Take this 1/350 scale replica of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A space ship from Star Trek, for example. Some person in Yokosuka, Japan, bought the static kit and transformed it into a space ship ...

The model, in the opening credits of Star Trek, had been missing since the 1970s. It popped up on eBay last fall. The seller helped facilitate its return to the family of the creator of Star Trek.

The Smithsonian is working to repair the original USS Enterprise, restore the nacelle lights, shore up the 50-year-old model, and put the finished starship back on display.