# Pegasus' Nautilus - Kit review and build



## GKvfx

Thanks to Larry over at Pegasus, I have a production kit of their new Greg deSantis Nautilus kit to review and build. An original design based on Jules Vernes' "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", this version of the Nautilus retains the overall "sea monster" look as well as the "ironclad" details that were a distinct feature of U.S. Civil War naval vessels of the period. 

So here's the first bit - a quick in-box review of the parts - 

The box art artist is not credited, but it features quite a nice painting of the Nautilus in the clutches of the giant squid (which will make up the display base for the kit):









Inside, the box is crammed full of Victorian submarine goodness:









You get a total of 8 gray sprues of *styrene* plastic (one sprue is doubled up for parts), a sprue of clear styrene, a base and a baggie of vinyl parts for the squid.










Also included are a set of die-cut maskes for the salon windows......









.....and a fret of photo-etch brass for parts like the steps, railings, and support rods:









As I mentioned in my sneak peek of the test shot parts, the detail on this kit is nothing short of phenomenal. I was impressed with Pegasus's 2005 Martian War Machine, but this kit kicks it up about three notches. These shots should speak for themselves - 

































The detail is crisp and sharp, and the mold seam lines are virtually non-existant. The sprue attach points are very small, which should make clipping them and cleaning them up a simple process.

Part of the reason for this is the fact that *Trumpeter* did the tooling and production on this kit. Yes, _that_ Trumpeter. Larry was very excited when he first told me that they had agreed to take on the task. Larry has had a long relationship with the Trumpeter engineers and management, and due to the intricate detail in Greg deSantis' design, Larry felt he needed Trumpter to do the tooling for this kit to make sure all that detail made it into your hands. (Trumpeter doesn't usually take on outside work - so don't get used to this.....)

This kit has been meticulously thought out. There's a full salon inside the sub, complete with books and a desk and a globe and an organ. And, it looks like you will actually be able to see in there because the clear parts are actually clear. (For all the guys trying to figure out the wheelhouse - there isn't an interior for you to see. While you can stick a light in there, there's nothing actually in there. Hmmm.....Paulbo....?)

I've been looking forward to this kit for a while now and will be doing a quick build up here in the next couple of weeks. (I haven't decided whether I will light this first one, but I will have some LED's on hand to check clearances.)

Stay tuned. This is a weatherers dream.......

Gene


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## miniature sun

That looks fabulous Gene...I can't wait to get my hands on one. I'm pretty sure Paul will be eyeing this up for some upgrades although the detail already looks pretty comprehensive aside from the wheelhouse you mentioned.


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## GKvfx

PART 1 - the Squid base - 
I know you would probably think I would start with the sub, but the base looked really cool and I thought I would do a quick test fit of the parts since I didn't have to make any decisions about LEDs and batteries and paint.

As you can see in my initial post, the squid is comprised of 11 parts + a base and a nameplate.

The body is a solid chunk of vinyl that features a good amount of detail that was designed by Pegasus' own Scott Willis to resemble the squid in Greg deSantis' initial rendering of the Nautilus - 










At first glance, the instructions seem a little vague when it comes to placing all the various arms and feelers on the main body. That doesn't really matter because Pegasus has ingeniously keyed each individual sucker/feeler/grabber arm so each one can only go in one socket, one way - 









This little test fit took all of 5 minutes (literally) to assemble (and I needed no glue) - 


















I would recommend leaving some of the arms loose in order to paint the parts before final assembly.










More tomorrow.......

Gene


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## rowdylex

Oh boy! This is going to be good. 

Looking forward to mine shipping in the next few weeks.


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## Garbaron

This is truely an amazing model kit. 
Too bad it isn't the Nautilus from the 1954 Disney movie. 
Like that version of the Nautilus the best.


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## Richard Baker

This sub reminds me of what Nemo would have built before the Disney one- getting the engineering worked out and systems tested.
I love the fact it is in actual Styrene- I do not care for the ABS material. I also love the fact Pegasus is releasing kits for builders not just focused on the big movie and TV hits. I like to build things that do not have an onscreen canon to mimic but allow you just to have fun exploring the potentials..


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## GKvfx

Garbaron said:


> This is truely an amazing model kit.
> Too bad it isn't the Nautilus from the 1954 Disney movie.
> Like that version of the Nautilus the best.


I've talked to a number of kit makers and the consensus of opinion is that the 1954 Disney/Goff Nautilus license is just to darn expensive to justify for an injection molded model _kit_. While a limited edition, pre-built/painted replica ala the MR offering (or was it Icons?) may allow you to charge more, and thus sell fewer units to recoup costs, the math just doesn't work for the model kits. They would have to sell far, far more of the Nautilus than any other model in their lineup in order to make it work. More than Star Wars and Star Trek and BSG........ With those titles, you can ammortize the cost of the license over a number of kits/long period of time. But to do it for a single item, with a limited sales window, is just cost prohibitive for most companies.



