Our Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter has gotten a lot of internet love in the last week. We thought it'd be fun to reminisce about its humble beginnings through the evolution of its prototypes. Custom products like this don't just pop out of the replicator, you know.
Prototype v1, October 2009
paper and cardboard, by Hans
Like many silly ideas tossed out at lunch, in meetings, or while playing Dead Rising, "You know what the world needs? An Enterprise Pizza Cutter," was met with silence. But it wasn't long before the idea sunk into the collective GeekLabs consciousness and this first paper prototype was born.
Prototype v2, November 2009
batteries, plastic spoon, LEGOs, a keyring, tape, and cardboard
After having played with the first prototype and realizing that grasping one nacelle while bearing down on a pizza would probably put too much stress on the frame, this newer, more narrow prototype was built--out of batteries, LEGOs, a keyring, and a plastic spork. (Willy, our GeekLabs prototyper extraordinaire, thinks outside the box.) With this cutter, you could grasp both nacelles for extra stability though we did have to fudge the dimensions of the Enterprise to get there.
CAD 3d shaded view, December 2009
Here we see detail introduced on the nacelles, saucer, and along the hull. Shiny!
Final spec, May 2010
sent to manufacturers
These are the final specs we sent to our manufacturers for machining, showing the final body shape, positioning of "NCC-1701," and how the blade is assembled. We're so close we can smell the ozone!
Finished product, September 2010
Finally, almost an entire year later, the Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter is a reality. The only question is... Millenium Falcon salad tongs, anyone? No? Maybe some ideas are best left unprototyped.
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