Introducing Mark Ellett and his custom-made, table-top circus and a cast of thousands: a tiny troupe ranging from lion tamers and trapeze artists to equestrians and elephants under a big tent crammed with spectators.

Because hobby shops don't stock components for circus models, Ellett's maternal grandfather, W.J. "Windy" Morris, hand made, painted and decorated each piece in a size model train enthusiasts know, the H-0 scale where 3.5 mm, or 0.14 of an inch, represents 12 inches.

Assembling this unusual gift from "Windy" has been a labor of love for Ellett, 55, a wildlife biologist and C.H. Yoe High School teacher, who expects to spend more than a year of his spare time getting his meticulously researched and crafted, scale-model "Ellett Bros. Circus" ready for a Milam County Historical Museum debut.