SMALL SHIPS, BIG PASSION
‘Captain Jack’ finds his calling in crafting miniature vessels
BLACK Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell was playing loudly at a wood workshop in Kampung Bakap Baru in Jalan Tanjung Tualang here. Inside, a man who calls himself Captain Jack was busy working on a model of Admiral Cheng Ho’s ship — an order placed by a customer last month.
Azhar Kamaruddin, 50, is a passionate craftsman and has been building models of the ship for the past 21 years.
His interest in shipbuilding was sparked in 1997 after reading an Illustrated History of Transport.
Azhar, who was then a supermarket supervisor, decided to quit his job and find an opening at a timber and steel factory in Ipoh.
The following five years saw him accumulating shipbuilding skills by working in several factories specialising in the use of machines to build models of ships.
The father of three also read up a number of books on classic vessels and their specifications to help him better understand and build more authentic and detailed ship models.
His first replicas were of smaller vessels that he built using reclaimed wood and these were sold to friends.
Proceeds from the sales were used to buy machines to be used at his workshop.
“The entire process of building a ship model is extremely complicated. It starts from the drafting of blueprints at a studio before proceeding with the rest of the process at the workshop,” he said in an interview here recently.
Azhar said the most oft-requested model among customers were European ships and the Admiral Cheng Ho ship, which was originally built in 1403.
He considers himself a fan of ancient ships, particularly those from the Middle Ages and Ancient Egypt due to their history and the challenge in replicating the intricate workmanship.
He has built models of ships like the 1812 Baltimore Clipper and the 1571 Mediterranean Galley.
“The time it takes to complete a model of a ship depends on the size.
“It can sometimes take up to six months to complete a model measuring between 1.5m and 1.8m-long,” he said.
Azhar’s customers come from not only Malaysia but all over the world, including Singapore, Indonesia and Scotland.
“Some of my ship models are even on display in several galleries overseas,” he said.
He is more than happy to share his knowledge and skills in shipbuilding as he believes that sharing such knowledge and exchanging opinions can help him better his craft.
At the same time, he advises those wishing to go into the construction of ship models to study the history of each vessel as it was essential to the building process.