Queenthunk Amalanathan Has Hand-crafted Scale Fashions Of Iconic Ships And Crusing Boats In The Course Of The Lockdown
“All the old wooden boat builders are disappearing fast in Britain. Lovely to see a model of one,” reads a suggestions on a social media submit a couple of miniature sail boat. “He’s talking about the ‘Dragon’ sailing boat designed originally by Norwegian Johan Anker in the 1920s,” says Coimbatore-based Queenthunk Amalanathan F (Amal) who constructed the size mannequin of the identical from scratch and posted just a few pictures on Facebook.
“Dave Taylor who is from Europe commented how he had raced on them during his young days when such wooden boats were made in the UK. The Dragon is a one-design keelboat which was later used in the Olympics.”
Amal’s handcrafted mannequin in balsa wooden is now an element of the house décor at Neeraj Kakar’s dwelling in Chandigarh. “It sits pretty on my fireplace,” says Neeraj, an IT engineer. An everyday customer at Defence expos and Aero India reveals, Neeraj is keen about army gear and its expertise, and can also be collector of miniature fashions. “I already have Tejas, the homegrown fighter aircraft, the Light Combat Aircraft. I wanted Amal to experiment with the sail boat and we ended up creating this unique race boat.”
Amal additionally completed a 16-inch miniature of INS Baratang (T68) the fourth and final Bangaram-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy. “It is designed for use in search-and-rescue operations in coastal areas and the exclusive economic zone. This naval ship is in active service. The model was built to gift a Naval officer.”
Ship modelling is hard, states Amal as one has solely photograph references to know the design. “It’s very difficult to get a blueprint. So research is a constant but one has to also learn techniques and skills like drilling and sculpting. I try and achieve 80 percent accuracy.”
As Neeraj places it, “Amal’s models are unique and an exact replica of the original. Internationally, ship modelling has picked up as a hobby as well as a profession, but in India there is a market for such models only at professional exhibitions and museums. In the US, where I lived for many years, model ships are a part of décor at homes.”
Having taken up the venture throughout lockdown, Amal upcycled supplies like previous phone coils, broomsticks and discarded plastic sheets. “I used whatever I could lay my hands on at home. The sail cloth is an upcycledveshthi while a pair of chopsticks make up the pole. The chain which I wore during my college days, is also a part of the design,” he laughs.
Over the final decade, Amal has constructed a fleet of 30 miniature fashions together with INS Vikramaditya, INS Veer, INS Trishul, and INS Kavaratti. Miniatures of PSLV, Chandrayaaan I and II, Space Shuttle Atlantis that he constructed utilizing plastic foam sheets are additionally an element of his assortment. “It’s an expensive hobby. People often buy plastic models that are available on Amazon for a cheaper rate. Most of the ships are working models,” he states.
Some sail ships and sail boats are below building, like wind star, Russian missile boats utilized in World War II and a working mannequin of a 4-ft Trident, a velocity boat that can be utilized for racing. Though the craft requires endurance, Amal says it provides him a way of sportsmanship. “I also become an artist which is satisfying. My dream is to build a Chola dynasty model ship’s fleet and hand it over to the Tanjore Musuem of the Tamil Nadu Government. The project needs financial support and research.”
