# 1/350 Seaview build question



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*1/350 Seaview build question -UPDATED 3-31*

I'm building the small 1/350 Seaview now using the _Paragrafix_ PE set and _Monkey Works _ 1/350 Flying Sub. I'm wondering if anyone else is doing the same and, if so, if you've figured out a way to mount the Flying Sub to the roof of the hangar bay. Right now I plan on using a short piece of brass rod soldered to the roof and inserted into a hole drilled into the Flying Sub but I'm open to other suggestions. Any advice from you master builders is appreciated.


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

use nylon fishing line,it will look invisible.


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## mrdean (Aug 11, 1998)

Magnets!

Mark Dean


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

rare earth magnets
:thumbsup:


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Nylon fishing line (strangely appropriate, too)!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks for the suggestions. I'd thought about magnets too but this little FS has so much detail for it's size it would seem a a shame to hollow out a recess big enough to glue a magnet into; even the thought of drilling a tiny hole to insert a brass rod makes me cringe. The fishing line idea is worth considering though. How would it attach to the sub ? I really don't want it swinging around inside the bay just hanging from the ceiling.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

In addition to the need to hollow out the FS, magnets would require something iron/steel based to "stick" to. They won't be attracted to the brass used in the photoetch.

As a side thought ... how about doing a "stand" out of two thin, but stiff, brass rods inserted into holes where the engines go? You could then cover them with microbeads and paint to simulate bubbles. Of course this would mean positioning the FS outside the sub bay, but you'd get to see more of it this way.

I can't wait to see pictures!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I'll take a few WIP pics once I get the LED's installed before I close up the hull. The PE control room turned out pretty good IIDSSM- I had to hold off on the caffeine though so I could hold the brush steady masking and painting all the tiny wall details; I was even able to paint a reasonably accurate world wall map inside a frame that must only be about 3/16" x 1/8" on the port wall. I'm using LED's from those Christmas tree light strings Target sells. 18 mini-LED's to a box wired in parallel with a 200 ohm resistor in the battery box on the postive leg. A lot of desoldering work to remove the LED's from the string but they all worked fine when I tested them afterward. The little PE radar dish looks great too ! I modified the kit part replacing much of the plastic shaft with 2 sizes of brass rod so it can be raised up out of it's well on the sail and rotated. Next will be drilling out the tail fins and scribing a channel to run fiber to the tiny tail lights.


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## Ductapeforever (Mar 6, 2008)

I'm not familiar with the 1/350 flying sub, is it cast in one or two pieces?


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

Is the 1/350 FS cast as one piece?

You can get small button magnets at Michaels that are small enough to be glued to the roof of the Flying Sub bay - on the inside where they won't be seen.

Then, you could hot-glue the round section of a thumb tack to the inside of the Flying Sub's upper hull. You could dry fit this with tape to see if it will be strong enough to hold the Flying Sub in place. The magnets are quite strong so it may work. 

Huzz


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

I'm getting the sense that the FS is one cast piece.

Would it be possible to carefully drill out the jet exhaust ports and insert metal wires in each? Would that be enough metal for a magnet on top of the FS bay roof to "grab" the FS?

You could try taping the wires to the FS hull first as a test.

Could wire strips be glued to the top of the fins that run from the bow to the stern of the FS? No driling needed....


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks for some great ideas Dave. The FS is one piece of solid resin: 








I'm strongly considering doing something with magnets as you and others have suggested. One thought I had was, If I could find a metal washer the same size as the blue ring on top of the sub, to hollow out a recess in the resin deep enough to glue the washer flush with the hull then paint it blue. Then I could glue a small magnet to the roof of the hangar bay to hold it in place. This would be my ideal setup. 
Another option, if a washer smaller in diameter than the existing ring was obtainable, would be to fit it around the upper hatch and inside the existing recess. I could even attempt to make it sit flush by hollowing out a ring in the resin. This would be a real challenge given the small size of this piece. 
Assuming no washers (or metal rings) in either size were available though , the thumb-tack idea you suggested above would definitely be another good solution. 
I'll have to see what I can find at the hardware or craft store over the weekend.


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

You may be able to find a washer of appropriate size in the hardware section of the nearest Radio Shack. I recall seeing small washers with certain types of electrical connectors.

That looks like the same size resin FS as I have with my aftermarket Seaview resin bow - you can see it in my album. I drilled out the exhast jets to mount my FS on wires:








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Your casting looks much crisper than the one I had!

Huzz


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Dave Hussey said:


> You may be able to find a washer of appropriate size in the hardware section of the nearest Radio Shack. I recall seeing small washers with certain types of electrical connectors.
> 
> That looks like the same size resin FS as I have with my aftermarket Seaview resin bow - you can see it in my album. I drilled out the exhast jets to mount my FS on wires:
> 
> ...


Very cool effect with the FS exhaust Dave. Monkey Works really did a nice job on the one I got. Very crisp and amazingly detailed for it's size.
Another thing I'm considering is whether or not to tackle making the corrugated doors so they can slide open rather than just having the doors removable as one piece. I keep changing my mind about that. It would be a true achievement if I could make that work in this scale.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Dave Hussey said:


> You may be able to find a washer of appropriate size in the hardware section of the nearest Radio Shack. I recall seeing small washers with certain types of electrical connectors.
> 
> That looks like the same size resin FS as I have with my aftermarket Seaview resin bow - you can see it in my album. I drilled out the exhast jets to mount my FS on wires:
> 
> ...


I followed your advice Dave and got my butt over to the "Shack" on my lunch hour. Sure enough they had some small rare earth magnets and a package of various sizes of small metal washers. I'd brought the Flying Sub from home and saw one size in particular that will fit nicely inside the upper circle of the sub. This is going to work really well. I've also pretty much figured out how to make the doors open slide open and shut. Can't wait to see if my idea will work.
I'll try and take some WIP photos this weekend.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I made some real progress over the weekend. Here are some WIP photos. Though some of the paint and parts may seem a little rough in these photos I figured it would be good enough when viewed thru the sub's tiny windows:

Control Room, Antenna Assembly, Spiral Stairs, Rotating Propellers, Flying Sub Hatch Cage, Sail with PE Doors:









PE Limber Holes. 1" Dia Acrylic Tubing for Presssure Hull:









Control room port side wall before window suppots were added. I'm pretty happy with how the little wallmap came out. 









Flying Sub with Magnetic Docking Tube:









Tail Fins after fiber optic insertion. Ready for puttying:









Antenna Lifts and Rotates:









Spiral Staircase. Totally from scratch. Round discs will be cut away before installation in control room:









Stairs ready for painting and install:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Here are the rest of the pics:

Chart Table Pics. The drafting machine was made from brass wire and Evergreen rod. The chart is paper and pencil: 

















Almost done:
























I used a very small brush on the tape drive wall:









Next up the Flying Sub Bay !


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

That's fantastic work, Trek! Thanks for sharing!


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## modelnutz (Sep 21, 2009)

Guys, thanks for all the kind words about my little FS-1.
It's nice to hear that it's well accepted.
It was a blast trying some new techniques to pull off the tiny details...but it sure was worth it ! A nice compliment to a great kit !
Took a few tries to get the beastie cast well too !
First mold set was a bust...second...winner !
These little FS-1's are still available...if anyone's interested.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Paulbo said:


> That's fantastic work, Trek! Thanks for sharing!


You're welcome sir ! This is my first time using PE and I can't say enough good things about your set; especially the window supports which fit together perfectly. The only thing I would add would be the spiral staircase but I'm not sure if that's even possible to do in PE. I look forward to painting the little crewmen !


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Modelnutz,

I just sent you a PM...

MMM


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Trekkriffic,

Very nice work on this kit...I've never used PE before...do you use Super Glue to assemble or to get it to adhere to the plastic?

Also, what are you plans for the FS bay door?

MMM


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Super Glue (CA) works well for brass-to-brass or brass-to-plastic gluing. On the Control Room corners I actually glued two sections of Evergreen 1/4" right angle shape for added strength and to close some tiny gaps. PE can be fun to work with so long as your careful not to bend it too much. Good thing is it is easily bent back into shape with a good pair of flat jawed pliers. I used a $20.00 off coupon to buy a nice set of PE pliers at Hobbytown. They retailed for $30.00 but they really work well; you don't use regular pliers or the teeth will leave indents in the thin brass. These are the ones I bought. Tamiya makes them. 