Richard Baker said:


> .....I love the fact it is in actual Styrene- I do not care for the ABS material.


I've built most of Pegasus' kits and have never had a problem with their materials. I've got a glue that works and paint that sticks. I do miss being able to grab a can of Tamiya Spray Primer and use it on the vinyl kits. But I attribute that to laziness on my part. The detail in the Kothoga and Dragonslayer vinyl kits makes up for it.



Richard Baker said:


> .....I also love the fact Pegasus is releasing kits for builders not just focused on the big movie and TV hits. I like to build things that do not have an onscreen canon to mimic but allow you just to have fun exploring the potentials..


Yeah, the Pegasus guys like their older licensed material (War of the Worlds, When Worlds Collide, etc), but they also like doing subjects that you can use as a jumping off point. That and the lower price point of some of their kits bring this back around to being what it was originally intended to be - a hobby (and *fun*).

I'll post more photos later today, but right now I have a bunch of parts with primer and paint just drying....... yep, waiting for the paint to dry.......

Gene


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## Xenodyssey

I am so glad I put in a pre-order for this. It looks great. The squid could be released as a separate kit it looks that good.

BTW Has anyone seen the finished Pegasus Tarzan kit yet?


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## GKvfx

Xenodyssey said:


> I am so glad I put in a pre-order for this. It looks great. The squid could be released as a separate kit it looks that good.
> 
> BTW Has anyone seen the finished Pegasus Tarzan kit yet?


Funny you should say that about the squid. I've been trying to talk Larry into releasing it with some 1/72nd or 1/48th scale divers - going after a Harryhausen's Mysterious Island vibe.....

Larry had the the Tarzan kit with him, but wasn't drunk enough to leave THAT behind. It looked great.....

Gene


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## Xenodyssey

GKvfx said:


> Funny you should say that about the squid. I've been trying to talk Larry into releasing it with some 1/72nd or 1/48th scale divers - going after a Harryhausen's Mysterious Island vibe.....
> 
> Larry had the the Tarzan kit with him, but wasn't drunk enough to leave THAT behind. It looked great.....
> 
> Gene


You are reading my mind now when thinking about having it with diver figures.

I'm sure the Tarzan figure will be revealed soon.


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## Rotwang

I'm kinda warming up to this kit. Hope to ogle it up close at Wonderfest.


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## GKvfx

OK, here we start - sort of. The assembly begins with the interior, since you wind up building the hull of the ship around it. I was debating whether or not to light this review kit, but regardless of that, I had to start painting some of the parts before assembly. While the parts were still on the sprue, I shot them with a light coat of Tamiya Fine Primer. Since I was still debating the lighting issue, I decided to shoot the back side of the parts with some silver to act as a light blocking agent. If I do add lights, I didn't want the thing glowing.

Anybody that knows me knows that I don't like waiting for paint to dry. So after spraying the base coats this morning, I put the parts in my custom built drying room (aka: my bathroom with the space heater 'on') - 

























I'll go into the details on the weathering for the interior later.

Since a lot of people are interested in how to light the salon, here are a couple of images to get you thinking. The completed interior sits on some pins on the bottom hull piece.....









........ to which you add the sides and the top. This photo will give you an idea of the clearances between the roof of the salon and the top plate - 









So, you can see there's plenty of room to install some lights and run wires. Haven't figured batteries and switches yet......

Gene


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## secretreeve

looks like fiber optics would be awesome for this build as you could use some 0.25mm strands in the "cieling" of that area to simulate spot lights or something


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## Fernando Mureb

Gene, thank you so much for this thread. This kit have the same hight quality of a PL 1:350 TOS-E, a Moebius J2 and a Atomic City 2001 Pod, just to cite a few. A must have, really. :thumbsup:

Just in case, the link to the die-cut maskes picture, in your first post, is broken.


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## falcondesigns

Excellent job,Gene.....as usual.


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## GKvfx

Fernando Mureb said:


> .........Just in case, the link to the die-cut maskes picture, in your first post, is broken.


I maxed out the number of pictures in that initial post. Here are the masks - 










Gene


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## GKvfx

Before I get caught up in the day today, here is a sneak peak at the paintjob on the interior salon.

Couch (did Nemo get this thing at a brothel garage sale?) - 









Organ wall - 








.... the pipes are molded into the bulkhead, but there is a separate piece that makes up the organ that mounts on the floor.

