Star Trek fan creates miniature model of command centre bridge

A Star Trek fan has created a miniature model of the command centre bridge from The Next Generation's spaceship.Model-maker Geoff Collard, 58, spent 500 hours completing the intricate model of the USS Enterprise-D.The 1m by 1.5m model has flashing LED lights, the iconic domed roof and even a functioning view screen - operated from his laptop.A detailed walk-through video would easily fool viewers into thinking the replica bridge set has taken over a whole room in Geoff's home.But when Geoff zooms out it is revealed he has re-created the entire set inside a model with wires hooked up to a solder board to power it.Dad-of-two Geoff, from Paulton, Somerset, said: "I've had two types of reactions from those who have seen the video."Some think it looks like a real, life-sized set.

Others think I've used CGI."I just wanted to see if I could trick anyone into thinking it was the proper set.

I love making stuff that looks realistic, as real as possible."I shared the video on a couple of Star Trek fan pages to see what they thought, and a guy who worked on the real set messaged me saying it was like he had walked back on to the set."Geoff, a carpenter by trade, has been working on the inside of the model for 10 to 12 hours a day during lockdown - and says it has made the time go "so quick".But he added that this was not just a project borne out of the last few months.He said: "I made my son a small version of the bridge back in 1995 when he was a young child, and I was quite pleased with how it turned out."He's 30 now, but we had it sat in his old bedroom here for years.

Then, about seven years ago, I was looking at the roof of it and I thought, that's quite an interesting roof."I have a workshop where I build models, and I wanted to see if I could have a proper go at building the roof."So I built that seven years ago, and we had that knocking about because I couldn't bring myself to throw it away."Then when lockdown came, I thought, why don't I finish that?"Geoff added: "It's been 500 hours in total of building it - including the time I spent on the roof seven years ago."But it has made lockdown go so quick.

It would get to the end of the day and I'd be thinking, I can't believe it's time to go home already."I only finished it in the last week before I had to go back to work."Geoff built the interior of his Star Trek bridge model by working with materials he already had in his workshop - such as flat bits of wood or plastic - and then heat-bending them.He used colourful LEDs to light up the screens inside, and strung Christmas lights around the domed roof - which can be fully removed from the top of the model.He said: "I didn't have any plans to work from - all I had was an A4 picture I printed from the Internet. "It was all blurry, but it was enough to see where the lines and openings should be."I had to keep going back and checking certain measurements were correct - I wanted to get it accurate."And he added: "Filming the footage inside the model took so long after it was completed."I'd have the GoPro in there and be pushing it around the carpet, and then when I checked the footage I would notice a bit of dust or fluff or something on one of the chairs that would ruin the effect."Geoff now plans to take his The Next Generation bridge model to collectables exhibition Miniatura, at Stoneleigh Park in Birmingham, in September, to show off his work.He has no further plans at the moment to create any more models - but he says he will "see what comes up" after the September exhibition.

A Star Trek fan has created a miniature model of the command centre bridge from The Next Generation's spaceship.Model-maker Geoff Collard, 58, spent 500 hours completing the intricate model of the USS Enterprise-D.The 1m by 1.5m model has flashing LED lights, the iconic domed roof and even a functioning view screen - operated from his laptop.A detailed walk-through video would easily fool viewers into thinking the replica bridge set has taken over a whole room in Geoff's home.But when Geoff zooms out it is revealed he has re-created the entire set inside a model with wires hooked up to a solder board to power it.Dad-of-two Geoff, from Paulton, Somerset, said: "I've had two types of reactions from those who have seen the video."Some think it looks like a real, life-sized set.

Others think I've used CGI."I just wanted to see if I could trick anyone into thinking it was the proper set.

I love making stuff that looks realistic, as real as possible."I shared the video on a couple of Star Trek fan pages to see what they thought, and a guy who worked on the real set messaged me saying it was like he had walked back on to the set."Geoff, a carpenter by trade, has been working on the inside of the model for 10 to 12 hours a day during lockdown - and says it has made the time go "so quick".But he added that this was not just a project borne out of the last few months.He said: "I made my son a small version of the bridge back in 1995 when he was a young child, and I was quite pleased with how it turned out."He's 30 now, but we had it sat in his old bedroom here for years.

Then, about seven years ago, I was looking at the roof of it and I thought, that's quite an interesting roof."I have a workshop where I build models, and I wanted to see if I could have a proper go at building the roof."So I built that seven years ago, and we had that knocking about because I couldn't bring myself to throw it away."Then when lockdown came, I thought, why don't I finish that?"Geoff added: "It's been 500 hours in total of building it - including the time I spent on the roof seven years ago."But it has made lockdown go so quick.

It would get to the end of the day and I'd be thinking, I can't believe it's time to go home already."I only finished it in the last week before I had to go back to work."Geoff built the interior of his Star Trek bridge model by working with materials he already had in his workshop - such as flat bits of wood or plastic - and then heat-bending them.He used colourful LEDs to light up the screens inside, and strung Christmas lights around the domed roof - which can be fully removed from the top of the model.He said: "I didn't have any plans to work from - all I had was an A4 picture I printed from the Internet.

"It was all blurry, but it was enough to see where the lines and openings should be."I had to keep going back and checking certain measurements were correct - I wanted to get it accurate."And he added: "Filming the footage inside the model took so long after it was completed."I'd have the GoPro in there and be pushing it around the carpet, and then when I checked the footage I would notice a bit of dust or fluff or something on one of the chairs that would ruin the effect."Geoff now plans to take his The Next Generation bridge model to collectables exhibition Miniatura, at Stoneleigh Park in Birmingham, in September, to show off his work.He has no further plans at the moment to create any more models - but he says he will "see what comes up" after the September exhibition.