When I was done painting the walls, I bent them at right angles to the floor with two small metal rulers placed edge to edge; the first one, a straight ruler, was placed atop the floor along the base of each wall and the second one, a right angle triangular shaped ruler, was placed underneath the back of the base of the adjoining wall. I then carefully bent the second ruler upward along the fold line until the walls were at right angles to the floor. Delicate work to be sure, you absolutely have to get that fold right the first time IMO. 
For the sub bay doors I had thought about making corrugated doors from scratch using plastic and brass rod and some kind of fabric or sanding film as a backing and using Evergreen channel shape on the back and front of the opening to allow the doors to slide but, upon further review, I decided against it. There's just not enough clearance to allow for the doors to travel without raising the hangar bay walls up above where the channel would be or shaving the bottom of the brass walls off where they meet the hull (not something I want to attempt). Raising the hangar bay up would also raise the height of the control room sitting on top of it and it's designed to nestle up right against the windows as Paragrafix designed it. I'd hate to do all the work to get the doors to slide only to find out the floor now rests above the level of the windows ! 
I could also see the corrugated doors sticking rather easily with the glue cracking that holds them to the backing. 
So... that said, I plan to leave the doors as they are and lay a few thin strips of Evergreen right angle shape just inside the opening along the bottom of the walls so the doors have something to rest against. I also bought a blank magnetic vinyl business card at TAP Plastics. If it's not too thick I may lay a few strips of that inside the opening and lay some matching strips on the edges of the door to hold it in place magnetically. Some more experimenting to do in that regard.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Think I've pretty much figured out the lighting for the control room. A plastic milk carton jug figures in. I wanted the ceiling immediately behind the windows to look open. Something like this:









I suppose I could have opted to just leave the ceiling open above the girders but I might end up with it being too bright; I don't want a hot spot or beacon from the white LED which will be mounted at the rear above the control room (especially if I use a larger superbright LED) so I cut out a half round piece from the milk jug near the edge where it curves. After some adjustment it conformed perfectly to the gentle curve of the girders above the window frames. The milky transparency of the plastic should be an excellent light diffuser when lit. The ceiling above the stairs and chart table will be solid styrene. I've already drilled a number of .060 diamete holes in it into which I will insert short lengths of clear acrylic rod heated and bent on top to pick up the light from the LED and illuminate the rear of the control room. I did a test and it should look pretty nice when I'm finished !


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Trekkriffic said:


> You're welcome sir ! This is my first time using PE and I can't say enough good things about your set; especially the window supports which fit together perfectly. The only thing I would add would be the spiral staircase but I'm not sure if that's even possible to do in PE. I look forward to painting the little crewmen !


You know I had the staircase in my plans, but during the development when I was working on the parts for it I said to myself "self, their ain't no way anybody's going to be able to assemble a staircase for this little sucker" ...

I was totally wrong. Your staircase is an amazing piece of work.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Paulbo said:


> Your staircase is an amazing piece of work.


Thanks ! I made good use of my fine tipped tweezers and magnifier.


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Trekkriffic said:


> Super Glue (CA) works well for brass-to-brass or brass-to-plastic gluing. Good thing is it is easily bent back into shape with a good pair of flat jawed pliers. I used a $20.00 off coupon to buy a nice set of PE pliers at Hobbytown. They retailed for $30.00 but they really work well; you don't use regular pliers or the teeth will leave indents in the thin brass. These are the ones I bought. Tamiya makes them.


Thanks for posting this pic...I went to my local hobby shop and described what I was looking for and it being used for PE and at first the woman wanted to sell me a pair of small wire cutters. After showing her this pic that I printed from here...she swiftly went into the cabinet and pulled out a pair just like these. What was funny is that is says right on the package: BENDING PLIERS (FOR PHOTO-ETCHED PARTS).

I've never worked with this PE stuff so this will be a BIG help!
Thanks for the tips...

MMM


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

I just ordered a PL 1/350 Star Ship Enterprise with PE so thanks from me as well.
:thumbsup:

I got one of these 1/350 Seaview coming as well.
I should order the PE set for this kit as well.

1" diameter acrylic tubing for pressure hull....are you making it an RC?
Good thread.


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Paul does some great work over at PGMS and his PE stuff is top notch!

I think that it will add a nice bit of detail to a small kit to start with...
I have the PE stuff for the 1/350 Seaview and it looks great! 

http://www.paragrafix.biz/product_detail.asp?MainCat=Photoetch&SubCat=blank&PPartNum=PGX118


I can't wait to get started on the kit.

MMM


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

junglelord said:


> I just ordered a PL 1/350 Star Ship Enterprise with PE so thanks from me as well.
> :thumbsup:
> 
> I got one of these 1/350 Seaview coming as well.
> ...


No. Not RC The instructions from Paragrafix that come with the PE state that if you decide to cut out the openings in the plastic behind the PE limber hole pieces you can install a curved strip of plastic or a 1" diameter section of tubing behind the limber holes to give the impression of a pressure hull. Otherwise you'll just have the open interior behind the holes which I didn't want. The model itself has ribs inside that conform to a 1" diameter tube; seemingly made for just this purpose. You can tell a lot of thought went into this kit. I'll spray paint the clear acrylic tube with flat black enamel before installing it. One other thing I found was I needed to trim the bow end of the tube so it would extend far enough forward to cover the small limber hoels at the front of the sub while allowing room for the Flying Sub bay. I chopped off a half moon section an inch long of tubing leaving the upper half alone to cover the holes while the lower half was removed.


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

May I ask, where you got, said cylinder?


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Thank you all for the nice words about my PE sets. I truly appreciate it.



junglelord said:


> May I ask, where you got, said cylinder?


Plastruct.com carries all types of cylindars of various sizes. They'll have exactly what you're looking for. This should work out well: http://www.plastruct.com/Pages/OnlineProductDetail.lasso?-op='eq'&CCode=AT-32 (You might also be able to find this at a well stocked LHS.)


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

Nice price, very cool link, thanks.
:thumbsup:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Paulbo said:


> Thank you all for the nice words about my PE sets. I truly appreciate it.
> 
> 
> 
> Plastruct.com carries all types of cylindars of various sizes. They'll have exactly what you're looking for. This should work out well: http://www.plastruct.com/Pages/OnlineProductDetail.lasso?-op='eq'&CCode=AT-32 (You might also be able to find this at a well stocked LHS.)


I got mine at a local plastic/signage store called _TAP Plastics_. They cut to length. I got a 1 foot piece for about 2 bucks.

Here's their website:
http://www.tapplastics.com/


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Trekkriffic said:


> ...The instructions from Paragrafix that come with the PE state that if you decide to cut out the openings in the plastic behind the PE limber hole pieces you can install a curved strip of plastic or a 1" diameter section of tubing behind the limber holes to give the impression of a pressure hull. Otherwise you'll just have the open interior behind the holes which I didn't want. The model itself has ribs inside that conform to a 1" diameter tube; seemingly made for just this purpose. You can tell a lot of thought went into this kit. I'll spray paint the clear acrylic tube with flat black enamel before installing it. One other thing I found was I needed to trim the bow end of the tube so it would extend far enough forward to cover the small limber hoels at the front of the sub while allowing room for the Flying Sub bay. I chopped off a half moon section an inch long of tubing leaving the upper half alone to cover the holes while the lower half was removed.


Trekkriffic,

So why do you end up cutting the limber holes on the kit in the first place? Doesn't the PE go over top of where these are? It sounds like a dumb question but remember that I have never used PE before so this is also a learning experience for me and others...

By cutting the limber holes out, does it allow the PE to sit flush with the contours of the kit...and then the rod just acts as a backing so you can't see into the inside of the kit? Is the acrylic rod hollow or does it matter because you are painting it anyway?

MMM


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

MonsterModelMan said:


> Trekkriffic,
> 
> So why do you end up cutting the limber holes on the kit in the first place? Doesn't the PE go over top of where these are? It sounds like a dumb question but remember that I have never used PE before so this is also a learning experience for me and others...
> 
> ...


