I am trying to find a plastic model kit of a boat that looks close to the BELAFONTE ship used by TEAM ZISSOU in LIFE AQUATIC. I believe it was a WW2 Mine Sweeper type ship but I know next to nothing about ships or military vessels.

Here is a pic/illustration of the ship -- if anyone can steer me in the right direction, that would be great.

http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/belafonte2.jpg

http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/144_4465sm.jpg

http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/zissou_belafonte.jpg


Here is a real boat that looks close, just don't kno if they make models of such ships:

http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/a7de_1.JPG

From IMDB:

A 50-year-old minesweeper vessel bought and towed from South Africa served as the Belafonte. link (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362270/trivia)

This looks like the only one. (http://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagories/Ship_Models/LIN00070830/product.php)

From what I can tell, it's the "Admirable" class minesweeper.

http://www.scalehobbyist.com/images/products/LIN/LIN00070830/Picture_2_l.jpg

You might be able to ID a better match on this page (http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/02idx.htm) but there doesn't seem to be a lot of choices of kits.

I've never seen The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou -- as I understand it, the title character is loosely based on Jacques Cousteau but it's not really a spoof or an out-and-out comedy -- but I couldn't help being struck by the resemblance of the Belafonte to the actual Calypso (which was also converted from a World War II minesweeper). The Belafonte even has Calypso's unique false bow with the ladder leading down to the underwater observation chamber.

http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/images-08-3/Calypso-1982-MSD01.jpg

Go here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BYMS_class_minesweeper

It will tell you about the class of ship and a little history. Personally I'd rather model a real ship, such as Calypso than her movies star doppelganger.BTW "belafonte" is a nod to Calypso...Harry belafonte was a calypso Singer...lol

I had the old calypso kit...but you'd pay a ton for one now on e-bay.

Steve

thanks - looks like I need to find a revell calypso kit.

Bones, I sent you a PM,..you know when you get one of those.

You are going to have to light it up!

Steve

Found a Revell Calypso -- putting the finishing touches on my conversion.

Got it pretty much finished -- the only thing I think I'm gonna add are decals -- BELAFONTE that goes on side and maybe circle with Z in it for helicopter landing pad...and maybe the Zissou flag, but that will be really small. I'll also do something with the base -- not sure if a decal or an engraved metal plaque.

The Calypo model looks REALLY close to Belafonte, but I had to make the smoke stack/exhaust stack thing taller and revise the antenna and add the little spherical antennae thingy behind it. I also picked up some N-scale figures from Hobby Lobby and repainted them to look like Team Zissou -- they were pretty darn small (they are not taller than your fingernail) and my eyes ain't what they used to be -- so this may be the last time I attempt anything like this.

Take a look -- as I have mentioned, the Calypso model is not 100% accurate to what Belafonte looked like, but its so close -- the cabin is a bit off, but these are all the modifications I'm prepared to do. If anyone else takes this on, I'd love to see your pics.

http://upload.hooverae.com/images/drmcoy/b1.jpg

http://upload.hooverae.com/images/drmcoy/b6.jpg

http://upload.hooverae.com/images/drmcoy/b2.jpg

http://upload.hooverae.com/images/drmcoy/b3.jpg

http://upload.hooverae.com/images/drmcoy/b4.jpg

http://upload.hooverae.com/images/drmcoy/b5.jpg

http://upload.hooverae.com/images/drmcoy/b8.jpg

Hi All..I'm new here, this is my first post!

I saw a comment about modeling the Belefonte. It's my next project too.
The Belefonte was not an Amirable class minesweeper but a Ton class. She was built in 1959 by the Brits as the HMS Packington (Wikapedia her) and sold directly to the South African Navy who renamed her the Walvisbaai. SHe was sold to the Walt Disney Co in like 2003 who had her outfitted as she was seen in the movie "A Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou". It was then sold to a pvt party for #350,000 and brought to Dubai for conversion to a pvt yatch.

No models of the Ton Class minesweeper exists that I've found only the Lindberg Amirable class Minesweeper, available on Ebay and at Scalehobbyist.

Revell's 1/125 remake of Costeau's Calypso( very similar to the Belefonte) is the closest you can come, but modification will be needed. You can use the Admirable class model made by Lindberg in the same scale to kit bash some items to make itmore true to the real Belefonte. Scratch building will be necessary and I find that my old Mattel vaccum form machine, modified to be used with a shop vac, works well for making the new smoke funnel that will be needed to do this project.

The link of pics by Drmcoy wasn't available to view and I'd love to see what you did with the Ocean Exploration Vessel kit that they brought back which is the old Calypso model.

I'm gonna take my time with this and will post pics when I'm finally done.:thumbsup: