I've been interested in Science Fiction for as long as I can remember. Forbidden Planet had a profound effect on me when I saw it on TV as a 6 year old. It sparked a lifelong interest in space travel, science and Science Fiction.
Some of my favorite Science Fiction novels are:
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
Dune by Frank Herbert
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany 

  I have an interest in spacecraft, both real and imagined. In particular, I love the futuristic spacecraft designs from the 1950's. Some of these designs were made into scale plastic models.
 
One of these kits, the Space Taxi, was re-released by Monogram in 1996. The Space Taxi was a small cargo and personnel transport that was intended to shuttle between orbiting spacecraft.

The AMT Leif Ericson (aka Leif Erikson and UFO Mystery Ship) appeared in their Star Trek line of models, but was never part of the TV show. It may have been an attempt by AMT to start their own line of non-Star Trek spaceship models. It was a beautiful spaceship design and came with a small scout, a lighting kit, a record of "space sounds" and a two page short story that covered the history and adventures of the ship.
A few years later, AMT re-released the kit in glow in the dark plastic and minus a few of the original kit's features.