3D Printing

3D PRINTING

In October 2017 I started my journey into 3D printing.

Rockets - Space Stations - Sci-Fi Vehicles - USS Enterprise - Sci-Fi Robots - Sci-Fi Weapons/Tools - Telescopes - Shapes - Busts - Asteroids/Comets - Frog Rock Observatory - Aircraft - US Navy Ships

Doctor Who Projects - Full size

The very first project I tackled was a 1/60 scale Saturn V with its launch tower and platform

and then a 1/60 scale Space Shuttle on launch platform , both on commission for friends.

I also started expanded my own 1/72 scale collection of rockets.

My collection started off in 2014 with a plastic kit from Dragon Models of the Saturn V (at 1/72 scale is 5 feet tall), then the Apollo 17 diorama and Apollo-Soyuz mission.

All the others I've made using 3D printed parts, some scratch built parts and various sized PVC pipes (for the straight tubes).

I soon ran out of cabinet space to display them properly, so in December 2019 I moved all the models into a new display room I call "Mission Control".

As of 12th May 2023, Left to Right:
V-2 in White Sands test colours, Vostok, Mercury Redstone, Mercury Atlas, Gemini Titan, HARP gun, M2-F2 Lifting Body, Soyuz, Saturn 1B, Saturn V, N-1, Space Shuttle, Buran-Energia, Long March CZ-F2, Blue Origin New Shepard, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Tesla and Starman, Atlas V and Boeing Starliner, Blue Origin New Glenn (not launched yet), SLS, SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy.

Up high and hanging from roof : X-20 Dyna-Soar, X-15, ISS (see below), Apollo-Soyuz, HST, Skylab (see below), MIR (see below), Orion capsule and JWST.

Many of the models are finished nicely with custom sticker sets made by our local print shop - Image Signs Mudgee.

Brass plaques made by Mr. Dykes Trophies.

On 21st December 2019 I added the International Space Station (ISS). Model is 1 x 1.5 metres in size.

23 September 2019 added Skylab.

21st January 2020 added MIR Space Station.

Another project started in July 2018 was instigated after building a new case for my sci-fi DVD collection, I envisaged a couple of small sci-fi models would have looked good along the top.

Well, it very quickly snowballed into a large collection of models from many different sci-fi genres.
They are at various scales, basically sized to fit on the shelf.

As of the 16th September 2025, there are 159 vehicles, 58 robots and 25 weapons/tools.
I have re-arranged each group as best I can into alpha-numerical order of the show they are from.

Sci-Fi Vehicles:

Moon Shuttle Aries 7 (2001), Discovery (2001), Moon Bus (2001), Orion III Shuttle (2001), Discovery Pod (2001), Space Station V (2001), Alexei Leonov (2010), Nautilus (20,000 Leagues under the sea), Prometheus (Alien Prometheus), Alien Derelict (Alien), Nostromo (Alien), Narcissus Shuttle (Alien), Drop Ship (Aliens), USS Sulaco (Aliens), Babylon 5, Shadow Vessel (Babylon 5), Starfury (Babylon 5), Vorchan Class Centauri Warship (Babylon 5), Minbari White Star (Babylon 5), Delorean Time Machine (Back to the Future)

Batmobile (Batman), Colonial Raptor (Battlestar Galactica), Cylon Raider (Battlestar Galactica), Battlestar Galactica, Viper MkII (Battlestar Galactica), USS Cygnus (The Black Hole), Police Spinner (Blade Runner), Liberator (Blakes 7), Scorpio (Blakes 7), Thunder Fighter (Buck Rogers), Angel Interceptor (Captain Scarlet), SPV (Captain Scarlet), Spectrum Cloudbase (Captain Scarlet), Mothership (Close Encounters of the Third kind), Remulak Starcruiser (Coneheads), The Machine (Contact), Dark Star (Dark Star), Flying Saucer (Day The Earth Stood Still), Mothership (District 9), TARDIS (Dr Who)

