Nautilus and the giant Squid

[DocRob]

Ahoi Gentlemen,

Some days ago I started a new project, while toying around with a kit from my stash, which always had a special attraction to me. I have a soft spot for some Sci-Fi-, fictitious-, and Steam Punk stuff.
I purchased the kit of the Nautilus submarine which is loosley inspired by the novel by Jules Verne, '20.000 Leagues under the Sea'. The kit includes a giant squid, wich dramatically entangles the submarine. The squid is cast nicely out of some heavy vinyl and it's easy to build up, because the arms got unique links. The cast of the kits parts looks very good with no irritations to find. Til now the fit of the parts is exceptional, a thing which I have not anticipated by a kit from a, at least to me, unknown brand called Pegasus Hobbies.
The box also includes masks for the panoramic windows and some useful photoetch.
In addition I purchased a lighting kit by VoodooFX some better masks from Aztek and some more PE by Paragrafix. Lots of the Paragrafix set will go to the spare box, because there is a bridge included, which is obselete when you light the model, some blinds for the windows I will not use and some grids for the roof of the salon, which also hinders my lighting plans. The additional furniture and some other elements will be used though, which means the acquisition of the set was not totally wasted.

After some test fitting I started to prepare the lightning, by drilling holes for the LED's and cables. The soldering took some hours, but in the end everything worked fine and I'm quite pleased, because it was my first circuit board soldering. There are four 4,8mm LED's provided for the big outside lights and five 3,0mm LED's for the salon and the 'alligator eyes'. 

Cheers Rob

 

 

[1to1scale]

Now this is totally cool!

[HubertB]

Cool project .

I think, but I may be wrong, that it is the same Pegasus that were planning an IM 1/32 Ryan NYP « Spirit of St Louis ».

They got entangled in a financial dispute with the Korean tool-maker, and the molds were held « hostage » by the tool-maker... To think there might be somewhere perfectly viable tools for a 1/32 IM Ryan NYP  ...

Hubert

[harv]

Very cool. I'm watching.....harv

[DocRob]

52 minutes ago, 1to1scale said:

Now this is totally cool!

 

6 minutes ago, HubertB said:

Cool project .

Gracias Senhores, it seems not only to be a cool-, but also a fun project and I will go a little wild with the weathering, as I will use mainly copper, brass and bronze colours for the hull with a lot of blueish, greenish patina on it.

I never heard of a 1/32 'Spirit of St. Louis' by Pegasus Hobbies, I always thought they are more involved in science fiction kits.

Cheers Rob

[GusMac]

That's a cool kit Rob. Never really explored the Sci-fi kits but having seen this and some of the Bandai stuff the quality seems high and the subjects interesting. I see another potential money-pit ahead!

[GazzaS]

Rob,

    Interesting project.  The nice fit is (I'm guessing) is because Pegasus makes snap-fit models:

I've never bought one of their kits. but I have seen them at the LHS.

 

Gaz

[Wumm]

Very interesting Doc,

Maybe if the eye was backlit as well?

[DocRob]

17 hours ago, harv said:

Very cool. I'm watching.....harv

Thanks Harv 

10 hours ago, GusMac said:

That's a cool kit Rob. Never really explored the Sci-fi kits but having seen this and some of the Bandai stuff the quality seems high and the subjects interesting. I see another potential money-pit ahead!

Yeah Gus, my finger lingered sometimes above the buy-button of the Bandai stuff, but I'm not that deep into Star Wars. But there is other interesting stuff out there like Industriamechanika. They produce resin kits and I own some of them, because they have a great coolness factor. There will be another huge submarine dio project in future with one of their steam subs.

10 hours ago, GazzaS said:

Interesting project.  The nice fit is (I'm guessing) is because Pegasus makes snap-fit models:

There is no snap fit here, but clever engineering and very good fit. Didn't know that they do birds as well. If the Emil would be 1/32, it might be the answer to another thread right here .

2 hours ago, Wumm said:

Maybe if the eye was backlit as well?

Gave that a thought too Wumm, but maybe I light the parrot like beak of the beast. Lighting the eye would look strange with the lights switched off and the beak is directed to the belly of the submarine.

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

Hola compañheros submarinistas,

Step by step I'm coming closer to solve the problems of installing everything in the correct place and style. I tinted the glass for the submarines bridge windows transparent yellow and cut some sheet triangles, which align the LED's beside the windows correctly and enable me to use the kit provided plastic lens in front of it.

 

And that is how it looks when finished

 

 

These photos were made to find the right spot, somewhere on the backside of the squid, to install the power cable, where I could hide it at best. They also give a good impression of how everything will look when finished. The squid is rigid enough to carry the submarine and it is designed to hold the Nautilus in place without the need for glue.

 

With my Proxxon and a small grinding wheel I did something to the squid, I would normally do to it's smaller incarnations in a restaurant , I cut it. Actually I identified one of the backside arms to be ideal to hold the cable channel. The cable will be fixed with CA later and will be 99% invisible

 

Cheers Rob

[GazzaS]

Nice approach!  I really like the moulding of that kit.