Overall - 








...... I wanted to go for a wood panelling effect with the ceiling. I still have to do the gold lines to give it a bit o' bling (Nemo-style).

I used Tamiya Spray paints for the base coats of color, and oils for the washes/weathering. I love how they blend and behave in recessed lines. But I don't like how long they take to dry. Still, for a mottled look or woodgrain, I haven't been able to achieve the same look with acyrilics. And enamels dissolve when I use turpenoid for washes. So, this stuff will just have to dry for the day before I go handling the parts any more. (Once they are dry, a *light* coat of Dullcoat seals them in.....)

I agree that fiber optics are probably the way to go, though if someone (*cough* Paulbo) were to offer an etched brass ceiling with holes already etched out for light to come through.... 

Gene


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## Fernando Mureb

Fantastic paint job! Does the model comes with paint suggestions?


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## Fernando Mureb

GKvfx said:


> I maxed out the number of pictures in that initial post. Here are the masks -
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gene


So sorry, Lou. No business here...  I guess.


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## Xenodyssey

Excellent work so far with the interior.

I can see a whole thread's worth of comments on what colors people are going to use to paint this model. Aged Bronze or Iron or steel or some kind of camoflage or even painted as some kind of undersea beast/monster...


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## SJF

Wow, this is looking great! Thanks very much for this sneak peek. 

Sean


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## Dr. Brad

This is great! Thanks for posting this! I'm really looking forward to getting mine! Already preordered it, and I'm glad I did!


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## Paulbo

GKvfx said:


> ...I agree that fiber optics are probably the way to go, though if someone (*cough* Paulbo) were to offer an etched brass ceiling with holes already etched out for light to come through...
> Gene


Great minds think alike ... and so do ours :wave: Ceiling lighting panels were the first thing I designed.


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## spock62

Thanks for starting this thread. I was on the fence about purchasing this kit, but after seeing these photos, I'll definitely pick up this kit once it's available!


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## TIEbomber1967

Paulbo said:


> Great minds think alike ... and so do ours :wave: Ceiling lighting panels were the first thing I designed.


just curious, will there be multiple P.E. sets for the Nautilus (like the Battlestar Pegasus), or will the lights/ceiling be on the same set as the wheelhouse P.E.


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## Paulbo

Only one set for the Nautilus, TIE. The reason I split up the Pegasus is that it ended being a huge set and, IMHO, cost prohibitive to sell as a single item.


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## Fernando Mureb

Fernando Mureb said:


> So sorry, Lou. No business here...  I guess.


Dear Lou

Reading this thread again, I realized that my post #19, despite having been made in jest, was somewhat ungainly. I apologize for that.

You may not have looked that way, but I thought I should say something. :wave:


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## RB

Gene, does the spotlight located between the wheelroom ports include a clear lens? It'd be great if it could be easily lit. And thanks for posting, it looks great!


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## Paulbo

I just opened up the "bulkhead" behind one of the wheelhouse windows. With Micro Kristal Klear or Testors Window Maker in place of the kit glass, the wheelhouse I'm working on should show up fairly well ... or at least well enough to give it a feeling of depth and function.


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## idMonster

Paulbo said:


> I just opened up the "bulkhead" behind one of the wheelhouse windows. With Micro Kristal Klear or Testors Window Maker in place of the kit glass, the wheelhouse I'm working on should show up fairly well ... or at least well enough to give it a feeling of depth and function.


Might the wheelhouse windows be a good candidate for one of your ShadowCaster inserts showing the wheelhouse equipment? It seems as though the TOS 350th Enterprise windows are far smaller that the Nautilus Wheelhouse ones.

Gordon


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## Paulbo

I'm doing the wheelhouse in brass so you can see all the way through it. Because of the size of the windows and the area within the wheelhouse, the shadowcaster's won't create the illusion as well as brass - plus modelers can add some off-the-shelf 1/144 scale naval figures.


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## idMonster

Paulbo said:


> I'm doing the wheelhouse in brass so you can see all the way through it. Because of the size of the windows and the area within the wheelhouse, the shadowcaster's won't create the illusion as well as brass - plus modelers can add some off-the-shelf 1/144 scale naval figures.


Cool!


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## Dr. Brad

Oh yeah, this is going to be great! Can't wait to see your photo etch, Paul!


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## miniature sun

Count me in for the etch too!


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## Lou Dalmaso

I'm just glad they saw the wisdom in providing masks in the first place.


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## GKvfx

Meanwhile, Gene is going blind painting the books on the bookshelves..... 

Note to Paulbo - how about a stylized 'N' for the organ?

According to Larry, the ship is due in on Monday. So you are all close....

Gene

PS - more pics to follow soon.....


