Talking of 3D printing, have you seen this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12664422

Herb

Unfortunately, haven't heard of any models that cheap. But there are plenty of printers selling for $1000 these days. They're pretty simple, nothing fancy, but they're probably fun to play around with.

Came across a nice comparison of some low-cost printers at 3dprinterhub.com. Gives a good sense of what's out there.