Guild Transporter (Dune), Space Station (Enemy Mine), Fighter (Enemy Mine), Event Horizon, Proteus (Fantastic Voyage), Moya (Farscape), Hyper-space Plane (Fifth Element), Corben's Taxi (Fifth Element), Fireball XL5, Serenity (Firefly), Cosmostrator (First Spaceship on Venus), War Rocket AJAX (Flash Gordon), Flintmobile (Flintstones), United Planets Cruiser C57-D (Forbidden Planet), Moon Train (Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon), NIMBUS (Futurama), Planet Express (Futurama), NSEA Protector (Galaxy Quest), ECTO-1 GhostBusters, Milano (Guardians of the Galaxy), Golgafrinchums B Ark (Hitchhikers)

Heart of Gold (Hitchhikers), Vogon Constructor Ship (Hitchhikers), HMS Camden Lock (Hyperdrive), Alien Attacker (ID-4), City Destroyer (ID-4), Mothership (ID-4), Endurance (Interstellar), Ranger 1 (Interstellar), Flying Car (Jetsons), Spindrift (Land of the Giants), Gunstar 4 (Last Starfighter), Chariot (Lost in Space), The Derelict (Lost in Space), Jupiter II (Lost in Space), Jupiter II pod (Lost in Space), Hermes (The Martian), Mars Assent Vehicle (The Martian), Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix), Space ship (My Favorite Martian), Bubble-Coptor (Oblivion)

USS Orville (The Orville), Icarus (Planet of the Apes), Red Dwarf, Starbug (Red Dwarf), Wile E. Coyote Jet (Road Runner Show), SeaQuest DSV, Valley Forge (Silent Running), Eagle One (Space 1999), Galasphere 347 (Planet Patrol), Deep Space Station K-7 (Star Trek), Doomsday Machine (Star Trek), USS Enterprise NCC 1701 (Star Trek), Balok's Fesarius (Star Trek), Shuttlecraft Galileo (Star Trek), Tholian Interceptor (Star Trek). Cardasian Galor Warship (Star Trek DS 9), Deep Space 9 (Star Trek DS 9), USS Defiant (Star Trek DS 9), USS Discovery NCC 1031 (Star Trek Discovery)

Enterprise NX-01 (Enterprise), Pheonix (Star Trek First Contact), Borg Cube (Star Trek NG), USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D (Star Trek NG), Ferengi D'Kora (Star Trek NG), Klingon Battle Cruiser (Star Trek NG), Klingon Bird of Prey (Star Trek NG), Romulan Warbird (Star Trek NG), Space Dock 1 (Star Trek NG), Vulcan Cruiser D'Kyr (Star Trek NG), Voyager NCC 74656 (Star Trek Voyager), Aratech 74-Z Speeder Bike (Star Wars), AT-AT Walker (Star Wars), Bounty Hunter Slave1 (Star Wars), B-Wing Fighter (Star Wars), Corillian Corvette (Star Wars), Tie Fighter - Darth Vader (Star Wars), Death Star (Star Wars), Imperial Shuttle (Star Wars), Imperial Star Destroyer (Star Wars)

Landspeeder X-34 (Star Wars), Millenium Falcon (Star Wars), Naboo Royal Transport (Star Wars), Tie-Fighter (Star Wars), X-Wing Fighter (Star Wars), Y-Wing Fighter (Star Wars), Stargate (Stargate), Asgard Cruiser Beliskner (Stargate), Daedalus (Stargate), F-302 (Stargate), Goa'uld Hatak (Stargate), USS Icarus (Stargate), O'Niell Class Asgard Warship (Stargate), Ori Warship (Stargate), USS Prometheus (Stargate), Replicator Mothership (Stargate), Atlantis (Stargate Atlantis)

Aurora (Stargate Atlantis), Puddle Jumper (Stargate Atlantis), Destiny (Stargate Universe), Roger Young (Starship Troopers), Stingray, SuperCar, Thunderbird 1, Thunderbird 2, Thunderbird 3, Thunderbird 4, Thunderbird 5, H.G.Wells Time Machine, Time Tunnel, Light Cycle (TRON), Recognizer (Tron), SHADO Interceptor (UFO), Transport Shuttle (V), Seaview (Voyage to the bottom of the Sea), War of the Worlds, Archie (Night Owl Ship, Watchmen), Space Ark 1 (When Worlds Collide)

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USS Enterprise NCC-1701

In November 2022 I had an idea to 'boldly go big where no one (me) has gone big before!' ;-)