You don't have to cut out the kit limber holes if you don't want to. You'll find that the PE doesn't quite match up perfectly with the kit holes though. Maybe not a big deal but I'm anal about that sort of thing; plus I wanted the added realism since in the "real world" those holes would be open to the sea. The reason for using the acrylic tube is exactly what you said, I wanted realism and an empty space into the guts of the sub visible thru the holes didn't cut it for me. Plus you might end up with light leakage thru the holes if you light the kit and aren't careful about building housings around your LED's to prevent light escaping into the interior. I ended up cutting out a section of the hull under where the PE attaches rather than just the indents as if you just cut out the indents you may end up with alignment issues as noted at the beginnning of this post. I made sure not to remove too much plastic though so as not to leave any gaps when the PE was glued in place. I didn't make the PE flush with the hull as the instructions said they werent flush on the 17' filming model so I didn't need to make them flush to be faithful to what was seen on screen -at least in the surface shots. You'll want to heat the PE up with a micro-torch before attachment if you have one. Or heat it up on the stove if you have gas. It will make the brass more pliable in conforming to the curve of the hull. I am going to paint the exterior of the tube flat black and run my wires inside the tube fore and aft. I'll have 2 or 3 LED's above and behind the control room (or one large superbright white LED if it doesn't take too much current away from the smaller mini-LED's), one mini-LED for each searchlight on either side of the FS bay, one mini-LED behind the bow searchlight, one mini-LED in the front of the FS bay facing the rear to iluminate the front of the Flying Sub (I've already drilled and filed a round hole thru the PE for that), and one LED (perhaps a larger super-bright) to light the fiber running to the tailfins. I may also run fiber up to the little lights on the sail.


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

It all makes sense...thanks!

MMM


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

Just finished cutting the limber holes on the large model, (the third large model) which is going RC.
I will be well practiced for the 1/350 when it gets here, hopefully next week.
I need a Photo Etch kit for that baby.
:thumbsup:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

junglelord said:


> Just finished cutting the limber holes on the large model, (the third large model) which is going RC.
> I will be well practiced for the 1/350 when it gets here, hopefully next week.
> I need a Photo Etch kit for that baby.
> :thumbsup:


CultTVMan and Starship Modeler have them in stock for $29.95 plus shipping:
http://www.culttvmanshop.com/Seaview-1350-photo-etch-detail-set-from-Paragraphics_p_694.html
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/newshop/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1561

Of course, you'd have to build the Flying Sub hatch and railings yourself if you want to go super detailed. Same with the spiral staircase. And the plotting machine on the chart table. :thumbsup:


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

junglelord said:


> Just finished cutting the limber holes on the large model, (the third large model) which is going RC.
> I will be well practiced for the 1/350 when it gets here, hopefully next week.
> I need a Photo Etch kit for that baby.
> :thumbsup:


Trek is right, both Cult and SSM carry the PE set - though you can alway go straight to the source: http://www.paragrafix.biz/product_d...yage to the Bottom of the Sea&PPartNum=PGX118 :thumbsup:

He's also ALMOST totally right about the limber holes not being flush - it's tough to see until you notice it, then there's the "ah hah!" moment and you can tell they're raised in all the other shots. His error is that both miniatures had raised limber holes - I only included ones for the 17' miniature, though. 

There's a difference in the layout of the limber holes and the plate that they're cut from between the two boats.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Paulbo said:


> There's a difference in the layout of the limber holes and the plate that they're cut from between the two boats.


I realized I wasn't specific (at all) about what the differences are in the limber hole layouts. Check out the main image of the large Seaview's etch here:

http://www.paragrafix.biz/product_detail.asp?MainCat=blank&SubCat=blank&PPartNum=PGX102

The thin line on the top two sets of limber holes show where the plates have to be trimmed (the lines are on the back side of the other two), and the two small plates on the right get added onto the rear limber hole sets to make the smaller boat. It's wild how different they are!

Even at that, the smaller boat's limber holes aren't completely accurate because the shapes and angles are a bit different as well. I had access to tracings of the limber holes made directly from the 17' miniature so I could be dead on for those.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Just made a major discovery concerning the recommendation in the PE instruction sheet to use 1" diameter tubing. After cutting the tubing to length to fit inside the hull I did a test fit and discovered the tubing is too wide. There is no way to make it fit. The inside diameter of the ribs in the kit won't accomodate it. Looks like I'll be going with Plan B now and using some thin plastic curved to shape beind the limber holes. I wanted to get this out before too many others went out and bought their 1" tubing.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Thanks for the update Trek - I should have been more specific in the instructions: I meant to use a section of the tubing glued up along the top of the hull. (I figured this would be easier than trying to get a bent piece to hold a consistent curve when fit inside.)

Sorry for the confusion.


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

Trekkriffic said:


> Just made a major discovery concerning the recommendation in the PE instruction sheet to use 1" diameter tubing. After cutting the tubing to length to fit inside the hull I did a test fit and discovered the tubing is too wide. There is no way to make it fit. The inside diameter of the ribs in the kit won't accomodate it. Looks like I'll be going with Plan B now and using some thin plastic curved to shape beind the limber holes. I wanted to get this out before too many others went out and bought their 1" tubing.


Could you not trim the ribs?
Or eliminate them?
The boys did that on the big Seaview for RC.
Just a thought.
Let me know what you think of that, or would that make a big enough difference in the fit. I am curious as I wanted to try to RC one of these.
I was looking at a 1.5" tube....

My 1/350 should be here in two weeks, so I can measure and figure something out then...but in the meantime if your board...
:wave:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Trimming the ribs might work but that would be a lot of work. I might try that if was building an RC sub but since this is only for display I went ahead and heated up some thin styrene sheet with my heat gun and molded it to fit against the upper hull using a metal broom handle; it's 7/8" diameter was just right ! Even with rubber gloves on I toasted my thumb a bit heating up the plastic but it's all better now. I used Tamiya epoxy putty last night to install the power jack in the starboard half of the sub. That's one thing I liked about the Aurora movie Seaview; it had a one piece bottom rather than just a right and left side which made installing the power jack much easier. Wire leads are alreaded soldered to it. Probably won't get much done today with the Super Bowl and all...


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Not too much done last night. Folded the walls of the Flying Sub hangar together and glued short pieces of Evergeeen angle shape to each corner. Missed the start of _Heroes _dang it !


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

modelnutz said:


> These little FS-1's are still available...if anyone's interested.


Modelnutz,

PM sent to you....

Thanks,
MMM


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*So made a little more progress over the weekend. *

The forward stand locator peg was removed and replaced with a size K power plug. A mating power power jack was installed with epoxy putty. Wire leads run fore to light LEDs in the bow and ... 









aft to light a mini white LED that illuminates 4 fiber optic strands; two of which loop up to and through holes in the upper hull directly beneath where the sail will attach. These will provide light for the red and green running lights on the sail... 









The other two strands run aft...









and up into slots (since filled and sanded) filed into the tail fins to the tips. 









Amazing how much illumination such tiny fibers can produce. Placing the far ends of the strands in a white Evergreen tube fitted snuggly over the LED effectively doubled the brightness to the tips.









The Flying Sub bay. A white LED (filed and sanded flat) will fit thru the forward hole for illumination...

















Boy are the creative juices flowing now! 
As I go along I'm really getting some really cool ideas such that I could barely sleep last night planning my next move. I've come up with an idea for using fishing line in conjunction with the ceiling magnet to allow the sub to hang below the bay.... hmmmmm... I'll need to make a scale drawing first. This is going to be quite special when completed I think ! 

Thanks for reading. Comments always welcome...


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

Wow, now thats very nice work.
:thumbsup:


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Very cool new updates.

Is the hole in the front of the FS bay for an LED?


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

The brass is just professional looking on that kit.
:thumbsup:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Paulbo said:


> Very cool new updates.
> 
> Is the hole in the front of the FS bay for an LED?


Yes. I filed and sanded one of the mini white LED's flush with a collar I made from a set of Minus Mold covers I bought years ago on SSM. I'll paint the collar dark gunship grey like the rest of the framing in the bay. I had to sand down the LED to leave enough clearance for the bow of the Flying Sub in the bay.


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

I got my first 1/350 Seaview this morning.
The Mailman also brought the 1/350 CVN Big E...making a fleet of 1/350!

You got me excited to build the little one.
Cheers.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

junglelord said:


> I got my first 1/350 Seaview this morning.
> The Mailman also brought the 1/350 CVN Big E...making a fleet of 1/350!
> 
> You got me excited to build the little one.
> Cheers.


