CAMDEN - History was brought to life in miniature form Saturday on the Battleship New Jersey.

From a replica of the German battleship Tirpitz, which was known as "The Lone Queen of the North," to the Douglas R4D-5 plane, which was the first to land on the South Pole, visitors were able to view more than 50 military models.

The display was courtesy of the New Jersey Chapter of the International Plastic Modelers Society which has more than 65 members throughout the state. This is the second time the group has brought model displays to the ship.

"It helps promote our club and gives the battleship another attraction," said member Martin Quinn of Hawthorne,

He said the group routinely brings its displays to the public throughout the year in such venues as the West Point Military Academy in New York and the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.

Quinn started creating models as a child with his dad.

"I enjoy building ships the most," said Quinn, 43. "Some of the members of our club are ex-military but for myself, I enjoy history. Before I build a model, I'll research it and look up the history from books. Then when I create the model, it brings the history alive. It's like you have a 3-D part of history."

Neal Scheve also brought his models to visitors of the battleship. The club's oldest member, he has been creating the miniature reproductions since the 1930s. At that time they weren't made of plastic, but of balsam wood, he said.

"I started over with plastic models when I was 35. My favorites are airplanes," said Scheve, 82, of Woodbridge. "I don't build airplanes unless it has a history to it. I learn the history and then we can talk about it."

Bill Stroup of Paulsboro, a docent supervisor on staff at the Battleship New Jersey, said the modelers help bring visitors to the ship.

"The modelers are a great thing to have here on weekends to get families in. It draws the crowds," said Stroup, who first got involved with the ship as a volunteer during its refurbishment.

The Navy Vietnam veteran said he enjoyed viewing the models on display.

"A lot of them were really cool," said Stroup. "It inspired me to go buy a model in this ship's store."