a trio of superliners, she and her sisters were designed to provide a three-ship weekly express service and dominate the transatlantic travel business for White Star Line. Built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Titanic was the largest passenger steamship in the world at the time of her sinking. During Titanic's maiden voyage (from Southampton, England; to Cherbourg, France; Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland; then New York), she struck an iceberg at 23:40 (ship's time) on Sunday evening, April 14, 1912. She sank two hours and forty minutes later, after breaking into two pieces at the aft expansion joint.
Titanic was designed to compete with rival company Cunard Line's Lusitania and Mauretania, luxurious ships and the fastest liners on the Atlantic. The Titanic and her Olympic class sisters, Olympic and the upcoming Gigantic, were intended to be the largest, most luxurious ships ever to operate. (The planned name Gigantic was changed to Britannic after the disaster.) The Titanic was designed by Harland and Wolff chairman William Pirrie, their head designer Thomas Andrews, and general manager Alexander Carlisle, with the plans 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. The Titanic No. 401 was launched two years and two months later on May 31, 1911. The Titanic's outfitting was completed on March 31st the following year.
The Titanic was considered a pinnacle of naval architecture and technological achievement, and was thought by The Shipbuilder magazine to be "practically unsinkable" With a double-bottom hull, containing 44 tanks for boiler water and ballast to keep the ship safely balanced at sea (later ships also had a double-walled hull). Titanic also exceeded the lifeboat standard, with 20 lifeboats (though not enough for all passengers). Designers had discussed adding more, depending on storage issues. Furthermore, she was divided into 16 compartments by doors held up in the open position by electro-magnetic latches, which could be closed by a switch on the ship's bridge.
About the Model…
A scale model of the Titanic had never been built. Furthermore, the plans for Titanic had never been released to anyone. Fine Art Models, the world’s premier scale model makers, approached Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland and proposed that they, not only build a definitive model of the Titanic as a limited edition, but they also build the 1:48 scale builder’s model, and do so with the intention of building the finest and most detailed model of any kind, ever seen. Harland & Wolff agreed to work hand-in-hand with Fine Art Models to accomplish this mission.
It took more two (2) years alone to complete the research and design of this model. Fine Art Models was given access to all of the original plans, drawings and measurements. In addition, they were given access to the designer’s notebook detailing every change made from Olympic to Titanic, with additional drawings and measurements.
Fine Art Models began their development in late 1995 and, only in December 1998, was their first 1:192 scale model complete. The 1:48 scale builder’s model, completed in 2002, took a total of seven (7) years to build – longer than it took to build Titanic herself. This is actually the first builder's model of Titanic, as an original had never been built.
Since it’s completion, the 1:48 Titanic has toured the United States and abroad via museums and private events allowing the public the opportunity to view her up close and in person.
The Model
• The model is over 18 feet long (I will get you exact dimensions)
• The hull is a fiberglass form plated and riveted with brass plating, per the original plans, using more than 3,376,000 rivets, composed of three (3) different styles.
• Every bulkhead is in its proper location
• The entire superstructure is constructed of brass.
• The model weighs 1,500 pounds
• The decking is real wood, as is the deck furniture, which is crafted to exact proportions.
• All exterior windowed rooms are to scale, including the furniture and décor inside each room
• The telegraph in the Bridge is internally lit
• Its lighting is so complex that it required the installation of more than 8 miles of fiber optic cable.
Wood Case
• The wood case took two (2) craftsman two (2) years to build
• The case was hand-carved, based on the original turn-of-the-century design used by Harland & Wolff for all builder’s model cases
• Each side holds a single piece of glass, to not obstruct the viewing of the model
• The glass was made in England, the only place that could make glass this size
• Each (long) side of glass weighs 1,000 pounds