Has anyone on this forum ever attempted to convert the 1/350 scale Moebius Seaview into the 8-window movie version? If so, how well did it turn out?
I remember several years ago, member "Subtoair" converted a 1/129 scale Flying Sub version into the movie version, and did a killer job of it, too!
However, I'm thinking of the 1/350 version, because the old Aurora/Polar Lights movie Seaview just doesn't quite measure up to the Moebius FS version when placed side-by-side for comparison.
Before I take a crack at it, I just wanted to know if anybody else tried this yet.
Well, it took me a couple of weeks, and it came out rather nicely. The easy part was sanding down the sonar domes on the sides as well as the Flying Sub bay doors and belly lamps. I then opened up the viewport bay by sawing straight down to the upward curve of the manta ray fins and forward lamp, and saw cutting across to the existing divider.
I sanded down the ridge from the top deck point to the forward lamp, and then had the joys of scratch building the viewport frames and belly "rib" in the manta ray belly using tree sprue from the Polar Lights Lost in Space Robot kit.
I drilled two holes for the new locations of the belly lamps and inserted rounded pins that I had in my "scrap parts" box, but really don't remember what kit those were salvaged from.
The top sonar dome I fashioned from half of the "clothes pin" joist from the land of The Giants Snake diorama (I used a real safety pin for that build).
I then cut clear plastic sheet to size for the 8 view port windows, and then polished the whole sub off with Tamiya "RAF Ocean Gray #2" rattle can spray with a Tamiya "USAF Light Grey" underside. I penned in the sail "darklights" with a Sharpie, and sealed the whole shebang off with a layer of Tamiya "semi-matt clear coat".
Have any of the aftermarket guys considered doing an 8-window conversion kit for the Moebius 1/350 Seaview? My scratchbuilding skills aren't quite up to the task, but I'd be willing to pay a fair price for a Seaview "nose job" kit.
Is it possible that the general thinking may have been "Moebius is sure to issue a new tool 1/350 8-window Seaview any time now, why bother with a conversion kit" ?
(note: I would like that happen, a new tool 8-window in 1/350)
So maybe since that seems unlikely to happen now, maybe a conversion nose is a fresh idea to investigate?
The 8-Window 1:350 kit does seem to be a big hole in Moebius's offerings- I had expected one to be released some time ago.
Moebius does have limited resources towards product development, they might have set that edition aside to concentrate on the hotter subjects such as the Galactica kits.
To be honest, the 8-Window Seaview is the more obscure edition- it was in a film and in stock shots, but the 4-Window/F-S edition is what most people associate with the TV show. When I was watching the show way back when I didn't even know about the movie- it was not until the age of VHS I had a chance to see it.
. . . To be honest, the 8-Window Seaview is the more obscure edition- it was in a film and in stock shots, but the 4-Window/F-S edition is what most people associate with the TV show.
I'm actually doing this conversion right now. It's going well, but the nose & forward manta fins have to be completely redone from scratch as the four window is completely different and cannot be simply adapted or altered to do it. I'll post a few pictures of the final result next week...
A bold decision to convert to the 8 window version. At this point have you done anything to the nose in addition to filling in the windows? It looks like you've done some sanding on the sides of the "dome" to flatten it a bit...
I just adjusted it again today. I've been carving & sanding it down all week. I think I finally got to the right shapes... now to get rid of the seams. This waiting for primer to dry is killin' me!
This is the most complicated sculpting I've ever done. It make the Armageddon shuttle I did seem not-so-hard by comparison.
I have never in my life ever seen a white Seaview kit - whether it be an original Aurora, Monogram or Polar Lights reissue. All I have seen were always molded in black. That must be quite rare.
That would explain it. I must have been fooled by what looked like other white molded parts laying in the box. I couldn't remember if Polar Lights would have issued any "chase kit" versions of the Seaview like those of some their other kits from a decade or so back. The white over spray inside the box should have also been a clue - if I were looking at something other than just the model and parts.
Anyway, you've done a great job re-contouring the nose. It looks much better than the original shape.
Actually, thanks to Mr. Lubliner and his crazy informative thread, I think it's now more accurate than the big Moebius eight window model, shape-wise!:surprise:
Thank you for reviving this thread; I did my conversion over the Christmas Holidays and am pleased with the results I got, but your work promises to be far better than my attempt was. Keep up the great work, Chris!
Believe it or not, I don't own either a camera or even a cell phone. But the next time I have a visitor come over, he or she will take a photo or two and I'll download it onto this message board. Heck, I'm still using a dial-up computer modem!
Until then, suffice it to say that it looks like a 12" version of the OOB 1/129 scale Moebius Movie Seaview.
It's looking really great, Chris, but I'm a little concerned about the very tip of the bow. I'm not sure if you've got it built out too far or not.
See, this seems to be one of the areas subject to interpretation, depending on which effects miniature you're using for your baseline. Looking at pics in 'Seaview Soundings', the 4 foot (built up from the original 12 window model) seemed to have very little 'lip' at the manta/hull bow blending. OTOH the 8 1/2 foot miniature has just a little more obvious 'lip' at the front. Yet if you reduce the 'lip' area too much suddenly you're approaching that 'beluga bulge' look that one of the miniatures had (I think it was a 2-footer).
The primer coat glares enough that I can't get a good handle on the very front of the bow. At this point, to my eyes, the blending there looks more 4-window than 8-window, if that makes any sense.
Steve, like I told Paul L. I'm not going off a single version, I'm just getting the look right for myself. I'm taking cues from all around the place. So yeah, this is NOT a scale model, heh heh.
It's still looking good. A very impressive 'backdating' conversion. My suggestion is still, be mindful that the manta fins were added AFTER the 4 foot model (with the 12 windows) was essentially finished (either as filming miniature or study model) and that's part of the complex and optical illusion inducing magic of the sub.
Okay, it's NOT ready. More tweaks. The nose light hole was not centered on the bow.
As usual, a quick build has turned into a small obsession. Oh well, when I'm finished I will be happy though...
... and I still have about 10 episodes to go on the first season of the DVDs!!! (Havin' fun here)
IMHO, season 1 and the first half of season 2 are the best, with about a dozen for the rest of the series well worth repeat watching. just out of curiosity, are you building 2 of these, or is the other one to be an "accurized" Aurora version?
I was starting to do an accurized Aurora/PL version until I realized it was never going to look as good as a Moebius TV Seaview converted. So the other one you see in pictures is my paint-tester.:laugh:
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