Plenty of sci-fi display pieces end up static on a shelf, and that usually feels like a missed opportunity to me. Here the maker went the other way and paired a printed Borg Cube with a magnetic levitation module, aiming for the moment when a tiny Enterprise appears snagged by a tractor beam, held in a gravitational pull. A ship that actually drifts around a cube beats a static display, in my view.
The cube was designed for the BambuLab levitation kit, and the build took several iterations to get the weight distribution right for the print profile. The exterior is black with intricate greeble cutouts, lit from within by bright green and white light, and it sits raised above a dark geometric base with faceted triangular panels on a light wooden surface.
The motion comes from an orbiting arm that continuously carries the miniature Federation starship around the stationary cube, and the ship circles the exterior twice. It rides on a thin, semi-translucent boom arm, and the cube is balanced inside with small steel balls.
One open question remains: the maker asked whether others have experimented with MagLev displays or floating prints. Getting a print profile to balance on a levitation module clearly took trial and error, and I would be curious what tricks other builders have found for keeping a floating model steady.