A TALENTED Rubery pensioner is proving to be a model villager.

Bob Edwards, of Rea Avenue, handcrafts models of Worcestershire buildings.

The retired resident constructs the models from scratch without using the aid of kits.

Bob said: "I used to make model railways and started doing the scenery and buildings to make them more realistic.

"Then I looked at local buildings and decided I wanted a go at constructing them and it went from there."

Bob's buildings include the granary and windmill at Avoncroft Museum, in Stoke Heath, and the Crabmill Inn, in Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove.

His first attempt at making buildings from scratch was in 1986 when he put together the wagon shed at Avoncroft.

Bob, who never makes models on request, starts the projects by taking photos.

He also takes a measurement of part of the property, such as a window.

This is then converted to the scale of one foot to four millimetres.

These are the measurements used by Hornby for model railways.

Bob puts together a scale drawing of the building and constructs a cardboard model to find out which areas are tricky.

One of the most painstaking tasks was when Bob built the windmill at Avoncroft Museum.

He said: "For the outside of buildings I use printed sheets of bricks but the windmill's base is round.

"I had to cut all the bricks off the paper individually and then stick them onto the model using the needle from a compass.

"It took a really long time but it was worth it."

The majority of models take a few months to make.

His latest masterpiece is St Michael's Church, in Martin Hussingtree, near Worcester.

Bob added: "I get a lot of pleasure from the success but also from failure because I learn from it.

"I love looking at buildings and then going through the process of putting them together.

"When they are finished I'm pleased but I then want to start the next challenge."

The 71-year-old's next project is to find an old village school which could join his other works of art.