[DocRob]

Thanks Gaz, and yes, both mouldings are perfect, the good to work with plastic of the ship and the heavy vinyl cast of the squid. The tentacles are only loosly fitted now, but it holds the submarine without problems and due to it's weight, everything is really stable.

BTW: Aren't these 'Lange Kerls' from the Prussian army in your signature. They still do some ceremonial parades sometimes near my old hometown of Berlin.

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

Wow, almost a year and no progress on the Nautilus, it's time to dive in again. The submarine was sidelined by other projects, but I felt after my recent pause with the Mig-31 (I will not get the needed Pilot figures soon), it would be good to continue with something else. The Nautilus will be a canvas for many experiments like lighting and for some future projects, the depiction of heavy metal or real old school NMF with no Aluminium involved .
I spent some time to evaluate results on spare parts using AK's True Metal waxes and Mig Pigments. The waxes were of non FE-metals like copper, brass and bronze, the pigments where Neptune blue and Zombie green. Further experiments will show how the Extreme Metal paints from AK will behave and if it is possible to enhance and/or seal the result. Enhancement means here washes and working with pigments for the reproduction of algae and lichen.
That is where I got so far. All surfaces where primed before except the bronze part, because coverage was good enough without.

Copper and bronze with pigments rubbed in and buffed

Here is a third sample of brass added

These were the used products

So far the bronze is very close to what I have in mind. Brass and copper needed primer and that effects the metallic shine and sharpness of detail a little a little. The uneven effect on the bronze is caused by not using primer, I guess.
As I want to use at least two different metals for the hull, I will have to perform some Furter testing.
 

Cheers Rob

[Bomber_County]

Rob, has it been that long, I got the brass, copper and gunmetal in the AK and was really impressed. I did the brass and copper on the ships camel.....

[DocRob]

52 minutes ago, Bomber_County said:

Rob, has it been that long, I got the brass, copper and gunmetal in the AK and was really impressed. I did the brass and copper on the ships camel.....

Have you sealed your metal work on your Camel, Phil, possibly with Future and if, how was the result?

Cheers Rob

[Vandy1 VX-4]

Great work!!!!!!   I also have this kit on the desk with the light kit. Photo etch and masks. A lot of Masking stopped me LOL

[DocRob]

6 hours ago, Vandy1 VX-4 said:

A lot of Masking stopped me LOL

Oh yeah, the windows , one of the next steps, but I think assembling tank tracks is an equally dreading task .

Cheers Rob

[Vandy1 VX-4]

I also did the bow head light! But left the battery inside the sub 

hope that may give you some more ideas for lighting!!

[DocRob]

Your Nautilus is looking very comfy , where I have to start with the interior and furniture, does the sofa have a starboard and larboard side?
You went through the trouble of cutting the Salon's ceiling and insert the grids. I decided against it, because I feared more light transmission and shine through into the hull area and hope for more light in the salon with only drilled holes for the LED's. To hinder see through effects, I will prime the inside of the hull in black.
I was thinking about stowing the battery in the hull as well, but after maybe twenty years it will run out of power and what then. On the other hand I was afraid of the extra weight on the octopus arms, vinyl is not the best material static wise and I don't want to encounter a dead squid with sagging arms .

Cheers Rob

[Vandy1 VX-4]

port ( left ) side is the red sofa. The green is the starboard { Right } side. It's just some fun i did!!!!!

[DocRob]

Today I closed the interior of the Nautilus. A lot of micro painting was necessary and I mean micro, it's 1/144 . The floor was masked for two Colour appearance as where the bookshelves, which were painted red brown and then varnished with clear orange to get a noble shine. The etched railings, heraldics and ceiling ornaments where burnished. I chose warm Colours to enhance the comfy effect with the lighting. Not much will be seen trough the multi facetted windows though, which were treated with Future to get a better transparency. All inside areas were painted with black primer to hinder unwanted light emission.

Cheers Rob

[GusMac]

Looks great Rob. That's very fine work detail painting in that scale!

[DocRob]

Thanks Gus, the fine rendition of the kit makes it easier than thought.

Cheers Rob

[BlrwestSiR]

Great looking Nautilus Rob. I thought about getting one for my son as he's been reading about the Nautilus in his book Oceanology. But I figure it may be a bit challenging for a 6 year old. 

The dinosaur kits that Pegasus makes are fantastic too. They're in the same vinyl that the squid is made from but have some great detail to them. 

Carl

[DocRob]

8 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Great looking Nautilus Rob. I thought about getting one for my son as he's been reading about the Nautilus in his book Oceanology. But I figure it may be a bit challenging for a 6 year old. 

The dinosaur kits that Pegasus makes are fantastic too. They're in the same vinyl that the squid is made from but have some great detail to them. 

Carl

Thanks Carl, the kit is well designed, the fit is very good and the parts count is moderat, but there are tiny details, some fragile PE and the window masking . I believe, that it will be hard to convince your son to have build it on his own after you did 80%. 
One of the mentioned dinosaurs might be more rewarding and like you say, this Squid is nicely detailed, being made of vinyl.
To have a Nautilus kit stashed is not the worst idea. It definitely is something different and because of that it's a mojo enhancer, when you got bored of planes and tanks.

Cheers Rob