# Uncle Martin's Ship Finished



## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

Not much to add to the subject header. I've been working on this since last Fall. It's finally done. 25" long. Fiberglass covered foam. I just finished the landing gear today and put it on the base.


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## The-Nightsky (May 10, 2005)

great Job Brent!!!!!!!!!


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Gorgeos, beautiful work, Brent!
Incredible, graceful lines!

You're a true master of the lathe! :thumbsup:


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Not only is it beautiful, but the lines, contours, and proportions look dead-on! Strong work Brent! :thumbsup:


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## Daikaiju1 (Apr 26, 2005)

Hey Brent, 
That looks great! You should be very pleased with it, nice work.
GS


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## Steven Coffey (Jan 5, 2005)

She looks like a fast car .Great work man!! :thumbsup:


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

I've always loved that little thing.

My Dad once built a sailboat that was shaped almost the same. I used to sit in the open cockpit and pretend.


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Very cool.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Beautiful! :thumbsup:


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Kinda the same shape. When I was 10, it was close enough.


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

I wish yours could be used as the patterns for a kit. VERY COOL!!!


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## lonfan (Feb 11, 2001)

WOW Impressive,And if you had a second You'd have some REALLY Awsome Slippers! (Just a Thought! sorry lol)

JOHN/LONFAN


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## fernieo (Mar 22, 2000)

Excellent! And it's nice to see something other than (yawn) yet another Star Trek ship.


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## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

Thanks for the kind words, guys. Yeah, I figure there is enough of you fellas doin' trek stuff better than I could so I''l leave that to you . It was a real learning experience. I'll do a few things differently next time but it went pretty well.

For me, the BIG question is :What next?

I'm desperately searching for that next scratchbuild project and I'm comin' up dry. Suggestions welcome...but it has to be something for which there exists reasonable plans or documentation. I had to make my own plans for Uncle Martins ship but the shape was simple enough that a some good screen captures did the trick.


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

Excellent job. That's about as perfect as you can get!

As for the next subject, dip into the Spaceship Handbook. There's lots of worthy stuff in there.


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

How about a TOS Romulan Bird of Prey, 1/350th scale? Assuming a fore/aft length of about 138 meters?

There was a vacuum formed kit once that looked pretty good, though I doubt it would be 1/350th.

I've got some really nice plans I can email you late late tonight when I get home if you are interested.

A sturdy resin kit of that one would be awesome!


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Brent Gair said:


> For me, the BIG question is :What next?


I've been trying to think of a subject that isn't "Trek", isn't the "Apes" ship, and yet is reasonably well documented and would lend itself to your particular skills -- i.e. good with a lathe, knows how to finish, isn't afraid of foam, appears to enjoy retro-sci-fi subjects, etc.

How `bout the Royal Starcrusier from "The Phantom Menace" (aka that silver, SR-71-inspired, Flash Gordonish-looking thing). Sure the movie sucked, but the vessel itself has beautuful lines and would look great on one of your customized display stands. 

To the best of my knowledge no one has produced a kit of this ship, nor have I seen a decent scratch-build. Yours could be the first!


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

That is a beautiful ship. It was in the last episode released too...

How about links to documentation?...


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Chuck_P.R. said:


> That is a beautiful ship. It was in the last episode released too. How about links to documentation?


Actually, the ship in question only appeared in "Phantom Menace".

Blueprints of Queen Amidala's Royal Naboo Starship were published in the sixth addition of The Star Wars Fact File, a British publication which I believe is (or at least was) available in Canada. I have a copy somewhere; I'd be happy to dig it up and forward jpgs to Brent if he's interested (my family and I are in the middle of a move, so it may take a while).

Another excellent source of reference for this particular subject is the Estes model rocket, which was released around the same time as Ep. 1. Except for a couple of minor structural changes (e.g. a compartment for the rocket itself) the model is a reasonably accurate rendition of the scale miniature. 

And, of course, there are any number of publications & websites devoted to "Star Wars" vehicles. One might have to do a little snooping, but I suspect it wouldn't take too much time or effort to assemble the necessary documentation. 

Hell, if it'll get Brent to focus his model-making skills on this particular subject I'll track down the reference materials myself (can you tell I want one)?


