# What happened to the seaview fx minature?



## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

I've always been a casual viewer of Voyage - not a real fan as such but I've always wondered two things:

One, was the interior of the miniature water tight and two, what happened to the Seaview miniature after the show wrapped?

Steve


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## bigjimslade (Oct 9, 2005)

There were at least 4 Seaview models.

One is at the Sci-Fi museum in Seattle.
One is believed to be in the hands of a private collector.
One was reused in another Irwin Allen production and is missing (probably destroyed because of this).
One is missing.


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## Ductapeforever (Mar 6, 2008)

...and to answer your first question, the miniatures were 'free flooding'.


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## Joe Brown (Nov 16, 1999)

I've heard and read that one of the Seaview models was butchered into being the Nautilus from Irwin Allen's "The Amazing Captain Nemo" but after looking at this pic, I just can't see that being correct:

http://www.propstore.com/img/products/2158/Amazing_Captain_Nemo_Submarine_4.JPG


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Joe Brown said:


> I've heard and read that one of the Seaview models was butchered into being the Nautilus from Irwin Allen's "The Amazing Captain Nemo" but after looking at this pic, I just can't see that being correct:
> 
> http://www.propstore.com/img/products/2158/Amazing_Captain_Nemo_Submarine_4.JPG


Wrong Captain Nemo movie. 

That's from Captain Nemo and the Underwater City.

It's this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Capta...8&qid=1361686388&sr=8-3&keywords=captain+nemo


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

I'm almost afraid to ask, but any screencaps?


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## Wattanasiri (Aug 15, 2010)

Some video on Youtube:


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

I'm not seeing it in the Nautilus....


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Captain April said:


> I'm not seeing it in the Nautilus....


Yeah, you're right, I need to do some digging...

Before I do that, a quick comment on the video above.

WOW how very '70s that is, huh? Complete with Don Post Studios style mask for the 'robot' assistant for the antagonist. 

OK, D'OH! The Seaview was butchered up for a production called 'Return of Captain Nemo' which is....the French title of The Amazing Captain Nemo...WTH...

I guess I need to keep watching...oh, IMDB has interesting trivia, seems the bad guy sub is based on the Mattel Space:1999 Eagle toy! Huh. gonna have to look most closely at that.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

The 17'3" Surface Running/Flying Sub launching Sub is at the Sci-Fi Museum.

The 8' Seaview that was used in all the underwater footage was indeed mutilated for "The Return of Captain Nemo".
When Irwin Allen was making Nemo, He wanted to use the 8' boat. They chopped the nose off and replaced it with a different front end.The also removed the sail and decking.

However, it WAS NOT used after all. Allen saw it and didn't like how it looked so they made a new Miniature.

The nose of the 8' Seaview is currently in private hands, what became of the rest of the boat is unknown.

The smaller models are also in private hands.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

Yep, that's the worst part of the Seaview/Nautilus tragedy...they didn't even wind up using the butchered Seaview in the show!


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## Warped9 (Sep 12, 2003)

Whoa!  And we thought the 11ft. _Enterprise_ had it bad.


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

Warped9 said:


> Whoa!  And we thought the 11ft. _Enterprise_ had it bad.


The 17 foot Seaview was treated much better in her restoration than the Enterprise, taking her back to original filming condition.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

RSN said:


> The 17 foot Seaview was treated much better in her restoration than the Enterprise, taking her back to original filming condition.


 
Uhhhhhh...My dear friend I have to disagree with you there.
Sadly the Seaview was not restored to her original condition. I could write a shopping list of what was wronrg, but I have already several times here.


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

Captain Han Solo said:


> Uhhhhhh...My dear friend I have to disagree with you there.
> Sadly the Seaview was not restored to her original condition. I could write a shopping list of what was wronrg, but I have already several times here.


My bad, I thought she was from some of the pictures I have seen. I, of course, respect your word enough to take it as the actual fact my friend! :thumbsup:
If I am not mistaken, One of the 4 foot Jupiter 2's was "butchered" and had a hatch etched into the surface. I cringe when I see pictures of it now!


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

RSN said:


> My bad, I thought she was from some of the pictures I have seen. I, of course, respect your word enough to take it as the actual fact my friend! :thumbsup:


I wish you were right Sir, I really do. As much as you and I and our other friends here love the boat, she was not properly taken care of...

