Although he wasn't seeking out new life and new civilizations, LEGO enthusiast Chris Melby was indeed on a mission: to build a replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise from J.J. Abrams' rebooted Star Trek franchise.

Eight months, 18,000 bricks and "tons of coin" later, he accomplished just that, with a starship that measures 68 inches long, 29 inches wide, and stands about 32 inches tall on its wooden base. More impressive still, Melby found a way to do it while hiding all of the signature LEGO studs. (The solution? Layers.)

"The build was stubborn right to the end, as I had to wait for the mail, a last minute Brick Link order, to put the finishing touches on the nacelles," he writes. "Was it worth it?  8 months, tons of coin, tons of bricks, a few major headaches, more than a few internal explosions ... Yeah it was. It was the build of a lifetime.  It was one for my 'bucket list.'"

See some of the details below, and many more photos at ZMasterBrick.

[gallery link="file" columns="4" ids="204712,204713,204714,204718,204716,204715"]

(via The Escapist)