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Excellant work ! :thumbsup:


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## JeffG (May 10, 2004)

Very nice indeed!


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Brent - Fireball XL-5, 1/72 scale. That would be about 50" long.


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

*looking good*

strange how even the simplest ships make us happy. great job!! :thumbsup:


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## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

John P, Fireball XL-5 is EXTREMELY high on my want list. And 50" long is moderately small by my standards (my big battelship is built in two pieces with the forward section alone being 55" long and 14" wide). With sufficient documentation, XL-5 could quite easily be the next project.

The problem with so many of the things that I want to do is that I have doubts about the drawings being adequate. For many subjects, I have gotten plans and/or drawings off the net but I have real doubts about being able to scale them up realistically. I have nice XL-5 drawings but, as you might expect, they are from the net and show the ship about 7" long.

PAYING for plans is not a problem. As I've said before, I come from a model ship background and I'm used to buying plans. I think the battleship Richelieu plans set me back about $75.00!

But very few people seem to be selling. When you do a lot of the old time rocketships that I've done like MARS-1 or the ORBIT JET from Rocky Jones, you can get by with a simple profile drawing. As things get more complicated, even 3-view drawings won't suffice. When you look at a subject like the FLYING SUB, for example, you really need cross sections to get it right.

Here's a quick list of just a few things I'm thinking about:

XL-5. Very high priority but I'd like better drawings.

THUNDERBIRD 1. I have sufficent material but the "silver cylinder models" are starting to wear thin on me.

THUNDERBIRD 2. High priority by no useful plans....lots of compound curves and details

THUNDERBIRD 3. I have sufficient material but it's not the most appealing model for me.

ICARUS. I have sufficient material but I'm on the fence about the design. While I appreciate the potential for detail, it has all the visual impact of a big, white triangle 

SPINDRIFT. High on my priority list but problematic. Somebody at hobbytalk (was it FLuke?) posted FANTASTIC plans derived from the studio blueprints. I even drew up profiles for a 3' long model. Again, the plans are relatively small jpegs and the hull sections become very poorly defined as the are enlarged.

JUPITER 2. This is my personal dream ship. This is to me what the Enterprise is to most of you other guys. The problem? Jupiter 2 models are no longer uncommon. Pl did the 12". Lunar did the 16" and 24". Sci-fi matters just started shipping a 24" and they are preparing a 48" ship. The only way I could be original is to build a 6 footer...and even I'm not going to do that.

PROTEUS. All the Proteus talk over the last year has been quite inspiring. I don't know what kind of stuff Carson Dyle has access to but, like I said, I'll pay for documentation.

SEAVIEW: Another extremely high priority item. Of all the things I've considered, the Seaview is consistently in the top two or three. I'm an experienced submarine modeler and an experienced ship scratchbuilder. !5 years ago, you could get Seaview plans from a catalogue (I still have a couple of old Taubman Plan Catalogues floating around). Incredibly, I can't find a current source for detailed plans. This most famous sub since Disney's Nautilus and I can find plans.

There have even been some very unconventional ideas floating around like:

APOLLO LUNAR MODULE. I've come very close to going for this idea. I even have a LM book still sitting in my amazon shopping cart just waiting for me to hit the "Proceed to checkout" button. I've located good plans. 

ROBOT. I've got a tin plate robot which is reproduction of classic 50's toy. I thought it might be neat to build a version of that robot about 3' tall.

That's about 25% of the ideas I have under consideration.

Regrettably, Trek and Star Wars are excluded. I simply don't have the depth of knowledge to do those subjects. Honest truth: I've never seen a Star Wars movie...not one.


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## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

I just wanted to add an example of something.

I know many of you have seen this before but, for those who haven't, this is a picture of my 60" HMCS WINNIPEG minesweeper when it was under construction (it's now finished and has been sailing without incident for years).



I post this as an example that I'm not just talking through my hat about my desire and ability to take on a big scratchbuild. If anybody comes to my aid with reference material, I don't want them to think that they are wasting their time on a guy with too much mouth and not enough hand-eye coordination .


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Yeah, any of Bonestell's ships would rock!


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

How about a lager size AT-AT? 
Earth vs the Flying Saucer?
The Rocket (Polaris) from Space Explorers?


