# Proteus Kitbash: Homage to Harper Goff



## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

I haven't been on line here in a long while so I thought I'd post a few pics of something I started working on at the beginning of the year in my spare time. I haven't done any custom work in close to 30 years so this is kinda rough.
The Proteus is my favorite ship so when it came out I was a little disappointed with some of the details on it, but I bought a few of them with a certain project in mind, that being an *Homage to Harper Goff*, it's designer and creator, who also happened to have designed the Nautilus from Disney's _20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea_.

The first pic shows the finished interior. I'll have to send the back cabin in another post.

The second pic shows the unfinished exterior. Still a WIP. I hope to have it finished after Christmas.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Welcome back! :thumbsup:


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

A steampunk _Proteus_ -- that's great! Or is it the _Protilus_? Love the interior details. The rivets on the exterior do look a bit out of scale.

In fact, IIRC, an early concept for _Fantastic Voyage_ was to make it a 19th-century, Jules Verne-type adventure.


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## JeffBond (Dec 9, 2013)

Love this thing!


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## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

I know the rivets are big, but hey, it's for fun!


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Ed, that's brilliant!!!


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## terryr (Feb 11, 2001)

So, Raquel must be wearing head to toe baggy bloomers.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

*VERY NICE WORK !* I love it! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::grin2:


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## GT1958 (Aug 3, 2017)

Word can't describe how much I love this! I have a 3d printer and kind of want the kit now just to replicate something similar!


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

WOW!!!! Very nice - ----


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

Now that is a spectacular concept- and so appropriate!
I have seen many builds of this kit and I think this is one of the greatest


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Can't wait to see the way you finish the exterior :thumbsup: Looks fantastic so far. The woodwork is a great touch.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

As someone who is 90% finished with this kit I can say that with a few of its short comings this concept can easily make up for them. *BRAVO!!*


Its seems like so much attention was paid to the interior ( which is just fine with me ) :grin2: that some of the final assemblies were a bit rushed in my opinion. For such a pricey kit I would expect a* 'little'* more :| especially with the jet outputs YUCK! LOL.

*NOTE:* I still give a BIG hats off to ALL who were involved in its creation and to Moebius for delivering a GRALE kit INDEED!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Love this! Although I fear those saw teeth could play havoc with one's blood vessels.


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## charonjr (Mar 27, 2000)

terryr said:


> So, Raquel must be wearing head to toe baggy bloomers.


Yes, but if she shows just a little bit of leg.... hubba-hubba!


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## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

So here's an update pic. Still needs a top coat to make it the right shade of burn't metal brown, but the undercoat makes it a nice shade of Victorian Stealth Navy ship. had to take the scif off to paint it wood, but I added props to the tail for effect.


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## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

One more quick update. For those of you interested in seeing more of the interior here are some pics of the full cabin. I replaced the control sticks with a ships wheel and put a binnacle above it. Also put some other steampunk hardware all around the cabin. The rear cabin didn't need so much other than a lot of color changes since, interestingly, the laser was already designed for the period (go figure).


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## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

New Update Day.
Two steps forward, one step back. am very close to finishing, then need to go back and do fixes. Just put the patina on the top coat and I put too much on! Have to go back and retouch a few parts to get rid of where I overdid it...yuck. But, it's getting closer.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Wow! :surprise: Absolutely gorgeous finish :thumbsup:


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## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

*Finished - Part 1*

So _now _it's finished. Completed the base last night.


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## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

*Finished - Part 2*

More pics.
(I apologize for the background clutter.)


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Impressive results! But I sure wouldn't want something with that many sharp edges/points miniaturized and injected into _my_ body.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Just beautiful.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

This is, with a doubt, one of the best kit-bashes ever! It's extraordinary in its craftsmanship, attention to detail, and artistic execution. You packed in a lot of nice touches. The pilot's seat is very reminiscent of the chair in George Pal's "Time Machine" and your take on the miniaturizer is really, really clever. The mirrored tiles give it a "Victorian" look while at the same time showcasing all your amazing work. Enter this in a show and you're sure to win a prize. Great job!

It's interesting to note that Jeromes Bixby's early draft of "Fantastic Voyage" set the action in Victorian times ... but I'm guessing you already knew that.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

Zombie_61 said:


> Impressive results! But I sure wouldn't want something with that many sharp edges/points miniaturized and injected into _my_ body.


You would probably need an armored serrated sub if you were to do internal surgery on a Klingon...


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## eimb1999 (Sep 8, 2007)

"When Goffs Collide". I freaking love it! VERY creative!


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## krlee (Oct 23, 2016)

edwhitefire said:


> More pics.
> (I apologize for the background clutter.)


Doug Drexler shared an image of this fantastic build on his facebook page!


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## JeffBond (Dec 9, 2013)

Ed won an award at Valley Con for this build--well deserved!


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

A bunch of people who were there are posting pics of this on FB as their favorite of the show!


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

John P said:


> A bunch of people who were there are posting pics of this on FB as their favorite of the show!


Not surprising- out of the box concept, brilliantly designed and perfect execution!


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Congrates on the recognition and honor. Can we see a picture of the award? :lurk5:


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## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

I only just saw this post (I haven't been on in a while, been busy at my day job and have been trying to come up with something new). Will post a new pic tomorrow.


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## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

So here are two pics of the final resting place of the Protilus in the living room display niche, with it's medal.
Thanks for all your support!
Now on to the next project (as soon as I figure out what it is...?)


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## jimkirk (May 27, 2010)

I used Micro Mark's rivet decals and they probably would have looked more in scale.
The sheets have different scale rivets and they are raised detail and not just a decal.
I used some on the lower bow panels I scratch built for my Proteus.


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## edwhitefire (Jan 23, 2004)

Wow, looks nice! At the time I was looking for the big rivet steam punkish look so I was okay with the rivet size as it was more indicative of the Nautilus look.
I had spent months looking for rivets the right size, and even had done one complete hull, top and bottom with smaller ones that I had grown on my 3D printer, but in the end there was far too much flash to sand off and finishing that hull would be a nightmare, so I restarted with a new hull in a different direction. I liked how it turned out.
Yours is looking cool!


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Congratulations! I knew your Protilus would be a sure fire winner. Since you kit bashed a Proteus to look more like a Nautilus, for your next project, why not do the reverse and kit bash a Nautilus to look more a Proteus?


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## steviesteve (Apr 27, 2009)

Ed, your work is phenomenal, and the paint gorgeous! Congrats on the win! I'm looking forward to your next project!


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