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## GKvfx

Gettin' kinda cross-eyed. :freak: But it's worth it.... 



















I painted the books first - just little lines of paint (Model Master Enamels) - blue/gray/red/green/tan:










....followed by the bookcase itself:


















I'll do a wash to make the lines "pop" once this is fully dry.

Here's a rough idea of the overall Salon:









More later when my eyesight has recovered..... Great, I need an optivisor.....

Gene


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## Fernando Mureb

Fantastic the precision of your lines in the painting of the books and everything else! Congrats! :thumbsup:


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## Xenodyssey

Wow. Outstanding detail.


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## Paulbo

GKvfx said:


> Meanwhile, Gene is going blind painting the books on the bookshelves.....


What, no titles on those books? 



GKvfx said:


> Note to Paulbo - how about a stylized 'N' for the organ?


Oh, I LOVE that idea! (He says adding it to the list of items to etch.)



GKvfx said:


> According to Larry, the ship is due in on Monday. So you are all close....


Drat! Must work faster! Most pieces are designed, just some tweaks and a few minor pieces and I can get this set into production.


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## Prowler901

Gene, that is some absolutely beautiful detail painting and weathering. :thumbsup:


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## Trek Ace

That looks great, Gene.

I haven't started on my kit, yet. Maybe this weekend.


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## GKvfx

Paulbo said:


> What, no titles on those books?  .....


Actually Paulbo, if you look in this photo, you can see that Nemo is reading a chapter from the book "Bite Me"........










:thumbsup:

Gene


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## Fernando Mureb

You should be one of those guys whom can manage to write a page of the Bible on the head of a pin.


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## Paulbo

GKvfx said:


> Actually Paulbo, if you look in this photo, you can see that Nemo is reading a chapter from the book "Bite Me"...


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## GKvfx

Fernando Mureb said:


> You should be one of those guys whom can manage to write a page of the Bible on the head of a pin.


Nothing more than some scribbles done with a sharp mechanical pencil lead. 

Gene


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## Captain Han Solo

Excellent build sir.


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## fluke

*Yes I agree with Capt Solo VERY NICE WORK! :thumbsup:

How long is that interior assembly in mm?

Thank you!
*


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## Paulbo

I don't have it in front of me to measure, but I think it's about 75mm long. Do not take this as gospel.

Note that Gene's book is about a kajillionth of an inch on a side. Brilliant work! (OK, maybe it's about 1/16 to 1/8 inch on a side, but still ...)


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## GKvfx

Salon length = 73.5mm
Salon Width (@ widest) = 47.75mm
Salon Height (@tallest) = 23.75mm

Gene


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## fluke

Thanks Gene! :thumbsup:


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## Sourdoh

Over at the NautilusSubmarine.com website, many of us are waiting to get our own models. I'm sure there will be a lot of build threads started when they are begun.


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## walsing

Should get mine this Wednesday and the Para Grafix enhancement when they become available. Also plan to light it and am really looking forward to the build!


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## Paper Hollywood

Welcome to HobbyTalk, Doughster. (Raises Paper Hollywood mask & whispers) It's me, Wade W.

Gene, thanks for showing us the unboxing and beginning build. You're doing a fab job of painting the interior. This kit is definitely going into my enormous stack of kits I'm planning to get around to building one day.


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## GKvfx

Two words - Opti visor.

Working on the windows now. Because of the way the kit is engineered, you have to deal with the windows and insert them into the hull sides before you seal the thing up. So, I want to deal with the masks on the windows first. Photos soon......

Larry tells me the container has cleared customs and should be shipping by week's end.

Release the Kraaken...... (actually, that might make a good diorama)

Gene


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## GKvfx

OK, this evening I was able to apply all the masks to ONE salon window. (I figure I can probably do ONE salon window per session before I go crazy.)

The masks are die-cut paper, not vinyl. Trumpter claims they've been successful in the past using this method. I'm testing them on a spare set of windows that Pegasus gave me to fool around with. All of the masks are numbered, with the larger ones having the numbers printed on them - 








Note that mask #1 was too small to be die cut, so you'll have to cut it out or use some tape.......

The instructions show were all the masks go, and since all the panes are mirror images, it's fairly intuitive where they all go - 









Like I said earlier, the salon windows are inserted into the walls of the sub prior to it being buttoned up. So, you have to think ahead a bit. 

Do you want to glue the windows in place first, then apply the masks? Or do you want to mask the windows first, then glue them in place? You are going to have to leave them masked while you assemble and paint the rest of the sub.



















Since I'm really just testing the masks at this point, I'm going to leave the windows out, mask them, and paint them the hull color. If all goes well, I will just glue them in place and mask the entire salon window area with Tamiya tape prior to painting the rest of the hull.

