# Wilcos Proteus kit from Fantasic Voyage



## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Can any one give me a heads up on this kit?? As I am thinking this would be good to add to the collection.

I've got some basic resin experiance, some good/some bad. So is this a good kit and how easy would it be to light up or enhance???

Cheers.

Alec.


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

I built one and you can see pics here:


http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=145381&highlight=proteus

I can't comment on lighting as I did not light my kit. But I really like my Wilco Proteus!!

Huzz


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Thanks for the link...:thumbsup: Nice build by the way 

I still think after seeing your picks that some lilttle leds could be positioned in the right areas... 

I have been in love with this sub since I was about 9 yrs old. I'm just a little nervous about working a full resin kit... I'm hoping Steve at Cultman will be getting some in stock soon before I resort to going somewhere else.

But as I have just spent me months spending budget at Cultmans today I'll have to wait a bit anyway Gives me more research time


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Any tips on un-warping the upper hull part?


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

How is it warped?

Huzz


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## Capt. Krik (May 26, 2001)

SteveR said:


> Any tips on un-warping the upper hull part?


Steve, 

Do you mean the canopy over the interior and the extended back behind the pilot's bubble.
Mine had a slight warping problem. A bucket of hot water and a bucket of cold water can remedy that. Stick the warped part in the hot water for about a minute to soften the plastic. Pull it out and gently twist in the opposite direction of the warp. Keep the lower hull handy to test fit. When you are happy with the straightening stick the part in the bucket of cold water. You may have to repeat these steps several times to get it completely straightened out.
The most important thing is not to overdue it. Trying to correct the warp too much in one or two tries will probably lead to the part cracking or breaking.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Thanks, Cap -- I'll give it a go.

(Yep, that's the part I meant.)


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

AJ-1701 said:


> I still think after seeing your picks that some lilttle leds could be positioned in the right areas...


Running wires for lighting the Wilco kit could present a challenge, since the main body is basically one solid chunk of resin.

The model is also dimensionally and proportionally inaccurate when measured against the 5-foot hero miniature and the full-size mockup. Supposedly it's a 1:1 scale replica of one of the smaller models used for only a couple of brief shots in the film. Still, it's not bad for the price.


AJ-1701 said:


> I have been in love with this sub since I was about 9 yrs old.


And I since I was thirteen! I always wanted a real submarine like that. Of course, at that age I had no idea that the design was totally impractical. It just looked so damn cool!


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

I may be way off base because I'm not a sailor, but couldn't the exterior hull design work as a surface boat?


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

All aboard!


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## lunadude (Oct 21, 2006)

Nice proof sheets!


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Yeah, the stuff that pops up on ebay...

These appear courtesy of my friend and fellow _Proteus_ buff Scott Walter -- the same guy who owns that ultra-rare Marusan _Proteus_ model I posted pix of a few months back.

With his permission I'll post additional proofs on a separate thread (don't want to hijack this thread any more than I already have).


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

Seaview said:


> I may be way off base because I'm not a sailor, but couldn't the exterior hull design work as a surface boat?


I suppose something like it could be built as the superstructure of a boat (or maybe a hovercraft), but the helmsman, crew and/or passengers would fry in the sun under all that glass! Plus, any boat requires some clear deck space fore and aft for handling dock lines and anchors and such.


Carson Dyle said:


> . . . These appear courtesy of my friend and fellow _Proteus_ buff Scott Walter -- the same guy who owns that ultra-rare Marusan _Proteus_ model I posted pix of a few months back.


Wow, bitchin’! I thought I had seen every production still ever taken on the sets of _FV_. Strange to see Raquel posing in her diving suit with long hair. Of course, she would have looked great with long hair, short hair, or bald!

What is Donald Pleasance doing in frames 5337.7 and 5337.8 -- leading everyone in a song?


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

Altogether now:

"We all live in a flippy submarine"

Remember, it was the 60's. All those psychedelic colors and stuff. I bet the movie freaked out quite a few folks with, er, adjusted awarenesses. Can you picture Cheech and Chong watching Fantastic Voyage?

Carson - anytime you want to hijack a thread with stuff like that, you'll get no objection from me!

Huzz:wave:


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Here are a few more proofs, as promised.

The shots of Cora sitting on the bunk in the aft compartment are particularly interesting considering that side of the _Proteus_ set never shows up in the film.


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

Great stuff! Thanks for posting those. The shot with 796-7 appears to be the same shot used in the old seventies book _A Pictorial Guide to Sex in Films_. I always wondered where that photo came from, I had never seen it used anywhere else except in that one particular book, and Raquel's hair was totally different than it appeared in the film.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

*Just an update*

Nice pics too Carson.:thumbsup:

Well I bit the bullet and ordered one Wilcos resin Proteus kits from Steve over at CultTVmans and as I am waiting on the aftermarket extra's for the chariot I thought I would start working on it. Now for the record I'm not all that familiar with full resin kits so these comments should be taken as purely subjective. 

The first thing I noticed is that there is a lot of flash and lumpy moulding on certain parts of the model. Some serious clean up will be needed for the top hulls window frames and the seams on the outside of the internal hull sections corner joins with what looks like very lumpy resin welding . Not to mention the pilots contol sticks and foot pedals. :freak: I know that Wilco have been doing this kit for a few years now so maybe their moulds are getting worn?? or maybe thats just the norm... For the most part the main hull seems clean, well formed and defect free, just some light sanding and filling is all that'll needed on that. There are the ocasional bubble and pin holes but I know this can be normal for resin casts. 

