# Stand for the big Seaview



## PF Flyer (Jun 24, 2008)

A friend of mine got frustrated with his big Seaview and just as he pulled out the sledge, I convinced him to give it to me. I've been rehabilitating it into pretty much an OOB build (I did one earlier with lights, etc.), but I was wondering, has anyone produced an after market diorama type base for the big Seaview?


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Scratch building is always a nice option, like this one that I found over at the excellent Uncle Odie's Collectibles website;


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## Flatlander54 (Feb 24, 2010)

What was the source of frustration for him? Is it that complicated of a build? Just curious as I am supposed to pick mine up this week when it comes in.


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## PF Flyer (Jun 24, 2008)

I'm thinking about a scratch-built base, maybe using some material I build mountains etc. with on my train layout. Just thought I'd see what, if anything, was out there. My friend is fairly new to building models and had some trouble with the Seaview seams and his rattle cans. The Seaview was my first sci-fi build (I do figures mostly) and I didn't find it that difficult. Just take your time. It's really about 3 or 4 kits in one. Reminded me of the playsets we all enjoyed as kids.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

I like Seaviews suggestion of scratching up your own...:thumbsup: I di mine using the supplied stads blended with some scenery made from styrofoam textured paint and some aquarium plants all on a 4' x 8" x 3/4" pine plank with some picture frame timber to dress it up.


But I do understand why some people prefer am bases.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

AJ-1701 said:


> I like Seaviews suggestion of scratching up your own...:thumbsup: I di mine using the supplied stads blended with some scenery made from styrofoam textured paint and some aquarium plants all on a 4' x 8" x 3/4" pine plank with some picture frame timber to dress it up.
> 
> 
> But I do understand why some people prefer am bases.


Outstanding work ! Inspirational in fact !


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Flatlander54 said:


> What was the source of frustration for him? Is it that complicated of a build? Just curious as I am supposed to pick mine up this week when it comes in.


 
You'll love it. Just use finer and finer grandes of sandpaper, and above all, be careful when you are sanding the putty from the central hull seam so as not to sand off some of the barely visible hand rungs along the top deck. :wave:


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

Of course a seafloor is the first thing that come to mind.But The Seaview could be sailing at the surface of the sea.Of course if on a sea floor,an undersea lab,or rescuing a sunken sub would go well in a diorama,or even a giant squid.Of course an alien spacecraft,or even a sunkken ship,either recent or ancient one would be great.You could also alternate from one item to the other at the bottom of the same seafloor.Even a small undersea city,so to speak,is possible.:dude:


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Or even the routine "rescue of the stranded diving bell after the rope broke" scenario.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Speaking of diving bells ... if anyone wanted to open up the rear doors in the lower hull a dio with a rogue sperm whale could be really cool with the diving bell in it's mouth. I think they sell those plastic whale toys at the hobby store. Might be in scale with the smaller 1/350 Seaview. A diving bell should be fairly easy to scratch build.


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## moebiusman (May 11, 2009)

Yah I think that scratch built is much better cuz it gives it a one of a kind
look .I have seen many different versions and all of them very cool. 
Plus it would be cheeper to make your own. And more fun too!!!!

Here are some of the better ones I have seen.


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## PF Flyer (Jun 24, 2008)

Wow! Cool stuff. I'm feeling inspired now. Trouble is, I wasn't planning on lights for this one since the hull was already glued up. Now I might have to look into taking the back piece off and running some LEDs. Or I could just get a whole 'nother Seaview...hmmm, maybe the reissue in the new box.... Thanks a lot, guys!


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Even having NO lights would work. Dioramas tell a story, so your lightless one could be about...



... the Seaview having been stricken by an enemy laser beam and lost all her power, sitting at the bottom of the Mariana trench! Meanwhile aboard the stricken ship, Captain Crane is convinced that the Admiral has been possessed by the spirit of a long dead Barbary pirate and unable to help him rescue the ship as he himself turns into a werewolf. Kowalski is slowly being transformed into a Lobsterman, while Chief Sharky finds Patterson unconscious on the reactor room floor and a diving suit missing... :wave:


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## PF Flyer (Jun 24, 2008)

Meanwhile, there's a monster aboard (that for all the world looks like it's made out of 39-gallon trash bags) which is slowly taking over the minds of the rest of the crew. It originally came onboard from a recovered space capsule (remember this one?)...or slipped aboard as the crew went to rescue some soldiers from WWII still stranded on a Pacific Island (or this one?), but the thing is there's a beautiful Russian spy in silhouette somewhere in the scene smoking a cigarette (take your pick of several episodes)....


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

and can all the panels explode in showers of sparks?


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

...and a visiting scientist who speaks with a thick foriegn accent and his assistant, who doesn't speak much for unknown reasons...


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## PF Flyer (Jun 24, 2008)

and a crevice in the ocean floor that's oozing some mysterious gas or liquid that results in....

Dang it, Seaview, I was congratulating myself on my rehab job when I realized that either the previous owner or I (I'm sticking to the story that it was the former) had sanded off two of the handrails. Now to find replacements....


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Well, that's how I learned about them, too!


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

PF Flyer said:


> and a crevice in the ocean floor that's oozing some mysterious gas or liquid that results in....
> 
> Dang it, Seaview, I was congratulating myself on my rehab job when I realized that either the previous owner or I (I'm sticking to the story that it was the former) had sanded off two of the handrails. Now to find replacements....


Buying my photoetch is overkill for just the grab handles, but ... 

Of course, when submarines submerge, they withdraw grab handles to cut resistance. So you _could_ just cut them all off.


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## PF Flyer (Jun 24, 2008)

Well, I used your decals on my first Seaview, so I know you offer quality products. I've never used photoetch before and I'm not sure I have "advanced modeling skills" when it comes to sci-fi kits, but I might just give it a shot.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Trekkriffic said:


> Outstanding work ! Inspirational in fact !


Thank you kind sir. Coming from you that is high praise indeed. 

Cheers,

Alec.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Paulbo said:


> Buying my photoetch is overkill for just the grab handles, but ...
> 
> Of course, when submarines submerge, they withdraw grab handles to cut resistance. So you _could_ just cut them all off.


I had a couple of missing ones from freight and some careless handeling  but with a sharp No 11 blade and some really thin plastruct sheet I was able to knock up some replacements... :thumbsup:


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

Great seafloor build ups.Of course,even more specialized displays to be considered by master builders could include the Seaview being built in drydock,or an even a more extreme project would consist of cutting the Seaview in half lenghtwise and build a whole interior.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

PF Flyer said:


> Well, I used your decals on my first Seaview, so I know you offer quality products. I've never used photoetch before and I'm not sure I have "advanced modeling skills" when it comes to sci-fi kits, but I might just give it a shot.


I have both the decal and PE set from ParaGrafix for the large Seaview. Both are just of outstanding quality.


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