MUNICH, Germany, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The largest ship ever built out of Lego blocks may not be as large as the real thing but a German enthusiast's scale model of an aircraft carrier is still big.

At more than 5 meters (16.4 feet) long, the Lego Harry S. Truman is as big as many sailboats. Malle Hawking spent more than a year constructing the model out of 300,000 Lego blocks and installing electric light on the flight deck and in other areas.

The carrier, which weighs more than 300 pounds, even has radar dishes that move and an electric catapult.

Hawking, now 36, told The Daily Mail that he had not built anything from Legos for 20 years when he saw a television documentary about carriers. He was so inspired that he immediately went to his basement and pulled out two containers of blocks.

The months of work and the $20,000 he spent on more Legos and parts caused problems at home, Hawking said.

The Truman goes on exhibit in Cologne in January. Hawking plans to visit the United States for the 2007 Brickworld Convention in Chicago and to show off the model to the crew of the other Harry S. Truman.