The masks were sticky, but not sticky that you couldn't move the mask around once it was on the pane.

At this point, it gets a bit tedious. Peel off the mask.....









... place the mask on the window pane and burnish with a toothpick (or cocktail stick for you Brits).........









......and do it over and over.......(68 times. I think).....









.....till you are either done or, well.... done _in_.......









The photo above shows all the masks in place save for the center mask you have to cut out. The little "triangles" in the corner of the rounded panes aren't included. Frankly, I can go either way on these, since adding some structure to the assembly might look cool.

You can also see that some of the mask shapes aren't exactly the same shape as the panes (namely the triangles in the center cluster). I'm not sure that's going to make a huge difference - I mean those panes are really tiny.

The real test is how well they stick to the plastic and if they allow any paint creep. Tomorrow I'll prime them and give it a quick coat of silver (to block light) and the color coat (all Tamiya Sprays) and report back......

Gene


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## Dr. Brad

Wow - this is looking great! Can't wait to get mine!


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## Lou Dalmaso

Gene,
Based on using the sticker version..

Do you think that this is something that would benefit from being redone in vinyl?

thanks


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## GKvfx

Lou Dalmaso said:


> Gene,
> Based on using the sticker version..
> 
> Do you think that this is something that would benefit from being redone in vinyl?
> 
> thanks



I'll know more in a few hours.......  Paint's gotta dry......

Gene


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## Paulbo

From Gene's pictures you could get some of the shapes better, plus include the missing center circle and other small pieces. I would think vinyl would work better than printed paper (even though it does look calendared to be less susceptible to paint leakage).

I would think that your cutter could do better than the dinking die used for the kit's masks. (That said, though, I think it's pretty cool that they included them at all.)


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## GKvfx

OK, to paraphrase Mr. Miagi - "Mask on, mask off".........

This morning, I hit the masked salon window with a coat of Tamiya Gray Primer, followed by some Tamiya Gloss Aluminum (to aid in blocking the light for the salon interior).

At this point, I shot it with some of the color I wanted to use as a base coat for the entire sub. For this I chose Tamiya's AS-29 ( http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=86529 ), which I think is a IJN color. I wanted to try something other than a copper or a steel color and decided to go with a base color that looked like the gray-ish/green patina of copper. (I'm also working on a second kit (exterior only) that will be in the more traditional brown/rust color of the Disney/Goff version.)










It's not perfectly 100% opaque as you can see here - 








......but the mullions are opaque. But the lights I'm using in the salon aren't nearly as bright as the worklight. (The dark areas are the masks.)

But the true test of any masks is how well the hold back the paint. Cue tension music - 


















The masks came off easily, and I didn't see any residue left behind. No paint creeped under the mask. (Any time you mask something and spray three coats of paint (even lightly), you're going to get some edge buildup which you can see in some areas. If I was Carson Dyle, I'd probably buff it out. But I'm not. 










The masks work. Yeah, the shape of some of them was a bit off. Could Lou do a better job? Yeah, maybe. Probably. (I don't know how long it would take Lou to make vinyl masks and what they would cost him to do.) But the kit masks *do* work, and I give Pegasus props for including them in the kit. (Sadly, for the other sub, I don't have masks, so I'm gonna have to Tamiya tape them........eeek.) I'll let you guys decide if you want aftermarket masks. You should start getting the kits later this week or next week.

More later......

Gene


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## Buc

Wow!! You're nuts! Many thanks for the walk through.


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## TIEbomber1967

Buc said:


> Wow!! You're nuts! Many thanks for the walk through.


Well... if you're nuts then I guess I will be too soon enough. Thank you very much for showing us how well the masks work, if i get the results you did I'll be more than happy.
Now I just have to settle on a paint scheme. Go with the more traditional steel and rust, or do a counter shading like a shark, or even a Narwhal (my father scoffed at that one, but then he's a Nautilus traditionalist). He did mention that some submarines that operated in the shallower waters of the Mediterranean had a zebra striped paint job as camouflage. Decisions, decisions.


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## modelnut

Very cool! Michael Crisafulli clued me in to this thread. I hope to get my kit by the end of next week --- coincidentally very close to my birthday. :hat:
I am almost as _Nautilus_ obsessed as Michael. So I am definitely looking forward to this kit! Though the wheelhouse design kinda bugs me . . .

- Leelan


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## Opus Penguin

Just ordered mine today. CultTVMan sent me an email saying it was time to pay  My birthday is within the next week too so his is my birthday present to myself!


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## walsing

Got my kit and started looking it over. Wow, the detail is really good! I won't start the build until I have the Para Grafix parts but began planning the lighting and painting. Using a magnifier will be a must and I hope I have a steady hand for what needs to be done. Have not worked with laser etched brass before. Any tips for that?


