Who we are
WorldModelShips.com is operated by Demotex International GmbH in Essen, Germany. We have been selling furnishings and collector's pieces for years, and this shop does one thing only: wooden model ships. No mixed catalogue, no sidelines. Everything you see here was chosen because it holds up when you stand in front of it.
The workshop
Our models come from a family-run workshop in southern Vietnam, founded in 2004 and working on more than 1,000 square metres. The region has a long tradition of woodworking, and the people who build our ships learned the craft there. The workshop supplies museums, shipping companies and dealers across Europe. It is not a factory line. Each hull passes through the hands of a small number of builders from the first frame to the last coat of varnish.
How a model is built
A hull starts as a set of frames, cut to the lines of the original vessel. Thin strips of wood are laid over those frames one at a time and glued in place, the same plank-on-frame method used in real shipbuilding. The hull is then sanded, sealed and finished by hand. Rigging is tied from real cordage, not printed on. Deck fittings, capstans, anchors and railings are turned or cast from brass. Sails are cut and sewn, then weathered so they hang the way canvas hangs.
One model takes weeks. Because every step is done by hand, no two are identical, and small differences in grain, tone and rigging are part of what you are buying, not a fault.
What we carry
Tall ships and clippers, ocean liners, warships, cargo vessels, speed boats and motor yachts, sailing yachts, traditional fishing boats and famous ships from film. Alongside the full hulls we carry half-hull models for walls, ships in bottles, display cases and nautical decor. Sizes run from desk pieces of around 40 centimetres to models close to a metre and a half, which need a sideboard or a plinth of their own.
Where these models belong
These are display pieces, not toys. Most of them end up in libraries, studies, law firms, shipping offices, hotel lobbies and reception areas, in rooms where something needs to carry weight without shouting. A model ship does that. It also survives being looked at closely, which is the real test.
Ordering and delivery
Models are held in stock at the workshop, so the usual delivery time is about two weeks from your order. Every model ships in a wooden crate with internal padding, and the matching wooden base is included in the price. Pieces under 65 centimetres travel as an insured parcel, larger ones go by forwarding agent on a pallet. We deliver throughout the EU, to Switzerland, the United Kingdom and overseas.
Special requests
If you are looking for a particular ship that is not in our range, or need a specific size or finish, write to us. The workshop builds to order as well, and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible and what it would cost before anything is decided.
Reaching us
Email info@worldmodelships.com or call +49 (0)201 36577487. You will get an answer from a person, and if we do not know something we will say so rather than guess.