Posted in Iowa Attractions, Museums September 09, 2020 by Kim Magaraci

Seven Million Matchsticks Make Up The Remarkable Creations At Iowa’s Matchstick Marvels

If you’re looking for a fun, small town Iowa museum that’s sure to impress any visitor, head to Gladbrook and check out Matchstick Marvels! It’s sure to be unlike any place you’ve ever been.

Matchstick Marvels is a small town Iowa museum that shows off the work of artist Pat Acton. Pat creates enormous scale models with million of matchsticks!

In 2014 Pat honored the International Space Station with 8 gallons of wood glue, 286,000 matchsticks, 8 gallons of wood glue and nearly 2,000 hours of labor.

Star Wars fans will immediately recognize a matchstick Millenium Falcon, which took nearly a million little pieces to put together.

Back when the renewed World Trade Center in New York City was just a concept, Pat helped bring it to life with an enormous scale model.

In 2019, Apollo 11 came to life! The Saturn rocket and Lunar landing module were a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the 1969 moon landing.

One of the more recent creations was a replica 1970s Dodge Charger, the car that's been tied to the Fast and Furious Franchise.

As you can see, no detail was spared in the creation of this gorgeous matchstick muscle car.

Pat's largest creation, the Steampunk "Plane Loco", was one of his own creations. It was inspired by an early 1900s train and Leonardo da Vinci's designs.

"Plane Loco" was created over 3,000 hours, with one million matchsticks and 35 gallons of wood glue. The wingspan is 13 feet, and it's more than 20 feet long and 9 feet high.

You can visit Matchstick Marvels and see the recent works of Pat Acton in the town of Gladbrook, Iowa. The building is handicap accessible and open April 1 through Nov. 30, 7 days a week, from 1-5 pm. Admission is just $5 for adults $3 for children ages 5-12, and free for kids under 5.

Visit the Matchstick Marvels website here for more information.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.

Address: Matchstick Marvels, 319 2nd St, Gladbrook, IA 50635, USA

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