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## Paulbo

It's actually not laser etched - the etching is done with acid. The photographic process is how the pattern is transferred to the etch-resist material.

I've posted some videos on working with photoetch here: http://www.youtube.com/ParaGrafixModeling


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## walsing

Paulbo said:


> It's actually not laser etched - the etching is done with acid. The photographic process is how the pattern is transferred to the etch-resist material.
> 
> I've posted some videos on working with photoetch here: http://www.youtube.com/ParaGrafixModeling


Thanks! I will check out the videos!


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## Cajjunwolfman

GKvfx. I need my MTV. I'm starving for another of your excellent updates.


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## Antimatter

So Disney *finally* gave someone the license to produce a kit of the Nautilus? Amazing.


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## Paulbo

It's not the Disney Nautilus.


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## Antimatter

Paulbo said:


> It's not the Disney Nautilus.


Goes to show that Disney is still stupid and only looking to make a buck.


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## Borz666

looking fantastic.


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## Hunch

Its great that they include the masks and you are doing a great job, but I wonder if the masks are not just a bit thick? I may use tape for mine to get less of that Edge, but it will be a real bear to get all those curves. Gotta finish my big "E" first, then I'm hitting this bad boy.
Again, nice job indeed.:thumbsup:


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## Lou Dalmaso

I'm looking at redoing those in thin vinyl. They looked a bit thick to me as well


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## teslabe

Lou Dalmaso said:


> I'm looking at redoing those in thin vinyl. They looked a bit thick to me as well


That's great news, I'll hold off on any painting till you get them up for sell.
Steve just sent my email telling me she's shipped.....:thumbsup:


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## GKvfx

Hunch said:


> Its great that they include the masks and you are doing a great job, but I wonder if the masks are not just a bit thick? I may use tape for mine to get less of that Edge, but it will be a real bear to get all those curves......


They are a bit thick due to the fact they are paper. But they do work sufficiently. And they will be a darn sight easier to apply than taping and cutting them yourselves.

Then there's Lou...... 



Lou Dalmaso said:


> I'm looking at redoing those in thin vinyl. They looked a bit thick to me as well


Gene


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## electric indigo

Until the thin vinyl masks are available, using Bare Metal foil is a good alternative for complex masking. It's thinner and much easier to cut than Tamiya masking tape and conforms much better to the surface.


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## dreadnaught726

electric indigo said:


> Until the thin vinyl masks are available, using Bare Metal foil is a good alternative for complex masking. It's thinner and much easier to cut than Tamiya masking tape and conforms much better to the surface.


Bare metal foil works great but is impossible to remove once burnished down.


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## modelnut

I have ordered Preiser figures to populate the salon. But I plan on remodeling the pilot house so that it can be seen as well. For that I need a ship's wheel at least. But so far I haven't found any.


Do any of you have any leads I might try?


- Leelan


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## GKvfx

dreadnaught726 said:


> Bare metal foil works great but is impossible to remove once burnished down.


Agreed. Masking is a balance between convenience, accuracy, ease of use. Burnish the Tamiya tape to get it in the corners and a new #11 blade and the thickness shouldn't be an issue.

Gene


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## TIEbomber1967

Any further progress you'd like to share?
I know I'd like to see more Nautilus.


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## walsing

modelnut said:


> I have ordered Preiser figures to populate the salon. But I plan on remodeling the pilot house so that it can be seen as well. For that I need a ship's wheel at least. But so far I haven't found any.
> 
> 
> Do any of you have any leads I might try?
> 
> 
> - Leelan


http://www.paragrafix.biz/product_detail.asp?PPartNum=pgx173

Para Grafix makes a photo etch kit that contains what you want. Link above.


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## Paulbo

Thanks for posting that link William. Your etch set will be on its way tomorrow.


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## modelnut

*DOH!* 

ParaGraphix PE set includes two ship's wheels and an interior and a hatch for the pilot house. I'm all set and I didn't know it.

I've already paid for my set and Paul says that it is on the way.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to fix that bug-eyed pilot house . . .

- Leelan


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## electric indigo

dreadnaught726 said:


> Bare metal foil works great but is impossible to remove once burnished down.


I can tell you from personal experience that it works. I used it on the canopy of the 1/144 Falcon when I found Fine Molds' masks to be too inaccurate.





I'm an avid user of Tamiya masking tape, but there are situations where Bare Metal Foil works better for me.


