Hey everyone! After constructing a 1:100 scale model of Starship, a rocket that is currently under development by private company SpaceX on the south coast of Texas, U.S., I decided to make some scaled automobiles and figures to go with it to show scale. After all, it's pretty hard to appreciate how big the real rocket is (approx. 165 feet tall) without everyday things to compare it to. If you want to build a model of Starship like mine, you can follow the instructable here:

https://www.instructables.com/Starship-SN20-Metal-...

I used a 3D printer to make the figures, and painted them with nail polish. I made a hydraulic boom lift (a.k.a. "cherry picker"), a Tesla Model X, a Tesla Cybertruck, and two figures wearing SpaceX's space suit. I hope to add more as I get time, as there needs to be construction worker figures in the baskets of the cherry pickers. Also, I definitely need to print out a figure and paint it to look like Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, and make it look like he just stepped out of the Cybertruck!

Supplies

toothpicks for stirring/applying paint

super glue

nail polish (black, silver and red)

access to a 3D printer (mine is the Creality Ender 3 Pro)

white, orange "candy red", silver (or grey), and black PLA filament

small razor knife (for post processing the models)

assorted small drill bits help, as does a small file

Step 1: Tesla Model X

I chose the Tesla Model X sedan because it's the vehicle used to carry NASA/SpaceX astronauts out to the launch pad. You can find the 3D model I printed here:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3480486

The model prints on its side, and should be scaled to be 50.4 mm long. There are some drawbacks to this model, like the fact that it doesn't have side mirrors and the car isn't perfectly symmetrical, but the upside is that it prints well and things like the side mirrors would be hard to do at this scale. I painted it with nail polish, using a toothpick to do the details. If you get paint in the wrong place, just wait until it dries and try to scrape it off with a small razor knife.

Step 2: Figures Wearing SpaceX's Spacesuits

You can find the 3D model here:

https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-spac...

I printed the model lying on its side, with supports, using a .4mm nozzle and .12mm resolution. Printing it this way means that the arms don't have very good definition, but I think they turned out okay. Again, paint with nail polish.

Step 3: Tesla Cybertruck

Ahh, the Tesla Cybertruck, an as yet unreleased (should be out by 2023) electric truck. It looks like a cross between the El Camino and a Hummer, plus SpaceX's Starship itself with the stainless steel exterior. Model here:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4063298

Scale the model to 30%. I used silver filament because the Cybertruck will have a stainless steel exterior, but you could also use grey. I had to use a brim with the black pieces that make up the underside of the truck, because the first time I printed them they got knocked over. Otherwise, follow the instructions on Thingiverse and you'll be fine. There are a few things missing in this model, like side mirrors and the back window, but otherwise I am happy with it.

Step 4: Hydraulic Boom Lift (Cherry Picker)

This is the boom lift, I decided it would look good with Starship because they are used in the construction of Starship:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4853927

This is the cherry picker basket that goes with it:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4813127

Scale everything to 87%. Print the basket slowly - my first attempt failed because I needed to turn the speed down to about 60% or so. You could maybe print it without supports, though I didn't try it. The supports were hard to remove, so if you could get away without doing them then that's the way to go. When you print the black part of the boom, don't print it with supports or you won't be able to get them out of the inside of the boom later. You can paint things however you want, and a number on the side goes a long way to making it look less like it just came off the print bed of a 3D printer. Some of the parts are meant to move, but honestly I just got them where I wanted and super glued them in place. At this scale it's too hard to make everything movable with pins and such.

Well that's as far as I have gotten so far, thanks for reading and wish me luck in the Diorama Speed Challenge!