Starting with some PVC tube I already had, for the nacelles, that set the scale at 1/257th of the commonly accepted length for the Enterprise... 289m. Overall length of the model is 1125mm. The saucer section needed to be fairly light, so starting with a piece of 7mm plywood, I glued polystyrene sheet to both sides and belt sanded the edge to the appropriate angle. These were connected to the main hull with 19mm plywood, 3D printed anchor joints and strengthened internally with 2 part epoxy putty. I 3D printed the bridge, phasers pod, nacelle ends and fins, the shuttle bay, deflector front and dish. The local hardware shop mixed the correct "concrete" grey colour.

Sci-Fi Robots:

HAL-9000 (2001), Bi-Centennial Man , Maxamillian (The Black Hole), Cylon (Battlestar Galactica), Crichton (Buck Rogers) Twiki and Dr Theopolis (Buck Rogers), GORT (Day the Earth Stood Still), Cyberman (Dr Who), Dalek (Dr Who), K-9 (Dr. Who), Ava (Ex_Machina), Mondoshowen (5th Element), Robert the Robot (Firball XL-5), Robby (Forbidden Planet), Bender (Futurama), Clamps (Futurama)

Nixons Back (Futurama), Robot Santa (Fututama), Hymie (Get Smart), New Marvin (Hitchhikers Movie), Old Marvin (Hitchhikers Guide), TARS (Interstellar), NS-5 (I Robot), Iron Giant, Iron Man, Rosie the maid (Jetsons), Box The Ice Robot (Logan's Run), B9 (Lost in Space), Martian Stomper (Mars Attacks), Maria (Metropolis)

Defender Drone (Oblivion), Isaac (The Orville), Jeager Gipsy Danger (Pacific Rim), Kryten (Red Dwarf), Scutter (Red Dwarf), Officer Murphy (Robocop), ED-209 (Robocop), Robotica Fembot, No:5 (Short Circuit), Huey (Silent Running), Borg Drone (Star Trek), Mr Data (STNG), Battle Droid (Star Wars 1), BB8 (Star Wars VII)

C3P0 (Star Wars), Imperial Probe Droid (Star Wars V), K2S0 (Star Wars Rogue One), R2D2 (Star Wars), Replicator (Stargate), T-600 (Terminator), T-800 Arnie (Terminator 2),Asgard Destroyer (Thor), Braman (Thunderbirds), Optimus Prime (Transformers), Wall-E, Dog Killer-robot (New War of the Worlds), Tripod (War of the Worlds)

Sci-Fi Weapons/Tools:

M41A Pulse Rifle (Aliens), Shark with frikin Laser (Austin Powers), Hand Laser (Blakes 7), Wrist Communicator (Blakes 7), XZ-31 Rocket Gun (Buck Rogers), Pistol (Captain Scarlet), Sonic Screwdriver (Dr. Who), Police Blaster (Fifth Element), Stones and Fifth Element, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth's Smell'o'Scope (Futurama), Proton Pack (Ghost Busters), Noisy Cricket (Men in Black)

Communicator (Star Trek), Comm Badge (STNG), HypoSpray (Star Trek), Type 1 and 2 Phaser (Star Trek), Type 3 Phaser (STNG), Sword of Kahless (Star Trek), Tricorder (STNG), Han Solo Blaster (Star Wars), Luke's Light Saber (Star Wars), Goa'uld Staff Weapon (StarGate), Goa'uld Zatnikatel (StarGate), Naquadah Generator (StarGate), Mjolnir (Thor's Hammer)

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Most of these 3D printable files were freely available from Thingiverse but several (about 20%) I have created using Autodesk 123D Design.

Thanks a lot Windows 10 for no longer supporting the Autodesk 123D Design software causing it to not run anymore. After a number of years learning to use this software and to have it all of a sudden not work on my most powerful computer was extremely annoying to say the least. Thankfully my trusty old XP machine still runs it but lacks the grunt of the W10 pc.

%$$#&^%&^%$ you microsoft!

Okay, calm blue ocean...

The next project I set out on started in September 2018, was famous telescopes.

