# First Impressions - Wilco Proteus



## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

Well, since I'm on vacation this week I don't have much time to comment. But I can say that on Monday my Wilco Proteus and Cosmostrator arrived - in pristine condition Sarge if you are reading this.

The Proteus is typical Wilco - a beautiful kit! Mimimal flaws, if any, are to be found in the castings. Naturally some clean -up is required but most everything is crisp and without pits or voids.

The interior is beautiful. The parts fit as well together as if the kit had been "professionally" manufactured. The figures, sculpted in their jumpsuits, are also quite cool! 

The exterior has been controversial in terms of the angle of the top row of windows. That looks easy to fix by cutting the vertical bars which separate the window panes (mullions, just ask Steve244  ) and re-aligning them to a flatter angle. 

Huzz


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

*where's mine?*

I placed an Advanced order from Monsters in Motion well over a month ago. Sarge... have you sent kits to them yet?


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## Ziz (Feb 22, 1999)

Dave Hussey said:


> The exterior has been controversial in terms of the angle of the top row of windows. That looks easy to fix by cutting the vertical bars which separate the window panes (mullions, just ask Steve244  ) and re-aligning them to a flatter angle.


Probably as a result of one of those interior set/exterior full size/FX models of various sizes conflicts that around here tends to result in yet another "on-screen-evidence vs. what-the-creators-intended vs. suspension-of-disbelief" arguments.

Yes, you CAN "fix" this window pane issue. Do you NEED to?

Matter of perspective.

(Which I'm sure also contributed to the existence of the discrepancy...perspective views vs. flat drawings...optical distortion, earlier drawings vs. later ones...shall I continue?)


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

I don't want people to get the wrong idea... I got two of the kits several weeks ago. I don't want anyone to think that what they are getting will be a perfect kit.

On both of my kits, the interior compartment is slightly twisted. I will have to do the hot water and cold water trick to straighten it out.

As for pits and voids... I have several on both kits. Incomplete handles; holes in control panels, bubbles along the windows that will need to be cleaned and filled, just to name a few.

I want to be clear that I am not saying anything bad about Sarge and the work that he has been doing. I have several of his kits. I just don't want people to think that what they are getting is a perfect kit.

For what it's worth, I had done a review of the kit over at SM.

I am happy to have this kit, but it is not like the one Hussey got. Sounds like he got a good pull from the mold. 

If I am reading too much into this, I'm sorry. I just don't want the wrong idea to be floating out there.

Ok, now get back to building a model and leave these nice people alone!


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## Otto69 (Jan 2, 2004)

*True enough.*

I just received Wilcos Proteus, Icarus, and 2001 Shuttle kits from CTVman.

There are three overriding points I (and I'm certain others) would make about Wilcos kits:

1) they are pressure cast, which gives a higher quality casting than just 'pouring'.

2) they are VERY reasonably priced. On par with styrene kits of similar complexity. And I've had styrene kits with worse problems than these resin kits have.

3) they are of subjects which you have a tough time finding good models of, if you can find any models at all.


So, all that said, yes, there will be some casting voids (like, one of my Proteus figures is missing a hand/arm), there will be some less than perfect 'lines' on spaceship kits perhaps here and there, etc. I agree it is good to set expectations appropriately.

I guess I will just say for the record, after about 35 years I consider myself lucky to get a really nice little kit of the Proteus for about $40. I've waited a darned long time for this, and I'm quite happy with the kit despite the very minor casting burps ('burps' I would note, which are present in greater numbers in kits from other manfacturers that cost up to four times as much).

Sure, Wilco could take more time. They could cut the casting sprues off closer, toss more parts with minor casting voids, and hand check the fit of each part of each kit. And that would about triple the price, rendering the kits out of many of our price ranges.

I guess I'll just channel David Merriman for a second and say, suck it up, learn how to do a bit of 'real' modelling including filling holes, wet sanding, etc., and count your blessings that the Wilco is making these for us :thumbsup: 

[and you can bet _I_ am still learning how to do all that stuff too ]


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

I recieved a *Wilco* *EVA POD* this year for xmas and well.....it's not from a good run at all.

Are there good runs of this kit out there?

I wonder if I send it back would they send me a better kit?.....The amount of air pockets and other problems is just too much to deal with, I mean ...Removing some flashing and filling one or three voids is one thing but spending two months just to get a kit to the point where it CAN be built is another! ....and what about the printed art work for the interior consol panels?.....one touch and they scratch easier than a lotto ticket....are they all like that?