I am just gratefull that she and the Original Enterprise, Jupiter 2 are still here.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Captain Han Solo said:


> The 17'3" Surface Running/Flying Sub launching Sub is at the Sci-Fi Museum.
> 
> The 8' Seaview that was used in all the underwater footage was indeed mutilated for "The Return of Captain Nemo".
> When Irwin Allen was making Nemo, He wanted to use the 8' boat. They chopped the nose off and replaced it with a different front end.The also removed the sail and decking.
> ...


Excellent job and thank you!

So that explains the pic in Seaview Soundings 3. 

Was it ever determined which Seaview was used for the shots in Our Man Flint? I have to believe that removing the tail fins and the diving planes from the sail had SOME effect on the model when they were replaced, assuming they WERE replaced and they didn't for whatever shortsighted reason scrap the model afterwards.


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## Krel (Jun 7, 2000)

RSN said:


> If I am not mistaken, One of the 4 foot Jupiter 2's was "butchered" and had a hatch etched into the surface. I cringe when I see pictures of it now!


It was a series of openings around the JII, that was done for "City Beneath the Sea", where all of the JII's were used as buildings. The Astrogator was also used as the central building in Pacifica. CBTS also has the only know screen appearance of the ten foot JII miniature as one of the background NY buildings in the beginning of the movie. Fox reused every model for that movie. The minisub became a passenger sub, in the background you could see at least on Seaview with a modified sail. The JII also made an appearance in a "Soap" episode, as a UFO that Burt see's

We see it as a butchery, and it is. 20th Century Fox (the models and props were their property) saw it as a cost saving measure, and it is. It wasn't the first, or the last time it has happened in Hollywood. At least they kept the JII's rather then trashing them after the production.

David


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

Krel said:


> It was a series of openings around the JII, that was done for "City Beneath the Sea", where all of the JII's were used as buildings. The Astrogator was also used as the central building in Pacifica. CBTS also has the only know screen appearance of the ten foot JII miniature as one of the background NY buildings in the beginning of the movie. Fox reused every model for that movie. The minisub became a passenger sub, in the background you could see at least on Seaview with a modified sail. The JII also made an appearance in a "Soap" episode, as a UFO that Burt see's
> 
> We see it as a butchery, and it is. 20th Century Fox (the models and props were their property) saw it as a cost saving measure, and it is. It wasn't the first, or the last time it has happened in Hollywood. At least they kept the JII's rather then trashing them after the production.
> 
> David


No, I know all about the modifications done on the two 4 foot Jupiter 2's and the the 10 footer in CBTS, I am talking about the "restoration" on the 4 foot Jupiter 2 that repaired the damage done in the filming of CBTS. I believe the private owner had the main hatch etched into the hull to look more like the set Jupiter 2 when he displayed it. All copies of the 4 footer that are for sale also have the hatch now on it. The original filming miniatures never had a hatch.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

And that, boys and girls, is why Stanley Kubrick had everything destroyed after finishing "2001: A Space Odyssey".


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

I'll take the altered props over no props any day! :thumbsup:


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## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

Interesting website that I searched for based on info you guys provided - thanks!

http://www.iann.net/voyage/behindscenes/

I may not have been an avid watcher but i can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the miniatures.

Looks like i'll be looking for a seaview model to build now!

Steve


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

Bay7 said:


> Interesting website that I searched for based on info you guys provided - thanks!
> 
> http://www.iann.net/voyage/behindscenes/
> 
> ...


That is what it is all about.....the thrill of the build!! :thumbsup:


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## nautilusnut (Jul 9, 2008)

*What happened to the Seaview FX miniatures?*



> Wrong Captain Nemo movie.
> 
> That's from Captain Nemo and the Underwater City.
> 
> It's this one:


That IS NOT the Nautilus from CAPTAIN NEMO AND THE UNDERWATER CITY.

It is in fact the Irwin Allen one. You can easily see the two front windows duplicated in the sets in the U-tube clip. The Underwater City version was far more imaginative. The surviving model from that film was sold at auction in 2011.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

nautilusnut said:


> That IS NOT the Nautilus from CAPTAIN NEMO AND THE UNDERWATER CITY.
> 
> It is in fact the Irwin Allen one. You can easily see the two front windows duplicated in the sets in the U-tube clip. The Underwater City version was far more imaginative. The surviving model from that film was sold at auction in 2011.


