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A Frenchman who spent eight years building a 23ft tall replica of the Eiffel Tower out of match sticks has seen his dreams go up in smoke - because he used a brand that can't be bought from stores.
Richard Plaud claims he found out his dreams had flamed out when Guinness World Records delivered their verdict without even visiting the replica.
And the ruling organisation says the 706,900 sticks the 47-year-old used were not commercially available and had been changed beyond recognition from their original form - meaning they could not take his attempt.
Council-worker Mr Plaud, raged against the decision - horrified that his patriotic project had met its match against record-breaking bureaucracy.
'It's disappointing, frustrating, incomprehensible and not very fair play,' he told The Times.
In a furious post on social media, he added: 'Tell me how 706,900 sticks stuck one by one are not matches.
'My matchstick tower still stands and will be 7.19 meters for a long time.'
Mr Plaud, who works in the artworks and bridges department of the Charent-Maritime departement council in southwest France, finally completed his project on December 27, the 100th anniversary of the death of the original tower's engineer.
He created 402 panels from the matches, which he then built into the huge structure.
The amazing tower would have dwarfed the current record for the tallest matchstick sculpture ever, which is held by Lebanese craftsman Toufic Daher, who created a 6.53 meter tall model of the Eiffel Tower in 2009.
Mr Plaud, who has loved making models since he was eight, had originally bought matches in supermarkets to build the structure.
But his arduous plans to win the Guinness World Record fell away when he decided the process was too 'fastidious' - and instead persuaded French matchstick maker Flam'Up to supply him with huge boxes of filled with 190,000 headless matches.
Richard Plaud claims he only found out his dreams had flamed out when Guinness World Records delivered their verdict without even visiting the replica
read the full story Here... Frenchman who assembled matchstick Eiffel Tower has Record rejected
Richard Plaud claims he found out his dreams had flamed out when Guinness World Records delivered their verdict without even visiting the replica.
And the ruling organisation says the 706,900 sticks the 47-year-old used were not commercially available and had been changed beyond recognition from their original form - meaning they could not take his attempt.
Council-worker Mr Plaud, raged against the decision - horrified that his patriotic project had met its match against record-breaking bureaucracy.
'It's disappointing, frustrating, incomprehensible and not very fair play,' he told The Times.
In a furious post on social media, he added: 'Tell me how 706,900 sticks stuck one by one are not matches.
'My matchstick tower still stands and will be 7.19 meters for a long time.'
Mr Plaud, who works in the artworks and bridges department of the Charent-Maritime departement council in southwest France, finally completed his project on December 27, the 100th anniversary of the death of the original tower's engineer.
He created 402 panels from the matches, which he then built into the huge structure.
The amazing tower would have dwarfed the current record for the tallest matchstick sculpture ever, which is held by Lebanese craftsman Toufic Daher, who created a 6.53 meter tall model of the Eiffel Tower in 2009.
Mr Plaud, who has loved making models since he was eight, had originally bought matches in supermarkets to build the structure.
But his arduous plans to win the Guinness World Record fell away when he decided the process was too 'fastidious' - and instead persuaded French matchstick maker Flam'Up to supply him with huge boxes of filled with 190,000 headless matches.
Richard Plaud claims he only found out his dreams had flamed out when Guinness World Records delivered their verdict without even visiting the replica
read the full story Here... Frenchman who assembled matchstick Eiffel Tower has Record rejected