Nice ! I'm glad you're enjoying this thread. As you can see , there's a lot that can be done with this little kit. I have the 1/128 Seaviw kit as well; the 1/350 is a great way to experiment before tackling it's big brother !


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

Yes, love the thread.
Nice build, good motivation to get the brass kit.
I did it the other way round, I have four big ones, so I figured I needed at least one small one. I like to keep Mobius in business.
:thumbsup:

I made a 1/350 scale comparison just for fun, short and sweet.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Junglelord,

Is that the Polar Light movie Seaview reissue of the old Aurora kit I see next to the Moebius sub ? Got any more pics of it ? I have one of those too. Here's a pic:









Since this pic was taken I've gone back and toned down the panel lines a bit with another coat of paint. When I get the Moebius sub finished I'll take some pics of both.


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

Yes it is. I am about to learn airbrushing.
Nice work on yours, very nice.
:thumbsup:

I got two of them, one rides piggy back on a RC Submarine.
I got three RC Walmart Dallas Subs, fits like a glove on top.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*New Update 2-18-2010*

Spent a few more hours on this project last night...
Found out the LED in the rear of the sub only lit up when I plugged it into the stand; not when I plugged it directly into the battery pack.  
So I plugged one of my other lit models into the battery pack and it lit up fine. This told me the problem was with the wire leads in the sub. Once I flipped and resoldered the leads in reverse they lit up fine with the battery box but then of course the stand didn't work. Reversing the wires on the underside of the stand fixed that. So now the sub will light either on the stand or just with the battery box which was my original desire. 
Next I wet sanded up to 600 grit on the Flying Sub then wiped down with alcohol before I brushed the upper surfaces with MM Chrome Yellow enamel. I stuck the underside of the sub to a stir stick with 2-sided foam tape beforehand. Chrome Yellow looks spot on to what I've seen as far as the color and went on really smooth and thick over the white primer. Shouldn't have to do much buffing when it's dry. Set it aside to cure for 3-4 days under a plastic cup tilted atop the stir stick to keep dust off but allow air to circulate. I already painted the windows with fluorescent white paint using MM True Blue enamel for the frames. I painted the vents in front and the rear bulkhead MM Steel. Just the bottom and blue trim on the fins and body left to paint after the top dries. It's looking really good ! :woohoo:
Next up was test fitting the control room to the window frames. I attached the kit frames (which I'd already dipped in _Future_ so they are crystal clear) to the port side of the hull with tape then taped the lower bow section with the hangar bay in place. Placing the control room behind the windows and looking thru to the rear of the control room I was pleased I could make out almost every detail without much distortion at all. Had there been a lot of distortion I would probably scratch new windows from clear styrene sheet but it appears the kit windows will work fine! :thumbsup:
I then found out the _Evergreen_ angles I'd glued to the edges of the rear control room walls was preventing me from centering it  so I had to cut away the plastic angle on the sides. This shows you how tight the tolerances are and confirmed I was right in my decision not to attempt the sliding corrugated doors. There's just no way you'd have enough clearance for a sliding door channel below the hangar bay walls. When I was satisfied with the placement of the control room, I penciled two registration lines on th side and back on top of the brass hangar bay before untaping the lower bow from the upper hull. Then I glued the control room to the hangar bay ceiling with white glue and wrapped a rubber band around it to dry. White glue, as opposed to CA, gives me the option of popping the control room loose should I need to reposition it for some reason. 
Next up is figurig out the construction of my Fishing Line Flying Sub Retraction System or FLFSRS. 
Sorry no pics today; I'll definitely take some more this weekend. 
Have a good day and remember the peace that resides in styrenity...
:wave:


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## hedorah59 (Nov 24, 2008)

I've been resisting lighting any of my Moebius kits - It takes me long enough to finish one straight out of the box, It would probably never get done if I decided to light it - But threads like yours make it awfully tempting!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*New Update- New Pics !*

Finally have some more pics to post. 

So, where to begin... I liked the suggestions of attaching fishing line to the Flying Sub. The positive is you can suspend the FS below the hangar bay for a cool diorama feel. The negative was what to do with that fishing line when,or if, you decide to store the sub in it's bay. I suppose if it was short enough you could just stuff it in but it just seemed a little messy to me so... 

I hereby present my scratch-built Flying Sub Fishing Line Retrieval System or FSFLRS: 









Two lines about 2 feet long retract thru holes drilled into the roof of the bay onto spools. 









The fishing line feeds up thru two pieces of bent tubing onto two spools turned by gears leftover from a previous build: 









After numerous cranks with a small eyeglass screwdriver thru a small external hole just aft of the bay...









... the "sub",in this case a piece of tubing, docks nice and snug against the roof: 









Doors closed. Thin magnetic strip (from a magnetic business card) holds the door section into the frame built from Evergreen angle:










Flying Sub is still a WIP:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Continuing on...

This PE set is sooooo cool. Paul really outdid himself with the details. The little crewmen included are in various poses. I painted them with enamels to match the officers and crew uniforms. I used 5 of them in the control room. See if you can find them all !

















I liked the relaxed pose of the crewman (Kowalski ?) in the denin shirt. I imagine him standing next to the officer to his left waiting for instructions...









Red jumsuit at the FS hatch rail looking out...









Admiral Nelson steps off the spiral staircase waving his arms in alarm:










Since these pics were taken,I've blown out all the dust and given the floor a coat of Dullcote. I don't want a lot of glare. 

I hope everyone is enjoying this build as much as I am.
I haven't had this much fun since my last build LOL !


More pics to come shortly including the wiring and light tests ! 

Thanks in advance for any comments...


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Very nice! I like the fishing line idea and it looks like it's gonna work beautifully.
Will you use a different medium for the viewport glass? I ask because the curves of the kit-supplied windows lead to a distorted, "under water" view of the bridge.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Seaview said:


> Will you use a different medium for the viewport glass? I ask because the curves of the kit-supplied windows lead to a distorted, "under water" view of the bridge.


I may. I plan on doing a test fit to see how it looks thru the kit windows. If it's too distorted, I may replace the kit windows with clear styrene sheet. I guess they'd need to be flat though; getting them to curve in 2 directions like the kit windows would be prety tough to do. 
Anyone tried it yet ?


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

That is just crazy good! I can only imagine how steady your hands are and sharp your eyesight is. I mean, I thought the spiral staircase was awesome, but then you;ve got a flipping tie ... and not just straight tie, but one with taper to it!

Unfortunately, I think you'll want to replace the kit windows. They're very thick for the scale and do introduce a bunch of distortion. You don't want anything interfering with being able to see that handy work.

I'm definitely not an expert in this, but perhaps you could take the windows in place, then heat some soda bottle material 'til it droops over them?


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Paulbo said:


> I'm definitely not an expert in this, but perhaps you could take the windows in place, then heat some soda bottle material 'til it droops over them?


I've not seen the parts as I don't have a Seaview (yet) but you could maybe cast a copy of them then use that to vac-form a replacement as Paul suggests.
You can make a female mold by pressing the part into a wad of two-part putty. Remove the kit part and allow the putty to cure, then form a male mold by pushing some fresh putty into the female mold.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Paulbo said:


> That is just crazy good! I can only imagine how steady your hands are and sharp your eyesight is. I mean, I thought the spiral staircase was awesome, but then you;ve got a flipping tie ... and not just straight tie, but one with taper to it!
> 
> Unfortunately, I think you'll want to replace the kit windows. They're very thick for the scale and do introduce a bunch of distortion. You don't want anything interfering with being able to see that handy work.
> 
> I'm definitely not an expert in this, but perhaps you could take the windows in place, then heat some soda bottle material 'til it droops over them?


Thanks for the compliments Paul. Painting those ties was a challenge for sure. I confess I did use a magnifier. 

As far as the windows are concerned, I like the frame that comes with the kit windows. when you paint the frame the girders inside match up perfectly to the frame and I'd hate to lose that. Sounds like I may have to though, unless I drill out the existing kit window panes leaving the surrounding frame intact and lay in 4 new flat panes. I think the windows on the studio model were flat anyway but perhaps the experts here could confirm that. Otherwise, I may try heating up some thin clear styrene with my microtorch and try molding it to the kit windows. The thinner the windows, the less the distortion as you say.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

miniature sun said:


> I've not seen the parts as I don't have a Seaview (yet) but you could maybe cast a copy of them then use that to vac-form a replacement as Paul suggests.
> You can make a female mold by pressing the part into a wad of two-part putty. Remove the kit part and allow the putty to cure, then form a male mold by pushing some fresh putty into the female mold.


