Scratch Built Spaceships

I love spaceships.  I can't get enough of them.  I own a rather large collection.  But, I could always add a few more to the fleet, right.

A while ago, my friend Doug showed me some scratch built ships he was working on.  It inspired me to try my hand at making my own.  These are not great, but it just shows what can be done with some bits and bobbles laying around.

I started with some basic ideas and just played around.  Sorry about the pictures.  These were taken before I got my new phone.

Parts for frigate.

Finished frigates.

Cruiser Parts

Basic shape for cruisers.  Note the beveled edges.

Finished cruiser

Rear shot of cruiser

Parts for 2nd frigate design

2nd frigate finished

Beginning design for battleship

Battleship finished.  It is a little off balance.

A different angle of the battleship

Painted battlegroup

Painted battlegroup

The paint job on these guys is nothing fancy.  I have always wondered why space ships have such elaborate paint schemes.  In my mind (nothing based upon realitiy) I don't see why you need to paint a ship that only floats around in a vacuum.  You don't have to worry about corrosion.  So I just painted the windows, and engine exhaust ports on these.  Maybe not flashy, but it works for me.

What do you think?  Have you built your own ships?  What do you use?  How elaborate are your ships?