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

I think the Seaview would be tops for me on the list you mentioned, Brent. A 36" or so version would be spectacular if you could turn it into a kit for somewhere between the $150 dollar 24" one and the $999 DeBoer kit...


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

Well, if the Icarus has no appeal for you, then its probably not a challenge for anyone here to guess what I'd like to see you do.

And I'm sure Carson could help you out with it! 

Huzz:thumbsup:


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## Steve244 (Jul 22, 2001)

My vote's for Fireball XL5. Only themed lunchbox I ever had.

(Great Uncle Martin ship. Do you think Daffy Duck's bill was an inspiration? Whatever it was they did something completely original. I think it flew by Uncle Martin's motivation alone; any ideas?)


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

Didn't it leak "Glink oil" ??


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## Steve244 (Jul 22, 2001)

Y3a said:


> Didn't it leak "Glink oil" ??


Yes, but I was under the impression that was more for comfort than fuel.


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

For two sets of Seaview Blueprint descriptions see: 

post #93

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?p=969809&highlight=Seaview+blueprints#post969809


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Also checkout:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=153&item=6537653664&tc=photo 

and also:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=153&item=6537653659&tc=photo 

I've bought from this seller before and he's pretty prompt.


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## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

Thanks for some good leads, Chuck!

I've book marked a few items for further investigation.

Come to think of it, I've bought from Intergalactic Trading before. Funny thing...I can't remember what I bought from them but I remember the name.

I have a comment that I must make about way MANY people list auctions. There is a common problem that I literally see on about 80% of auctions. In the "Ships to" category, many sellers say "WORLDWIDE" but, in the "Available to" category, many list "UNITED STATES ONLY".

Intergalactic has done that (again). They say they "Ship Worldwide" but list the product as "Available to the United States only" (I'm in Canada). That's a frustrating contradiction because it means I usually have to send an email to OK bidding!


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Brent Gair said:


> Thanks for some good leads, Chuck!
> 
> I've book marked a few items for further investigation.
> 
> ...


They've been in business what seems like forever. I still have some old paper catalogues of theirs' from the '70's when they sold tons of posters, buttons, 8 x 10's etc. Basically the same kind of stuff that Lincoln Enterprises used to sell. As long as you pay in US funds you shouldn't have a problem, you can probably "Buy it Now" and just check with them to see the cost of shipping to Canada.


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Checkout their direct(non-Ebay) sales website.
They list Canadian shipping prices there.

click on "How to Order" after you go here in order to get their Canadian shipping rates:

http://www.scifistore.com/frame.html



Their direct order Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea stuff can be found here:
http://www.scifistore.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart/store/products.html?L+itc+cpez0501

However, some people prefer to buy via Ebay to give them an extra level of purchase protection(though I've ordered from them both ways and never had a problem).


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Intergalactic? I just bought an SG-1 hat from them a couple months ago. I think I bought my first item from them while I was art school in the 70s!


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## lonfan (Feb 11, 2001)

Brent - If I may Suggest, How Bout The Space Cruiser "Yamamto" from that Japanese Cartoon? OR The Homemade Rocket Made by Junkman Andy Griffth on the Series "Salvage 1"? or Finally some Version of a Ship that would have Rocketed a Baby Kal-El aka Superman to Earth in the Supes Comics? All Nifty Ideas IMHO OH BTW LAST ONE How Bout' the rather "Odd" shaped Ships in the Adult Film Parody "FLESH Gordon" lol? 

Hey Beautiful Work anyway!
JOHN/LONFAN


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

John P said:


> Intergalactic? I just bought an SG-1 hat from them a couple months ago. I think I bought my first item from them while I was art school in the 70s!


Brings back memories, doesn't it? 

Reminds me of why Gene Roddenberry supposedly "fought" so hard to not have Trek fan producers of merchandise sued by Paramount back then - his own wife ran Lincoln Enterprises and was probably the biggest seller of unlicensed stuff! :lol:


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## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

I was checking a stack of old cardboard boxes (I never throw anything out) and discovered that my autographed picture of Jonathan Harris came from Intergalactic in 1999.

