Adam Savage releases 3D starship model for Starfield fans to print and build at home

One of Starfield’s defining traits is its creativity, whether it’s customizing characters, bases or spaceships, Bethesda’s latest sandbox RPG has inspired fans to create. Tons of fan-made Starfield creations have already circulated across the internet but one of the most impressive is Adam Savage’s model of the title ship. and files have now been released for free for fans who want to build and print.

A three-foot recreation of the most iconic ship in the game, The Frontier, was modeled during an episode of Adam Savage’s Tested, and fans wanted to make it for themselves. Luckily, Savage has teamed up with Bethesda once again to make that dream a reality as 3D printable files have just been released for free on Bethesda’s website.

While some may be disappointed that this isn’t the three-foot behemoth presented in the original video, this 12-inch model keeps the impressive level of detail seen in the prior build. The Tested model, made by Sean Charlesworth, is currently the most accurate representation of the ship aside from Bethesda’s own work. 

A guide to building Adam Savage’s Frontier model from Starfield

Before you start

Just like in Starfield, the Frontier model is split up into modular parts so that you can examine each core function of the ship separately, which also helps with the printing process. However, it does add an extra level of challenge to construction, which may be a bit fiddly for novices. Printed models only come in single-color resins so you’ll also need to paint the ship yourself. 

If you’ve never done this process before, it might be worth starting with something smaller as this package contains 40 separate parts. Alternatively, you can go to a professional with the included .stl files to get them printed at a cost.

Below you’ll find the full step-by-step guide from Tested, but we’ve summarised the important points for you below.

Printing

The first 16 minutes of the above video detail how Charlesworth created the model in 3D modeling software. Luckily you won’t need to follow this portion of the video—though you will need a bit of familiarity with 3D printing programs if you want to print it out yourself.

If you’re confident in 3D printing, the rest of the video guide is worth watching alongside the STARFIELD FRONTIER Print & Assembly Guide v1.pdf included in the zip folder on Bethesda’s website. The first part of the video acts as supplementary material to make the instructions easier to follow rather than acting as a step-by-step guide.

Building

Assembly starts at the 25-minute mark, and this can basically be followed directly from the video. Super glue and adhesive bonding, or kicker, are used to combine the parts. Each part needs to be aligned in the correct way in order for the ship to look correct—luckily there are shape-coordinated holes on the pieces to help.

Painting and extras

Advanced modelers can add LED lights to the back of the ship to simulate fire coming from the thrusters, add clear resin to create realistic tinted windows, and place thin metal rods to the Grav Drive to add an extra level of detail. Even more detail can be added if you’re skilled at figure painting, advice on painting can be found in a Q&A by the Tested team below.