I would like to show my Nautilus build that was finished from a year ago. This is a Scott Brodeen 31" resin & white metal kit that is highly detailed out of the box. However, I added some details- large & small. The lighting (not included) are customized LED’s with a dimmer control as well as a switch option to light the outside & inside lights up in 5 different configurations as seen in the movie. It also has a 3 speed RC motor that turns the propeller. The operating switch controls are hidden in the removable “spine plates” cover behind the control room. The main entrance hatch is removable to see the inside and all the other deck hatches open & close. Powered by a D/C 7.3 volt plug in adapter, it needs no batteries. Finally, I sprayed/masked the entire boat flat black then misted copper, 2 military browns, and some rust color to achieve the finish.
The squid was hand painted by me- a vinyl & rubber toy from the Monterey Bay Aquarium store. The wooden base was bought seperately, stained, and has thin copper tape applied as trim. The skiff has a scratch built interior with materials I had on hand. A fun build. A complicated build. One of my favorite display pieces to date, it tested my wiring knowledge to no end. Thanks.
Beautiful work on a screen classic!!! If it would not be too much to ask, could you please take more photos with better lighting and a plain background to really show off this beauty!!!
Thanks. I’ll see what I can do about the pictures. Actually had been thinking about re-doing them with overhead lighting, etc. and a non-busy background.
Here’s a couple of lighting studies I did messing around with the camera. Interesting how lighting affects the look of the boat & squid. Had some fun with this.
Exceptional workmanship, creative display with squid a plus!
Was the kit expensive and was it worth the price? I wish a plastic manufacturer would offer even a 12" model of the Disney Nautilus. Once again, great job.
Thanks to you all for the comments. The question asked about the price is this- yes & yes. Being a hollow resin kit (about 1/4" thick), it is heavy and can be modified for R/C use if you want to go there. When I bought this at the time, it was well worth it to me. I’d been looking for something like this since I was 8 yrs. old and now that I had developed my modeling & electronic skills, everything came together perfectly. The kit itself is about $400.00 or so not including shipping. Throw in the extra electronics, model supplies, wood base (stain, varnish), and your own worth of time and effort, figure another couple of hundred at least. Finished versions sell for about $1500.00 or so, with or without the extras. It has been so far THE most expensive thing I’ve built and probably the last !
An amazing build, I love the squid but would worry about long term contact with the finished model. Vinyl often does not react well with paints and can be hazardous to the finished kit.
What the approximate scale of this vessel? It looks really big.