At this point even 35.00 to 40.00 is too much for a kit like that. 

*I comend them on what they are trying to do* but this seems like the *older* *LUNAR kits*....would it kill them to take a closer look before packing it all up and sending them out the door??

I hope I'm not comming accross too negitive here but if you can not offer a decent product you shouldn't offer it at all.....and if it *IS JUST A FEW BAD KITS* then offering to exchange a few would be very good business I think.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

I think that if you're able to complete a resin kit, you've got to have the skills necessary to fix some of the problems ineherent/common in resin kits. 

Voids and pinholes are, to me, to be expected. Get some milliput and fill/resculpt whatever you need to. It took me about half an hour to fix the relatively 'major' problem of the Icarus viewport glitch that had actually pulled out part of the mold material. A little epoxy putty and it was done. The kit otherwise is an excellent one and can't be beat in terms of detail and finish.

The bargain prices of these hard to find subjects are well worth the extra effort, IMHO. It's a trade-off, sure, but not an unreasonable one for me. For others it may be unreasonable. That's a personal call. If you have a problem with a kit, contact Sarge and see what can be done. So far as I've observed, his customer service has been excellent.


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

Fluke - why not contact Sarge and let him know about the problems you have found with your EVA Pod? He's a good guy.

Otto69 - I agree 100%!!!

Starman - no twist on my Proteus kit's interior compartment. The hatch covers are okay too and the flash on the figures is ligt and easily trimmed off. There are some small bubbles on the window section which can be easily filled. The hull is pristine! With respect to the flaws, there is nothing with this kit that cannot be easily corrected.

Gotta run - the wife is calling!

Huzz


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## Sgt Wilco (Jan 29, 2004)

Hello Guys---
A quick reply to all of the above:
Thanks for the kind words Dave & Otto.
And a similar "no-bull" thank-you to Fluke & Starman for the criticisms. Here's why: If I don't know what's broken, I can't fix it. It's true that no garage kit is ever perfect; most folks know this when they step across the aisle into resin. I do try to make my kits the most buildable ones out there; however, Otto hit the nail right on the head: there will always be a trade-off to some extent. Perfection in a complex kit would price it out of the market. That's why I put my name, address and phone number on each box; if you as a builder find something beyond the scope of what you can deal with, drop a note or give a call--- I'll fix it.
The major portion of my problem was my previous method of paying my part-time caster. He got paid 'by the kit,' not 'by the hour.' 
Yes, he produced a lot of kits; No, he didn't produce uniformly good kits.
That's fixed now, with my full-timer handling casting. This does not mean that all my kits will be perfect, but it has reduced quality-control issues significantly.
Fluke--- Check your private messages. I owe you a pod.
And everybody else--- if you have ANY parts that are beyond what you'd consider 'normal-repairable' for your expectations or skill level--- just give me a call / letter / Email... And I'll fix it.
---Da Sarge


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

*NOW THATS GOOD SERVICE!! :thumbsup: *

***** Sarge you have mail! *****

Dave, da Sarge got ahold of me before I could contact him!

*THANK YOU SARGE!!* My faith in people and good business has been restored!


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## Steve CultTVman Iverson (Jan 1, 1970)

And please folks, let me emphasize, if you have a concern about a kit, you should contact either the person that sold you the kit, or contact the manufacturer. The forum is not the place to get those issues resolved.

The good folks at Wilco provide contact information with their kits. And they have a great track record for customer service.

As for flaws in resin kits, you need to expect to fill some holes, some gaps in any kit from any manufacturer. I've bought a lot of resin over the years and few, if any have been totally flawless. A few have been virtually unbuildable. Wilco's kits are pretty good in my humble opinion.

Steve


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Ditto what Steve said. Wilco stands behind his products 100%. I'm currently working on the Pan AM Clipper and, yes there were a few holes to fill in, but so what? What fun would modeling be if you just slapped the pieces together and painted them? Learn new techniques and improve your modeling skills (God knows I need the practice). Sarge, keep up the fantastic work. 

