LOOKING for a weird and wonderful gift this Christmas?

The vainest among us might be interested to hear that, for a limited time only, Asda store in Cwmbran is offering a pioneering 3D scanning system where objects up to the size of a family car can be scaled down to an eight-inch figure.

Shoppers in Cwmbran were among the first in the UK to witness the process first-hand yesterday, as a 3D scanning and printer system was on show as part of the supermarket’s UK-wide trial.

It will appear in the entrance of Asda Cwmbran for the last time today (Fri) before moving on to other branches around the UK.

If successful, scanners would be brought into selected Asda stores where shoppers could buy their very own digital 3D replica models.

But the waiting period of 14 days might be off-putting to some.

Craig Evans, photo field manager for Asda, said: “The response has been really good – children have been coming in wearing their, rugby, football, karate kit and it’s a lot of fun for them.

“It’s something to keep that’s rare – it’s hi-tech stuff.”

It has fast become the latest craze among designers and technology experts.

For £40, you could step inside a white, bubble-like booth, which is used for “privacy” rather than for any technological reasons, and stand still for three minutes while a scanner camera takes around 1,000 pictures of your body.

The results are brought up on a computer screen and then, if the customer is happy with the results, it is sent to an Asda fulfilment base where the shape is recreated in 3D form by spraying ceramic fluid in extremely thin layers to build up a solid object.

Mark Ibbotson, retail director at Asda, said: “Our customers are always looking for the next big innovation and 3D printing is a guaranteed talking point amongst friends and family this season.”