For the past 49 years, Iowa artist Patrick Acton has glued over 10 million ordinary wooden matchsticks into 77 incredibly-detailed scale models of life-like sculptures, complex machines, and world-reknown architecture. Acton uses the tiny two-inch long sticks to build huge models, like his 9-foot tall model of Disney’s Cinderella Castle, 13-foot long true-to-scale model of the battleship USS Iowa, an 8-foot long model of the Notre Dame cathedral, and a 12-foot long model of the United States Capitol, which are all on display at Matchstick Marvels Museum, 319 2nd Street, Gladbrook, Iowa, along with many other large models. The display has drawn visitors from all over the world.

Several of his models are also featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not museums in North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe.

Matchstick Marvels models have been seen on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Home and Garden TV, PBS, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, RFD’s Small Town, Big Deal, and Coolest thing I’ve Ever Made. Additionally, the models have been featured in magazines such as Highlights for Children, Reminisce, AAA Travel, Wood, The Iowan, Country America, Farm Bureau, and Workbench.

Matchstick Marvels version of the International Space Station, previously on display at NASA’s Houston Space Center. Photo courtesy of Ripley’s Believe it or Not, 2015.