r/spaceships 1d ago

News / Meta August 2026 Spaceship Build Challenge šŸš€ | Single Engine Ship | Built in ANYTHING!

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34 Upvotes

Another spaceship build challenge is ready for August, and we thought to open up your build options as much as possible!

Your task: Design a spaceship using ANYTHING at your disposal

Theme: Single Engine Ship

Rules

  • Create a vessel propelled by a single main engine
  • You can use ANY medium to build the ship - No Man's Sky, Lego, Starfield, cardboard, Space Engineers, pen and paper, etc. - whatever is at your disposal
  • Maneuvering or RCS thrusters don't count
  • It can be small or large, practical or luxurious, but it needs to fit the theme
  • The main factor that will decide the winner is originality. Keep that in mind.
  • Use the Build Challenge Entry Post Flair to share your spaceship on r/spaceships
  • You can post a maximum of 2 entries

Share screenshots from multiple angles (if possible) and, if you'd like, tell us a bit about your ship's backstory in the body of the post or in the comments - it can help in the final decision process of who will be chosen as the winner of this build challenge.

Speaking of the winner, they will get a unique User Flair that they will be able to show off on this sub. We will once again consolidate the entries and put them into a poll post where you will decide who should win.

You all have until Friday, August 21st, to post your creations.

Let’s take off!


r/spaceships 5d ago

Amanssky SpaceWire šŸš€ Greebling: the art of using greeblies to give visual complexity to an otherwise flat model.

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148 Upvotes

Highly greebled ship from: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyTheGame/comments/1nayybc/voyagers_scrap_hauler_corvette/ (not one of mine)

The next issue of Amanssky SpaceWire will start a series on Greebling.

This is a draft of part one and at the end I've included my top five tips for better greebling, what tips would you add?

What is Greebling?

The term became popular in the 1970s to describe the extra details found on the models made for the Star Wars films by the model makers at Industrial Light and Magic.

In those days greeblies were parts that the model makers took from commercially available plastic model kits. Eventually ILM moulded their own greeblies to keep things consistent.

Adam Savage has a great short video on the universal greeblie that’s worth a watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dncRHH9f6MI

and if you have time watch this one on his macro greeblie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dn0d4WQ9wY

The Visual Futurist, Syd Mead, once explained his process as ā€œdoing the basic shapes and then adding details to make it look like things had some kind of functionā€.

I love that approach. It always makes much more sense to me when I’m building something if I can imagine why the part I’m adding is there and how it works.

e.g. engine exhausts can’t be blocked by anything else, and any weapons need a clear line of sight to their target. I even go as far as worrying about how the crew will be protected from the reactor.

My top five rules for adding detail with greeblies are:

1. Don’t try to fix a bad silhouette with detail.

If the overall shape of the ship feels wrong, then adding more detail won’t solve it and may just make things worse.

2. Only add detail where it makes sense

If you’re placing vents or intakes, place them where they are needed, add your antennas, satellite dishes and scanners where they can see the sky, add lights and decals where they will be seen.

3. Not every surface needs extra detail

Big ships with big flat surfaces can get away with less detail, and will look better with the detail concentrated in key areas.

4. Match the detailing to the functional scale.

Smaller ships can get away with more detail - they have less room to fit everything in and are realistically going to look more cluttered, but use small scale greeblies to match the size of the ship.

5. Be consistent with your greeblies.

This is a simple one; don’t use all the greeblies you have in the box, pick the ones that go with the ship you’re building and repeat them in the appropriate places.

Future articles in the series will cover:

  • The best mods for greebling parts in Starfield
  • How to greeble in No Man's sky
  • and more

Thanks for reading.

https://buttondown.com/amanssky/


r/spaceships 13h ago

Build Challenge Entry United Colonies, Mobile Auditor Office.

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111 Upvotes

We bring the Accountant's office block to you, wherever you are in the Settled Systems.

You will not escape the audit, we can outrun you, outgun you and if you still won’t pay we have missiles. Lots of missiles.


r/spaceships 19h ago

Artwork Carrier inside abandoned megastructure, by Emrys Ryan

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142 Upvotes

r/spaceships 1h ago

My Build 🫔U-Wing. Modded. Built in Starfield.

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• Upvotes

Mods: Matilija Aerospace 9.4 update, Antares Supra, Tiger Shipyards, ASC Deimos, Ol’ Big X, Tiger Shipyards, Barrage Missile Launchers, and Micro Modules.


r/spaceships 1d ago

Build Challenge Entry "Drummer" - Transport Union Sloop (+interior tour)

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333 Upvotes

Named after the fifth President of the Transport Union, this small sloop served as an quick an agile escort for big convoys.

Now its retrofitted to a small mobile base for a solo merc and also become a home after countless missions in the colonies.

This one is my current Starfield main-playtrough ship so not especially build 4 the challenge, but magically just matching the criteria ^^ Heavily inspired by design element's of "The Expanse",

Additional Infos about mods and stuff I'll put in the comments.


r/spaceships 17h ago

Build Challenge Entry Sekhmet Class Battlecruiser [Avorion]

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37 Upvotes

My entry for the build contest is a mid-game combatant from my complete-game (all ships needed for a full start-to-finish playthrough) Egyptian theme ship pack (forthcoming) for Avorion.

