Captain Pike's Chair

Helm / Navigation Station

Spock's Library Computer

Transporter Control

How it's done...

I start by using the Star Fleet Technical Manual (Ballantine Books/Franz Joseph) for general reference of angles. Customs are all made out of USPS Priority boxes. These boxes have the perfect corrugation to make a very strong custom but they're thin enough to make the final work intricate and delicate looking. Pieces are freehand drawn on the cardboard using only a straightedge and pencil with plenty of eyeballing. A very sharp razor is used along with a straightedge for cutting out all of the pieces. Everything is taped in place using USPS Priority mailing tape. No glue is used anywhere. To make the final custom as strong as can be, everything has interior struts inside (made out of cardboard) not unlike the skeleton of a house. A Mego figure is always standing by at every stage of construction to make sure everything fits properly as the building process moves along. After the custom is completely assembled, the entire custom is covered with more mailing tape until there is absolutely no cardboard showing. This will make the custom very strong and it will allow for a neat even paint job. If the custom calls for buttons, switches or lights, I use very small finishing nails to portray all of these. Holes are predrilled to allow nails to be inserted neatly. The color used to simulate Star Trek's "battleship gray" is Testors enamel primer spray paint. I usually use about three to five coats on each custom. After primer is dry, I paint the details using acrylic paints and a very small paint brush. Most colors are hand mixed because of the wide variety of colors needed. After the custom has been painted and allowed to dry, I spray an acrylic sealer over the entire custom. I usually give each custom three to four coats of sealer, dusting between each new coat. Most customs take an average of 30 to 40 hours to complete.