Good idea miniature sun! I have some AVES that would work well for mold making. That way I don't harm the kit part making new windows; just in case all else fails and I have to use them after all.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Here are the rest of the pics to get everyone close to up-to-date.

Bow assembly test fit with hull:








I have since added a section of curved styrene sheet to cover the inside of the limber holes. 
A tight fit with the spools underneath.

Windows taped and painted:








Interesting optical illusion to note: When the entire frame was clear it seemed the outside girder spacing was misaligned to the window frame but, after painting and taping, the frame edges became opaque and the girders magically matched up just right along the sides of the frame.

Wired up:

















Not a great pic of the port side of the sail but the red running light is lit. I turned a small piece of red acrylic rod in my dremel until I got the right diameter then drilled a hole into it to glue the fiber in place. Same thing was done for the green light on the starboard side. There is also a third fiber strand protruding from the rear top of the sail which will be snipped off after painting. I didn't know about this light until I viewed a few closeups shots of the sail during an episode I viewed on Hulu. Thank goodness for Hulu !









Bow assembly lighting test:
















As far as the test goes, the good thing is all the lights worked; the bad thing is, the 5mm LED atop the control room provided little to no illumination to the control room. I think it's because of the narrow viewing angle, the light is bright at the tip but that's it. It also sucked up much of the current in the circuit thus dimming the smaller 3mm LED's. I have since revamped the control room lights using 4 3mm LED's and the result is much brighter. I'll take some pics of the final configuration for my next post. 

That's all for now. 
Thanks again for reading about my progress on this most enjoyable and challenging build.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Not much to report today other than I noticed last week the aft LED lighting the tailfin and sail lights dimmed significantly when I powered up the 8 LED's in the bow. I figured there must not be enough milliamps to power all 9 LED's in parallel with 4 AA batteries without dimming the first LED in the circuit. So... over the weekend I rigged up a new battery box with 4 C-cells and plugged it into the circuit and guess what... the rear LED still dimmed ! Apparently increasing the milliamps had no effect. Not sure what the problem could be unless it's because I only have 1 resisitor in the circuit attached to one leg coming off the power jack before it connects to the rear LED. This was how the LED's were rigged when I cut them off the Christmas light string initially except the resistor was attached to the positive terminal inside the battery box;I thought this would be a great way to cut down on some soldering if I could get away with only using 1 resistor. That said, I've never run into this problem before when each LED has had it's own resistor. I may try inserting a second resistor on the lead coming from the rear LED to the second set of LED's in the bow which would give me 2 resistors in a parallel circuit. May not have any effect at all but it's worth a try. If it doesn't have any effect I guess I'll leave it as is. The control room and other lights iin the bow are plenty bright and are more critical to me than the sail and fin lights.
Anybody have any ideas ?


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

I like what you've done so far. The reel for the mini sub is slick. As to the LEDs, I'm assuming you changed the resistor to the negative lead from the positive lead, based on your last post.

Everything I've read about LEDs says the resistors should be on the negative leg.

Also, everything I've read says it's not a good idea to wire LEDs in parallel, except possibly if they all have their own resistor.

Lastly, resistors in parallel decrease resistance. Example: 2 470 ohm resistors in parallel yield 235 ohms resistance. Resistors in series add resistance: 2 470 ohm resistors in series yield 940 ohms.

I've just started messing around with LEDs, so I'm by no means an expert.
Just passing along something I read. Good luck! Looking forward to the finished product!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

machgo said:


> I like what you've done so far. The reel for the mini sub is slick. As to the LEDs, I'm assuming you changed the resistor to the negative lead from the positive lead, based on your last post.
> 
> Everything I've read about LEDs says the resistors should be on the negative leg.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the input Machgo. If, as you say, resistors in parallel decrease resistance then I should be able to increase the brightness by adding more resistors. As far as which leg the resistor goes on, I have always thought the negative leg in the past but other times I've read it doesn't really matter. I'll try adding a resistor to each leg and see what happens.


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

You should increase brightmess if you add a resistor in parallel--but you will be sending more voltage and current through your resistors too.

How many LEDs do you have total?


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Good news machgo. I added a second 220 ohm resistor to the red wire coming from the aft LED to the bow and it did the trick. All 9 LED's are nice and bright now. And I found they were just as bright using the AA batteries as C-cells so I went back to the AA's. 
Next up is replacing the kit windows with thinner .015 clear styrene. I have an idea that might work really well for removing the windows while preserving the frame. 
I'll take some more pictures before I glue the bow assembly in and start work on the outside of the hull.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Last night I went down around 2 and played with the FSFLRS; I'd noticed the screwdriver slipping inside the plastic collar that drives the gears. Turns out the small diameter half round Evergreen rod I'd inserted into it as key for the screwdriver had disintegrated after repeated use so the hole was rounded . Couldn't have that so... I ended up cutting the gearbox off the back of the hangar bay and replacing the plastic tube with brass tubing. I'll epoxy putty a tiny screwhead into the opening for the screwdriver to contact. Phillips woudl be nice I think. I think I'll also lower the head of the drive gear 1/16" so it meets the teeth of the shaft drive gear in the middle where it's not as chewed up. Might as well improve on the earlier design if you're going to this much trouble eh ?
Went back to bed around 3...


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Trekk,

Your work is very impressive, so much so that it's inspired me - to take it easy. I think I'm going to build my _Seaview_ with the TSDS fold-up interior. If modelnutz can fix me up with a 1/350 Flying Sub, I may scratchbuild the docking bay, but that would be it.

I've found an easy way to light models: there are all sorts of LED flashlights and bubble units (those little self-stick dealies for closets and such). They're cheap, and you can buy them with whatever number of LEDs you need, all prewired. I just dissect them with care, and redirect the LEDs as needed. New battery packs and mini switches are plentiful at Radio Shack.

None of this is to denigrate that your work. I'm just admitting that I'm old and not very ambitious. I'm anxious to see how your _Seaview_ turns out!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Mark McGovern said:


> Trekk,
> 
> Your work is very impressive, so much so that it's inspired me - to take it easy. I think I'm going to build my _Seaview_ with the TSDS fold-up interior. If modelnutz can fix me up with a 1/350 Flying Sub, I may scratchbuild the docking bay, but that would be it.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments. 
That fold up interior is nice ! The view into the control room on the back flap is almost 3D. John at the SSM Store sent it to me by mistake recently so I got a good look at it before sending it back. The only thing is you don't get the window girders or chart table like you do with PE which is big for me. 
Good suggestion on the LEDs. In fact, the ones I'm using are from a Christmas light string I got at _Target_. 18 mini LED's for something like $4.00. I just had to cut them off. I am also using the battery box too with a K-size power plug soldered to the cord.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Trek,

Thanks for the "in-box" review of the TSDS interior. I want to take my _Seaview_ to the next level, but not the straospheric heights you are with yours. I'll keep watching your progress.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Mark McGovern said:


> Trek,
> 
> Thanks for the "in-box" review of the TSDS interior. I want to take my _Seaview_ to the next level, but not the straospheric heights you are with yours. I'll keep watching your progress.


LOL. Thanks for the compliment. 
"Stratospheric" is an interesting term for a sub if you think about it. Speaking of which, I did a little test fitting of the bow into the hull last night with my improved control room lighting arrangement and I blew myself away. I mean it's dead on to the look of the control room on screen. Better perhaps IIDSSM. I layed white reflective tape in the hull above the bow and it really spreads the light around nicely. You can see every little detail inside the nose. 
I am so fricking excited to take some pics of this. 
Stay tuned !


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Trekkriffic said:


> I am so fricking excited to take some pics of this.
> Stay tuned !


I can't wait to see your photos. I am tuned in.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Paulbo said:


> ...perhaps you could take the windows in place, then heat some soda bottle material 'til it droops over them?