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## GKvfx

Uggghh.. got caught up with some work-related matters and didn't have time to post much. I'm also building a second Nautilus kit for an alternate paint scheme, which means double the window masking! Whee! To further complicate matters, though I got a second set of windows in the parts from Larry, he didn't have any extra masks - they were added to the kits @ Trumpeter. So, he didn't have any for the test shots. So it was time to try the Tamiya tape method. (I've just found the Bare Metal Foil to be too brittle when I remove it. It just splits into shards. But Electric Indigo certainly seems to have gotten it to work for him. The steps involved are pretty much the same, even if the materials are not.)

Based on past experience, I usually only mask one or two panes at a time. It's tempting to lay out and cover the *entire* clear piece with one piece of wide tape, but things get moved, tape gets pulled up out of the corners that way, etc. So, for the Nautilus windows, I took some 1/4" wide Tamiya tape, laid out a strip, and cut it into smaller pieces - 









Those bits get applied to the window parts - 









I beveled a toothpick (or cocktail stick for the Brits) to get a nice chisel point. This allowed me to burnish the tape down, get it into the corners of the frames, and create some "lines" for me to follow with the knife - 








(Using a wood toothpick instead of my knife saves from scratches to the glass if something slips or if the tape tears.........)

At this point, my advice for using a new #11 blade in the knife should seem obvious. The Tamiya tape cuts easily with light pressure. (And since I kinda needed two hands for this step, there are no pictures.....)

This leaves removing the excess tape - 









And doing it over -









- and over - 









- and over again till it's done. In the space of an evening session, I got one entire salon window done using the kit masks, as well as this much using the Tamiya tape - 









I'd say the Tamiya tape method (or Bare Metal Foil) will take about twice as long as the kit supplied masks (or any pre-cut vinyl masks for that matter.)

And as I heve mentioned previously, you HAVE to deal with the windows early on as they fit into the Nautilus' hull from the back side of the hull half part. So, you either mask the windows while they are loose parts or after they are glued in place on the sub. (I'll illustrate when I get around to painting......)

More later,

Gene


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## Dr. Brad

This is very helpful - thanks!


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## Bodiedog

Have you had a chance to think about what colour you will paint the exterior? 

I think Verne described it as metallic, if I remember correctly (no guarantees with my memory).


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## GKvfx

One of the reasons why I got a second set of exterior parts is to experiment with a couple of different paint schemes. Larry had some spare test shots, so I just grabbed enough to make a second Nautilus, sans interior. Problem is, I still have to mask the windows.

My two initial schemes are a variation on the "underwater" look featured on the box art (a muted light green - see the window mullion color above), as well as something evocative of the Disney/Goff Nautilus - a dark copper/rust/ruddy brown color.

But there are also metallic schemes, as well as Greg DeSantis' "Panzer Yellow-ish" scheme that also seems apealling for some reason........ 

Decisions, decisions......

Gene


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## modelnut

http://www.vernianera.com/Nautilus/index.html

Full description. Mentions "metallic" but no specific color.

The Winan's Cigar Ships http://www.waldenfont.com/papermodels/product.asp?productid=10 (which Verne probably knew of) were black. 










The paper model: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/104776/1:120-The-Steamer-Winans

So I am pretty sure the Nautilus was black as well.

- Leelan


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## modelnut

I am building a 72 scale version of this in fiberglass. But the going is slow. Going on thirty years now . . . 

- Leelan


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## Bodiedog

Wow - after seeing all those amazing interpretations of Nautilus I can really appreciate the beautiful job Pegasus did with their design. As a modeller, I feel incredibly lucky that kits like this are available.

My exterior paint is going take a lot of thought. I would love to try two or even three for different versions - brass or bronze, black, maybe even iron/rust.

What is it about Nautilus that has fascinated so many people for so long?


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## modelnut

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" was the first real SciFi that I ever read. That was in 4th grade I think. I was 9-yrs-old so that was 1970. The only translation that my podunk elementary school had was a bad one:



> The novel was first translated into English in 1873 by Reverend Lewis Page Mercier (aka "Mercier Lewis"). Mercier cut nearly a quarter of Verne's original text and made hundreds of translation errors, sometimes dramatically changing the meaning of Verne's original intent (including uniformly mistranslating French _scaphandre_ (properly "diving apparatus") as "cork-jacket", following a long-obsolete meaning as "a type of lifejacket"). Some of these bowdlerizations may have been done for political reasons, such as Nemo's identity and the nationality of the two warships he sinks, or the portraits of freedom fighters on the wall of his cabin which originally included Daniel O'Connell.[5] Nonetheless, it became the standard English translation for more than a hundred years, while other translations continued to draw from it and its mistakes (especially the mistranslation of the title; the French title actually means _Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas_).