Their shipping to Canada isn't unreasonable so there is a very good chance I'll order something from them. There is a lot of stuff on that site that I have to sort through. One of the things about being outside the U.S. is that small orders are often not worth the shipping expenses. So, if I want a $10.00 set of plans, it's usually padded with other goodies to bring the order up into the high $40.00's.

Uh Lonfan...my Mother still sees the models I make so the Flesh Gordon ships are a no-go! Salvage One ain't a bad idea. I'd like to see that on DVD. I haven't seen it since the orignal run. It's NEVER been repeated in these parts but I remember it well. Another chance to view it might stir my creative urge.


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## lonfan (Feb 11, 2001)

I completly Understand brent! lol I gotta watch what I display around the Lil' Tikes lol But Yeah The Salvage 1 IF nuthin else IS interesting! IIRC It was a hodge Podge of Stuff Including a Tank from an old Cement-Mixing Truck as the Capsule,but I haven't seen this show in as many Years as you my Friend! lol OH and I swear VERY LAST ONE!! The Lil' Shuttles From V (Not the Mother Ships) These V Crafts are Some of my all Time Faves! The Look sorta like the Ships in that Old Filmation Saturday Morning Series "Jason Of Star Command" IIRC those were called "Star Seekers" or just "Seekers" Either way I LOVED those and Sid Haig as Dracos as well! lol Good Luck and lets see more Pics!


John/Lonfan


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Found an old catalogue from the '70's! Apparently Intergalactic also went by the name "Star Trek Galore" too(same PO box).

Brings backs memories of old newsletters and snail-mail correspondance for everything. Before even the days of microwave ovens. How did we ever do without the internet? Microwaves?...


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Hey cool! Nice work.

Salvage 1, Jason of Star Command. Man, I haven't even thought of those in years! Once made the JOSC shuttle in mini-fig scale (with full interior). I guess somethings never change.


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## Pygar (Feb 26, 2000)

How about a larger Invaders saucer? Jackill has good drawings, for a whole $8.


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

*where is it now*

they say the ship is in the hands of a private auto collector, thats the trouble with some people, they buy things up the normal working Joe could never aford and its never seen again by the public. to bad it not on display some where so we could get more pictures for referance, like the landing feet.


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

Or they ruin them by gutting them and using them as sets in another Sci-Fi show. (think Jupiter 2 here...)


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

There are some "good guy" collectors out there. I heard not to long ago there is a private Sci-Fi/Trek collection/museum that's often open to the public in California. Forget the name of the place as I rarely pay attention to such things until I'm ready to travel. There are a few nice collectors out there that have bought up stuff and yet frequently make the collectibles available for pics, realizing we don't all have deep pockets. 


Checkout:
http://www.sfhomeworld.org/
written about here: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2004-06-18-scifi-baskas_x.htm

I think there is another sci-fi museum in the Hollywood area, or was one. Anyone know?


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Chuck_P.R. said:


> I think there is another sci-fi museum in the Hollywood area, or was one. Anyone know?


The only one I can think of is "the Ackermansion".

Forrest J. Ackerman, co-founder and co-creator of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, began collecting sci-fi (a term he claims to have created, btw) and horror memorabilia decades ago. Some time in recent years he opened his home to anyone interested in seeing his collection (for a small fee, of course) and would conduct personal tours himself, recanting the history of any particular object and how it came to be in his possession. He has some interesting stuff mixed in with a lot of junk. Last I heard he was looking for someone to buy it all (since he's getting on in years) and open a proper museum.


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Any updates on Seaview Blueprints, subject selections, etc., Brent?


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## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

Chuck_P.R. said:


> Any updates on Seaview Blueprints, subject selections, etc., Brent?


I'm just having a heck of a time making that decision. Seriously, I made three "final" decisions today...a different subject each time. I will set a June 30 deadline to make a choice one way or the other.

While my hemming and hawing continues, my tool collection grows. I made a few minor purchases this week: steel burrs, small rotary saw and a height gauge for use on my surface plate. I also got this birthday present:



It's an oscillating spindle sander. That central drum rotates like a sanding drum when used on a drill press. However, what makes the oscillating sander different is that the drum also goes up and down 58 times per minute while rotating at 1700 rpm. This makes for exceptionally efficient sanding. The unit also has a built in dust collector.

