Craftsmanship Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 2006 |
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| Location | 3190 Lionshead Avenue Carlsbad, California |
| Type | Technology museum |
| Collections | Hand crafted models and machines |
| Owner | Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship |
The Craftsmanship Museum is a super cool place in Carlsbad, California, USA. It's officially called the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum (MECM). This museum collects and shows off amazing objects made from metal and wood. These items are often tiny, but they work just like the real thing! The museum is supported by The Joe Martin Foundation. This foundation helps celebrate people who are really skilled at making things.
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What Can You See at the Museum?
The museum has about 500 working miniature engines. Imagine tiny engines that actually run! You can also see models of airplanes, cars, and other objects.
A Super Detailed Car Model
One of the most amazing things is a model of a 1932 SJ Duesenberg. This model is 1/6 the size of the real car. A craftsman named Louse Chenot spent about 15,000 hours building it. That's a lot of time and effort!
This miniature car is fully working. Its engine runs on gasoline, just like a real car. Even the doors close with two clicks, and the handles work from both the inside and outside. It's like a real car, but tiny!
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This is the amazing 1932 SJ Duesenberg model.
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A close-up look at the working engine of the Duesenberg model.
Other Cool Models
You can also see models of World War II fighter planes. These models are made from aluminum and show the inside parts of the planes. There's even a Norden bombsight on display. This was a special device used in airplanes during the war.
The Museum's Workshop
The museum has a special workshop. It's a precision machine shop. Here, volunteer master toolmakers work on projects. These skilled people work with craftsmen from all over the world. They build new miniature projects together. They also clean, fix, and take care of all the amazing objects in the museum.
Explore the Exhibits
The museum has many different exhibits to explore. You can see how detailed and tiny some of these creations are.
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A view of the main exhibit room.
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Another look inside the main exhibit room.
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More amazing exhibits in the main room.
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An exhibit featuring work by Birk Petersen.
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A 1/16-scale P-51 Mustang model built by Young C. Park.
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A detailed close-up of Young C. Park's P-51 Mustang model.
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A working 18-cylinder radial engine, 1/4-scale, made by Harold Beckett.
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A model of the famous Wright Flyer.
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Models of buildings and structures.
How the Museum Started
The Craftsmanship Museum first began in 1996. It started as an online museum by Joe Martin. Joe also owns a company called Sherline. In 2006, Joe opened a real museum at the Sherline factory in Vista, California.
The museum quickly grew too big for the factory. So, Joe decided to create the Joe Martin Foundation. This foundation bought a huge building in Carlsbad. It's 16,000 square feet! This became the permanent home for the museum. Over the years, the museum has collected hundreds of working models. These include all kinds of miniature machines, engines, buildings, cars, and airplanes. They even have a tiny bolt that's only 0.010 inches wide with a matching nut!