Surprisingly, I could only find 2 printable files online... the 200" Hale telescope and Sofia... a telescope in a 747 Jumbo Jet. I resized these to 1/144 scale which printed quite well. I then started designing from scratch, a model of the Anglo-Australian Telescope which is located on Siding Spring Mountain in NSW and it turned out quite well too.

Then it got crazy. The theme was "Significant telescopes from the past to the future" and I designed reasonably good likenesses of 21 other telescopes all at the same scale. So at 1/144 scale, 1 meter = 6.94 mm.

Researching the designs for these scopes was very interesting indeed.

The "real" large new telescopes currently under construction are just crazy big.

Version 1 telescope models in custom display case.

During the "lockdown", I made another set of the telescopes, all with improvements and much better segmented mirrors in the big scopes. These have been displayed in the Coonabarabran Space Art Gallery, Coonabarabran visitors centre and then Coolah visitors centre (2 Oct 2020 - 30 Apr 2021). Version 2 models are all now on display at Mudgee Observatory. The original set were brought home and brought up to date with the new modifications, Version 1.2 image below.

2 added 20210811... Uppsala Schmidt and VISTA. Another on 20211108... McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope. Another on 20211116 DKIST.
Another on 20220814 GTC. Added Gemini on 20220824.

In order of aperture: Galileo 44 mm, My Dobby 455 mm, Uppsala Schmidt 0.5 m, Yerkes 1 m, UK Schmidt 1.2 m, Herschel 1.2 m, Great Melbourne 1.2 m, McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope 1.6 m, Rosse 1.8 m, Hubble 2.4 m, Hooker 2.5 m, SOFIA 2.7 m, AAT 3.9 m, DKIST 4 m, VISTA 4.1 m, MMT 4.5 m, Hale 5 m, BTA 6 m, Whipple 6.5 m, JWST 6.5 m, Gemini 8.1 m, VLT 8.2 m

LSST 8.4 m, Keck 10 m, GTC 10.4 m, LBT 11.8 m, GMT 24.5 m, TMT 30 m, ELT 39 m.

Along the journey I have also printed several interesting shapes

Back Row: 3D Star, Hyper Cube, Isometric Square, Klein Flask (1/2), Nested Twisted Cubes, Square/Circle Illusion, Square Trefoil, Turner's Cube, Unending Stairs.

Front Row: Complex Knot, Hilbert Square, Interlocked Squares, Morbius Strip, Nested Dodecahedrons, Penrose Triangle, Shark Clip, Trefoil, Tremmel of Archimedes, Triangle Torus.

and some famous busts.

Another project completed in May 2020 is asteroids and comets visited by spacecraft... and the spacecraft.

The asteroids and comets are all at various scales as the smallest, 101955 Bennu is only a few hundred meters up to 1 Ceres, almost 1000 kilometers across. The spacecraft are all roughly the same at around 1/20 - 1/30 scale.

Giotto - fly by Halley's Comet, Galileo (en route to Jupiter) - fly by 951 Gaspra and fly by 243 Ida, NEAR-Shoemaker - fly by 253 Mathilde and landed 433 Eros, Deep Space 1 - fly by 9969 Braille and 19/p Borrelly, Stardust - fly by 5535 Annefrank and fly by 81/p Wilde 2 and fly by 9/p Temple 1, Deep Impact - EPOXI fly by and impactor 9/p Temple 1 and fly by 103/p Hartley 2, Hyabusa - landed 25143 Itokawa.

Rosetta - fly by 2867 Steins and fly by 21 Lutetia and obited/landed Philae 67/p Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Chang'e 2 - fly by 4179 Toutatis, Dawn - orbited 4 Vesta and orbited 1 Ceres. Hyabusa 2 - landed 162173 Ryugu, New Horizons - fly by 486958 Arrokoth, OSIRIS-Rex - orbited and landed 101955 Bennu.

June 2022, I made a 1/33 scale model of my observatory with a cutaway section to show the interior.

My nephew, Nick, suggested this idea a couple of years ago... hey mate, I finally got around to it.

10 July added 1/33 scale models of my other 2 Dobsonian telescopes 31cm and 45.5cm.

27 July made scale model of 20 cm binoculars I built in Oct 2007.

October-November 2022, series of aircraft. These are all at 1/120th scale. In order of year introduced.