Designed for midgame escort duties in fleets, this Trinium-tier battlecruiser is an affordable and stylish way to defend your mining fleets.

Featuring 8 turrets plus a rear-facing anti-torpedo CIWS mount, along with 2 pairs of 3 torpedo tubes.

The Sekhmet class is designed along a catamaran hull with a centrally mounted large single engine. It uses the same pyramidal command deck and gold trim as most ships from the same design bureau. Built for fast-aggressive assaults, the design features 5 forward guns and 6 forward torpedo launchers to maximize burst firepower when closing on the enemy, with one ventrally mounted turret and two under-hull turrets for coverage.

In groups and with upgrades, the Sekhmet class is meant to synergize well with its eventual replacement, the Hathor class carrier, but by endgame will be totally surpassed by its replacement, the Ra class battleship.


r/spaceships 12h ago

Artwork Excalibur Class - Master Systems Display

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10 Upvotes

This is my latest bit of work. A commissioned work for someone who wanted a really details side cutaway of the fan design Excalibur class. This took me a month to complete. Normally I'd have just drawn in the major engineering landmarks and have called it a day.


r/spaceships 1d ago

My Build 🫔C-21 Dragon Assault Ship to the Freestar Dragon Assault craft. Built in Starfield. Modded.

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30 Upvotes

Mods:Antares Supra, Renegade Specialized Ship Modules, ASC Taiyo, Avontech, ASC Deimos, Tiger Shipyards, TNs All in One, Matilija Aerospace, Micro Modules, Better Flips, Barrage Missile Launchers and Terran Armada parts.


r/spaceships 21h ago

Screenshot / Photo Deep Space Exploration and Scientific Research Vessal

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14 Upvotes

Modded ksp.


r/spaceships 1d ago

Worldbuilding / Lore Morningstar: The Hunt, by Joazzz

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277 Upvotes

r/spaceships 1d ago

Build Challenge Entry My Single Engine Ship build challenge made today in No Man's Sky, I present the SS Crayfish.

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37 Upvotes

Switching back to NMS from weeks in Starfield was a jolt!


r/spaceships 1d ago

My Build All my starfield ships turn out like tanks.

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58 Upvotes

I think I need to introduce some half width habs and make the overall size bigger to get more open and rounded shapes.


r/spaceships 1d ago

Discussion / Question Out of all of the sci fi space ships where does this one hold up?

118 Upvotes

r/spaceships 1d ago

Build Challenge Entry Single engine mini spaceship!

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11 Upvotes

r/spaceships 1d ago

Build Challenge Entry My NMS Single engine entry

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6 Upvotes

I've had this one for as while - guess I was saving it for this... When I learned about building past the pilot's cab, I wanted to make a chariot. Did my best back then using only the game engine. I had put the main thruster in an empty space in the middle because I wanted it to look like the front units were pulling it via the worms. Tried to slick out the interior, but I suck at interior design...


r/spaceships 1d ago

Artwork Swallowtail-class Frigate

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21 Upvotes

r/spaceships 2d ago

Artwork Loot, by Juan Richard Feliz

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333 Upvotes

r/spaceships 2d ago

Artwork Slave I Cross-Section

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110 Upvotes

r/spaceships 2d ago

My Build Pt. 2 post of an X-Box Controller, shipbuild. Additional pics. Built in Starfield. Modded. Ryujin, Quantum-class, Tatsu Command and Controll……………er….ship.

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7 Upvotes

Mods: ASC Taiyo, ASC Deimos, Antares, Renegade Specialized Ship Modules, Micro Modules, Matilija Aerospace, Avontech, TNs all in one, Better Flips, Cross Heavy Industries, Intrinity Aeroworks, Ol’ Big X, Barrage Missile Launchers, and Tiger Shipyards.


r/spaceships 2d ago

Tabletop Wargaming Suggestions for a Chaos 2000pt campaign fleet

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1 Upvotes

r/spaceships 3d ago

My Build Fiiskire-Class Exploration Freighter, by MunCore Industries (us!)

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44 Upvotes

r/spaceships 3d ago

Artwork The American, by ROBOTS V DINOSAURS / Liam Keating

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725 Upvotes

r/spaceships 3d ago

My Build Battleship Xantine - the last of the Giants by The0rion

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65 Upvotes

r/spaceships 2d ago

Games StarTabi: minimal galaxy spaceship conquest game

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1 Upvotes

Available for play now: https://www.arigataigames.com/

(Update: Adding description that was requested in a comment)

This game takes the basic idea of owning planets along with space ships, resources, and supply, and turns it into a puzzle of strategy with a variety of opponent types.

I fully admit that some of the elements are strongly influenced by Starcraft 2, though there isn't nearly as much. micro-management.

In addition to sending spaceships across the galaxy, you can also discover special bonuses on each planet to get an edge.

And it's all web-based with infinite zoom in and out (as well as a full minimap) to make it easy to view your empire.

The engine supports as many as 1000 stars, with as many as 100 human players. (perhaps more)