Paul said he's not an expert at this (though he's made it blazingly clear that he *does* know PE!), and neither am I except: I've experimented with tube glue, a couple brands of liquid cement, two-party epoxy adhesive, and super glue - none of which will bond soda bottle plastic. I dunno just what this stuff is, but do know that I can't find a solvent for it, nor anything that will stick to it. This has really been frustrating becuase soda bottles could be a useful resource _if_ we could find an adhesive for them.

Anybody have a solution?


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## junglelord (Mar 6, 2007)

Great idea to use reflective tape. 
Cannot wait to see the pics.
Thanks for the idea.
:thumbsup:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

No pics yet so if that's what you were expecting stop now and come back next week when I have my new camera hopefully. Otherwise I'll take some with old Betsy again. 
That said, I did make some real progress over the weekend. Fixed the driveshaft of the FSFLRS by packing the open end of the brass tube that fit over the metal axle from the drive gear above with J-B Weld and inserting the cropped off shaft of a tiny slot-head/phillips screw I got off a slide switch kit . It's the screw that attaches the slide switch to the side of a battery box. Anyway, the outside diameter of the screw is the same as the brass tube so that worked well with the opening in the housing. I did have to cut down the brass tube a little to accomodate the height of the screw so ended up redoing the height of the plastic box around the driveshaft too. Test fitted into the hull and found out the big spool axle drive gear was rubbing against the roof! Cripes ! I'd run into this before but solved it by lowering the axle just a little. When I started redoing the vertical drive axle I'd raised it a tad so the teeth would engage more in the center of the vertical gear. Turns out I'd raised it too much so...I ended up having to rip the spool axle walls off AGAIN and reposition them to lower the axle about 1/16" with two pieces of Evergreen filed to a slant so the walls were lower in the back where the axle goes thru. Turns out the action is smoother for the 2 gears with the axle lower so it's for the best. Also the screw with J-B Weld will never come loose ever again; that stuff dries like steel.

Anyway, the other thing I did was cut out the existing windows from the frame. I used a small angled blade.This one:








Rocking it back and forth from the inside of the frame along the edge of each window I was able to cut a deep groove along all 4 sides of each window. Then I stuck the sharp tip of a new #11 blade thru from the back until I felt the tip come out the front. I rocked it along the groove until the window fell out. I was even able to save the hull piece/girder divider between the adjacent windows port and starboard. Gave my first blood for this build with a tiny slice on the left index finger from the #11. Cleaned and squared up the inside of the window frames with mini files and sanding sticks before coating with Mr. Surfacer 500 thinned with a little lacquer thinner for smoother application. I decided I wanted the least amount of distortion to view the interior so I lightly filed the front of the frames where they insert into the hull flat so the new windows will sit flat for no distortion. This also gave me a narrow flat frame to glue the windows too so... Bonus ! The window frames even have the round corners as seen on TV when viewed from inside the control room. I'm using either .015 or .030 clear styrene sheet. No weird soda bottle plastic for this one. Gorilla glue should hold it in place on the frame. Maybe a little CA along the divider to really glue the one side of each window. Future should protect the window from fogging I think. 
I'll use Tamiya tape placed against the hull openings to make a pattern. I'll give it a coat of Future first. This stuff scratches soooo easily and it's brittle.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

How the heck did I miss your first post with the Flying Sub Fishing Retraction System? That is extremely slick!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*New Pics 3-31-10*

Here are the latest pics:

Control room lit:

































A lot of soldering:

















White reflective tape:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*New Pics 3-31-10*

Test fit without windows. The window supports are really fantastic; lookingpretty good so far IIDSSM: 

























Flying Sub bay illuminated:

















Red port sail running light:








Green starboard sail running light:









Tailfin lights:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*New Pics 3-31-10*

Window frames sans windows:








Two .015 clear styrene windows installed with Gorilla glue.Lots of test fitting to hull to get them just right:









Last pic of the day:









Next pics will be with windows installed and control room glued in place. Thanks for visiting !


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Well... I must say I'm a little underwhelmed by the lack of any comments. 


Oh well...


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

That's continuing to look fantastic! It just keeps getting better.

The window frame setup is extremely slick.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Trekkriffic said:


> Well... I must say I'm a little underwhelmed by the lack of any comments.
> 
> 
> Oh well...


I think you're doing a fantastic job......:thumbsup:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Paulbo said:


> That's continuing to look fantastic! It just keeps getting better.
> 
> The window frame setup is extremely slick.


Thanks Paul. I finished attaching the window panes to the frame last night and test fitted it into the hull. It fit nice and snug. I was debating whether or not to construct external frames as seen on the smaller version of the studio model but confirmed today that the larger version, which was used for surface shots and flying sub launches, did not have the external frames so no frames it is. 
That said, I will add a narrow strip of Evergreen to the center support frame that separates each window on each side so it sits flush with the hull rather than recessed.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

teslabe said:


> I think you're doing a fantastic job......:thumbsup:


Thanks man ! I really don't want to sound like I'm fishing for compliments but I do think this is turning out pretty neat.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Trekkriffic said:


> Thanks man ! I really don't want to sound like I'm fishing for compliments but I do think this is turning out pretty neat.


I agree, it's looking very nice......


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

The lighting on the tail and sail look great--just the right size.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

machgo said:


> The lighting on the tail and sail look great...


That reminds me, Trekk: I meant to ask why you carved the trench for the fiber optics on the outsides of the Caddy fins. I'm planning to do mine on the inside, where I assume any botched putty work would be less noticeable - ?


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

The tail of the 1:350 Seaview is solid rather than a 2 parter like the 1:128.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

My kit arrived the other day, courtesy of eBay, so I've at last had the opportunity to familiarize myself with the 1/350 _Seaview_ first hand. The mounting holes for the clear lenses at the tips of the fins will make a great place to start drilling into the fairings just forward of the tail lights. But as you say, Paul, the fins are solid pieces; a trench will need to be dug into them to run the fiber optic strands inside the _Seaview_'s hull.

After the fiber optics have been glued into these trenches, they'll have to be filled with putty or super glue. Since the sides of the fins are flat, any imperfections will be quite noticeable. My thinking is that the inboard surfaces of the fins would be the best place to dig the trenches. There, any dings wouldn't stand out so much.

But Trekk apparently dug his fiber optic trenches on the outboard sides of the fins. He's shown such aplomb with his build so far, I assume he had a good reason for doing things the way he did. Therefore I ask, what was that reason?

Or is Trekk merely a goof like me?  :tongue:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks for the comments guys! 
Trenches eh ? I suppose I carved them on the outside because the fins were one piece and I planned on installing them after I'd cemented the hull together carving a slot in the hull where the fibers pass thru; this was also how I did the fins on my 8-window Polar Lights Seaview. In retrospect, I suppose it really doesn't matter, in fact, I like Mark's idea of going inboard even better from the standpoint you can pass the fibers thru holes drilled in the tops of the fin section rather than go thru a slot in the lower hul. Going inboard would be cleaner with less chance of getting styrene cement or CA on the fibers passing into the interior. 
As far as going inboard, it may be less noticeable but perhaps only if you were viewing the sub from angles below or to the side; otherwise, from angles above or behind, I could see how inboard might be just as noticeable.
That said, I'm not particularly concerned I won't be able to get the fins perfectly smooth again as much as I sand and polish. I steered away from CA on my plastic fibers and used white glue in the trenches to hold the fibers in place. Then I layed in some AVES and sanded smooth. Then I brushed on some Mr. Surfacer 500 and sanded some more. I'll rinse and repeat as needed until finishing up with wet sanding and polishing. 
As far as the sail lights, they look even better in person. Just the right level of illumination for this scale. If I'd even had LED's small enough to use in place of colored rod and fiber, I think they'd have been too bright.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Mark McGovern said:


> Or is Trekk merely a goof like me?  :tongue:


I'd take that as a real compliment Mark. You're figure models are quite special. I love that comic book Robin you did !


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Thanks for the info, Trekk. Granted that the fiber optics trenches won't be invisible from every angle, I just figured they'd be a little less noticeable if they're on the inboard sides of the fins. Always assuming that my anal modeling drive let me down and I left flaws in the first place, that is.

As a competition modeler, I take it for granted that Sci-Fi subject simply _must_ be illuminated these days. But I'm getting lazy in my old age, so I look for the easy way out whenever possible. I have purchased the TSDS Color Fold Up Interior for the _Seaview_, which I intend to illuminate with a couple LED "bubble" closet lights.

