Rob,
Thanks. Your concerns were something I took into consideration when the display was being fomulated. The squid, by optical illusion, does not touch the main part of the boat at all. The only real contact is the lowest long tentacle barely touching the lower blade on the bottom of the hull for placement. I used good 'ole enamel paints on the squid- the first application of the scales was to let it soak into the rubber for a few days then came back and repainted the scales again- crazy! Using a blowdryer set to cool/warm, I dried it and let set for a few weeks between applications without touching it at all. Then it was gently rolled on wax paper to remove anything that did not settle. It’s been over a year now and the paints have shown no sign of degradation that I can see (of course I don’t play with the squid- LOL).
The scale is 1/69: 31" in length, 5 1/2" wide, 6.25" tall -keel to top of the wheelhouse
Hmm, interesting comments. IIRC the Pegasus Hobbies version has a vinyl squid that the finished model rests in. The consensus here is that I should find some other way to display the kit when finished?
Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas
I would not be concerned with a vinyl squid that comes with the Pegasus kit. Model companies normally make sure the type of vinyl they use in their parts is compatible with their styrene plastic kit. Car and tank kits have included vinyl tires and tracks for decades without problems. The only modern exception is older Trumpeter wheeled military vehicles. Many of them included rubber tires that melted the plastic after prolonged contact.
I only mentioned it because he said the squid was a toy and not made to be used with plastic model kits so the type of vinyl might be detrimental to the finished model. But if it doesn’t touch, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Fantastic build, I attempted to scratch build the Nautilus model when Tom Scherman had his in the issue of Scale Ship Modeler way back in the 70’s using that issues blue print of the Nautilus I had it enlarged to 1/4 inch scale and attempted a balsa wood model but with lack of any information at that time I never finished it.
in the 90’s I finally bought this same 31" model and it is now resting still in the box. but with very limited shelf space to display it I am looking to re model the house and may finally have room for this and other submarines and ships, BTW would you happen to know who makes the sqiud ? and if it’s available to purchase on line ? will come in handy when I build my Nautilus, and thank you for sharing photos of such a fine work of art. Karl
Karl,
I remember seeing those same blueprints when I was a kid and tried to build a balsa wood version, but gave up ( I did make one out of LEGO’s later). Hey, I too bought mine in the late nineties and it too sat in a box until last year. I’d done some preliminary work on the electronics and some sanding on the hull but that was about it. The squid is made by Safari Ltd. and they produce ALL kinds of vinyl/plastic animal toys/sculptures. I believe you can still order it online. It turns out to be a perfect scale! Let us know when you start your build and be sure to post pictures as well. Have fun!