Rob
Fellow defender of the peace


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## Capt. Krik (May 26, 2001)

I received my Proteus and Cosmostrator kits Wednesday. As someone who has built his fair share of resin kits I can honestly say that Sarge produces very nice kits at a reasonable price. 
The Cosmostrator seems to appear to need only some sanding for seams. If there are any air bubbles in it I have yet to find them. 
My Proteus did have some warping in the interior tub and the top piece of the sub. Some warm water and a little patience will correct both of those. There is also some air bubbles but they are minor and easily filled with putty.
There has been some concern about the angle of the top window posts. I will correct those but really you could build straight from the box and still have an attractive representation of the Proteus.
Resin kits are seldom if ever perfect. Yes you do have mold seams to sand and occasionally air bubbles or voids to fill. I've seen kits that were so bad they are practically unbuildable. The Wilco kits that I have so far can be easily built by anyone with a little modeling experience.
Hey Sarge, you have a satisfied and happy customer here. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

*Huzz takes a crack at the windows.*

Mark me down as another satisfied customer (as if that is a surprise!). Ditto those comments too, Steve "Cult" and Capt Krik.

By the way, I sat down for 25 minutes tonight with the front window section of my Proteus and my X-Acto knife and an X-Acto chisel blade. In that time, I had cleaned up the flash around the windows, fixed the top window angle and changed the baby. Here's how I did it.

First I got some warm water and a clean diaper. Next... Oh yeah, the windows are easy too  . Using a chisel tip X-Acto blade, I cut the vertical window separations (mullions) *at the top only* up by the navigation bubble. There is no need to cut them at the bottom of the top window. I made a horizontal cut and a vertical cut up at the top of the window mulion and popped the top edge down to get the flatter "skylight" appearance. 

Its a very easy fix which really improves the look of the model.

Next, I will fill in behind the edges of the upper window suports to lower the top edge or "roof line". If I get brave, I may try to make the top outboard windows smaller: right now they extend back a bit too far - the round ends should roughly line up with the round ends of the lower outboard windows.

Huzz


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## charonjr (Mar 27, 2000)

How do we find out order information?


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

You can order them from Steve when he gets his re-stock or you can order direct from Sarge. Send me an email and I'll get you the contact info.

Huzz


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## Steve CultTVman Iverson (Jan 1, 1970)

I'm eagarly awaiting a restock shipment!

Steve


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

Like I said before, I am happy with my kit. The problems with this resin kit are no different than with any other resin kits. I hope that Wilco will continue to produce excellent subjects like the Icarus (so, Sarge, what is on your bench that you are not telling us?)  And I will buy the subjects that are of interest of me.

Steve, I was hoping that what was happening here was just being constructive. My participation in this discuss was not with the intention of being critical nor disrespectful. Just informative. 

I am not in the garage kit business, but from what I have learned being on this site, it is not an easy one to be in.

And yes, the Sarge is great at returning emails!!


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

Ditto!!

Huzz:thumbsup:


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Speaking of the Proteus, has anyone seen the new GE commercial with the doctor daydreaming of being on the Proteus? Great shots of the ship and the crew!


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

No! Tell me more! :wave: 
Huzz


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

Here it is!

http://www.ge.com/en/company/companyinfo/advertising/tele_ads.htm

Anyone got any pics or info to post on how their Proteus is coming along?

Huzz


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

The model looks great out of the box; to my eye the interior and the exterior hull are remarkably close to the pictures on WWW.Cloudster.com. However, the front windows have been found to be not quite "true" to the Proteus as she appears in teh movie. I think that these things will make the model more accurate . 

Last week I very simply cut the upper window supports at the top with an X-Acto knife and repositioned them lower. Big difference! 


This week I have been playing around with the front windows a bit more. If you look at the main hull of the ship you will see a semi-circular flat section on the bow of the sub where the front windows sit. However the bottom edge of the lower front window frame overshoots that flat area by 2 or 3 millimeters. So, I ran out and got some number 220 waterproof sandpaper and WET sanded it back so it aligned better with the bow of the main hull. #220 paper works fairly quickly compared to #320 or #400 paper so be careful with it until you get an idea of how it works.


Then, I beveled the edge of the lower window frame so that it aligns better with the overall slope of the nose of the ship (when seen from the side). I may try to make that a concave bevel edge by gluing some #220 paper on something round, like a can. 

The next thing I plan to do is address the upper outboard windows which extend back on the sides a bit too much. My plan is to cut crescent shaped pieces of sheet styrene and glue them in place on the outside ends of the windows, and fill in and sand any gaps. That should easily create a look much closer to the pictures on WWW.Cloudster.com. 


Since I bought a sheet of 0.40 and 0.60 styrene, I'll see what I can do to fabricate those interior support framing members that run between the windows and the chart rack. There are also members on either side of the divers chamber / airlock.

Huzz


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