I am also a little dissapointed regarding the moulding of the crew, two of them are minus one hand each... Though I can proberbly get round this by using 'o' scale figures. One good plus is that the top hull seems to be distortion free and looks like it will be a good fit after clean up. :thumbsup:

I'm not really concerned with this next point as I think I'm clever enough to work it out  but on the cover it states that 'instructions and a painting guide are included'... Except in my box anyway. So I'll just have to resort to watching the dvd again. 

As a whole I'm going to find this kit a nice diversion from my usual out of the box styrene builds. I was going to try and light it but I don't think thats really an option with this kit. I might try and work some into a display base instead.


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

Carson Dyle said:


> Here are a few more proofs, as promised.
> 
> The shots of Cora sitting on the bunk in the aft compartment are particularly interesting considering that side of the _Proteus_ set never shows up in the film.


Actually it does. Remember the scene where Michaels (Donald Pleasance) knocks Owens (William Redfield) unconscious, takes control of the _Proteus_ and tries to ram the injury site? Grant (Stephen Boyd) grabs the laser and shoots at the sub, ripping a gash in its port side. There's a brief shot of the bunk side of the aft compartment as we see the hull being torn open and water — er, fluid — starting to pour in.


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

scotpens said:


> Actually it does.


Now there's the scotpens I know and love!

I posted that glaringly inaccurate remark back in June. You're getting rusty, bro.


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

Carson Dyle said:


> I posted that glaringly inaccurate remark back in June. You're getting rusty, bro.


Chalk it up to water on the brain!


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

AJ-1701 - if you have issues with the Wilco kit and think that some parts could be replaced with cleaner casts, I recommend contacting Bill (AKA Sarge) of Wilco at [email protected]. I've bought a number of Bill's kits and I can say with confidence that he is a great guy who wants to ensure that his customers are happy with his kits. If there is a problem, I'm certain Bill will be glad to help you out.

Cheers!
Huzz


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## F91 (Mar 3, 2002)

Er, fluid....


scotpens said:


> Chalk it up to water on the brain!


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

PhilipMarlowe said:


> Great stuff! Thanks for posting those. The shot with 796-7 appears to be the same shot used in the old seventies book _A Pictorial Guide to Sex in Films_.


There was sex in _Fantastic Voyage_?

Well, back in 1966, _Esquire_ magazine did run a preview article on _FV_ with the provocative title, "The Rape of the Future: The Ultimate Invasion of the Body"!


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

^I know about the _Esquire_ piece, but have never actually seen it. You wouldn't happen to have a copy of that issue, would you?


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

scotpens said:


> There was sex in _Fantastic Voyage_?


Naw, but I guess when you got a picture of Raquel in a tight rubber suit with a phallic laser gun, that's close enough for some folks.


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

Carson Dyle said:


> ^I know about the _Esquire_ piece, but have never actually seen it. You wouldn't happen to have a copy of that issue, would you?


As a matter of fact, I do. It's the May 1966 issue, featuring a sleeping Britt Ekland (yummy!) on the cover with a wide-open third eye in the middle of her forehead. The theme of the issue: "Spying, Science and Sex."

The _Fantastic Voyage_ piece is actually the first of two back-to-back articles about upcoming sci-fi films, the other being _2001: A Space Odyssey_. There's some interesting preproduction art from both movies.

If you'd like, I can scan both articles and email them to you as PDF or JPEG files. Can't do it till I go back to work on Tuesday, though.


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

AJ-1701 said:


> Can any one give me a heads up on this kit?? As I am thinking this would be good to add to the collection.
> 
> I've got some basic resin experiance, some good/some bad. So is this a good kit and how easy would it be to light up or enhance???


AJ:

It's not a hard kit at all. The top frame can be a bit troublesome, but someone here already addressed that.

It is a REALLY nice kit, though. The one I got was a really nice job of casting. 

And get this -- I'm likely the only one that tried this... but ... the thing FLOATS like a boat! No kidding! I threw it in the utility sink in the back of my shop, and it floats just as pretty as you could ask for. I was SURE it would sink like a rock (it's heavy!).

Buy it! It's worth it. Maybe I'll make some decals for it!

--Henry


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

g_xii said:


> And get this -- I'm likely the only one that tried this... but ... the thing FLOATS like a boat! No kidding! I threw it in the utility sink in the back of my shop, and it floats just as pretty as you could ask for. I was SURE it would sink like a rock (it's heavy!).--Henry


 Actually I tried in the sink today when I was washing the main hull after cleaning up all the flash and over fill around the propulsion vents. I reckon if the big block of resin behind the cabin was core drilled it would make a great bath toy


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

I did the float thing years ago!










http://photos.hobbytalk.com/showfull.php?photo=3644

Some pics of my build-up here:

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=145381&highlight=proteus+power

Huzz


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

AJ-1701 said:


> Actually I tried in the sink today when I was washing the main hull after cleaning up all the flash and over fill around the propulsion vents. I reckon if the big block of resin behind the cabin was core drilled it would make a great bath toy


My thoughts exactly! I can remember taking my Aurora Seaview into the tub with me when I was a little boy!


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