My indecision is especially frustrating in view of this years large investment in tools. But it's not entirely my "fault". There are factors which complicate things. For example, those Seaview plans lack the cross sections for the more complicated shapes at the bow and stern. That doesn't disqualify them...the Seaview plans are still big contenders. But I have to consider my ability to look at the drawings and extrapolate the necessary information to get everything right.


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

^^^Anybody here have a verifiably accurate(known sources for info, etc) 3D model of the three-window Seaview that they would be willing to share multiple angle views of?

Might that help?

Anyone know if there are major differences between the movie version and the TV version of the Seaview other then the number of windows and minisub bay?

Are the major, general contours the same?


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## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

I've discovered one of the contributing factors to the U.S. trade deficit.

Although I know Interglactic ships to Canada, there is no provision for a proper foreign address with their online ordering system. I just attempted to place an order. Although they have a separate "Country" listing when you fill out the New Customer form, there is no way to bypass the rest of the American address system. A "State" must be entered from the list with no provision to write in a Province.

In their shipping system, there is no provision for a Country in the online form and there is a box for a State abbreviation but not a province.

The system DOES recognize me as Canadian because it calculated shipping cost to Canada. But I won't place that order until I can find some way to enter my address...(right now, I'm listed as a citizen of Maine because that's what happens when I try to type "Manitoba").


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Is there more then one Address line?
If so you could leave the state blank, put your city in the appropriate box, and on the second address line type Province of Manitoba.


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Chuck_P.R. said:


> ^^^Anybody here have a verifiably accurate(known sources for info, etc) 3D model of the three-window Seaview that they would be willing to share multiple angle views of?


When Phil Broad (aka X-15) returns from England he may be able to point you in the right direction blueprint-wise.



Chuck_P.R. said:


> Anyone know if there are major differences between the movie version and the TV version of the Seaview other then the number of windows and minisub bay?Are the major, general contours the same?


Irwin Allen's decision to revamp the sub for the series' 2nd season required major surgery on the part of the model makers; the entire front end of the original miniature(s) was sawed off just aft of the forward diving planes, and an entirely new nose was attached. As a result, the features and contours of the forward end of the re-fit are significantly different than those of the original. There are also subtle differences in the sail detailing.

Always prefered the original myself, but I understand the appeal of the Flying Sub version.


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Any new info on the project, Brent?

Any idea of what size you would do the Seaview in(in inches)?

I'd personally like to see something in the 3 foot size. Sort of like the one that used to sit behind Admiral Nelson's desk.


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## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

Still waiting Chuck.

I placed an order for plans two weeks ago and got a confirmation of that order. However, no word yet on whether anything has actually been mailed and nothing has appeared on my credit card statement so it's a waiting game.

Three feet long!? Do you think I'm some kinda' girlie modeler?

Assuming the plans show up and I have sufficient documentation, I would expect to build a model about 80" long (give or take).

In the meantime, I have revived an older nautical modeling project. I'm making a visible nuclear reactor compartment from a nuclear submarine. It's sort of a large scale version of those old Revell and Renwall kits. In this case, I'm doing the reactor compartment ONLY. It's in 1/48 scale which will make it about 8" in diameter and 9" long. I chose this subject because it's the most classified part of a sub and, understandably, it's the most INACCURATE part of those little cut-away subs.

I'm basing my model on the old S5W reactor that was common in most U.S. nukes prior to the Los Angeles. The S5W is obviously classified. But, in the mid 50's, Westinghouse and the Naval Reactors Branch designed a pressurized water reactor for the Shippingport PA power plant. My belief is that a bunch of engineers working together designing PWR's in the 1950's are not likely to come up with radically different designs. So I'm taking data on the shippingport reactor and "interpreting" it into my version of the S5W.

Will post a picture later (but this project is still early in development).


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## Brent Gair (Jun 26, 1999)

I just took this picture of my S5W reactor. It's still very much a work in progress as I just installed the support brackets last night and started painting it today. It's about 5.7" long. That long screw in the top is just a temporary expedient to make it easy to handle.




I've also done some work on the pressurizer, differential pressure cell/control rod drive and the compartment bulkheads. MUCH more to be done (steam generators, coolant pumps, demineralizers, lotsa' plumbing, decks...)


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