These things can be taken apart and rewired, to place the lights just where you want them. For my purposes, that means two to backlight the TSDS interior (no concerns about the kit windows here!), one for the nose light, and one each for the port and starboard sail and fin lights (don't worry, I won't forget the aft sail light). You posts confirm for me that which I hoped would be true, that fiber optics will carry enough light into the sail to make it worth the effort to install them - I aappreciate your sharing that bit of information.

Along with modelnutz' beautiful 1/350 resin Flying Sub, this _Seaview_ is going to be part of a figure diorama. I'll post photos of it when it's finished on The Modeling Forum. Oh, and thank you for your kind words about my figures.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

LED "bubble" closet lights eh ? Forgive my obtuseness but I assume you are using these in conjunction with fiber in the tail and sail ? Otherwise they'd have to be awfully tiny LED's to fit.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

You assume corrrectly, Trekk. As you have shown, there is ample room within the _Seaview_ hull to mount the LEDs and guides for the fiber optic strands. I'll run the power leads out through one of the kit base mounting holes in the keel.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Mark McGovern said:


> You assume corrrectly, Trekk. As you have shown, there is ample room within the _Seaview_ hull to mount the LEDs and guides for the fiber optic strands. I'll run the power leads out through one of the kit base mounting holes in the keel.


Yes. There's plenty of room for LED's. The sail and tail fibers all feed off one white LED in my build. I found that enclosing the LED in a hollow white Evergreen rod with a nice snug fit really concentrated the light increasing the brightness to the ends of the fibers. I also liked that using a white LED in conjunction with the red and green colored acrylic rod (using my dremel like a lathe to turn them to a diameter matching the sail running light "bumps" on the model) then cutting them off very short (the rods are opposite each other in the sail so there's not much space between them in the sail) and drilling a tiny hole in the center for inserting the fiber (you'll want some slack in the fibers coming out of the hull into the sail so as not to kink them of course) gave the lights a white center. This matches what I see in the TV epsodes; in fact, I thought the sail lights were white for awhile then I realized this was because I was viewing them from the sides. You can check it out yourself but to me it definitely looks like the red and green lights glow white in the center when viewed straight on. When viewed from the front or back they appear red and green though.

Regarding running the wires out a keel hole, will you be installing a power jack in the sub with a mating power plug in the stand like I did ? I like being able to remove the model from the stand myself.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Trekkriffic said:


> Regarding running the wires out a keel hole, will you be installing a power jack in the sub with a mating power plug in the stand like I did ? I like being able to remove the model from the stand myself.


No, the sub will a permanent part of the diorama. I am converting a Creature From the Black Lagoon into a giant Manfish that will be giving the _Seaview_ a hard time as seen in the second-season episode, "The Menfish". The leads will be disguised by seaweed coming up from the base, and there's a big rock at the rear in which I can stash my battery pack and light swirch.

That's the great thing about Sci-Fi modeling - scale is what you make it. Just so happens that a 1/8 scale Creature can be converted into a 1/350 scale Manfish - with a lot of work, that is.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

A manfish diorama sounds very cool. I have an idea for a dio myself but the sub would still be removeable. It would involve a 1/350 scale sperm whale.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

I'm wondering if I can find a 1/350 WWI U-boat for a small diorama.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Seaview said:


> I'm wondering if I can find a 1/350 WWI U-boat for a small diorama.


Since you've taken such a cool username, I found ya one on eBay, item #280485215285.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

How about a giant octopus ? Hard to know what scale you'd need. Figure on a model with arms about 6" long or so. 
Would look good with the 8-window Seaview. 
The diorama possibilities are stratospheric to borrow a term.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Finally got around to taking a few more WIP pics.
Starboard profile prior to priming:









Window frames added to bow exterior using .020 half-round evergreen strip:









Stern from above after prop tubes were glued in place. Not much puttying and sanding needed as the parts fit is near perfect:









Propellers actually turn:









Ventral view of stern tubes. PE drain holes and tie rods really add realism to this kit:









Since these pics were taken I sprayed her with a coat of Testors flat black as an added light-blocking layer and found a few more areas that needed sanding. I should have that finished today at which point I'll apply a second coat of black before spraying a coat of grey primer. Then I'll install the windows and finish the window frames. I'm on vacation this week so should get a lot done. I'll post some more pics after the windows are in and the control room subassembly is installed.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

This build just keeps getting better and better! (I'm totally wowwed by the FS retraction system and the spiral staircase!)


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Latest Update:

After spraying a few coats of Testors flat black I glued the window assembly in place with styrene cement and clamped them in place with some cheap mini clamps I got at Harbor Freight. 
Here's a pic after removing the clamps:









Here's how the windows looked after I finished the framing:

















The PE set included 3 pairs of optional cleats which were only shown on the full size set when the Seaview was docked. I spent about 45 minutes installing the pair of cleats in front of the sail because the cleats kept slipping out of the tweezers while I tried to insert the flat base of each into a slot I carved into the deck with my exacto knife:

















I had considered not using the cleats but they kept calling to me, "Jurgie, Jurgie, you know you want us" until I gave in! I still have to install the 2 pairs behind the sail which should take me about an hour and a half based on my experience with the first pair. I really like how they look though. 

That's it for now. 
Next step will be soldering the wires for the control room/FS hangar bay lighting to the leads from the power jack and installing the bow assembly into the hull.

Comments always welcome!

Steve (aka Jurgie)

Note to self, clean off camera lens before taking more pics.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Trekkriffic said:


> Latest Update:
> 
> 
> Comments always welcome!
> ...


Only comment I can think of is, fantastic job....... Especially on such a small
model.......:thumbsup: I would suggest maybe a smaller gauge wire with Teflon sleeveing, might be easier to deal with.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

After posting Saturday's pics I noticed a tiny pit in the starboard inboard window pane and some scratches along the edge of the port inner pane. Amazing how things not noticeable with the naked eye jump out at you when they are zoomed in digitally. I ended up popping both panes out and replacing them; good thing I used white glue to attach them!



teslabe said:


> Only comment I can think of is, fantastic job....... Especially on such a small
> model.......:thumbsup: I would suggest maybe a smaller gauge wire with Teflon sleeveing, might be easier to deal with.


Thanks teslabe. Yes, I could have gone with smaller gauge wire in retrospect. In fact, I did go with solid 30 gauge wire for the control room lighting.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

So I was loooking at this screen grab of the studio set last night ...








which shows where the cleats were located behind the sail and realized that something was amiss with the way Moebius molded the upper deck part in the kit. The escape hatch was molded aft of the missile hatches with the missile hatches right up behind the sail whereas the escape hatch should have been molded in front of the missile hatches just behind the sail. Frack! 
This would have been easy to fix by cutting the section of the part just behind the sail and reversing it before gluing it to the hull but; needless to say, I had already glued and puttied the upper deck in place. So I ended up taking my chissel bladed exacto knife and working it under the back of the part hoping I could pop it loose; luckily, this worked and, after some minor cleanup, I was able to reglue and putty the missile deck so the hatch is now in the correct position behind the sail with the missile hatches further back. I wonder how Moebius missed this? I guess I'm so used to their excellent workmanship and attention to detail that it really caught me by surprise. As I say, it would be easy to fix before gluing but afterwards it could be a real challenge. 
One other unfortunate note, as I was concentrating on cutting the missile deck free with my right hand, my left hand totally mangled and broke off the two cleats in front of the sail where I was gripping the hull! Frack, Frack and triple Frack! 
So, unless Paulbo is feeling especially generous and has an extra set of cleats laying around he can send me, I'm going to just leave them off entirely. 
Dang it all anyway.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Good news! Paul is sending me some new cleats! Whooohoo!


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## JamesC (Dec 30, 2007)

The kit is based on the 17ft Seaview, because of this the escape hatch was not located behind the sail.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

JamesC said:


> The kit is based on the 17ft Seaview, because of this the escape hatch was not located behind the sail.


Ahhyhh...I was wondering if that was the case. Then what I have now is a hybrid of the 17 foot and 8 foot studio models with the framed windows of the 8 foot version and the 20 missile hatches of the 17 footer but with the forward escape hatch of the 8 footer. Also the hatches are further back than they should be in either case. Guess if I want a truer representation of the 8 footer (I'm keeping the window frames) I'd need to remove 4 hatches from the rear of the deck and add another escape hatch in their place. 
Ooooophdah...