This is the best edition available today (as per Verne experts): http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0870216783/gallifanothekind
I have had it for years now and it is excellent! Reading it I finally found what felt missing all those years ago.

- Leelan

P.S. GEEZ. You guys are in luck. You can get a used copy starting at *$ .01*!


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## GKvfx

Working on the Salon lighting now.....

Since the salon has to be placed inside the hull of the Nautilus before the hull can be buttoned up, I need to work out the interior lighting at this stage.

I happened stumble across this set of LED's at either Joanne Crafts or Michael's crafts - 









.....it was under $8.00 for the lights, wires, and batteries. And I liked the look of the LEDs when lit - 









I decided that Captain Nemo would probably go with recessed lighting in his salon for that moody look. Actually, I figured it would be easier to drill holes in the ceiling panel instead of cutting out all the panels (I'm doing this first one without Paulbo's etch set....).

To test out this theory, I cut some black styrene the overall size of the ceiling panel, measured out the centers of some of the panels from the kit part and drilled small holes for the LEDs - 









I didn't want to make the salon so bright you would be blinded looking into it, so I started out with small holes on this scrap ceiling and gradually worked my way up. The lights are just taped in place for now. There's about 1/2" of space between the ceiling and the hull of the model, and that will allow me to pack in all the wires - 









Here's the effect I'm going after - 


















More later once I figure out how to wire the final model up and where the batteries will go....... Hidden inside, wires down a squid tentacle, etc....

Gene


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## Prowler901

Looks like the perfect amount of lighting, Gene.


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## TIEbomber1967

Thanks for the update, I really enjoy seeing the progress on your kit. The lighting looks very good, I think you've dialed it in just right.
I'd also like to know what kind of camera you're using for your pictures. It seems to capture the close up detail very well, while not over exposing the whole image from being too close to a light source like some other cameras.


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## Fernando Mureb

Hi GKvfx! Those LEDs are so tiny! Are they SMD?


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## modelnut

That looks wonderful! I may have to make the trek to Michaels or wherever.

- Leelan


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## Opus Penguin

Yes! I have to look for this too. This seems perfect.


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## lunadude

Found the lights on Jo Ann's site. $5.99 is not a bad price.


White
Purple
Pink
Blue


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## Opus Penguin

lunadude said:


> Found the lights on Jo Ann's site. $5.99 is not a bad price.
> 
> 
> White
> Purple
> Pink
> Blue


Hmmm ... create a different battery case and you might be able to install this in the Nautilus itself. This might work even better.


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## modelnut

I would rather have the batteries external to the model. And be 9 volt. 

What are you doing with the other four LED's? Covering them with electrical tape?

- Leelan


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## Opus Penguin

The other 4 could be used for the outer lights (outside the main windows) or in the wheelhouse I would think.


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## GKvfx

Yes, those are the lights. Jo Anne Fabrics and Crafts. As for the extra LED's - I'm wondering if I can splice some extra wire in order to get them into the sponsons with the searchlights. The other issue is the number of LEDs. The set comes with 12. The sponson/spotlights use 4. Wheelhouse eyes use 1. Well, the Salon layout needs 8. Eergh..... I was planning on using some direct LEDs in the spotlights anyways.

As for the camera - it's a Canon Powershot something or another. It's basically a Point n Shoot, but with manual overrides for dialing in the exposures and color balance. I really like it and use it more that my Nikon D-300, actually. All the photos I've taken for the Sci-Fi & Fantast Modeler articles I've done have been with that camera......

Gene


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## philp

Following along as I picked this up at Wonderfest. Love the build so far.


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## SMS_Emden

I too am following this thread with keen interest since I finally purchased this fantastic kit myself. I do plan on using the Para Grafix PE set, but I might just venture forth on my own with the lighting as I have played around with various different combinations of electronics in the past. The right amount of salon light interests me the most.


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## Whiteraven_2001

GKvfx said:


> I've talked to a number of kit makers and the consensus of opinion is that the 1954 Disney/Goff Nautilus license is just too darn expensive to justify for an injection molded model _kit_.


Gee, can't Disney just raise their theme park entry prices? Oh, wait, they did...


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## Fernando Mureb

:lol:..:lol:.


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## RobP.

Great build thread! I am not really into vehicle modeling, but the Nautilus is an exception, particularly this model with the squid base. After reading through this whole post, I look forward to further updates on your progress. I will be picking up this kit soon, and just what I have seen here so far will be very helpful. I expect that this will be a long term project. But the end results should be fantastic and worth it!

Rob


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## GKvfx

I know, I know.... I'm behind on this. Well, both of them, actually. And now there are two Pegasus T2 Aerial HKs on the bench.

DAMNYOUPEGASUS....... I only have so much time  ........

Gene


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