1: Wright Flyer, 1903. 2: D-1 Fokker, 1917. 3: Gypsy Moth, 1925. 4: Spitfire, 1938. 5: B-17 Flying Fortress, 1938. 6: Bristol Beaufort Bomber, 1939. 7: P-51 Mustang, 1942. 8: B-29 Super Fortress, 1944. 9: Bell X-1, 1948. 10: F-86 Sabre, 1949. 11: U-2, 1955. 12: B-52 Stratofortress, 1955. 13: F-104 Starfighter, 1958. 14: X-15, 1959. 15: B-58 Hustler, 1960. 16: XB-70 Valkyrie, 1964. 17: SR-71 Blackbird, 1966. 18: F-111 Aardvark, 1967. 19: Harrier Jump Jet, 1969. 20: F-14 Tomcat, 1974. 21: F-15 Eagle, 1976. 22: A-10 Thunderbolt, 1977. 23: UH-60 Blackhawk, 1979. 24: F-18 Hornet, 1983. 25: F-117 Nighthawk, 1983. 26: X-29, 1984. 27: AH-64 Apache, 1986. 28: B-1b Lancer, 1986. 29: B-2 Spirit, 1997. 30: F-22 Raptor, 2005. 31: V-22 Osprey, 2007. 32: F-35 Lightning, 2015.

1/350 scale U.S. military ships.

After I received a gift of a model of the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz in 2023 from my mate Chris, I built several other 1/350 scale plastic kits of U.S. navy ships to go with it. The era I chose was from when the Nimitz was commissioned in 1975 to the present. All the ships in the display have served during that 50 year period.
November 2024, I had an idea for a service vessel. No kits were available for this type of ship, so I designed one from scratch using as many images as I could find. I picked the USNS Saturn T-AFS-10 a Combat Stores Ship. Even printed the railings.

Later I upgraded it with some photo-etch rails and stairs These looked a bit better at that scale.

Another project I designed from scratch and printed for the fleet was completed in Aug 2025. The USS Pegasus PHM-1, a Patrol Combatant Missile boat - Hydrofoil. It is only tiny compared to the other ships at that scale but adds to the variety of the US military arsenal. Again I used some photo-etch railing.

I added a 3rd ship on 18 Oct 2025 USS Port Royal CG-73 Guided Missile Cruiser. Again no kits were available of this ship, so I designed it from scratch from images and 3D printed it. I again used photo-etch rails and ladders. The bow flare was a bit difficult to get right.

I added a 4th ship on 4 Nov 2025 USS Zumwalt DDG-1000 Guided Missile Destroyer. No kit was readily available of this ship, so I designed it from scratch from images and 3D printed it. Its the very latest in stealth design and the real ships cost a bomb, so only 3 have been made.

I've added a 5th vessel to the fleet, USS Alabama Ballistic Missile Submarine. I designed it from scratch from images and 3D printed it.

Yet another vessel, USS Blue Ridge LLC-19. A Command and Control Ship for the 7th Fleet.

I'm pleased to say the 3D printed models do not look out of place in with the other bought kits in the fleet. 12 Jan 2026 - 18 vessels.

Left from top: USS Freedom - Littoral Combat Ship, USS Los Angeles - Attack Submarine, USS Oliver Perry - Guided Missile Frigate, USS Alabama - Ballistic Missile Submarine, USS Arleigh Burke - Flight I Guided Missile Destroyer, USS Blue Ridge - Control Ship, USS Jack H. Lucas Flight III Guided Missile Destroyer, USS Pegasus - Patrol Combatant Missile (Hydrofoil), USS Zumwalt - Guided Missile Destroyer, USS Virginia - Attack Submarine, USS Arthur W. Radford - Destroyer.
Middle from top : USS Independence - Littoral Combat Ship, USNS Saturn - Combat Store Ship, USS Port Royal - Guided Missile Cruiser.
Right from top: USS Wasp - Amphibious Assault Ship, USS New York - Amphibious Landing Dock, USS Nimitz - Aircraft Carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford - Aircraft Carrier. * The Nimitz has every type of aircraft that served on it during its 50 years service.