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Trekkriffic said:


> ...Guess if I want a truer representation of the 8 footer (I'm keeping the window frames) I'd need to remove 4 hatches from the rear of the deck and add another escape hatch in their place.
> Ooooophdah...


And you'd have had to do some mucking about with the limber hole plates - and that'd be a royal pain!

I think the hybrid you've got with details from each of the incarnations is probably the way to go ... of course I'm sure there are many people who'd debate which details to take from which incarnation


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## JamesC (Dec 30, 2007)

That’s what I would like to see Moebius do is releasing another large Seaview but based on the 8ft model. I know you have the option to build the existing large Seaview to make it like the 8ft model but it would never look like the true 8ft model because of the limber holes. I built my large Seaview so it looks exactly like the 17ft model. Also Moebius should bring out a movie version of the Seaview also.

So Trekkriffic, you have gone through all the trouble adding the window frames and moving the escape hatch but you still going to have the problem of the limber holes!

Good luck.

I own the Monsters in Motion Seavew what probably represents the 8ft model best in my opinion.

Oh, I own the small Moebius Seaview but I purchased the pre built version.  I did buy the kit but was not happy with my build so I sold it on.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Paulbo said:


> And you'd have had to do some mucking about with the limber hole plates - and that'd be a royal pain!
> 
> I think the hybrid you've got with details from each of the incarnations is probably the way to go ... of course I'm sure there are many people who'd debate which details to take from which incarnation


Well I'm not so anal that I care whether the limber holes are from the 17 foot vs. the 8 foot model. You'd have to be a real expert on the various iterations of the Seaview to know the difference at a glance so I'll leave well enough alone as far as the limber holes go. But I do care enough about accuracy to redo the missile deck to 16 hatches as opposed to 20. The trick is scratching the escape hatch for the back. I think I'll use some AVES Apoxy sculpt to make a mold of the forward hatch and after it dries I'll use some more AVES to make a new hatch from the impression. Hopefully that will work.


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Looks great man! Nice work!

Steve


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

JamesC said:


> That’s what I would like to see Moebius do is releasing another large Seaview but based on the 8ft model. I know you have the option to build the existing large Seaview to make it like the 8ft model but it would never look like the true 8ft model because of the limber holes. I built my large Seaview so it looks exactly like the 17ft model. Also Moebius should bring out a movie version of the Seaview also.
> 
> So Trekkriffic, you have gone through all the trouble adding the window frames and moving the escape hatch but you still going to have the problem of the limber holes!
> 
> ...


I also purchased the ParaGrafix PE set for my large Moebius Seaview. It includes limber hole options for both the 17 and 8 foot subs. At least my large Seaview will be 100% accurate to the original, if not my little one.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Got an envelope yesterday from ParaGrafix. 
Paul sent me a complete PE set not just the cleats! 
Thanks again Paul! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Of course, now I just have to build another small Seaview. Maybe make it to match the 17 foot model next time around.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Rats! I lost the antenna assembly for the sail! 
Musta fallen out of the box lid when I was futzing around with the Flying Sub or something. 
Can't find it ANYWHERE! 
Crapola!

Oh well... good thing I have a spare PE antenna. Just have to scratch a new mast now. 

Just great... 

At least I have the cleats done now. And the completed control room/FS bay assembly is cemented into the bow.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

That sux about the antenna mast ... but at least you have the spare 

You know I thought about including limber holes for the 8' miniature as well, but since the little kit didn't include the optional missile tubes I figured I'd give it a miss.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Paulbo said:


> That sux about the antenna mast ... but at least you have the spare
> 
> You know I thought about including limber holes for the 8' miniature as well, but since the little kit didn't include the optional missile tubes I figured I'd give it a miss.


Tell you what Paul, if you did make a set for the 8 footer in this scale, I'd replace the ones on my sub now with them. They're glued on pretty solid but I still think I could pop 'em off. No big deal to me if it stays the way it is though.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Went to the hobby store yesterday and got me some 1/16" inner diameter aluminum tubing and some 1/16" diameter piano wire that slid nicely inside it. This should work well for scratching the new antenna mast. The piano wire is very stiff.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*New Update 6-29-10*

Updates for today...

1) Got the mast completed for the new antenna; just need to figure out how I want to attach the PE antenna now. I'd like to solder it to the mast if possible. 

2) The aft escape hatch in front of the missile tubes and behind the sail had to be redone as, like a raw newbie, I tried removing a couple of coats of black primer that were obscuring the detail using lacquer thinner. Yes. LACQUER THINNER. I have since learned this was NOT a good idea! The lacquer thinner removed the paint alright but it also ate the plastic leaving me worse off than before. After filing and sanding off what the left of the old hatch I scratched a new hatch with Evergreen rod which turned out well. I also had to resurface the missile deck around that section as the lacquer thinner had caused the hull arojund the hatch to sink in. Trying to work around the 4 PE cleats just wasn't cutting it so I ended up cutting them off with dikes so I could finish sanding the area after levelling it with AVES putty. Luckily, I have the extra cleats left over from the second PE set Paul sent me; I'm becoming quite the expert at cleat installation at this point. 

3) Now for the really bad news...After gluing and puttying the control room/FS hangar assembly into the bow I discovered an impingement of the FSFLRS such that I could not pull the fishing lines forward; I was able to retract the lines sightly with the mini-screwdriver with some effort but when I tried pulling on the lines they snapped off! Arrrrrrgh! So all that work was apparently for nothing and I'm not inclined to pry the sub apart to fix it; especialy if the problem is, as I suspect, that the retraction spools are wedged up hard against the inside of the upper hull surface. It was a tight fit when I glued the bow assembly into the hull in the first place with some pretty hard clamping done until the glue dried so I wasn't totally surprised at this development. 

So... On to plan B now for the FSFLRS.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*New WIP Pics-Black "Stealth" Seaview*

OK. Time for an update I guess...

Took these pics this past weekend after having sprayed with flat black as a light block and also as a base for preshading when I spray the next finishing coats. I think it looks pretty badass in black myself; my wife thinks it gives the Seaview a stealthy look:

















































Continued...


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

This detail pic shows the scratched antenna I built using the PE antenna and some brass and aluminum rod. You can also see the reworked missile deck with PE cleats and 16 tubes like the 8 footer had; you can see where I added a hatch behind the sail. I also removed the kit missle hatches (too much paint and sanding had softened the details) and punched out new ones using a hole punch and thin sheet styrene. Turned out pretty good IIDSSM :









Under the bow. The doors are held in with vinyl magnetc strips along the sides:









Under the stern tubes. You can see the PE rudder tie rods and ventral drain holes clearly here:









That's all for now. Sorry to take so long between posts!


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

Nice work on those details. The photoetch parts greatly add to the appearance for the scale.

The black paint is reminiscent of an assembled Aurora/Polar Lights _Seaview_ prior to priming and painting.


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## Larry523 (Feb 16, 2010)

The black paint is also much closer to what real submarines look like today. If someone were to "reimagine" VTTBOS, I can just see them making the Seaview black instead of the gray normally used on surface ships. It may not be authentic what was on seen on the original show, but to me, it would be more realistic. Of course, my opinion and 50 cents still leaves you woefully shortchanged in the Starbuck's Coffee line!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks for the comments Trek and Larry. I agree, the black color is more in tune with the standard color of subs and it is reminiscent of the Polar Lights black plastic Seaview for sure.
All that said, the black Seaview is no more. She is now the color of gray primer. Now for a little more touchup on a few spots and I'll be ready to start sanding to let a little of the black show thru before applying the overall finishing coat. I want to duplicate as much as possible the weathering visible on the filming model while keeping it subtle for a model in this scale.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Some delay over the weekend as a close inspection revealed slight surface imperfections around the window framing and between the missile deck hatches after all the rework I'd done. Luckily I was able to get a bottle of Mr. Surfacer 1000 at my LHS last week. First time I'd used the 1000 and man is this stuff good! Being self levelling it completely smoothed everything out. Gave 'er another light coat of primer after the touchups so just waiting now for it to completely cure before I start the pre-shade sanding.


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