The man who was initially denied the Guinness World Record for the tallest matchstick model has finally earned the prestigious award.
Now, it's been one hell of a rollercoaster for Richard Plaud after spending eight years of his life trying to get the Guinness Book of World Records to recognize him for the largest replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Using 706,900 matchsticks and over 50 pounds of glue to create the iconic French landmark, Plaud finished the piece when it hit approximately 23.6 feet.
But things didn't go exactly as he hoped all thanks to a minor detail.
And it was all down to the match type that he used.
Taking to Facebook, the council worker said that an official from the Guinness Book of World Records told him that because the matchsticks he used were not commercially available, his attempt would be disqualified.
He also added that the organization said that matches can not be cut, disassembled, or distorted beyond recognition, and they allegedly were in Plaud's case.
"The Guinness Book judges have delivered their verdict, without actually seeing my turn," Plaud wrote in a post, clearly exasperated at the organization's remarks. "BIG DISILLUSION, DISAPPOINTMENT AND INCOMPREHENSION. Tell me that the 706,900 rods stuck one by one are not matches!!?? And they are too cut to the point of being unrecognizable!!??"
The French man came to a deal with a manufacturer so that he could receive personalized matches without the sulphur heads, after he spent a big chunk of his time trying to cut them off to finish his masterpiece.
Speaking to local French outlet, Le Parisien, Plaud opened up about how much this record meant to him after beginning his quest back in 2015.
"Having a world record was a childhood dream. I always had that in the back of my mind," he told the outlet.
But thanks to a U-turn decision by the world record organization, a new investigation into the matter has now been conducted.
At the time, Mark McKinley, director of Guinness' central records services said: "It’s the job of our records management team to be thorough and fastidious in reviewing evidence to make sure the playing field is level for everyone attempting a Guinness World Records title, however, it does appear we might have been a little heavy-handed with this application."
"We will make contact with the record holder again as well as review rules for similar records as a priority, to see what can be done," he also added.
And it looks like Plaud's only gone and done it!
In a recent Facebook update, the new record holder uploaded an image showing off his winner's certificate confirming that he has broken the record for the tallest matchstick model in the world.
The old record, which was confirmed back in 2009 and was held by Toufic Daher from Lebanon, stood at approximately 21.4 feet tall and was created using six million matches, but Plaud's rendition is almost two feet bigger, which gave him the edge in securing the victory.
Congratulations to Richard Plaud!