Patrick Acton has recreated the fictional Lord of the Rings city Minas Tirith with 420,000 wooden matchsticks. (White pine and aspen are the species for most matches.) He has also created a business around his matchstick models, in the form of a museum he operates to display his works. 

Now, if a couple of British architects get their way, the fictional city Minas Tirith from the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien will be built in southern England with approximately $2.5 billion crowdfunded through Indiegogo.com.

British architects are seeking $2.5 billion to build the J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional city Minas Tirith. Photo: Realise Minas Tirith

That goal may be a bit farfetched since the architectural team has less than 50 days left in the campaign with just under $100,000 raised so far, but die-hard fans can take heart -- since Iowa artist and businessman Patrick Acton has already built a wood model of the beloved city.

It took Acton three years to recreate the Middle Earth city of Minas Tirith from approximately 420,000 matchsticks - typically milled from white pine and aspen. Also, 24,000 wood blocks were used to make Mount Midolluin in the surrounding White Mountains. The seven-level matchstick model features everything from gates, ramps and tunnels to the Citadel, Tree of Gondor, and the White Tower of Ecthelion.

MORE MATCHSTICKS Space Station Model Uses 282,000 Wood Match Sticks Artist Pat Acton spent 1,550 hours to create his model of the international space station on display at the Matchstick Marvels Tourist Center in Gladbrook, IA.

Acton's additional matchstick projects include the International Space Station, USS Constitution, Hogwarts Castle from Harry Potter, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the One World Trade Center (part of that project shown below). His work can be viewed at the Matchstick Marvel Museum in Gladbrook, IA. His most recent matchstick project of a flying locomotive, "Plane Loco," is currently on display.