HAMPSHIRE pensioner Don Scott could not afford a cruise on QM2, so he spent seven months making his own motorised model of the luxury ship.

The retired musician built the model, which is 200 times smaller than the real thing, out of 7,000 wooden parts.

Don slaved away for 950 hours recreating every detail of QM2 using bits of plastic and timber.

The 77-year-old used caps from toothpaste tubes to create the ship's two giant on-deck saunas. After studying photos and diagrams, he even smoked bits of clear plastic to recreate the tinted effect of all 2,500 cabin windows on the 5ft 10in vessel.

When Don finally sailed the radio-controlled boat on his local pond it drew admiring looks from passers-by.

Now Don, from New Milton, intends to take it down to the pond every week to make up for not being able to sail on the real thing.

Don, who worked on QM2's sister ship, QE2, said: "The real QM2 is absolutely beautiful, and I'd love to sail on her if I could afford it. I love ships and cruising.

"I'm never as happy as when I have a deck beneath my feet. But sailing my own QM2 is the next best thing."

The great-grandfather decided to build the boat after watching QM2 sail into Southampton on Boxing Day last year. Such was his attention to detail that the finished version cost Don, who lives with his 72-year-old partner Joan Buckingham, £550 to build.

Cunard spokesman Michael Gallagher said: "The model looks stunning and very realistic. After all his hard work we'd very much like to show Mr Scott the real thing so would be delighted to show him around Queen Mary 2 during one of her calls in Southampton."