Steven Ognibene, Penfield, New York
Inspired by childhood visits to the ship in Buffalo, N.Y. — and reinspired by a recent trip to the ship with his son’s Cub Scout pack — Steven built the USS Little Rock from Niko’s 1/700 scale USS Springfield. He used nylon paint bristles for antennas and rigging because they’re “stiff enough to hold their shape and easy to work with,” he says.