HE devoted more than a year to a model car project and now a Winchester teenager is reaping the rewards with international recognition.

Angus French, of Main Road in Littleton, has built a 50cm by 35cm radio-controlled land rover from scratch and taken home a silver medal and junior cup from the Model Engineer Exhibition and Competition.

The Kings’ School pupil carefully crafted the model from metal and wood as part of a weekend club, run by former professor of chemistry at Southampton University, Patrick Hendra.

The 14-year-old appeared on BBC’s The One Show to show off the car and talk about his award.

“I started it in November 2013 so it is nice to win something after spending so long working on it,” he said. “It would be nice to have a career based around it, probably in engineering.”

His tutor, Mr Hendra, who is also events secretary for the Eastleigh and District Model Boat Club, said Angus will “turn his hand to anything”.

“I am chuffed for him, I’m really pleased that he has achieved so much,” he said.

“When he started he was all fingers and thumbs but now he is a first class workshop technician. The only thing I have to do is give him advice.”

Now Angus has started to build a ‘multi rota drone’, which is similar to a helicopter and can be used to hold cameras to take aerial pictures.

His mum, Jackie French, says he is always busy and enjoys spending time in the workshop.

“I dread to think what they come up with next,” she joked.

“It’s a very good achievement and it’s so unusual to get someone this young reach this standard.

“Angus has been taken under Patrick’s wing and he has just gone from strength to strength. It’s built out of lumps of metal to a very high standard. When you look at the detail he has done it is outstanding.”