
A Lego-mad fisherman spent three years building the world's biggest model of a US warship - only to find an American rival had beaten him by inches.

Jim McDonough painstakingly built a 24ft scale model of the 890ft USS Missouri with thousands of toy bricks in Redford, near Arbroath in Angus.

When he embarked on the model in his garage three years ago, his research told him it was going to be the biggest Lego ship in the world.

Jim McDonough has painstakingly built a 24ft scale model of 890ft US warship USS Missouri out of thousands of toy bricks in his garage in Redford, near Arbroath, Angus, Scotland

But he's been pipped at the post by American enthusiast, Dan Siskind, of Minneapolis, whose creation stands at 25.5ft long

The Lego-mad fisherman spent three years building the world's biggest model of a US warship - only to discover he had been beaten to the title by an American rival by just inches

He has even built accompanying military transport for the ships. The 51-year-old, has a garage crammed with a flotilla of battleships, aircraft carriers, planes, fishing vessels and landing craft - each one painstakingly built from Lego

The real USS Missouri. The original warship was the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan, which ended the Second World War

But it seems his effort was in vain - after he was been pipped at the post by Minneapolis-based enthusiast Dan Siskind, whose creation is 25.5ft long.

Mr Siskind used more than one million Lego bricks to recreate the 1:35 scale of the USS Missouri.

Mr McDonough prides himself on not gluing them together - which he regards as 'cheating'.

The 51-year-old has a garage crammed with a flotilla of Lego battleships, aircraft carriers, planes, fishing vessels and landing craft.

His 1:40 scale model of the USS Missouri is moored beside the USS Arizona, sunk at Pearl Harbour, and a Japanese carrier with lines of Zero fighters.

In Mr McDonough's garage his 1:40 scale model of USS Missouri is moored beside the ill-fated USS Arizona, sunk at Pearl Harbour, and a Japanese carrier replete with lines of Zero fighters

Mr McDonough and grandaughter Leigha with the USS Missouri (left). Mr McDonough prides himself on not gluing them together - which he regards as 'cheating'

Mr McDonough broke down his first models in order to save space and use bricks on later projects, but he is running out of garage room since the family begged him to keep them

He said: 'I think the biggest in the world is a few inches longer, but when I started building mine three years ago it was probably the biggest.

'I don't use glue and everything can be taken apart. If you go to Legoland it's all glued together, which to me is cheating because anyone can glue stuff together.'

When asked whether his next project, the carrier USS Saratoga, would be built larger in order to compete, he said that would not be in keeping with the scale of his other vessels.

The original warship was the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan, which ended the Second World War.

His partner Mandy, 51, said the family have supported his passion, even when sections of the Missouri took over the kitchen in winter.

He said: 'I think the biggest in the world is a few inches longer, but when I started building mine three years ago it was probably the biggest'

Mr McDonough said his family are now running out of space and need a bigger house and bigger garage to house it all

Historic moment: The original warship was the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan in 1945, which ended the Second World War

Unfortunately, his efforts were beaten by Mr Siskind's. His Lego ship stands at 25.5ft long, and it took him more than 1 million bricks to complete the project

Mr McDonough broke down his first models in order to save space and use bricks on later projects.

But he is running out of garage room since the family begged him to keep them.

'When Lego was invented I was about four or five and have kept buying it since then,' he said.

'But we're running out of space and need a bigger house and bigger garage to house it all.

'The last thing you want to do is build that, take a picture and break them down again.'

Mr McDonough works on an Arbroath-based dredger and spends much of his cabin time drawing the world he sees around him.

The ship, a replica of the 45000 ton Iowa class battleship built by the New York Navy Yard, was painstakingly built over months

The Lego ship pictured mid-construction, with accompanying plans. The ship is still under construction as there is still some work to be done, but is already 25.5ft long

Mr Siskind spent months working on the ship - nicknamed the Mo. He said he hopes it will be complete by September

Under construction: Mr Siskind said that he had been working ‘30-hour marathon’ sessions to build his version of the USS Missouri

Looking inside: Mr Siskin said he believes 'it's the longest ship of any kind built out of Lego in the world' - but admits he 'could be wrong'

Largely self-taught, the fisherman has spent years drawing subjects on request from friends and neighbours.

'I've got too many hobbies and not enough time to do them all,' he said.

Impressed by the size and detail of the recreation - each is built from plans sourced online - the USS Missouri memorial museum in Hawaii has highlighted his model.

Mr Siskind told American TV show Beyond the Brick that he had been working ‘30-hour marathon’ sessions to build his version of the USS Missouri.

He said: 'As far as i know, it's the longest ship of any kind built out of Lego in the world. I could be wrong, someone correct me if I am.