So I’ve taken up a new hobby since I gave up on Second Life. Instead of building virtual vehicles, now I build plastic ones.
As it turns out, since the release of the new Star Trek movies, there has been a resurgence of interest in building scale model ships. Further, there are groups that make use of 3D modelling and printing to design their own custom starship kits and parts. The folks at AllScaleTrek.com are among these.
Companies like Round 2 are actively designing and releasing new officially-licensed Star Trek kits that are of much higher quality and detail than were ever available before. Among their offerings are the small kits for kids and novices, like the ships only a few inches long, and kits for skilled builders (in other words, adults), like the stunningly-detailed 32-inch-long Enterprise.
I started somewhere in the middle with a 1:1400 scale Enterprise C — a ship that appeared in only one episode of The Next Generation. But rather than simply follow the instructions (I write instructions; I don’t read them), I designed my own internal lighting using parts from a local electronics shop.
I’ve completed two kits now, and I’m working on the third. I documented the builds on Flickr for no particular reason except that the Internet is all about sharing stupid stuff. So from oldest to newest:
It’s a fun way to spend some free time while engaging in creative problem-solving. Go ahead give it a try.