You are correct. It had been ages since I had seen the Irwin Allen production and my memory got confused with the picture in Seaview Soundings issue 3 of the modified (nee butchered) Seaview. As cleared up in an earlier post, seems Allen shot all that footage of the sub then decided he hated it and got another sub made.

Which on reflection, to my eyes, looks more like a modified 'Vulcan'! Kinda. 

http://www.iann.net/voyage/behindscenes/props/vulcan_submarine/vulcan_001.htm


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Captain Han Solo said:


> Sadly the Seaview was not restored to her original condition. I could write a shopping list of what was wronrg, but I have already several times here.


Somehow I've managed to miss the list of errors. Could you link to it, them - love to learn more. The only errors I've ever heard of were the replacements for the missing rudders and elevators in the prop tubes. And of course one person disagrees vehemently with the colors but he seems to be the only one out of several who have examined it, even taken chips of it, so I just ignore that opinion.

There was a 1970s (?) article in Scale Modelling magazine that repeated contemporary statements that several 8' miniatures were built, each for different purposes, as well as the several 4's. Given that the 8' was the workhorse, it seems unlikely that Fox would have left all its sfx eggs in one basket. If there were any more, they're either sharing space with the 33" 1701 miniature and the 10' Jupiter 2, or in a land fill.


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## Krel (Jun 7, 2000)

Captain April said:


> And that, boys and girls, is why Stanley Kubrick had everything destroyed after finishing "2001: A Space Odyssey".


This has come up before and is an urban legend. Stanley Kubrick couldn't order any of it destroyed, because he didn't own it, MGM did. 2001 pretty much used all of the studio space for two years. So much that the studio didn't recover from the financial loss. Most of the 2001 props, costumes and set pieces were put into outside storage, along with the rest of the MGM properties. The large models were donated, but famously ended up in that field. At least one of the space maneuvering packs appeared in BBC productions, and UFO used a few pieces.

Eventually MGM got tired of paying for the storage and just disposed of everything. Not just the 2001 properties, but everything from every production it ever did. A lot of movie history just thrown away.

David.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Delete


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Captain Han Solo said:


> Delete



Oh, no! He's become a Cyberman!


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## MJB (Aug 3, 2001)

Back in the 1970's here in Orange County CA, there was a neat place called the Cars of Stars; Planes of Fame. They had several cool items on display. One was one of the original Kong armatures that Bob Burns now has. They had one of the Robby's, the cool cars from the Great Race, and...the 8ft version of the Flying Sub Seaview. Always wondered what happed to that ship when the place closed.


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## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

Wow, it's like the 1980's trying to get hold of US made model kits in the UK at the moment - either that or i've missed the boat (no pun intended) on getting a seaview at a reasonable price.

The 1/350 was coming up at a price not a million miles away from the 1/128 Seaview kit price .... so I splashed out (no pun intended) on the movie version - I'm thinking about a refit diorama to take her from movie to series version, but done in the form of a cutaway depending on what interior details I can surface (pun intended).

I'm literally jumping ship with this kit as I'm using a recently re-funded 1/350 tos enterprise purchase that fell thru on ebay to buy this boat.

Steve


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## RB (Jul 29, 1998)

MJB said:


> Back in the 1970's here in Orange County CA, there was a neat place called the Cars of Stars; Planes of Fame. They had several cool items on display. One was one of the original Kong armatures that Bob Burns now has. They had one of the Robby's, the cool cars from the Great Race, and...the 8ft version of the Flying Sub Seaview. Always wondered what happed to that ship when the place closed.


And they had a cool, in-museum hobby shop too! Picked up several vintage Auroras there when I was a kid!:thumbsup:


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## CaptCBoard (Aug 3, 2002)

Krel-- You are almost correct. True, models and props were stored at the studio. They were crated pending transfer to a new museum being opened in the US. The museum never happened. In 1974, MGM sold the studio, which was then torn down. MGM management told Kubrick if he wanted to keep the 2001 stuff, he'd have to move the crates to storage somewhere else, which he would have to pay for. Kubrick then elected to have the crates sent to the dump.

There is paperwork showing the Moonbus was not crated and its destination was noted to be "office". Beyond that, it still has not surfaced and those who know say it is not in Kubrick's office.

Scott


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