this is my 1st instructable. in it, i will instruct you how to make a 'life-sized' U.F.O. it can be modified easily, from a full spaceship to a half ship, crashed into the ground or a building (my original plan was a crash site)

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

you will need either
1 (for a crash scene) or
2 of the huge 11-12 foot mesh satellite dishes. these are becoming hard to find. place ads, look in neighbors backyards, ask everyone you know if they have or have seen 1. they need to be the same size and shape. metal recycling yards may have a couple floating around!
2 large silver tarps i got mine at Wal-Mart
silver duct tape (get some that closely matches your tarp in color and texture).
a grinder and grind disc
metal screws
cordless screwdriver
a sharpie
silver spray paint
various sizes of pvc pipe, caps, and fittings for the landing gear
large zip ties
a razor knife for trimming tarp

*needed for set-up*
rope lighting
strobe light
fog machine and timer

Step 2: Strip the Dishes

using the cordless screwdriver (and grinder), remove all the grillwork from the dish. we labeled each piece with a letter to ease re-installation (and prevent drilling new holes all over, weakening the structure) some screws will be too corroded to remove, so use the grinder on them.

we did a quarter at a time so we didn't have too many loose pieces all over to confuse us.

once you have the grill work off, clean the dish with hot soapy water. it needs to be clean for the paint to adhere well. do this on a sunny day, so it will dry quickly.

Step 3: Paint It

now that you have the frame stripped, labeled and cleaned, go ahead and paint it silver. just do the outside, as you wont see the inside portion when it's assembled. us a few coats, allowing it to dry in between coats.

Step 4: Tarp It!

open the tarp. stretch it over the inner part (inside the curve) of the cleaned painted dish. now start re-attaching the grill, being sure you get each one back where it originally came from. (labeled earlier) you will need help doing this, and to keep the tarp stretched tightly with no wrinkles. use the screwdriver and the screws. any boo boo's caused by a slip can be mended with the duct tape.

Step 5: Re-assemble the U.F.O.

working with quarters of each dish, attach the tarp between the frame and the grill with screws. use the razor knife to trim the excess tarp off the edges.

the quarters are held together with bolts, nuts and washers. go ahead and begin putting it back together. help is handy, here too. it will begin to take shape now!

Step 6: The U.F.O. Takes Shape!

using bolts nuts and washers, put it together. you can touch these up with leftover silver paint, btw.

now you'll need to create a landing gear. we tried a couple of different styles, before we settled on a box made of pvc, attached to the bottom with large zip ties. it needs to be at least 2 feet square. it can be as tall as you like, but remember, in windy conditions, you don't want too much air under it, or it may fly away!
you can leave the gear white or paint it black or silver. we left ours white, it doesn't really show on our spaceship.

using some rope lighting to go around the U.F.O. will add a little flair to it, as will tucking a small size strobe light into it from underneath (there is a built-in hole in the center perfect for this!) a fog machine and timer can be hidden under the ship, on a block of wood.

i don't have any good night time pics, but let me assure you, this prop STOPPED TRAFFIC!

we were even asked to bring it to a friends house for their party and haunted trail!